If you didn't watch the game, you might never understand. Pitt State, despite turning the ball over five times and getting outgained by 15 yards on offense, completely dominated Delta State Saturday night, advancing to Alabama with a 49-23 victory.

The Statesmen ended up throwing for more than 400 yards - 365 from Harlon Hill finalist Micah Davis and 42 more from backup Kevin Vye when Davis went out after a big hit - ran 40 more offensive plays and seemed on the doorstep of getting back in the game time and time again, but the Gorilla defense held solid each and every time, limiting the Delta offense to three field goals and a late garbage-time touchdown.

Pitt didn't waste any time getting on the board, as John Brown returned a punt for a touchdown just 90 seconds into the ball game after Delta started the game with a three-and-out.

But as has been the case in each of Pittsburg's playoff games this year, the Gorilla offense couldn't get things going early, ending the next three drives on a three-and-out, an interception and a fumble.

But blessed with good field position in the second quarter after another Delta three-and-out and with the help of a 27-yard scamper from Zac Dickey, PSU took a 14-3 lead on Mendel Dixon's sixth touchdown of the postseason (on 7 carries).

From there, it got interesting. Delta added a field goal on the next drive and then forced a three-and-out of their own. The kick was partially blocked and the ball went straight up into the air and was batted to Delta WR Bill Franks, who carried it 33 yards to the end zone.

The score was 14-13 and there was just 4 minutes left in the half. Both teams had scored a special teams touchdown and didn't look great offensively.

But that's when the magic happened. Just over a minute later, Pitt answered with a Zac Dickey touchdown pass to a streaking Jon Thomas from 30 yards out.

Nate Dreilling intecepted a pass and a little over a minute after that, Dickey found Brown, who probably should have been flagged for offensive pass interference, for a 38 yard touchdown.

Delta fumbled on their first play from scrimmage and on the next play, Dickey threw a backward pass to Andrew Castaneda on the right sideline, and he found a wide open Levi Kuntzsch for a 36-yard touchdown pass.

The three scores took less than three minutes and extended the Pitt lead from 14-13 to 35-13 heading into halftime.

From there, it was all about the defense. Four second-half Delta drives ended in turnovers on downs, and linebacker Nate Dreilling was among the guys who seemed to be EVERYWHERE Delta wanted to be. He finished with 18 tackles, 4.5 TFL, a sack, the interception and a forced fumble. Word is he also cooked the pregame meal and did an equipment check at halftime.

Gus Toca was another guy with a knack for big plays, making several key stops and picking up a sack.

Paul Robinson put the icing on the cake (that was already frosted) with a 91-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Delta didn't do themselves any favors. Davis looked off, and even when he made good throws, his receivers were dropping balls. They ended up with six turnovers of their own, helping offset the sometimes-sloppy play of the Pittsburg offense.

I could sit here and talk about how Delta lost the game all day, but this game was more about Pittsburg's dominating defense. Delta tried over and over to run the ball on third and fourth-and-short situations, but that defensive line stopped them every time.

Delta finished the game with 58 rushing yards on 43 attempts, while Pitt finished with 246 yards on the ground on 42 carries.

The Gorillas, in front of 8,427 rowdy fans, made a good Delta State team look downright awful, and I must admit, it was darn fun to watch.

Dickey finished a modest 12 of 22 for 168 yards, the two second-quarter touchdowns and a first-quarter interception. Davis was 27 of 58 for 365, three INTs and the late meaningless touchdown.

Pittsburg State now advances to Florence, Ala., where they'll face Wayne State, a three-loss team out of the GLIAC who many (including their own head coach) didn't even think would make the playoffs. Game time is 10 a.m. CST Saturday on ESPN2.

Let's talk Pitt State (or any D2 really). Leave me a comment below, email me at [email protected], mention me on Twitter @miAARONd2 or hit me up at Facebook.com/apheintz.