Nov. 28, 2007

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2007 Football Championship Series Semifinal Preview
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Four teams battle it out on Dec. 1-2 for a trip to the 2007 NAIA National Championship on Dec. 15. In the first Semifinal game. which has been postponed to Sunday due to weather conditions, No. 1 Sioux Falls (12-0) hosts No. 9 Missouri Valley (10-2) in a rematch of last year's semifinal game in which USF won 25-18. On Saturday, No. 2 Carroll (13-0) welcomes No. 5 St. Francis (Ind.). St. Francis is appearing in its fifth straight semifinal round while Carroll is in its seventh semifinal battle in the last eight years. The home teams in the Semifinals have recently been successful -- the last visiting team to win was in 2003.

The 52nd Annual Championship will be held in Hardin County, Tenn. on Saturday, Dec. 15. The event will be televised live on College Sports Television (CSTV) with Jonathan Coachman and Roland Williams. General admission tickets to the game can be purchased in advance for $12 by calling Team Hardin County at 1-800-552-3866 or at the gate for $15. Parking at Jim Carroll Stadium is $2.

And the Winner...
Here is a look at the potential Semifinal winners advancing to the Championship, and how many appearances that would be:

Sioux Falls (S.D.) is searching for its fourth Championship appearance and second straight; Carroll (Mont.) is looking at its fifth overall and fifth in the last six seasons; St. Francis (Ind.) its fourth overall and fourth straight; Missouri Valley its second with the first coming in 1974.

Championship Series Quick Facts
• In the 2006 Semifinal round, the home team won. In fact, the last visiting team to win on the road in Semifinal action was Northwestern Oklahoma State in the 16-13 win at Sioux Falls (S.D.) in 2003.
• In the last two Semifinal rounds (4 games), the winning team has won by an average margin of nearly 30 points (29.8).
• Three of the four Semifinal participants are repeating from the 2006 Semifinal round -- the only one different is Carroll.
• St. Francis (Ind.) is appearing in its fifth straight Semifinal game - the longest of any current 2007 participant. Sioux Falls (S.D.) is right behind with three straight and Missouri Valley is at two consecutive appearances.
• Sioux Falls (S.D.) is looking to defend its title and win its third Championship in school history.
• Among active NAIA football schools, Carroll (Mont.) holds the most Championships with four.
• St. Francis (Ind.) holds the longest active streak of consecutive Championship Series appearances with nine; Carroll (8) and Sioux Falls (7) are right behind USF.
• Cumberlands (Ky.) appeared in its second Championship Series game (opening round) with the first occurring back in 1988.
• Without a 2007 playoff bid, Georgetown (Ky.) had its streak of Championship Series appearances snapped at nine straight.
• The Heart of America Athletic (HAAC) Conference and the Mid-State Football Association - Mideast sent the most participants (3) - Lindenwood, MidAmerica Nazarene and Missouri Valley advance from the HAAC while St. Xavier (Ill.), Ohio Dominican and St. Francis (Ind.) are from the Mid-States Mideast.

Semifinal Round Previews
• #1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) (12-0) hosts #9 Missouri Valley (10-2), 12 p.m. CST
NOTE: Postponed to Sunday due to weather conditions on Saturday
Sioux Falls is appearing in its third straight Semifinal round while Missouri Valley is in its second straight Final Four. These two teams met back in the 2006 Semifinals. Last season, Sioux Falls came from behind to give Missouri Valley its only loss of the year, 25-18. Down by one in the fourth quarter, Cougar quarterback Chad Cavender threw a touchdown pass to tight end Josiah Fenceroy with just over six minutes remaining. That score proved to be the game winner as the Cougars advanced to the championship game and won their second national title.

USF recorded its 26th straight win with a 49-7 victory against No. 10-seed Saint Xavier (Ill.) last Saturday. The Cougars are out-scoring their 2007 playoff opponents 84-14 in two games. Missouri Valley knocked out Ohio Dominican from the undefeated ranks 48-34 last week piling up 650 yards of offense.

