Welcome to playoff football.

It is win or go home this time of the season and all of the 24 teams are vying for a chance to play for a national championship. Only one team can be crowned champion.

Virginia State Playoff History

1st playoff appearance

0-0 overall record

0-0 against the NE-10

LIU Post Playoff History

4th overall playoff appearance

2-3 overall record

0-0 against the CIAA

Head to Head

First Meeting


Week 12 Capsules

# 6 LIU Post (8-3, 7-2 NE-10) @ # 3 Virginia State (9-2, 8-0 CIAA North)

When: November 22nd, 12:00 PM

All-Time Series: First meeting

Common Opponents: None in 2014

Link to Team Stats:

LIU Post

Virginia State

Game Day Central

My thoughts: Are you ready for some playoff football?

Both teams had impressive victories in their conference championship games as both entered those games as underdogs.

LIU Post Scouting Report:

LIU Post enters the playoffs fresh off of their most decisive victory this year, a 58-25 defeat of AIC in the NE-10 Championship game. The Pioneers trailed midway through the third quarter before they exploded for 34 points in a 10 minute stretch to take their first title since returning to the NE-10 in 2013.

The offense for Post has been dominated by red-shirt senior quarterback Steve Laurino. He has done everything for the Pioneers this year and was named MVP of the league. He led the NE-10 in rushing touchdowns with 18. He finished second in passing touchdowns with 28 and even caught a touchdown pass. He is the drink that makes the Post offense click. He has plenty of weapons around him. Running backs David White and Mike Williams will be see time in the backfield and are dual threats in the passing game. Kamron Palmer, Shane Hubbard, Kyle Ward and Sean Binckes are his main targets in the passing game but their up tempo offense will rely on several parts to make it work. The offense line is big and does a solid job opening holes or giving Laurino the time to throw the ball. Mike Sollenne, Joseph Lacey, Chris Rossi, Matt Carroll and Herb Flores will do their work in the trenches.

The Post defense welcomed an unlikely leader. Converted fullback Anthony Brunetti moved to linebacker and had an outstanding season on the defensive side of the ball. Fellow linebacker Brandon Cheney will help to patrol the middle of the field for the Pioneers. The defensive line is anchored by David Sumter. He led Post in sacks and is a very disruptive force in the backfield. Jess Agbotse, Dan Belfiore and Manny Dopazo will also try to control the line of scrimmage for the Pioneers. Jhaleel Oswald, Justin Ortiz, Jared Chester, Richard Hamilton and Richard Wright will be part of the secondary for Post.

Karsten Viste will handle the kicking duties and Tyler Feely will handle the punting duties. Ward is the return specialist and will look to give Post good possession each time he touches the ball.

Virginia State Scouting Report:

Virginia State won their first CIAA championship since 1996. They used a backup freshman quarterback to win the game so they are not afraid of the unexpected. It is unclear right now who will start at quarterback but both players are capable of handling the pressure.

The Trojans are a very balanced offensive team. They gained 1,967 rushing yards and 1,965 through the air. Tarian Ayres had started the all of the games in the regular season but was arrested in the week leading up to the CIAA championship game. Niko Johnson drew the start and played very well in his collegiate debut. Whoever the quarterback is, they will hand the ball off to Kavon Bellamy a lot. He was a first team all-CIAA selection after leading Virginia State in rushing in 2014. He is a converted linebacker who had 791 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. Earl Hughes will also see the ball out of the backfield. The receiving core of Jaivon Smallwood, Dion Futch and Willie Stubblefield can stretch the field when necessary. A strength of the Trojans is their offensive line. Ray Rijos, Ronnie Ransome and Jahmil Haley are all league selections this year and excel in the running game.

The defense for the Trojans allowed just 18 points per game and shut down an explosive Winston Salem offense in the CIAA championship game. The defense is anchored by the linebackers. Andrew Faison, Brandon Robinson and Brandon Lynch were three of the top tacklers for Virginia State this year. The defensive line features Daryl Simmons, Ronald Lewis, Ray Prosise and Darien Jones. They control the line of scrimmage for the Trojans. Andre Rawls, Darion Thomas, Devonte Piggot and Dontrell Jones anchor a secondary that has picked off several passes and limits the big plays.

Matt Hillquist will handle the kicking and punting duties for Virginia State. Futch is the return specialist and was honored by being named all-CIAA this year.


LIU Post Keys to the Game:

1. Let Steve Laurino continue to create and make plays
2. Limit the Virginia State running game
3. Get three and outs and not let the defense spend a lot of time on the field.
4. Score in the red zone

Virginia State Keys to the Game:

1. Contain Laurino and not let him make big plays
2. Establish their offensive rhythm
3. Control the time of possession
4. Score early and often.

So who wins and why?

In looking at both teams, it is the classic offense versus defense match up. Post has an explosive quarterback and can score anytime that the offense touches the ball. Virginia State has a classic shutdown defense and does not allow teams to make big plays against them. Defense wins championships and the Trojans provided that in the CIAA championship game.

The Division II playoffs have a tendency to feature high scoring games and that type of tempo will give the edge to Post. They have a lot of weapons and spread the ball around to a lot of play makers. The Virginia State offense is solid but could they keep pace with Post if they needed to?

This game will be a hard fought 60 minute battle and that usually gives the edge to the home team. Both teams have no playoff experience except for conference championship games last weekend. If the game is decided in the final minute, that gives the advantage to Post. They have played close games all season long and are no stranger to winning those games on the road.

Prediction: LIU Post 31 Virginia State 29