By Eric Montgomery, NAIA Staff

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (FCS Schedule) Seven of eight hosts were victorious in the first round of the 2016 NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) on Saturday. The winners advance to the quarterfinals, which will be played out on Saturday, Nov. 26. Quarterfinal pairings are scheduled to be announced on Sunday by 12 p.m. CST on www.NAIA.org.

Including today’s games, host schools are now 207-60 (.775) since the NAIA returned to one division in 1997, including a 127-33 mark (.794) in the first round. Eastern Oregon was the lone road team to earn a win in the 2016 FCS first round after consecutive seasons that saw the eight hosts win out.

The 61st annual NAIA Football National Championship, presented by Waste Pro, is slated for Saturday, Dec. 17 in Daytona Beach, Fla. The City of Daytona Beach hosts the event at Municipal Stadium for the third-straight season. For fan and visitor information, click here.

2016 NAIA Football Championship Series – First Round Game Notes

Game 1 - Marian (Ind.) (11-0) def. Robert Morris (Ill.) (7-4), 32-7

· Marian remained unbeaten all-time in the first round (7-0) with a 32-7 win over first-time participant Robert Morris. This was the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
· The Knights, who improved to 15-3 all-time in the FCS, have hopes of becoming the first team to repeat as national champion since former member Sioux Falls (S.D.) accomplished the feat in 2008 and 2009. Marian has two national championships to its credit, with the first coming in 2012. The Knights are riding a NAIA-best 20-game winning streak dating back to last season.
· Marian jumped out to a 16-0 lead after the first quarter and did not allow Robert Morris onto the scoreboard until Kenyatte Allen hit T. Jeffries on an 8-yard scoring pass at the 12:43 mark of the fourth quarter.
· The Knights posted a 436-210 advantage in total yards and 23-11 edge in first downs. Marian also held the ball for over 10 minutes more than Robert Morris (35:26-24:34) and forced a pair of turnovers.
· Matt Plesac hit three field goals for the Knights (26, 35, 22) to improve to 9 of 14 on the season. Ethan Darter completed 16 of 26 for 227 yards and a touchdown, while Jakhari Gore rushed for 100 yards on 15 totes and scored a touchdown for the Knights.

Game 2 - Baker (Kan.) (12-0) def. Sterling (Kan.) (8-3), 44-21

· In a rematch of a 2013 FCS first round game, Baker jumped out to an early 17-0 lead on the way to a 44-21 triumph over Sterling. Baker improved to 9-6 all-time in the first round and has won back-to-back playoff openers.
· Cornell Brown totaled 271 yards (187 rushing, 84 receiving) on 26 total touches and scored four touchdowns to earn Offensive Player of the Game honors. He scored on pass plays of 37 and 70 yards in the first quarter before touchdowns runs of five and nine yards in the second and four quarters, respectively.
· Logan Bretell completed 25 of 32 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns with two interception for the Wildcats, connecting with five different receivers on at least four catches. Baker finished the game with 585 total yards, averaging 8.6 yards per play. Sterling ran 95 plays in the contest, but averaged just 4.1 yards per attempt.
· The Wildcats added to their NAIA-leading total in interceptions, tallying three more in the game, two of which came from LB Akim Francis.
· Cedrick Phillips rushed for 90 yards and threw for 140 for the Warriors, while Dentton Hudspeth came into the game and threw for 104 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Game 3 – Reinhardt (Ga.) (12-0) def. Southeastern (Fla.) (6-3), 52-22

· Reinhardt joined the other two unbeaten teams with a win in the FCS first round over Southeastern, 52-22. The Eagles picked up their first-ever win in the FCS after losing a first round game last season in its debut appearance.
· The Eagles scored 24-straight points to start the game, including a fumble recovery on a kickoff that allowed Casimir Isles to score, followed by a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown by Tyler Martin. Reinhardt scored 21 points in just 75 seconds.
· Southeastern was held to 137 passing yards on 9 of 36 attempts, including three interceptions for Reinhardt, and committed five turnovers in the game.
· Deonte Dennis rushed for 157 yards for the Eagles, including a 97-yard scamper with 3:07 remaining. Jarrell Reynolds led the Fire on the ground with 127 yards on 17 attempts and scored twice.
· Ryan Thompson completed 18 of 30 for 211 yards and a touchdown, and scored two rushing touchdowns for Reinhardt.