The Cougars are 12-0 and have been ranked #1 in the nation the entire season. They sport the nations third-highest scoring offense (48.5) to go along with over 200 yards rushing per contest.

MVC has won eight straight contests after starting out the year 2-2. The Vikings stand No. 2 in NAIA football in rushing defense allowing 38.5 yards per game.

• #2 Carroll (Mont.) (13-0) hosts #5 St. Francis (Ind.) (11-1), 12:07 p.m. MST (Saturday)
These two teams should be familiar with each other having faced off for three straight years in the Championship Series from 2003-05. Two of those battles occurred in the national title game with Carroll winning both. The 2003 Semifinal contest was played in Helena, Mont., as Carroll streaked to a 38-14 win.

During that three year stretch, Carroll holds a 80-37 scoring advantage in the three wins.

Carroll is making its eighth straight playoff appearance and 13th overall. The Fighting Saints boast a 23-3 record in the playoffs since the 2000 season. St. Francis is playing in its fifth straight Semifinal contest advancing to the championship in each of the last three seasons.

St. Francis is ranked No. 5 in the NAIA for team rushing (275.5 yards), but has only had one back rush for more 100 yards in a game. Senior wide receiver Zach Rainey became the third USF wide receiver with 2,000 or more yards receiving in a career. USF is 1-5 in road Championship Series contests. USF has been ranked in the NAIA Top 25 for the last 102 straight weeks.

The Carroll defense has allowed only seven touchdowns all season (in 13 games) and a 5.0 scoring average. The Fighting Saints are looking to appear in their fifth title game in the last six years after winning four straight crowns (2002-05).

Quarterfinal Capsules
• #1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) 49, #10 St. Xavier (Ill.) 7
Sioux Falls rattled off 49 straight points before St. Xavier could get a late touchdown, winning 49-7. Leading the way for the USF Cougars was quarterback Chad Cavender who went 20-of-25 for 297 yards and two touchdown passes. Erik Cimpl went for 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Defensively, the Cougars held St. Xavier to only 41 yards rushing.

In the first quarter, the Cougars went on a promising opening drive, but Matt Lindgren had his field goal blocked. After a St. Xavier fumble on fourth down, USF was able to score first, as Cimpl found the end zone from one yard out, giving the Cougars an early 7-0 lead. After a second fumble by St. Xavier, which was recovered by Darren Quaile at the 29 yard line, Cavender found Kirvin for a 12-yard touchdown, extending the Cougars lead to 14-0. Late in the quarter, the Cougars struck again, this time with another Cimpl touchdown run from seven yards out, giving the Cougars a 21-0 lead.

In the second quarter, the Cougars kept their foot on the throttle, and a Cavender two-yard touchdown plunge gave them a 28-0 advantage. St. Xavier then drove but stalled when a Billy Yeo pass was intercepted by Nick Benedetto in the end zone. The Cougars went on a long drive, capped off by a Ryan Lowmiller's one-yard touchdown on the right side. It gave the Cougars a 35-0 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, the Cougars were able to stretch the lead to 42-0, with a Cavender two-yard touchdown pass to Alex Anderson on fourth-and-goal with 2:33 left. A third Cimpl touchdown run, this one going for 25 yards untouched, handed USF a 49-0 edge in the final stanza. St. Xavier was able to punch in a late score, courtesy of a Jim Doherty 12-yard touchdown reception from Billy Yeo.

• #2 Carroll (Mont.) 27, #11 Morningside (Iowa) 16
On a blistering cold and icy day in Helena, Mont., the No. 2 Carroll Fighting Saints advanced past their toughest competition yet, No. 11 Morningside (Iowa) 27-16. Carroll RB Gabe Le led the Saints charge with a 131-yard performance on 26 carries, scoring a touchdown.

But in a close match-up that wasn't truly decided until the final minutes, it was a botched kick that Carroll's senior defensive back Marcus Miller returned in the final minutes that sealed the deal.

With Carroll winning 21-16 after the Mustangs scored two consecutive touchdowns in the second half, both teams lined up for the onside kick. Mustangs kicker C.J. Gradoville, however, let a long one loose to Miller. He bobbled the ball initially, then picked it up and ran straight down field, breaking through both lines for an 85-yard return.

