UPDATE (Sunday, 12:41pm) - Quarterfinal Pairings

Villanova at Appalachian State, Saturday December 11 - Noon on ESPN
Georgia Southern at Wofford, Saturday December 11 - 2:00 pm (ESPN3.com)


Appalachian State 42, Western Illinois 14

BOONE, N.C. - Behind a career-high 264 yards from quarterback DeAndre Presley, top-seeded Appalachian State University rushed for 417 yards and downed No. 21 Western Illinois in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Championship on Saturday at snow-covered Kidd Brewer Stadium.

With the victory, Appalachian (10-2) moves on to next week's national quarterfinals, where it will Villanova. The game will be played on either Friday night or Saturday afternoon at Kidd Brewer Stadium - the game day and time will be announced by the NCAA on Sunday.

With several inches of snow on the ground at kickoff and falling with a mixture of sleet at times throughout the game, ASU turned almost exclusively to its running game in Saturday's win. The Mountaineers threw only seven passes - the fewest they ever attempted in 38 all-time NCAA playoff games - but ran 59 times for 417 yards, by far their highest totals of the season. 

Presley was the catalyst of Appalachian's ground attack, collecting the 264 yards - the fourth-highest rushing total in school history - on just 16 carries (16.5 yards per rush). He ran for two touchdowns, including an 89-yarder, which was the longest in ASU postseason history.

In the process, the junior became only the fourth player in NCAA Division I FCS history to throw for 2,000 yards and run 1,000 yards in the same season. He joins David Dinkins (Morehead State - 1999), Barrick Nealy (Texas State - 2005) and his predecessor as ASU's signal-caller, Armanti Edwards, who achieved the feat in 2006.

One of Presley's few undesirable moments came on the Mountaineers' second possession when he threw an interception that was returned 23 yards by WIU's Kyle Glazier to the ASU 12 yard line. One play later, Matt Barr connected with Lito Senatus for a 12-yard touchdown pass that gave the Leathernecks an early 7-0 lead.

From there, it was all Appalachian, as it scored the game's next 35 points. The Mountaineers all but abandoned the pass after the opening minutes of the wintry contest, running the ball on 30-of-31 plays at one point in the first half. The strategy paid off with ASU scoring four rushing touchdowns in the final 20 minutes of the first half to take a commanding 28-7 halftime lead. The Apps held a 291-52 edge in total yardage in the opening half, including a 291-(-26) advantage on the ground.

Coming out of the locker room, Appalachian went back to the air and completed its only two passes of the afternoon on its first drive of the second half. The first completion, a 12-yarder from Presley to CoCo Hillary converted a third-and-nine and, three plays later, Presley found Brian Quick for a 35-yard touchdown that stretched the advantage to 35-7.

Following Quick's team-leading eighth touchdown catch of the season, ASU kept it on the ground for 20 of its final 21 plays to run out the clock on the 28-point victory. 

In all, ASU outgained Western Illinois (8-5), 464-231, which included a 417-133 edge in rushing yards. Even more impressively, 185 of WIU's season-low 231 yards came after the Mountaineers took the 35-7 lead. The 231 total yards were less than half of the Leathernecks' 476.1-yard average coming into the afternoon, which ranked No. 2 nationally.

Linebacker D.J. Smith led Appalachian's dominating defensive effort with 10 tackles, good for his ninth double-digit tackle effort in the last 10 games. Fellow linebacker Justin Wray added seven tackles, including a sack and 2.5 stops for loss, and Jabari Fletcher also notched a sack and 2.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Barr, who along with Presley is one of the top three vote-getters for the 2010 Walter Payton Award, managed just 98 yards on 13-of-35 passing and was intercepted a season-high three times.  Glazier led all players with 13 tackles. 

Wofford 17, Jacksonville State 14

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - On a cold and overcast day, the Wofford football team defeated Jacksonville State 17-14 in a defensive battle at Burgess-Snow Field. The Terriers advance in the NCAA FCS Playoffs for the second time in the last four years. Eric Breitenstein scored twice for Wofford and set the school single-season rushing record with 1537 yards.

The Terriers, ranked sixth in the nation, are 10-2 on the season. The Gamecocks finish at 9-3 overall and were ranked eighth in the nation. The Terriers were led by Eric Breitenstein with 178 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Brenton Bersin added 70 receiving yards. Mike Niam was the leading tackler with 13. The Gamecocks were led by Darius Barksdale with 67 rushing yards and Alan Bonner with 58 receiving yards and a touchdown.

