Sunday, December 5, 2010

2nd-half explosion puts DSU in D-II semis

ALBANY, GA. — Delta State spotted undefeated Albany State an early touchdown, then used a dominating second-half performance to beat the Golden Rams 28-7 Saturday and advance to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II football playoffs.

DSU (10-3) will play Shepherd University (11-2) of West Virginia in the semifinals on Saturday. The site and time will be announced today. The game will be televised live by CBS College Sports.
Shepherd advanced with a 49-14 victory on Saturday over Mercyhurst.

Albany State (11-1) took the opening kickoff and drove 74 yards for a touchdown, scoring on a 35-yard pass from Stanley Jennings to Ronnie Childs. With the game barely four minutes old, DSU trailed.

Not to be

ALBANY, Ga. — The Rams came into their Division II quarterfinal playoff game Saturday on the verge of making history. Unfortunately, they repeated it. Albany State fell to another Gulf South Conference team in the postseason, this time, 28-7, to Delta State on Saturday at Albany State University Coliseum, thus ending another magical undefeated season. Only this go round, the Rams beat themselves.

“(Delta State) just played better than we did (Saturday). We made a lot of mistakes and they capitalized on them, and that really was the difference in the game,” ASU head coach Mike White said. “We talked a little about 2004 (when we lost to Valdosta State in the quarterfinals) and how we’ve (had) this opportunity before. We didn’t want to get behind because they have such a good combination on offense, so we knew we had to stay on top of them.

Albany State falls to Delta State in D-II quarters, season ends at 11-1

Albany State scores the first points of the game Saturday against Delta State in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals, then doesn't score again the rest of the game in a 28-7 loss to the Statesmen, ending their amazing season at 11-1 and two wins shy of the national championship.

SO LONG, SENIORS: A historic ASU team says goodbye to historic players

ALBANY, GA — This season has been one to remember for Albany State football fans. Close games, winning streaks and home-field advantage in the playoffs mean the area won’t be forgetting the 2010 Rams any time soon. But with the 28-7 defeat to Delta State on Saturday in the D-II quarterfinals, ASU lost more than just a game. It lost a bunch of key seniors — Jacob Hardwick, Ronnie Childs, Mario Fuller, Prathon Wilkerson, LiRonnie Davis and Robert Welton to name a few.

“That’s always a difficult one for a coach, because most of those guys are five-year guys. You’ve been with them for a while,” ASU head coach Mike White said. “It’s a good relationship and we hate to see it go out this way.”

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