The play gave Morningside just 3:21 to score 11 points, but its next drive would end after senior defensive end Nick Gilchrist collected his second sack of the game and junior linebacker Owen Koeppen intercepted a ball by Mustangs quarterback Ian Gilworth.

Carroll QB John Barnett picked up a one-year sneak to push the Carroll advantage to 14-0 with 4:07 left in the first half. Morningside was only able to answer with a 31-yard field goal by Gradoville with 20 seconds left in the half.

The Mustangs fell behind 21-3 in the fourth quarter after Carroll put together a 68-yard scoring drive.

A screen pass to Pete Lewis dropped the Mustangs on Carroll's 1-yard line and Gilworth connected with receiver Chris Becker on a play-action pass. That put the score at 21-16 and set the Mustangs up for their kick-gone-awry and the interception by Koeppen.

Morningside QB Ian Gilworth ended with a school single-game record 34 completions (out of 54 attempts) for 353 yards, breaking a mark set in the 2005 quarterfinals.

• #9 Missouri Valley 48, #3 Ohio Dominican 34
The Ohio Dominican Panthers came in to the game undefeated, champions of the Mid-States Football Association Eastern Conference, and as the #1 offense in the nation. QB Cris Reisert and the ODU offense accumulated 453 yards of offense, but it was the Valley offense that would carry the day, rolling up nearly 650 yards in the 48-34 MVC win. The Vikings of Missouri Valley forced five turnovers, harassed Reisert into one interception, and sacked him twice.

The playoff appearance for Ohio Dominican was the first in school history.

The Vikings kept ODU's high powered offense on the sideline for most of the day, holding the ball for nearly 40 minutes of possession. MVC's Robert Holmes and David Allen shared the rushing load going for two TD's apiece. Holmes racked up 157 yards on 29 carries and also sprinted 70 yards for a TD on a second quarter screen pass. Allen tallied 93 bruising yards on 20 rushes.

MVC quarterback Chris White went 14 of 29 passing for 359 yards and three TD's. WR Eric Brown caught six passes for 160 yards and a TD. The Vikings built a 35-17 halftime lead and never let ODU within less than two scores the rest of the way.

Reisert completed 29-of-55 for 429 yards and four touchdowns while WR Josh Smart hauled in seven passes for 130 yards and two scores.

• #5 St. Francis (Ind.) 30, #4 Bethel (Tenn.) 27
Rhys Barnhart kicked a 39-yard field goal to lift Saint Francis (Ind.) to a 30-27 win over fourth-ranked Bethel (Tenn.).

The Cougars of St. Francis had vaulted in front 27-13 in the second half after holding a 17-14 halftime lead. BC, which finished 11-2, roared back on a pair of Terrance Bell touchdown runs to tie the game at 27 with 1:36 to play in the fourth quarter. USF lineman Joe Piwoszkin blocked the extra point attempt by Matt Wininger.

The Cougars toyed with field goal position, but it appeared the game was destined for overtime when the Wildcats tackled Taylor Vieck at the BC 24 as time ran out. Officials called BC for a facemask penalty.

USF coach Kevin Donley called for the field goal team and after BC called two time-outs attempting to ice Barnhart, he booted the game-winner with five feet to spare to the right angle.

Barnhart, a North Side High School grad, also kicked a 34-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 36-yard field goal in the third quarter.

His kick also ended BC's 10-game winning streak while giving USF its first road win in six games in the Football Championship Series. It also gave USF its first win in Tennessee after three straight NAIA Championship losses (2004-06).

Wedding finished 14-for-26 passing for 190 yards, threw a TD pass for 18 yards to Zach Rainey in the second quarter and scored a 4-yard TD on a run at the end of the first half that gave the Cougars a 17-14 lead.

Daniel Carter broke loose on a 54-yard TD sprint pushing USF's lead to 24-14 with 8:28 in the third quarter. Carter led USF rushing with 93 yards on nine carries.

