Bloomsburg Huskies Stifle CIAA Champion Virginia State To Move On In National Playoffs, 35-14

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BLOOMSBURG, Pennsylvania -- For the majority of the season, the Bloomsburg University football team has generated most of the headlines with its ball-hawking defense that finished the regular season with the most turnovers generated in the nation.

The Huskies defense lived up to the billing on Saturday afternoon at a wintry Danny Hale Field at Redman Stadium, piling up a season-high eight sacks in a 35-14 NCAA Playoff victory over visiting Virginia State. The win moves second-seeded Bloomsburg (11-1) into next weekend's Super Region One championship game at top-seeded Concord (WV), which defeated West Chester in its second round game on Saturday.

"It was good to get back on the field after losing a tough game in the (PSAC) championship game. We knew they were a good team, we just had to do what we do, which is run the football and play good defense," Huskies head coach Paul Darragh said. "This is the first playoff win for this senior class. I'm happy for them and the coaching staff."

Bloomsburg opened strong, taking the opening kickoff and marching 70 yards in nine plays with a pounding rushing attack that saw senior running back Eddie Mateo (Bethlehem/Freedom) carry seven times including a 21-yard touchdown sprint off right tackle for his 42nd career rushing score in a Huskies uniform and a 7-0 lead.

The Trojans (10-3) quickly counter-punched, however, scoring on a five-play, 71-yard drive for the tie when quarterback Tarian Ayres found Jaivon Smallwood down the far sideline for a 50-yard strike and a 7-7 score just halfway through the first quarter.

Virginia State, the champions from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and No. 3 seed in the Super Region One bracket, threatened to take control at the end of the first quarter when Andre Rawls blocked a Huskies 42-yard field goal attempt, allowing Trevon Bryon to pick up the loose ball and run 46 yards to the Huskies 19. The pendulum swung back to the Huskies on the very next play, however, as the defense stood tall again with Donovan Morris (Philadelphia/George Washington) intercepting an Ayres pass to end the threat.

"We didn't panic. (Defensive Coordinator) Coach Henicle stayed with the game plan," Darragh said. "The biggest thing was getting them into third down situations where it was manageable for us and we were able to get after the quarterback."

The teams exchanged punts on the next two drives, but an 11-yard punt from Virginia State early in the second quarter set the Huskies up near midfield. Two plays later, D.J. McFadden (Willow Grove/Abington) beat the VSU defense, hauling in a strike over the middle from Tim Kelly (Camp Hill/Cedar Cliff) for the longest BU pass of the season – 58 yards for the score and a 14-7 lead.

Bloomsburg again had good field position later in the second quarter, starting at its own 40 before driving 60 yards in nine plays to find the end zone once again. A 20-yard run by Mateo put the Huskies in Trojans territory on the first play of the drive, and from there, Bloomsburg methodically marched toward the goal line. Kelly faked a handoff and rolled out to the left, walking into the end zone from six yards out to take a 21-7 lead into halftime.

Stifling defense quickly gave Bloomsburg the ball back. After receiving the second half kickoff, the Virginia State drive ended when Joe Wetty (Downingtown/Downingtown East) and Ezra Ranco (Collegeville/Perkiomen Valley) combined for a sack of Ayres with Ranco forcing a fumble recovered by Wetty at the VSU 40.

The Huskies wasted little time in converting the turnover into points – Mateo ran back-to-back for 20 and 11 yards respectively to enter the red zone and from five yards out on third-and-goal, Kelly dropped two steps back and then had space up the middle on a designed quarterback draw for the touchdown.

Virginia State's next drive again ended with a sack of Ayers, and a nine-play, 72-yard drive from the Huskies culminated with Kelly finding the end zone for the third time on the ground with a one-yard plunge for the 35-7 advantage with 1:08 left in the third.

From there, moving on in the national playoffs was a mere formality for the Huskies. Virginia State found the end zone late in the fourth on a one-yard run from tailback Kavon Bellamy for the game's final scoring, but the game was already out of reach.

Kelly finished with four total touchdowns – a career-high three on the ground along with 12 of 20 passing for 175 yards and a touchdown through the air. McFadden led the team with 61 receiving yards while Chad Hoffman (Drums/Hazleton) hauled in three passes for 30 yards.

Mateo registered 129 yards and a score on 21 carries.

Justin Shirk (Harrisburg/Central Dauphin) totaled 12 tackles with 2.5 sacks and a pair of pass breakups to power the Huskies defense while Ranco made seven stops with 1.5 sacks. Tony David (Allentown/Salisbury) also recorded 2.5 sacks while Shawn Mitchell (Nazareth/Nazareth), Andrew Harris (Bethlehem/Whitehall) and Joe Wetty (Downingtown/Downingtown East) all had half a sack each.

"After the loss to Slippery Rock (in the PSAC Championship Game), we knew we had to redeem ourselves and I think we did that today and hopefully we can keep that rolling throughout the playoffs," Shirk said. "Hopefully it is a springboard for us to continue in the playoffs."

Smallwood stood out offensively for VSU, making six catches for 117 yards. Ayres finished 14-of-28 passing with 154 yards and a touchdown.

Bloomsburg totaled 405 yards of offense, 230 of which came on the ground, holding VSU to 267.

GAME NOTES: Concord earned hosting rights for next week's game as the only undefeated team in Super Region One (12-0), defeating West Chester on Saturday in the first-ever home playoff game for the Mountain Lions, who finished the regular season as the Mountain East Conference champions … The Huskies have their most wins (11) since 2008. The school record for victories in a season is 12, done three times … Mateo moved into fourth place all-time in Huskies career rushing touchdowns (42) and fifth in career rushing yards (3,432) … The touchdown on the opening drive from the Trojans was the first scored by a Huskies opponent on an opening drive this season … VSU entered the game on a 10-game winning streak … Bloomsburg scored its first national playoff win since 2010 and first at home since 2008 … Saturday was the first playoff game for the Huskies against a non-PSAC opponent since 2006 and the first-ever meeting with Virginia State … next Saturday's game will be a national quarterfinal contest with just eight teams remaining in Division II. Bloomsburg last reached the national quarterfinals in 2008 … This year's senior class now has the second-most victories of any in school history, currently with a 40-7 record over the past four seasons including a 21-3 mark at Redman Stadium.

COURTESY BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS