CARBONDALE, Ill. — Joe Flacco threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, helping No. 13 Delaware edge fourth-ranked Southern Illinois 20-17 on Saturday to advance to the Football Championship Subdivision title game.
Omar Cuff ran for 102 yards on 21 carries for the Blue Hens (11-3), snapping the Salukis’ six-game winning streak.
Delaware plays Appalachian State (12-2) next Friday in the title game of what used to be Division I-AA. The Mountaineers moved to within a victory of their third-straight national championship by ousting Richmond 55-35 on Friday night.
Jon Striefsky added two fourth-quarter field goals for Delaware, the first a 47-yarder that extended the Blue Hens’ lead to 17-10 with 10:09 left.
Southern Illinois’ Alan Turner returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown, tying the score at 17. But Flacco picked away at the Salukis (12-2) on the next possession, completing five passes for 67 yards in setting up Striefsky’s 24-yard field goal with 6:58 to play.
Southern Illinois’ ensuing drive stalled when Nick Hill was sacked on fourth-and-4 at the Delaware 36 with 3:56 left. Anthony Walters sealed Delaware’s victory by intercepting Hill at the Salukis 45 with 1:42 to go.
Division II
Northwest Missouri State 34, Grand Valley State 16: At Maryville, Mo., Xavier Omon ran for 292 yards and scored four touchdowns to help Northwest Missouri State beat two-time defending national champion Grand Valley State in an NCAA Division II semifinal.
Joel Osborn threw for 238 yards on 20-of-25 passing and Northwest Missouri State (12-1) had 528 total yards to end Grand Valley State’s Division II record 40-game winning streak. The Bearcats move on to the national championship game against Valdosta State next Saturday in Florence, Ala.
Brad Iciek threw for 273 yards and a touchdown on 23 of 42 passing for Grand Valley State (12-1), which allowed 17 points in the fourth quarter — more than it had allowed in nine games this season.
Valdosta State 28, California (Pa.) 24: At California, Pa., Maurice Leggett’s end zone interception with less than a minute left preserved Valdosta State’s victory over previously unbeaten California University of Pennsylvania in an NCAA Division II semifinal.
Valdosta State scored first early in the second quarter when Clay Callaway caught a 14-yard pass from quarterback Willie Copeland.
Division III
Mount Union 62, Bethel 14: At Alliance, Ohio, quarterback Greg Micheli led Mount Union to a victory over Bethel that sent the Raiders to the Division III national championship game for the 11th time in 15 years.
Micheli was 16-for-19 passing for 258 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 58 yards for the two-time defending champion Purple Raiders (13-0), who scored on their first seven possessions.
Tailback Nate Kmic rushed for three touchdowns and 104 yards, going over the 100-yard mark for the 22nd time in 33 career starts in helping Mount Union advance to the 35th annual Stagg Bowl against Wisconsin-Whitewater on Dec. 15 in Salem, Va.
Wisconsin-Whitewater 16, Mary Hardin-Baylor 7: At Whitewater, Wis., Danny Jones ran for one touchdown and passed for another Saturday to lead Wisconsin-Whitewater to a victory over Mary Hardin-Baylor and a third straight berth in the Division III national championship game.
Jones scored on a 1-yard sneak to cap a 73-yard drive to open the scoring in the first quarter and added a 25-yard pass to Neil Mrkvicka in the second quarter to finish a 62-yard drive.
The Warhawks (13-1) will play top-ranked Mount Union (14-0) in the 35th annual Stagg Bowl on Dec. 15 in Salem, Va.
It will be the third straight year the championship game matches the top two teams in Division III.
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