Game 4 - Saint Francis (Ind.) (10-1) def. Missouri Valley (9-3), 79-20

· Five years removed from their first-ever postseason meeting, Saint Francis piled up 672 yards and scored at least two touchdowns in each quarter for a 79-20 win over Missouri Valley. The Cougars won their 13^th-straight first round game and improved to 14-2 all-time in postseason openers.
· Saint Francis (Ind.) and Missouri Valley met for the second time in FCS history. The inaugural showdown came in the first round of the 2011 event. The contest was won by Saint Francis, 28-14.
· Nick Ferrer threw for 420 yards on just 21 completions, five of those going for touchdowns. Seth Coate was his favorite target on the day, catching eight passes for 236 yards and three scores. The 236 receiving yards was a career high for Coate and pushed him over 1,000 yards for the season.
· Saint Francis scored a touchdown on each of its first six possessions of the game, and put points on the board on 11 of its 14 possessions in the game.
· Justin Green led the rushing attack for the Cougars with 128 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 rushes, while P.J. Dean also scored twice and finished with 84 yards on 12 attempts.

Game 5 – Morningside (Iowa) (10-1) def. Tabor (Kan.) (8-3), 65-17

· Morningside secured its 11^th trip to the FCS quarterfinals in the last 13 seasons with a 65-17 win over Tabor. The Mustangs are appearing in the FCS for the 13^th-straight season, the longest active appearance streak in NAIA football.
· Tyler Kavan carried 24 times for 176 yards and three touchdowns, while Dylan Loberg rushed for a pair of scores as Morningside posted an identical total of 306 yards rushing and passing. Tabor was limited to 253 total yards, including just 54 rushing yards on 39 attempts.
· Trent Solsma completed 22 of 30 for 306 yards and four touchdowns for Morningside, two of those to Michael Whitehead and one each to Zach Knicky and Montay McDowell.
· Jake Bridges threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns, but was picked off twice as the Vikings turned the ball over four times and were outscored 65-0 after taking a 20-0 lead on a 16-yard pass from Bridges to Chvon Richardson at the 5:34 mark of the first quarter.
· Nine different Saint Francis players tallied at least 0.5 tackles for loss as the Cougars limited the Vikings to 3.6 yards per rush.

Game 6 – Montana Tech (10-1) def. Dickinson State (N.D.) (9-3), 28-21

· Montana Tech knocked off Dickinson State in the FCS for the second-straight season, posting a 28-21 triumph after claiming a 44-10 victory in last season’s event.
· Montana Tech is just two seasons removed from a 1-9 record and extended its current winning streak to 10 games following a season-opening defeat at Carroll (Mont.).
· Quinn McQueary completed 21 of 35 for 241 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and also rushed for a seven-yard touchdown for the Orediggers. His 23-yard scoring strike to Mitchell Keaton with 25 seconds left in the game proved to be the game-winning touchdown.
· Dickinson State rushed for 314 of its 392 total yards, led by Jed Fike withi 143 yards that included scoring runs of 43 and 67 yards. However, the Blue Hawks converted just six of 24 pass attempts for 78 yards and were held to 4 of 14 on third down.
· Nic Amestoy led the Montana Tech defense with 12 tackles (5 solo), his third game this season with double-digit stops.

Game 7 – Eastern Oregon (9-2) def. Doane (Neb.) (9-2), 34-28

· Eastern Oregon was the lone road team to win in the FCS first round, claiming a 34-28 win at Doane in its first-ever appearance in the FCS. Including Saturday’s win, the Mountaineers have won seven-straight games.
· The game included three kickoff returns for touchdowns, including two by the Tigers’ Drew Klein of 96 and 82 yards, and an 87-yard return by the Mountaineers’ John Payne that stood up as the game-clinching score.
· Eastern Oregon posted a 419-251 advantage in total yards, limiting Doane to 80 yards through the air. Nate Meier rushed for a game-high 157 yards on 25 attempts for the Tigers, who were held to 2 of 11 on third downs, while the Mountaineers converted 12 of 21.
· Zach Bartlow completed 22 of 34 for 273 yards and four touchdowns with one interception for Eastern Oregon, hitting Brenden Kelly seven times for 168 yards and two scores.
· Colten Mach recorded a season-best 14 tackles for Doane, who also had Jordan Pelletier make 12 stops.

Game 8 – Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (11-1) def. Grand View (Iowa) (9-3), 34-27 (OT)

· Lindsey Wilson earned a measure of revenge against Grand View, claiming a 34-27 overtime victory after dropping a 16-13 decision in last season’s FCS first round game.
· The Blue Raiders improved to 2-2 all-time in the FCS, picking up its second-straight victory on its home field after a 2014 triumph in the FCS first round. The Vikings dropped to 3-2 all-time in the first round and 6-4 overall.
· Jalen Sublett scored the game-winning touchdown on a seven-yard run in the only overtime period. Grand View lost yards on its second and third down plays before a fourth down pass attempt fell incomplete to end the game.
· Grand View held the advantage in total yards in a very even statistical game, 451-414. Both teams committed one turnover and there were just three combined penalties.
· Dylan Beasley completed 18 of 33 for 305 yards and two touchdowns with one interception for Lindsey Wilson. Jordan Cheatem rushed 32 times for a game-high 150 yards and two touchdowns for Grand View, while Jordan Knock completed 28 of 49 for 267 yards and a touchdown with one interception.