"We knew this was going to be a tough game," said head coach Mike Ayers. "They have some outstanding athletes and are extremely well coached. The physicality of the team was very impressive. We have a group of kids that we knew would get after it and play hard. I felt like the game was one of those that everyone had a piece of the victory. We had some mistakes and we had some situations where we got beat. But the great thing is we were able to fight the fight and play the whole game. Our kids did a great job."

Each team gained two first downs and the punted on the opening drives on the game. With the ball back, the Gamecocks drove down the field, but the 37-yard field goal attempt by James Esco was wide left with 3:28 on the clock in the first quarter.

Wofford was able to put together a six-play drive that went 80 yards as Eric Breitenstein went the final 36-yards up the middle for the touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 33 seconds left in the first half. The Gamecocks then got on the scoreboard after an eleven-play drive with a 40-yard field goal by Griffin Thomas for a 7-3 score at 10:30 in the second quarter.

After trading punts late in the second quarter, Wofford got the ball back with 2:14 left on the clock. Eric Breitenstein ran for a 48-yard gain to get the Terriers deep into Gamecock territory. With five seconds left in the half, Christian Reed hit a 28-yard field goal to take a 10-3 lead at the break.

To open the second half, Wofford failed to convert a fourth-and-one and the Gamecocks took over on the Terriers' 35-yard line. After Jacksonville State picked up a fourth-and-one, Preston Roseboro intercepted Marques Ivory at the goal line. The Terriers missed a pitch and the ball went out the back of the end zone for a safety with 9:58 on the clock in the third quarter.

Following the kickoff by Wofford, the Gamecocks gained two first downs. On fourth-and-one from the 18-yard line, they were stopped by the Wofford defense. The Terriers picked up a first down on a pass to Brenton Bersin, but were forced to punt with 2:21 in the third quarter.

On the next drive by Jacksonville State, the team picked up two first downs and chipped away at the lead with a 35-yard field goal by Griffin Thomas with 13:14 left in the fourth quarter. With the ball back, Wofford picked up several key third downs as they drove to the end zone with a three-yard touchdown run by Eric Breitenstein with 9:14 on the clock.

Jacksonville State picked up a first down and three deep, but the ball hit off of Blake Wylie and bounced up to Jamar Reaves for an interception at the two-yard line. Wofford was punting on fourth down, but an offsides call gave the Terriers a first down. After a punt by Wofford, the Gamecocks were able to cap a drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to Alan Bonner with 3:51 on the clock. The point after was missed, giving Wofford a 17-14 lead.

On the final drive of the game, Wofford ran the ball five straight times, gaining a key third-and-three as they ran out the clock for the win.

Wofford had 355 total yards, with 269 on the ground. Jacksonville State had 325 yards, 170 of which were passing. Wofford had the time of possession advantage and was +2 on turnovers. Wofford was 7-of-16 on third downs. Jacksonville State was 5-of-13 on third down. 



Georgia Southern 31, William & Mary 15

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- Georgia Southern (9-4) held fourth-ranked William & Mary (8-4) scoreless in the second half and did not allow an offensive touchdown in the Eagles' 31-15 win Saturday at Zable Stadium. Junior quarterback Jaybo Shaw tied a career-high with three rushing touchdowns and freshman fullback Robert Brown ran for a career-best 178 yards in the victory. It was the Eagles' first road playoff win since Georgia Southern's 27-18 win at Delaware during the 2000 national championship season.

The Eagles will play at Wofford in the quarterfinals next weekend. The game date, either December 10th or 11th, and time, will be announced Sunday.

Down 15-14 at the half, Georgia Southern scored on its first drive of the third quarter to retake the lead, keyed by a 44-yard carry down the sideline by Darreion Robinson on the first play of the possession. J.J. Wilcox leapt for a 19-yard pass, his only reception of the day, to put the Eagles at the WM 13. A false start penalty brought the ball back to the WM 18, but great blocking cleared the path for Shaw to the goal line, ending the 81-yard drive with his second touchdown of the day. Georgia Southern led 21-15 after Adrian Mora's point after touchdown.

The Eagle defense, helped in part by a holding call on the Tribe, held William and Mary to three and out on the next series, putting the ball back in the hands of the offense just 1:24 later.

Shaw started Georgia Southern's next drive with an eight-yard pass to Brown, but went to the ground for the next 11 plays. Using 7:36 on the drive, Adrian Mora hit a 21-yard field goal to put the score at 24-15, Georgia Southern. Senior Tobi Akinniranye who played in his first game since October 23rd, had 23 yards rushing on the drive with Brown totaling 19 and Brian Wilcher adding a carry for nine yards.

