Round One playoff recap:
Yale 43, Youngstown State 42
Trailing 43-14 with 7:37 remaining, Yale’s chance of rallying to defeat 15-seed Youngstown State was 0.4 percent per ESPN. So much for analytics.
Ivy League offensive player of the year Josh Pitsenberger reeled off a 56-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game before intentionally going down just shy of the goal line on his final run of the game as Yale completed what might be the greatest comeback in the history of the FCS playoffs.
Trailing at the half, 35-7, Yale scored touchdowns on five consecutive possessions after the break and would have finished 6-for-6 if not for Pitsenberger wisely stopping on the one, allowing the Bulldogs to run out the clock.
Dante Reno, who suffered two interceptions in the first half, rebounded to complete 21-of-38 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Pitsenberger carried 32 times for a career-high 209 yards and three touchdowns. Lucius Anderson, who had just five catches all season coming into the game, had 138 yards and one touchdown on eight receptions, with Jaxton Santiago chipping in nine catches for 104 yards.
The game drew 4,869 on a cloudy, windy day in Youngstown. Yale now heads to second-seeded Montana State for a 2 p.m. game.
Villanova 52, Harvard 7
Like Yale, the Crimson would need to stage a dramatic comeback if it were to advance in its first FCS playoff appearance after falling behind, 31-0, at the half. But while Harvard drove 68 yards for a touchdown to open the second-half scoring, that would be all the Crimson could muster as the 12th-seeded Wildcats won going away.
Crimson quarterback Jaden Craig had a long afternoon, completing just 9-of-21 passes for 107 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown. The Harvard run game also struggled with just 106 yards while Nova was gashing the Ivy Leaguers with 319 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Add it up and Villanova outgained Harvard, 512 yards to 213.
Villanova improved to 10-2 in front of a disappointing crowd of 2,125 in Pennsylvania. Harvard, which allowed 45.7 points per game over its last three contests, finished at 9-2.
South Dakota State 41, New Hampshire 3
UNH quarterback Matt Vezza struggled to throw the ball in blowing snow, completing 10-of-22 passes for just 48 yards as the 14th-seeded Jackrabbits cruised to a convincing win.
South Dakota State never punted, scoring touchdowns on six of eight possessions, with one ending on an interception and one consisting of just one play at the end of the first half. Julius Loughlin, a transfer from Fordham, led the Jack attack with 100 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries, but the bigger damage was done by quarterback Chase Mason, who completed 16-of-20 throws for 230 yards and three touchdowns.
Denzell Gibson led UNH with 101 yards on 19 carries. The only Wildcat points came on a 30-yard Nick Reed field goal. UNH saw its season end at 8-5 while South Dakota State improved to 9-4 in front of 3,843 in Brookings. The Jackrabbits will now travel to third-seed Montana.
Rhode Island 27, Central Connecticut 19
Central Connecticut lost a one-possession playoff game at Rhode Island for the second year in a row.
URI built a 24-7 halftime lead and it stayed that way until the fourth quarter when the Blue Devils battled back. First,, CCSU made it 24-13 on a Brady Olson touchdown pass. Although the PAT was blocked, the Blue Devils then pulled within eight points on a field goal three minutes later. After the teams traded field goals CCSU forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with 1:36 remaining at its own five.
The Blue Devils ran off 11 plays to get to the URI 40 before a fourth-down Hail Mary was knocked down. CU, which got 311 yards and two touchdowns from Brady Olson on 62 attempts, finished the season 8-5. Rhode Island, improved to 11-2 in front of a home crowd of 2,680. The ninth-seeded Rams now travel to UC Davis.
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EXTRA POINT
I honestly don’t mind hiking in the cold that much. What I mind is not being able to simply pull on a pair of gym shorts and a T-shirt and then head out. Yesterday it was a long-sleeved dri-fit T-shirt, a fleece vest, a “dad” jacket and a blaze orange vest that makes me look like I should be on the side of a highway stopping traffic. Hiking pants (that today will have rain pants over them), a blaze-orange knitted beanie and insulated mittens complete the kit unless I also have to throw on spikes to deal with ice on the trail. I miss summer . . . .
