2015 NAIA FCS Semifinals Preview
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (FCS Schedule) Four teams enter Saturday looking to keep their national title hopes alive in the 2015 NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS). The games take place on the campuses of top-ranked Morningside (Iowa) and No. 4 Saint Francis (Ind.) – the two highest remaining seeds in the event.
The two semifinal winners advance to the NAIA Football National Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Dec. 19.
Morningside has hosted the round of four twice (2014, 2012), while Saint Francis is the home team in the semifinals for the fourth time in program history (2004, 2005, 2006).
Since 1997, host schools in the playoffs own a 202-61 (.768) record, including a 27-9 (.750) mark in the semifinals. Last season, both road teams claimed victory for the first time in the current playoff structure. In this year’s event, the home team is 10-2 (.833)
The 60th annual NAIA Football National Championship, presented by Waste Pro, is scheduled for a 6 p.m. EST kick off and will be carries on ESPN3. The City of Daytona Beach will host the event at Municipal Stadium for the second-straight season. For information on the NAIA’s partner hotels and details on the championship week schedule details, visit http://bit.ly/NAIARaceToDaytona2015.
2015 NAIA Football Championship Series – Semifinal Game Notes
Game 1 – Southern Oregon (10-2) at Morningside (Iowa) (12-1)
Elwood Olsen Stadium | Sioux City, Iowa | 12 p.m. CST
Saturday marks the second all-time FCS meeting between Morningside (Iowa) and Southern Oregon. The original playoff meeting came in the 2012 quarterfinals. The Mustangs won that contest 47-44 in overtime.
Morningside, which owns the NAIA’s longest active FCS appearance streak at 12-straight, is 16-11 all-time in the event, including a 1-3 mark in the semifinals. The Mustangs have reached the semifinals three-consecutive seasons, including a 47-19 win against Saint Xavier (Ill.) in 2012. The clubs first-ever semifinal trip came in 2005.
Southern Oregon is making its second-straight and second all-time appearance in the round of four. The defending national champions are looking to become the first team to repeat as national champion since former member Sioux Falls (S.D.) accomplished the feat in 2008 and 2009. Prior to last year’s title run, the Raiders had never advanced past the quarterfinals.
Quarterfinal Team Notes
• One week after surviving a four-overtime thriller, top-ranked Morningside looked nothing short of dominant in a 51-6 FCS quarterfinal win against Tabor (Kan.).
• Morningside scored all 51 of its points consecutively before Tabor lit the scoreboard late in the fourth quarter on an Ontreveon Cooper 5-yard touchdown run.
• Morningside quarterback Ryan Kasdorf – the Great Plains Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year – threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns in the game. Wide receiver Connor Niles was his favorite target with five catches for 104 yards and a score.
• Mustangs’ tailback Tyler Kavan tallied his sixth 100-yard performance on the season with 100 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. He now owns 1,252 rushing yards this year for the Mustangs.
• Defensively, Morningside forced four turnovers, including a pair of interceptions by Ethan Stofferan. Tabor’s four miscues led to 21 points for the Mustangs.
• Defending national champion Southern Oregon kept its repeat hopes alive with a 24-19 win at Baker (Kan.).
• This is the second-straight season that the Raiders have won on the road in the FCS quarterfinals.
• With the win, Southern Oregon improves to 10-4 all-time in the FCS, including a 2-4 mark in the round of eight. The Raiders are unbeaten all-time – 3-0 – against teams from the state of Kansas in the FCS.
• Quarterback Tanner Trosin led the offense with 307 total yards, including 261 through the air. His lone touchdown pass on the day came on the opening drive of the third quarter when he connected with Matt Retzlaff on a 60-yard strike.
| Category | Southern Oregon | Morningside (Iowa) |
| Final Coaches’ Poll Ranking | No. 7 | No. 1 |
| Scoring per Game | 42.3 (5th) | 61.4 (1st) |
| Total Offense per Game | 497.7 (7th) | 603.6 (1st) |
| Rushing per Game | 235.0 (14th) | 248.4 (12th) |
| Passing per Game | 262.7 (14th) | 355.2 (2nd) |
| Scoring Defense per Game | 22.5 (21st) | 16.7 (6th) |
| Total Defense per Game | 376.6 (34th) | 279.6 (4th) |
| Rushing Defense per Game | 170.3 (35th) | 114.4 (11th) |
| Passing Defense per Game | 206.3 (43rd) | 165.2 (11th) |
Game 2 – Marian (Ind.) (10-2) at Saint Francis (Ind.) (11-0)
Bishop John D’Arcy Stadium | Fort Wayne, Ind. | 12 p.m. EST
Saturday is the 11th all-time meeting between these two Mid-States Football Association Mideast League rivals. Saint Francis (Ind.) boasts a 6-4 advantage in the all-time series, including a 45-42 victory earlier this season. The Cougars scored 20 unanswered fourth quarter points in that contest to rally from a 17-point deficit. Marian (Ind.) and Saint Francis have met once previously in the FCS. That meeting came in the 2012 quarterfinals and was won by Marian, 45-34.
Saint Francis (11-0) is the only remaining unbeaten team in NAIA football. The Cougars own the most FCS victories among the qualifiers with a 23-14 record at the event. In the semifinals, Saint Francis 3-3 with all three victories coming on its home field. The Cougars last hosted a FCS semifinal in 2006.
Marian, which has qualified for the FCS five times, has reached the semifinals four times. The Knights are 12-3 all-time in the FCS, including a 2-1 record in the round of four. Marian is looking to return to the title for a second-straight season. The Knights have won seven-straight.
Quarterfinal Team Notes
• Saint Francis (Ind.) – the only remaining unbeaten team in NAIA football – scored 28 third-quarter points en route to a 42-20 win Saturday against Montana Tech.
• For the second week in-a-row, Saint Francis running back Justin Green was the key performer for the Cougars. The Griffith, Ind., native ran for 217 yards on 21 attempts, including touchdown runs of two and 12 yards. In the FCS, Green has run for 468 yards and five touchdowns.
• Cougars’ quarterback Nick Ferrer also had a good game for Saint Francis, throwing for 230 yards and three touchdowns. He completed 61.8 percent (21-for-31) of his throws and was intercepted one time.
• Overall, Saint Francis outgained Montana Tech, 535-309.
• Marian scored 23 unanswered points en route to a dominant 30-3 win at Grand View (Iowa) in the FCS quarterfinals. The Knights reach the semifinals for the second-straight season and improve to 4-1 all-time in the round of eight.
• Marian wide receiver Krishawn Hogan led the way with seven catches for 152 yards and a score. Through two FCS games this season, Hogan boasts 13 catches for 303 yards and two touchdowns. He boasts six rushing touchdowns.
• Running back Robert Gibson also had a strong performance for Marian, tallying a game-high 94 yards rushing on 12 attempts.
Statistical Comparison (national rankings in parenthesis)
| Category | Marian (Ind.) | Saint Francis (Ind.) |
| Final Coaches’ Poll Ranking | No. 6 | No. 4 |
| Scoring per Game | 42.3 (5th) | 49.9 (3rd) |
| Total Offense per Game | 494.3 (8th) | 505.5 (4th) |
| Rushing per Game | 205.8 (24th) | 201.4 (25th) |
| Passing per Game | 288.5 (8th) | 304.1 (6th) |
| Scoring Defense per Game | 14.4 (2nd) | 20.8 (20th) |
| Total Defense per Game | 259.1 (3rd) | 332.5 (19th) |
| Rushing Defense per Game | 81.2 (1st) | 114.5 (12th) |
| Passing Defense per Game | 177.9 (14th) | 218.0 (NR) |
