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Saturday, Nov. 25, 2006
NAIA FCS
Quarterfinal
FORT
WAYNE, Ind. – When it mattered most, University of Saint
Francis quarterback Eric Hooks was at his best. Along with
his ‘5-Man Electrical Band’ of receivers, Hooks orchestrated
top-ranked USF on a 68-yard ‘song’ to regain the lead and
turn back a major challenge by No. 8 Bethel College (TN)
42-35 on Saturday afternoon.
The Cougars (12-0) reclaimed the lead with 56 seconds to
play on a 17-yard Hooks to wide receiver Zach Rainey TD
pass, then added a Hooks to wide receiver Brian Schultz
2-point conversion for the 7-point cushion over the Wildcats
(10-3).
USF, winners of 38 straight home games
including 12 consecutive NAIA Football Championship Series
games, advanced to the NAIA FCS Semifinals for the fourth
consecutive year with win in front of nearly 2,500.
USF officials expect the Cougars will play
host to No. 9 St. Xavier University, which upset No. 4
Carroll in Helena, MT, 14-7.
USF will be officially notified who its
semifinal opponent will be on Sunday morning.
USF survived with a brilliant drive for
the game-winning TD that culminated in Rainey’s electrical
layout and catch in the north end zone. Hooks, who had
completed just two of 16 passes prior to USF’s final
possession, regained his touch completing 6-of-7 passes in
the drive that started at the USF 32-yard line after a
Daniel Carter 24-yard kickoff return.
On first and 10, Hooks hit Eric Rhodes for
seven yards. After a false start moved USF back to its 35,
Hooks connected with Taylor Vieck for a 15-yard gain and
first down at the 50. Hooks misfired to Carter on first and
10, but Hooks connected with Bo Thompson for a 19-yard gain
to the BC 31. Next, a Hooks to Rainey connection moved USF
14 yards to the BC 17 and on the next play, Rainey hauled in
Hooks’ pass for the TD putting USF back in command 40-35.
USF added on the 2-point conversion when
Hooks lofted a pass to Schultz in the end zone and he
snagged it and just got a foot down to make it count.
“The last throw that Eric made to Zach was a big-time throw
and Rainey laid out and made the big play,” USF coach Kevin
Donley said afterwards. “That’s playoff experience, that’s
championship confidence.”
“It was just a perfect ball,” Rainey said.
“All I had to do was layout and pull it in.”
“They were getting a lot of pressure on us
and I had a case of happy feet and I wasn’t getting time to
throw down field,” Hooks said. “That last drive, I was able
to correct those thing and that’s what made the difference.”
BC, winners of its last five games, had
taken a 35-34 lead with 2:16 to play on a 17-yard pass from
quarterback Brent Dearmon to Ricky Easton. Shane Normandin
kicked the extra point and the Wildcats led for the first
time in the game, 35-34, after the 15-play, 90-yard drive
that took six minutes, 54 seconds.
“Cougar tradition,” Donley said about the
comeback, no doubt thinking about USF’s 45-40 win over St.
Ambrose on the last play of the game in 2003 and the
Cougars’ 21-17 win over Ohio Dominican on the last drive of
the game. “I don’t think we played our best football today
but we found a way to win.”
Matt Millhouse, who led the USF defense
with 14 total tackles as well as his third
 interception
in two games, was named NAIA Defense Player of the Game. The
senior safety echoed the observations of the leader of the
band -- Donley.
“We showed what kind of character we’ve
got on this team when you make plays and come through when
our backs are against the wall,” Millhouse said.
USF led 14-6 at the half, but got a shot
of momentum when senior defensive end Eric Wagoner blocked a
BC punt and picked it up and scored with 4:37 to play in the
third quarter. Normandin kicked a 29-yard field goal with
1:10 to play in the third quarter cutting the USF lead to
28-15. Then momentum rode the fence when Hunter Pingston
yanked the ball away from USF running back Derrick Alderman
and dashed north for a 37-yard TD. Alderman had been stopped
and pushed back, but no whistle blew the play dead.
“I never did get an explanation,” was all
Donley would say about the play.
USF senior wide receiver Bo Thompson
slipped behind the BC secondary, caught a Hooks’ pass around
the BC 30 and outran the Wildcat pursuit for an 80-yard
score with 14:38. Hooks pass for two fell incomplete, but
USF led 34-22.
Joevaris Carter caught a 9-yard pass
cutting the USF lead to 34-28 with 11:44 to play, but
Normandin hooked the extra point to the left.
BC held a decided edge in statistics:
>
38:55 to 21:05 time of possession
>
462 to 333 total yards offense
>
208-153 yards rushing
>
254-180 yards passing
But USF
punter Clint Bontempo averaged 47.2 yards per punt including
a 64-yarder, Daniel Carter had 5 kickoff returns for 131
yards and Vincent Price contributed a blocked punt.
“Our coaches were calm, confident and that
carried over to our players,” Donley said about the
game-winning drive. “We had to look at it as an opportunity
and I think our guys performed pretty well in that final
drive. That’s playoff experience. Our defense and special
teams made several huge plays. We did what we had to do
today against a pretty good football team. ”
Ah, the sweet sound of a winning note for
Cougars’ fans.
NAIA Players
of the Game
Offense – BC
Sr. QB Brent Dearmon (Saraland, AL)
Defense – USF
Sr. Safety Matt Millhouse (Roanoke, IN / Bishop Luers H.S.)
USF
Milestones
#1
Cougars win 38th consecutive home game
>USF drives
68 yds in 1:10 to regain lead, Hooks hits 6 of 7 passes,
Zach Rainey
lays out to catch game-winning TD in Ezone with 56 sec 2 play; Hooks to
Brian
Schultz in corner of Ezone for 2-point conversion, 42-35 USF lead
>BC 3
incomplete passes to end game at BC 22
USF wins
61st game out of last 65 (2002 through 11/25/06)
USF wins 12th
consecutive NAIA FCS game at home, now 12-7 overall in NAIA
FCS
USF & Coach
Kevin Donley’s 90th win in 9-year history of
program, his 205th career win
USF wins 20th
game in a row at home vs. NAIA Top 25 opposition
Next: NAIA
FCS Semifinal -- #9 St. Xavier (PROBABLY) @ #1 USF Sat., Dec.
2, Noon
-- GO
USF -- |