Bell scored on a 3-yard run slashing the USF lead to 27-21 with 6:51 to play in the fourth quarter. Then he dashed practically untouched to the game-tying TD, a 30-yard sprint with 1:36 left in the game.

Did You Know?
• Sioux Falls (S.D.) is riding a 26-game winning streak heading into the Semifinal round - that streak includes seven straight in the playoffs.
• St. Francis (Ind.) has won 45 straight home games including playoffs, after a first-round win against Lindenwood. The Cougars are locked into road playoff games the rest of the way.
• The 54-game regular season winning streak of St. Francis (Ind.) was snapped earlier this year (Sept. 29) on the road at Ohio Dominican. Another streak was stopped as St. Francis lost for the first time in 33 road games.
• The defense for Carroll (Mont.) had a streak of 29 straight quarters without allowing a touchdown - which dated back to 2006. The second quarter touchdown by Eastern Oregon on Oct. 20 was the streak-snapper.
• St. Francis (Ind.) is tied for the nation's longest active streak of conference championships with eight - Carroll (Mont.) has already sewed up the 2007 crown in the Frontier League for its eighth straight (outright and shared). St. Francis stands one-game back of league-leader Ohio Dominican and has a game looming with No. 6 St. Xavier (Ill.) on Saturday.
• After securing the Frontier Conference Championship on Nov. 3, Carroll (Mont.) now has won eight straight (outright and shared) conference championships. The Fighting Saints now own the nation's longest active streak of conference championships. St. Francis (Ind.) had won eight straight (1999-2006) before Ohio Dominican sewed up the 2007 Mid States Football Association - Mideast Championship on Saturday (Nov. 10).

Poll Streaker
Sioux Falls (S.D.) has secured the No. 1 spot in the NAIA Top 25 poll for 11 straight weeks. That is the longest since Carroll (Mont.) was the No. 1 team in all 11 polls in 2005. Sioux Falls earned all 17 first-place votes in 10 of the 11 polls this year and notched 185 of a possible 187 total first-place votes.

The Unbeatens
Three teams ended the regular season with a perfect record: Sioux Falls (10-0), Carroll (11-0) and Ohio Dominican (11-0). Sioux Falls has rattled through five of the last six regular seasons undefeated. Carroll has been perfect in three of the last five regular seasons while this is Ohio Dominican's first.

2007 Playoff Dates
• Saturday, November 17, First Round (8) Eight Games
• Saturday, November 24, Quarterfinals (4) Four Games
• Saturday, December 1, Semi-finals (2) Two Games
(Sites TBA Monday prior to each round)
• Saturday, December 15, Championship Game

Championship Information (52nd Annual):
Saturday, December 15
Hardin County, Tennessee (City of Savannah)
Jim Carroll Stadium
Kickoff - 12 p.m. (CST)
Tickets: 1-800-552-3866
Parking : $2
Televised live on CSTV

2007 Season Notes
• QB Cris Reisert of Ohio Dominican recently (Nov. 5) won his third NAIA Player of the Week (Offense) award this season. PK Derek Doerfler of Baker (Kan.) also earned his third season player of the week award (Nov. 12) as well -- the three awards in one season are the most in one season going back to the start of 2000.
• In 11 games this season, Azusa Pacific WR Jon Davis scored 128 points to break school-legend Christian Okoye's single-season scoring record of 126 that he set during his 1986 All-America season.
• In St. Xavier's (Ind.) win against No. 11 Malone (Oct. 27), senior WR Jim Doherty scored on a 99-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. That play tied for the longest score in NAIA history -- the first since 1994.
• Bethel (Tenn.) set a school-record by scoring 66 points in the 66-48 win (Sept. 29) against Virginia-Wise. It broke a 71-year record.
• The Virginia-Wise football team is just one of two collegiate football teams in all divisions to have five sets of brothers on the squad. The squad is joined by only NCAA D1-AA Montana with that many sets of siblings.
• The Victory Sports Network provides features and opinions each week on the world of NAIA football. See what fans and columnists of NAIA football have to say by visiting www.victorysportsnetwork.com
• Check out the composite schedule and results of all NAIA football programs at http://naia.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/082407aap.html.