Drake Bell » e - where it wasnt 20 degrees outside -

Huntsville, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - They didnt meet in the regular season, so Sam Houston State might be saying it won the de facto title game between the two Southland Conference co-champions Saturday. Oh yes, the Bearkats are even happier to be advancing in the FCS playoffs after they defeated Southeastern Louisiana, 21-17, in the first round. Sam Houston (9-4) will travel to third-seeded Jacksonville State (10-1), the Ohio Valley Conference champion, for a second-round showdown next Saturday. Sam Houston and Southeastern (9-4) tied for the Southland title with 7-1 records, but they didnt face each other in the 11-team conference. The Bearkats, under first-year coach K.C. Keeler, overcame four turnovers, playing well defensively in the second half and getting an important block of a Southeastern field goal attempt during the fourth quarter. The Lions were trying to extend a 17-14 lead, but defensive end P.J. Hall (four tackles for loss, one sack) blocked Ryan Adams 46-yard attempt with 8:37 left. The Bearkats then drove 59 yards in seven plays, going ahead 21-17 on Donovan Williams 5-yard run. Southeastern had three final drives, but one started at their 6-yard line and their final one from their 1. A muffed punt set up Williams for a 1-yard touchdown run and Jalen Overstreet scored from 3 yards out for Sam Houston, which trailed 10-0 at halftime. Southeastern quarterback Bryan Bennett, who played on an injured foot, ran for the Lions two touchdowns, but struggled to gain 181 yards on 17-for-48 passing, and was limited to 14 yards on 16 carries. Sam Houston lost to Southeastern, 30-29, in last years playoff second round. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Fordham 44, Sacred Heart 22 New York, NY - Jack Coffey Field has been good to Fordham in recent years, but the Road to Frisco passes through top-seeded New Hampshire, and the Rams feel up to the task after an impressive start to the FCS playoffs Saturday.. Mike Nebrich threw for 421 yards and four touchdowns as Patriot League champion Fordham passed by Sacred Heart in the first round for the second straight year, this time by a 44-22 score. Fordham (11-2) will head to Durham next Saturday to face New Hampshire (10-1), the nations No. 1-ranked team, in the second round. It wont be the same as playing at home, where the Rams have won 10 straight games and 17 of their last 18. But the Rams appear ready for the challenge. Nebrich, who completed 29-of-50 pass attempts with two interceptions, threw two touchdowns each to Brian Wetzel (eight receptions, 166 yards) and Tebucky Jones Jr. (eight receptions, 139 yards). Fordham took command of the game by scoring on its final play of the second quarter - Wetzels 14-yard reception with nine seconds left to make it 24-16 - and its first play of the third quarter - Jones 97-yard reception at the 11:45 mark to make it 31-16. The Rams outgained Sacred Heart 511 yards to 314. Chase Edmonds rushed for 91 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown. RJ Noel threw two touchdown passes to Tyle Dube for Sacred Heart (9-3), a co- champion out of the Northeast Conference, but was intercepted twice by All- Patriot League cornerback Ian Williams. Sean Bell rushed for 112 yards on 15 carries and Keshaudas Spence scored on a 22-yard run in the loss. Fordham won last years first-round matchup, 37-27. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Richmond 46, Morgan State 24 Richmond, VA - Richmond had won a playoff game already, so there was no stopping the Spiders and quarterback Michael Strauss when the actual FCS postseason began Saturday. Strauss threw four touchdowns to power Richmond to a 46-24 win over Morgan State in the first round. The Spiders (9-4) will travel to seventh-seeded Coastal Carolina (11-1) next Saturday for a second-round game. Coach Danny Roccos team basically won a playoff game last weekend at William & Mary. The winner of that game was going to be the fourth and final playoff team out of CAA Football, and the Spiders won going away, 34-20. They rolled the momentum right into their game against Morgan State (7-6), jumping to a 22-0 lead after the first quarter. Strauss capped the games first drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Diggs and Seth Fisher scored on two runs. Diggs (eight receptions, 132 yards) ended the first-half scoring with another touchdown reception - an 11-yarder with 20 seconds left in the second quarter - giving Richmond a 29-10 halftime lead. Strauss completed 22-of-32 pass attempts for 272 yards and one interception. He also threw touchdowns to Rashad Ponder and Fisher. Richmond has struggled with turnovers in its losses, but gained a 4-2 advantage in turnover margin, intercepting Morgan State quarterback Moses Skillon three times and forcing him into a fumble. Skillon rushed for a touchdown and threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns. Herb Walker Jr. carried the ball 21 times for 120 yards for the Bears, who made their first-ever playoff appearance. They earned the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conferences automatic bid off a tiebreaker between five first-place teams. MEAC teams have lost in the playoffs every year since 1999. