What a first round. Two overtime games. Three six seeds winning. Three comebacks from double-digit deficits (and nearly a fourth if not for Albany State missing on a last-second field goal attempt). Two teams-- Nebraska-Kearney and Hillsdale-- won their first playoff games as D-II programs. West Alabama won its first playoff game in 34 years.

Then there is the remarkable Trevor Harris. Just nine days after having knee surgery, the Edinboro senior quarterback threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns in rallying his team past East Stroudsburg. Amazing.

Of course I couldn't forget to mention Garrett Lindholm's 64-yard game tying field goal in Tarleton State's 57-56 double overtime win over Texas A&M-Kingsville. That kick has to go down as one of the great clutch kicks in NCAA history.

But what many people are forgetting is that it took another small miracle just for that field goal attempt to take place. The Texans converted on a 4th and 18 play earlier in the drive when quarterback Scott Grantham appeared to just throw the ball up for grabs and receiver Arthur Buckingham came down with it for a 35-yard gain.

Then in the second overtime it was Grantham again, scrambling, breaking tackles, and running for a 20-yard touchdown on 4th down, then following up that play with the winning two-point conversion on a quarterback sweep. Keep in mind that the game hadn't even reached the third overtime, where teams are forced to go for two. Gutsy play call by TSU coach Sam McElroy, but hey, when your team seems to be playing with a rabbit's foot in its pocket, why not?

Can round two possibly replicate the excitement of round one? What we do know about round two is that many of these teams will be familiar with each other. Five of the eight games feature rematches from earlier in the season, and in four of them, I'm picking the team that lost the first time around to have the upper hand this week. It should be another very interesting week of playoff football in Division II.

Playoffs- Second Round

Super Region One

Edinboro (9-3, 5 seed) at West Liberty (10-1, 1 seed)

When these two teams met in the season opener (a 42-30 Edinboro win), the Scots controlled the game for the first three quarters before both teams exploded for 21 points apiece in the fourth quarter. Both quarterbacks (Zach Amedro for WLU and Trevor Harris for Edinboro) had huge days as the two teams combined for over 1,000 yards of total offense.

Harris showed no ill affects from having knee surgery just nine days before the playoff opener last week and the Hilltopper defense must do a better job of containing him this time around. I am quite leery of picking WLU in this game simply because they are not a good defensive team and will be trying to stop a great quarterback. But WLU has played better football overall than has Edinboro in the second half of the season and I will give them a slight edge in what should be an entertaining game. West Liberty 33 Edinboro 30.

California (9-3, 3 seed) at Shippensburg (9-2, 2 seed)

When these two teams met two weeks ago, the Vulcans were clearly mesmerized by the Red Raiders' Wing-T offensive scheme. Shippensburg had five scoring drives of 76 yards or more as they jumped out to a 42-14 lead on Cal and then withstood a furious rally to win the game 42-35.

I still think California is the more talented team, but the big question is whether the Vulcans can do a better job of making some adjustments to handle the deception of the Wing-T offense. They especially cannot allow Chad DiFebbo to burn them for big pass plays through the air like he did two weeks ago. I think California will show up more focused and with a better defensive gameplan, but this game could go either way. California 31 Shippensburg 28.

Super Region Two

Arkansas Tech (9-2, 4 seed) at North Alabama (10-1, 1 seed)

When the Lions ripped the Wonderboys 42-17 back in early October, it was really the only "off" game ATU quarterback Nick Graziano has had this year. He threw four interceptions that day, as UNA's athleticism and speed on defense took away the passing lanes that Graziano typically sees. He has been sensational since that loss, however, and it's doubtful that he will play as poorly a second time around.

UNA lost its last regular season game to West Alabama, and it may actually not be such a bad thing. With the many transfers on the roster that had never played a down of D-II football before this season, things may have been coming too easy to the Lions and that loss should serve notice to the players that they can't just show up and expect to win. ATU is a hot team and has the ability to win this game with a few breaks, but I expect and more disciplined and focused UNA team to take care of business this week. North Alabama 30 Arkansas Tech 21.

West Alabama (8-4, 6 seed) at Carson-Newman (9-2, 2 seed)

The Tigers have be a confident team coming into this game after knocking off top-ranked UNA two weeks ago and following that up with a playoff win last week.

The problem is that they will be facing a C-N team that is playing its best football of the season. The Eagles have the veer clicking at this point and it's difficult for a team to prepare on short notice to stop that kind of offense, especially with how explosive Eagle running back Buck Wakefield has been recently. He has run for 635 yards in just the last two games! UWA will have to control the ball offensively and limit the big plays while on defense to have a chance, and I just don't see it happening. Carson-Newman 38 West Alabama 21.

Super Region Three

Nebraska-Kearney (11-1, 4 seed) at Minnesota-Duluth (10-1, 1 seed)

Offensively, these teams are quite similar. Both are talented and deep at running back, feature a big play receiver, and have athletic quarterbacks that can run the ball and are efficient when they throw. UMD probably gets the edge in offensive line play, but the Lopers are no slouch up front.