Penalties were the enemy of the Tribe in the third quarter as its biggest threat, a 44-yard pass play from William & Mary quarterback Mike Callahan to Ryan Moody, a play that would have put the Tribe at the Georgia Southern eight-yard line, was called back due to holding. Running back Jonathan Grimes picked up two yards on the next play. A Callahan pass intended for Moody fell incomplete and sophomore defensive end Terico Agnew sacked Callahan for a loss of 12 yards.

Georgia Southern began its next drive on its own 31, getting two plays off before the start of the fourth quarter. On third-and-five, Brown picked up the Eagle first down with an eight-yard rush. Wilcox moved the chains again with his 12-yard carry. After a six-yard rush by Brown, Wilcox brought the Eagles to the William & Mary 15 with a 23-yard dash. At third-and-three, Shaw kept for an Eagle first down at Tribe three, then scored on the next play. Mora hit his fourth point after of the day and kept his streak of consecutive PATs made intact.

Defense stifled William & Mary's last drive. The Tribe had moved downfield and deep into Eagle territory as Callahan hit six different targets. William & Mary converted four times on third down attempts and settled at the GSU 25 when Callahan threw two incomplete passes before connecting with Grimes for a five-yard gain. The Tribe would not convert the most critical third down as Brent Russell sacked Callahan for a loss of 11 to turn the ball over to Georgia Southern on downs.

Sophomore linebacker Josh Rowe topped the Eagles' tackle list with career-best 12 tackles (5U, 7A) with a sack. Lavelle Westbrooks and Derek Heyden had six tackles each. Agnew finished with three tackles and led the Eagles with two sacks. The staunch Eagle defense held William & Mary to only 214 yards of total offense after The Tribe averaged 476 per game over its previous two games against Richmond and James Madison.

The Eagles' final possession used 5:49 of clock and took the ball 52 yards to the William & Mary 17. Brown added 30 yards to his total on the drive to push him past his previous career best of 153 in the Western Carolina game. Wilcox had two carries for nine yards each in the final series.

Brown put Georgia Southern on the board first with a six-yard score to cap an all-Brown series on the Eagles' first possession. Brown opened the drive with a 45-yard run to the William & Mary 16, then had carries of seven and three yards before the touchdown. Mora added the PAT for the Eagles 7-0 lead.

Two penalties on the William & Mary drive, plus the tenacity of the GSU defense, forced the Tribe to settle for a field goal after getting the ball on its own 40. The Tribe capitalized on a Georgia Southern pass interference call for one first down, then had another on a Grives 29-yard run. A false start followed by an illegal substitution backed up William & Mary five yards on each. Courtland Marriner took two shots at the end zone, but Rowe sacked Callahan back at the 15-yard line on third down.  Drake Kuhn kicked the 32-yard field goal to put William & Mary on the scoreboard, 7-3 Georgia Southern.

After Georgia Southern went three-and-out on its next possession, the Tribe would get in the red zone again, but again taking away only a field goal. Callahan scrambled for 26 yards past midfield. Mixing pass and run plays, William & Mary got to the GSU 18 before two Tribe passes fell incomplete. Kuhn kicked a 36-yard field goal to bring the Tribe within one, 7-6, with five seconds remaining in the first quarter.

With the ball at the GSU 46 at the start of the second quarter, the Eagles ran the ball on every play, with Brown and Darreion Robinson rushing for 13 yards on back-to-back carries. From the WM 16, Brown had nine yards to bring the Eagles to the seven. Shaw picked up six on the next play. Stopped at the one on second and goal, Shaw kept for his first touchdown of the afternoon. Mora completed the effort with a PAT for a 14-6 Georgia Southern lead.

The defense helped William & Mary go three and out on its next series. Georgia Southern began from its own 39, but Evan Francks intercepted Shaw's pass attempt and went 48 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion pass fell incomplete, but the Tribe pulled within striking distance, down only two points, 14-12 Eagles with 6:25 remaining in the first half.

After a three-and-out series by the Eagles, William and Mary took the 15-14 lead after Kuhn hit his third field goal, for 33 yards, after a 12-play, 60-yard drive. Callahan completed a 10-yard pass to Chase Hill and Grimes had rushes of eight and 15 yards. Callahan hit Ryan Moody for an 11-yard gain and then Ryan Woolfolk had a 16-yard reception to put the Tribe inside the GSU 20. Darius Eubanks stopped Grimes at the line of scrimmage and Callahan's next two passes were incomplete