Even with only one GSC team still playing football, there were several newsworthy events here in Week 14 of the 2016 football season.

AWARDS

This week had notable announcements of certain awards and honors, namely the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year and All-America Team.

The GSC had eight players named to the AFCA All-America First and Second Teams. Junior Chris Robinson from Delta State made the first team offense while seniors Dylan Donahue from West Georgia, Philbert Martial from North Alabama, and Kenny Moore from Valdosta State were included on the first team defense. Three seniors were named to the second team offense in Marcel Newsome from Mississippi College, Kenny Johnston from Florida Tech, and Stephen Evans from North Alabama while senior Marcus Sayles from West Georgia was named to the second team defensive unit.

For the third time in his career, UNA Head Coach Bobby Wallace was named AFCA Region 3 Coach of the Year which puts him among five finalists for the National Coach of the Year award. He is the winningest coach in Gulf South Conference history (151 wins), the winningest coach in UNA history (125 wins), and he is tied for second most wins in Division II playoff history (19) while also being tied for the most Division II football national championships by any coach with three.

UNA TO D1 IN 2018
D2 SEMIFINALS

North Alabama (10-1) at Shepherd (13-0) @ 12 PM EST on ESPN3

This matchup of the NCAA Division II semifinals will feature the #2 Shepherd Rams hosting the #3 North Alabama Lions after reseeding took place following the quarterfinals.

The Rams return to the semis for the third time after defeating the California (PA) Vulcans this past weekend to claim their second-consecutive SR1 Regional Title. SU is 1-1 in semifinal games losing to Delta State in 2010 and defeating Grand Valley State last season. The Lions, who defeated North Greenville last weekend to claim the SR2 Regional Championship, have now been a semifinalist ten times with this being the first appearance since 2008. UNA is 4-5 in this round of the playoffs.

UNA Key Stats:

Avg. Points Scored: 40.3
Avg. Points Allowed: 13.4
Offensive Yards: 442.4
Yards Allowed: 315.8
Turnover Margin: +14
Avg. Penalties: 66.6 yards
Third Down Conversions: 42.3%
Red Zone Scores: 81.8%
Field Goals: 11-14 (78.6%)

SU Key Stats:

Avg. Points Scored: 40.6
Avg. Points Allowed: 18.6
Offensive Yards: 474.3
Yards Allowed: 295.1
Turnover Margin: +6
Avg. Penalties: 111.5 yards
Third Down Conversions: 50.0%
Red Zone Scores: 80%
Field Goals: 8-12 (66.7%)
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My pick: Lions by 10