Where I feel there is a difference is on the defensive side of the ball. UNK is solid defensively, but UMD's defense has been dominant, especially against the run. I do think the Lopers are capable of hanging in this game and the Bulldogs will have to play well to win. But at the end of the day, UMD is bigger and stronger and with a roster full of players that experienced last season's run to the national title, the Bulldogs know what it takes to get it done this time of the year. Minnesota-Duluth 28 Nebraska-Kearney 16.

Hillsdale (10-2, 6 seed) at Grand Valley State (10-1, 2 seed)

When Hillsdale upset GVSU back in October, I noted in this column that the Lakers had dominated statistically in that game, and it was the type of game GVSU wins 95% of the time. If the same type of game occurs on Saturday, I like GVSU's chances.

The Chargers rode the wave from that win over GVSU to a six-game winning streak, but the Lakers have also picked up their game since then. Hillsdale will have the confidence that they can compete based on the first match up, but the Lakers are just too talented on both sides of the football to lose twice in one year to a less talented team. Grand Valley State 31 Hillsdale 20.

Super Region Four

Tarleton State (10-2, 5 seed) at Central Washington (11-0, 1 seed)

I didn't want to rain on the parade and discuss TSU's deficiencies earlier in the column, but it seems relevant to discuss them now. The Texans committed 19 penalties and had two turnovers returned for scores in their playoff opener, and have now given up 105 points over their last two games. Those kinds of statistics don't exactly give me warm fuzzies when assessing TSU's chances on Saturday against the nation's top-ranked team.

CWU is not a great offensive team, but is typical of the type of team that typically succeeds in the playoffs. The Wildcats will grind on their opponent with a deep stable of running backs, have a great receiver in Johnny Spevak to go over the top to on play action, and have one of the top two or three defensive units in the country. Saturday's forecast for Ellensburg calls for a high of 40 with a chance of snow and those aren't weather conditions TSU is likely to excel in. When it's all said and done, I think the Wildcat front seven on defense will control this football game. Central Washington 27 Tarleton State 16.

Abilene Christian (9-3, 6 seed) at Northwest Missouri State (10-1, 2 seed)

When the two teams met back in August (a 19-14 ACU win) the game was a defensive struggle. Neither team could mount much offense, with a blocked punt for a touchdown, a fumble return for a touchdown, and a safety on a bad snap accounting for half the total scoring in the game.

The difference between the two teams at this point in the year is that the Bearcats have improved immensely on the offensive side of the ball while the Wildcats have not. In ACU's last five games-- all against good teams-- they have managed to exceed 24 points just once. As good as the Wildcat defense is, that will not get it done against NWMSU. Northwest Missouri State 34 Abilene Christian 20.

Harlon Hill Finalists Announced

The nine finalists for the Harlon Hill trophy are:

Zach Amedro JR QB West Liberty
Trevor Harris SR QB Edinboro
Harrison Beck SR QB North Alabama
Nick Graziano SR QB Arkansas Tech
Joique Bell SR RB Wayne State (MI)
Brad Iciek SR QB Grand Valley State
Isaac Odim JR RB Minnesota-Duluth
LaRon Council SR RB Northwest Missouri State
Zack Eskridge JR QB Midwestern State

You can read the entire release and see player statistics by clicking here.

My opinion at midseason was that Bell was the frontrunner for the award and that opinion has not changed. If you read the release, you will note that he leads the nation in rushing, scoring, and all-purpose yardage. Plus, he's had a great career at WSU and has often times carried a team that didn't have tremendous talent around him. I know that the Harlon Hill isn't a career award, but I would have to think that Bell's accomplishments will carry some weight with the voters, especially in comparison to guys like Graziano and Beck, both of whom played just a single season of D-II football.

Mailbag

Why does Tuskegee not participate in the playoffs or regional rankings?

Jeff

The main reason Tuskegee elects to not participate in the playoffs is because the school plays in the Turkey Day Classic each season against D-I FCS rival Alabama State. The game has been played annually since 1924 and typically draws over 20,000 fans. Since the game is played after the D-II playoffs start, it precludes Tuskegee from doing both. This season the Golden Tigers will also be playing in the Pioneer Bowl against Elizabeth City State on December 5th.

Many readers may not realize it, but Tuskegee has already played in four games this season that drew crowds of greater than 20,000 fans (the TU vs. Miles game at Legion Field in Birmingham drew over 42,000), and have played at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis and Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis.

The Golden Tigers are in many ways the face of HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) football and the team draws crowds wherever it plays. Obviously, the school believes that continuing the Turkey Day Classic and playing other bowls and "classic" games trumps competing for the D-II national championship. Tuskegee has also been named Black College Football National Champions eight times (most recently in 2007, so the school gets recognized nationally in that way.

The football selection committee stopped ranking Tuskegee in the regional rankings a few years ago simply because it throws off the process of ranking the teams and for the problems Tuskegee's inclusion created for earned access.

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