2nd-half explosion puts DSU in D-II semis

ALBANY, GA. — Delta State spotted undefeated Albany State an early touchdown, then used a dominating second-half performance to beat the Golden Rams 28-7 Saturday and advance to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II football playoffs.

DSU (10-3) will play Shepherd University (11-2) of West Virginia in the semifinals on Saturday. The site and time will be announced today. The game will be televised live by CBS College Sports.
Shepherd advanced with a 49-14 victory on Saturday over Mercyhurst.

Albany State (11-1) took the opening kickoff and drove 74 yards for a touchdown, scoring on a 35-yard pass from Stanley Jennings to Ronnie Childs. With the game barely four minutes old, DSU trailed.

Not to be

ALBANY, Ga. — The Rams came into their Division II quarterfinal playoff game Saturday on the verge of making history. Unfortunately, they repeated it. Albany State fell to another Gulf South Conference team in the postseason, this time, 28-7, to Delta State on Saturday at Albany State University Coliseum, thus ending another magical undefeated season. Only this go round, the Rams beat themselves.

“(Delta State) just played better than we did (Saturday). We made a lot of mistakes and they capitalized on them, and that really was the difference in the game,” ASU head coach Mike White said. “We talked a little about 2004 (when we lost to Valdosta State in the quarterfinals) and how we’ve (had) this opportunity before. We didn’t want to get behind because they have such a good combination on offense, so we knew we had to stay on top of them.

Albany State falls to Delta State in D-II quarters, season ends at 11-1

Albany State scores the first points of the game Saturday against Delta State in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals, then doesn't score again the rest of the game in a 28-7 loss to the Statesmen, ending their amazing season at 11-1 and two wins shy of the national championship.

SO LONG, SENIORS: A historic ASU team says goodbye to historic players

ALBANY, GA — This season has been one to remember for Albany State football fans. Close games, winning streaks and home-field advantage in the playoffs mean the area won’t be forgetting the 2010 Rams any time soon. But with the 28-7 defeat to Delta State on Saturday in the D-II quarterfinals, ASU lost more than just a game. It lost a bunch of key seniors — Jacob Hardwick, Ronnie Childs, Mario Fuller, Prathon Wilkerson, LiRonnie Davis and Robert Welton to name a few.

“That’s always a difficult one for a coach, because most of those guys are five-year guys. You’ve been with them for a while,” ASU head coach Mike White said. “It’s a good relationship and we hate to see it go out this way.”

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NCAA Division II Playoffs: Albany State Rams A.D. declares Saturday ‘ASU Day’

ALBANY — The Albany State University Coliseum can hold roughly 10,000 fans.

And come Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Rams host Delta State in the Division II quarterfinals, ASU Athletic Director Richard Williams says he would be shocked to see even one empty seat in the house. “I expect no empty seats whatsoever. I really think, for this game, (the Coliseum) will be busting at the seams,” Williams said Thursday evening, just two days before the Rams kick off in what could be a history-making moment for the football team if it’s able to beat the Statesmen and reach the D-II semifinals for the first time ever.

ASU Rams Quarterback Stanley Jennings SIAC MVP

“I was thrilled last week that we (got 5,392 fans) to come out (to the second-round game) against Wingate being that it was Thanksgiving and the students weren’t in town. And I say ‘thrilled’ because to have that many fans come out, it lets us know that the community — not just Albany State fans, but almost the entire community of Albany — showed up and supported us. I was pleasantly surprised and I think I will be again Saturday.”

GAME TIME: DECEMBER 4, 2010 @ 1:00 PM ET
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LOCAL RADIO: 98.1 FM (Albany, Ga.)
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Delta State (9-3) at Albany State (11-0), 12 p.m. CST

The Statesmen advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for fourth time, and first time since 2008, with a convincing 47-24 win over North Alabama last weekend, avenging a 31-7 regular season loss to the Lions. Delta State racked up 524 yards of total offense, including 359 yards on the ground, against the Lions, and held UNA to just 66 yards rushing.

The Rams moved on to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2004 and second time in program history as they fended off a pesky Wingate squad, 30-28, last Saturday. Wingate narrowed the Rams’ lead to just two points, scoring a TD with less than two minutes remaining and then tried an onside kick, but ASU’s LiRonnie Davis recovered the ball to squelch the comeback. Davis also scored two TDs on the day.

DSU sports a balanced offensive attack, and ranks seventh in the nation in total offense with 479.08 yards per game, led by quarterback Micah Davis, and running backs Trevor Deed and Brandon Lucas, who each ran for over 100 yards against UNA. The Rams will counter with the top scoring defense in the nation as they are allowing just 11.55 points per game, and giving up just 217.64 yards per game, which ranks third in Division II.

This will be the first meeting between the two programs. DSU is 10-4 all-time in NCAA postseason play, while the Rams are 3-11.

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DSU national title run gets ready for road bump -- Albany State

Delta State faces a tough obstacle of winning the Division II national championship. The 13th ranked Statesmen (9-3) travel to No. 9 Albany State (11-0) in a quarterfinal contest on Saturday at noon. Delta State is coming off its best game of the season, routing North Alabama 47-24 in the second round last week at Parker Field.

“That was the most complete game we put together this year,” Statesmen coach Ron Roberts said. “It was an outstanding performance across the board and a total team effort.” For Delta State to reach the semifinals, the Statesmen will likely need a repeat performance against the unbeaten Golden Rams. Albany State and the Statesmen are ranked one-two in the South Central II Region.

Scouting the Statesmen

ALBANY, GA — The scouting report is in. Delta State, which takes on Albany State on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II football playoffs, is coming to town, and the Statesmen (9-3) will be the second straight team that the Rams (11-0) face for the first-time ever. So what does head coach Mike White and ASU know about them? Not much, aside from watching film, except that they are 10-4 in the playoffs, won the Division II National Championship in 2000 and have an explosive offense.

But just as much as the Rams don’t know about Delta State, the Statesmen don’t know about Albany State. Which is why DSU head coach Ron Roberts and his team are preparing for the best.

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