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Indiana State 36, Eastern Kentucky 16 Richmond, KY - Indiana State played in its first FCS playoff game since 1984 on Saturday. Maybe the Sycamores just needed some extra time to warm up. After surrendering the first 16 points to Eastern Kentucky, Indiana State scored the final 36 points for a 36-16 first-round victory over the Colonels. The Sycamores (8-5), one of a record-tying five playoffs teams from the Missouri Valley Football Conference, will visit eighth-seeded Chattanooga (9-3), the Southern Conference champion, for a second-round game next Saturday. Senior quarterback Mike Perish led Indiana States comeback win, completing a school-record 41 passes in 57 attempts for 407 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. He now has 6,545 passing yards for his career, also a school record, and his 20 touchdown passes this season tied Ronnie Fouchs school record set in 2010. Indiana State was nearly shut out in the first half, but Perish connected with Robert Tonyan for a 4-yard touchdown pass with two seconds left, pulling the Sycamores within 16-7 at halftime. They then ran off 24 points in the third quarter. Eric Heidorn kicked a 47-yard field goal, Perish fired touchdown passes to Kyani Harris (57 yards) and Gary Owens (38), and safety Mark Sewall returned an interception of EKUs Bennie Conney for a 48-yard touchdown. DyShawn Mobley scored on an 18-yard run and finished with 96 yards on 22 carries, and Andrew Lloyd kicked three field goals as the Colonels (9-4) from the Ohio Valley Conference built their 16-0 lead in the first half. The playoff win was Indiana States second in three seasons of playoff appearances. EKU fell to 16-19 all-time in 21 playoff appearances. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Montana 52, San Diego 14 Missoula, MT - Having the most FCS playoff appearances in history against an opponent making its first one wasnt the only advantage Montana had against San Diego on Saturday. The Grizzlies took full advantage of playing at home in a snowstorm against a USD squad that probably was looking to get back home - where it wasnt 20 degrees outside - winning, 52-14, in the first round. Montana (9-4) will continue its record 23rd appearance in the FCS playoffs next Saturday at Big Sky Conference rival Eastern Washington (10-2), the No. 4 seed. The Grizzlies fell in Cheney, 36-26, on Nov. 8. San Diego (9-3), the champion of the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League, never adjusted to the snow and fell behind 38-0 by halftime. The Toreros were held to eight first downs and 158 yards, and went a combined 2-for-15 on third- and fourth-down conversion attempts. Montana starting quarterback Jordan Johnson was 13-for-20 for 153 yards and three touchdowns, and backup signal caller Shay Smithwick-Hann was 3-for-4 for 39 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Jordan Canada rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown and added a TD reception, while wide receiver Jamal Jones caught two touchdowns. San Diego avoided the shutout on Justin Priests two touchdown receptions in the final 6:05. Saturday, Nov. 29 All Times ET FCS Playoff First Round Liberty at James Madison, 4 p.m. South Dakota State at Montana State, 4 p.m. Stephen F. Austin at Northern Iowa, 8 p.m. CHEAP JERSEYS FROM CHINA . Canada will host Japan in a World Group first-round match in 2015. It will be a rematch of their first-round clash last year when Japan defeated Canada 4-1 to reach the World Group quarter-finals for the first time in its history. WHOLESALE JERSEYS FREE SHIPPING . The 36-year-old Colts receiver is going back to the playoffs as a division champion. http://www.chinacheapnfljerseyswholesale.com/. Replay backed him up. Adeiny Hechavarria immediately followed the ruling with a go-ahead sacrifice fly for the Miami Marlins, who held on to beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Sunday completing a three-game sweep. JERSEYS NFL WHOLESALE . -- Canadian ski cross star Marielle Thompson accomplished two goals in one race Saturday. WHOLESALE NBA JERSEYS CHINA . This time, it was Eric Chavezs turn. Stuck in a rut since coming off the disabled list, Chavez hit the first pitch he saw in the ninth inning for a run-scoring single, sending the Diamondbacks to another walk-off victory, 4-3 over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night.PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Houston Astros owner Jim Crane said he will meet with Palm Beach County officials Thursday to discuss potential sites for a new spring training facility. The Astros and Toronto Blue Jays appeared to have a deal in place to build a complex in Palm Beach Gardens, but that fell through in January after complaints from nearby residents. "Were still looking hard," said Crane, who toured Tradition Field, the Mets spring training home, before the Astros-Mets game Tuesday. "We have (20)15 and 16 still left on our contract (at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee), so weve got to be able to do something, hopefully by 17, if were going to do something. We probably have to have a deal signed by the end of this year to make sure we have enough time to get something built." He said he believed county offficials had three other proposed sites.ddddddddddddCounty Commissioner Hal Valeche said Tuesday his staff had not given him a list of possible sites and hoped there would be more than three viable locations for a two-team facility. While the Washington Nationals have emerged as a likely partner with the Astros, Crane said the Blue Jays cannot be ruled out. Crane also said the Astros are still looking into sites in Arizona and could renew the lease in Kissimmee, with the condition that upgrades are made. "I think in the next six months we need to get something signed if were going to make a move," he said. "Certainly, they would like us to stay there and there could be some upgrades there, if thats where we end up. Were still looking into Arizona. All the doors are open, we hope one of them shuts." ' ' '