Roman Purcell threw for 183 yards and ran for two first-quarter touchdowns to lead Cal (Pa.) to a 27-24 victory over Virginia Union in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs Saturday afternoon.

Kendrick Agenor rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown for the Vulcans (9-3) while Kenny Lewis IV caught three passes for 95 yards. Curtis Allen ran for 128 yards and one touchdown for Virginia Union (9-3).

Cal (Pa.) will play Frostburg State in next Saturday’s second round.

Assumption 23, IUP 20 — Dom Santiago threw for 271 yards and a touchdown and added two rushing TDs as Assumption (9-2) overcame an early 13-point deficit to defeat IUP (7-4) in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. Kameron Robbins ran for 83 yards and caught a 20-yard touchdown pass for Assumption, which will play Kutztown in the second round. IUP’s Matthew Rueve threw for 231 yards, 152 of those to Devin Whitlock, who caught 13 passes.

Division III

NCAA playoffs

Hanover 23, Grove City 15 — Eian Roudebush threw for 178 yards and a touchdown and ran for 75 yards and two TDs to lead Hanover (9-2) over Grove City (8-3) in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. Brian Wall had seven solo tackles and a fumble recovery for Hanover, which led 17-0 entering the fourth quarter. Ethan Wiley threw for 216 yards and a touchdown for Grove City while teammate Seth McGroerty caught five passes for 120 yards. Hanover will face North Central (Ill.) in next Saturday’s second round.

Susquehanna 38, Washington & Jefferson 32 — In the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, Rahshan La Mons rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown as Susquehanna (9-2) held on to defeat Washington & Jefferson (8-3). Josh Ehrlich threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns for Susquehanna, which will match up against Christopher Newport in the second round next Saturday. Galen Limantour posted three sacks for Susquehanna, which recorded five sacks overall. Kellan Stahl threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns — both to John Peduzzi — for the Presidents. Peduzzi finished with 10 receptions for 148 yards.

Centennial-MAC Bowl Series

Carnegie Mellon 24, Misericordia 17 — Jack Lawson had three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception and a sack as Carnegie Mellon (6-5) defeated Misericordia (7-4) in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series. Game MVP Connor Warren added an interception and returned a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown and Jacob Franze recorded 10 tackles and two forced fumbles. Jackson Salters hit Reece Kolke with a 42-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 left in the third quarter to put Carnegie Mellon ahead for good. Salters finished with 127 passing yards. Jacob Hunter rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown for Misericordia, which led 14-7 at halftime.

ECAC Scotty Whitelaw Bowl

SUNY Brockport 46, Geneva 10 — Isaiah Simmons rushed for 271 yards and four touchdowns as SUNY Brockport (7-4) beat Geneva (6-5) in the ECAC Scotty Whitelaw Bowl. Jayden Ferrell had three of SUNY Brockport’s seven sacks as the Golden Eagles defense held Geneva to 99 yards. Seth Tyson caught eight passes for 92 yards for Geneva.

Division I FCS

Central Connecticut 35, Mercyhurst 28 — Brady Olson threw for three touchdowns and Elijah Howard ran for two scores as Central Connecticut (8-4, 6-1) clinched the Northeast Conference title. Olson threw an 8-yard touchdown to Howard with 11:14 left in the fourth quarter after a six-play, 12-yard drive set up by the Blue Devils’ defense. Eric Jackson tackled running back Brian Trobel to force a fumble that Dylan Jones recovered for the short field.

Despite 10-play and nine-play drives by Mercyhurst on their last two possessions, Central Connecticut’s defense managed both times to prevent the Lakers from scoring. Adam Urena threw an 11-yard touchdown to Taylor Wright-Rawls with 2:03 left in the third quarter to bring Mercyhurst into a tie at 28. Trobel ran for 166 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns for Mercyhurst (5-7, 4-3).

Stonehill 20, Saint Francis 10 — Jack O’Connell threw two second-quarter touchdown passes and Stonehill’s defense forced three interceptions as the Skyhawks beat Saint Francis to close the season.

Stonehill controlled the ground game behind Joshua Roberson, who rushed for 128 yards on 15 carries, including a 40-yard burst that set up the Skyhawks’ first points. The defense held Saint Francis (0-11, 0-7) scoreless for the final 56 minutes, limiting the Red Flash to 3.3 yards per carry and forcing five turnovers, including two lost fumbles.

Saint Francis briefly led on a 50-yard strike from Adrian Mejia to Brandon London in the first quarter. Mejia threw for 105 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted once, while Jake Hamilton added two more picks in relief.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)