Georgia Southern 49, Old Dominion 35

Dominique Swope scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 12-yard run with 2:36 left in the game, and J.J. Wilcox intercepted a Taylor Heinicke pass on the next play from scrimmage to lift Georgia Southern to a 49-35 comeback victory in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship on Saturday afternoon

at Ballard Stadium. Wilcox jumped a route and picked off the pass at the Old Dominion 35-yard line, taking it away from Monarch receiver Kirk Spellman. The Eagles milked the clock and moved down to the 1-yard line, where Jerick McKinnon punched it in for a touchdown with 46 seconds left for the final margin. It was the fourth straight touchdown for the Eagles, who outscored ODU 28-0 in the fourth quarter, and a career-high fourth of the game for McKinnon.
Georgia Southern (10-3) moves on to the semifinals for the third consecutive season, where they will take on defending national champion North Dakota State. Old Dominion sees its season come to an end with an 11-2 record.
The game featured three lead changes, three ties and 1,166 yards of total offense combined between the two teams, and the Eagles had to overcome a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit. GSU collected 632 yards of offense, rumbling for 602 on the ground.
Swope had 22 carries for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and McKinnon finished the day with 171 yards on 29 carries. Darreion Robinson rushed four times for 76 yards, and Johnathan Bryant rushed six times for 71 yards.
Heinicke completed 31-of-44 passes for 421 yards and three touchdowns and had eight carries for 48 yards. Nick Mayers caught 10 passes for 150 yards and two scores, and Antonio Vaughn caught six passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. Larry Pinkard finished with seven receptions for 83 yards.

North Dakota State 14, Wofford 7

The Wofford football team’s season came to an end with a 14-7 loss to North Dakota State on Saturday afternoon in the Fargodome. The Terriers outgained NDSU in total offense but were limited to a defensive touchdown in the NCAA FCS quarterfinals. The Bison will advance to host Georgia Southern in the semifinals.
The Terriers finish 9-4 on the season. Defending national champion North Dakota State is 12-1 and ranked first in the nation. For Wofford, Eric Breitenstein ended his stellar career with 135 yards on 24 carries. The Bison were led by Brock Jensen with 60 rushing yards and 13-of-18 passing for 95 yards and a touchdown.

Photo Courtesy: Dominique Swope, SoCon Athletics