Grizzlies advance to semis

Montana held Southern Illinois to 129 yards in total offense and allowed the Salukis past midfield just twice Saturday in a 20-3 NCAA Division I-AA quarterfinal victory at Missoula.

“It was a pretty dominating effort by our defense, no doubt,” said Montana coach Bobby Hauck.

The No. 10 Salukis (9-4) had averaged 393 yards in total offense and nearly 38 points per game this season.

“For us to hold them to 129 yards was spectacular,” Hauck said.

No. 2 Montana (12-1) won its 12th consecutive game and will advance to the I-AA semifinals for the eighth time in school history. The Grizzlies are 5-2 in semifinals games, and will face Massachusetts Saturday.

Massachusetts 24, New Hampshire 17: At Amherst, Mass., Liam Coen passed for 231 yards and two touchdowns and the Minutemen (12-1) withstood a determined New Hampshire bid in the final seconds to beat the Wildcats (9-4) in the quarterfinals.

Appalachian State 38, Montana State 17: At Boone, N.C., Kevin Richardson rushed for 131 yards and four touchdowns and the defending national champion Mountaineers (12-1) beat the Bobcats (8-5) to reach the semifinals.

Youngstown State 28, Illinois State 21: At Youngstown, Ohio, Tom Zetts threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Penguins (11-2) beat the Redbirds (9-4).

Division II playoffs

Northwest Missouri State 28, Chadron State 21: At Maryville, Mo., Xavier Omon rushed for 158 yards and Josh Mathews passed for two touchdowns as the Bearcats (13-0) beat the Eagles (12-1) in the quarterfinals.

Grand Valley State 30, North Dakota 20: At Allendale, Mich., Cullen Finnerty passed for three first-quarter touchdowns, including two to Eric Fowler, as the defending champion Lakers (13-0) defeated the Sioux (11-2).

Bloomsburg 24, Shepherd 21: At Shepherdstown, W.Va., Bloomsburg’s Jamar Brittingham scored on a 4-yard run with just more than 4 minutes to play to lead the Huskies (12-1) to a win over the Rams (11-1).

Delta State 27, North Alabama 10: At Florence, Ala., Scott Eyster went 26 of 35 and threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Statesmen (12-2) to a win over the Lions (11-1).

Division III playoffs

Wisconsin-Whitewater 17, Saint John’s (Minn.) 14: At Whitewater, Wis., Justin Beaver and Brady Pittz each ran for 3-yard touchdowns and the Warhawks (13-0) held off the Johnnies (11-2) in the quarterfinals.

Mount Union 17, Capital 14: At Alliance, Ohio, Greg Micheli ran for 116 yards and scored twice to lead the defending champion Purple Raiders (13-0) to a win over the Crusaders (11-2).

St. John Fisher 31, Rowan 0: At Pittsford, N.Y., Rob Kramer threw for three touchdowns to lead the Cardinals (12-1) to a win over the Profs (9-3).

Wesley 34, Mary Hardin-Baylor 20: At Dover, Del., Chris Warrick threw for 350 yards and two touchdowns, and the Wolverines (13-0) defeated the Crusaders (10-3).

NAIA playoffs

St. Francis (Ill.) 49, St. Xavier 20: At Fort Wayne, Ind., Daniel Carter rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries to lead the Cougars (13-0) past the losing Cougars (10-3) in the semifinals.

Sioux Falls 25, Missouri Valley 18: At Sioux Falls, S.D., Chad Cavender threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cougars (13-0) past the Vikings (13-1).