DIII Football: 12/12/23

Stats and updates from last weekends playoff contests

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D3 Data
December 12, 2023

WEEK 15 // PLAYOFFS SEMIFINALS // DIII FOOTBALL

Semifinal Passers

Zac Boyes (Cortland): 24/30, 279 yds, 3TD

Nile McLaughlin (Wartburg): 27/49, 234 yds, 2 TD

Luke Lehnen (North Central (IL)): 12/19, 222 yds, 3TD

Brecht Heuchan (Randolph-Macon): 11/17, 151 yds

Semifinal Top Rushers

Hunter Clasen (Wartburg): 25 att, 131 yds, 2 TD

Joe Sacco (North Central (IL)): 28 att, 126 yds, 2 TD

Jaden AlfanoStJohn (Cortland): 16 att, 108 yds, 2 TD

Nick Hale (Randolph-Macon): 9 att, 27 yds, 1 TD

Semifinal Top Receivers

Joey Lombardi (North Central (IL)): 4 rec, 161 yds, 2 TD

Cole Burgess (Cortland): 12 rec, 145 yds, 3 TD

Holden Hodge (Randolph-Macon): 8 rec, 87 yds

Carter Henry (Wartburg): 8 rec, 83 yds

Semifinals Matchups

Cortland was a freight train on offense that was not stopping for anyone. The high powered offensive attack was complimented by the defense that held Randolph-Macon to just 14 points, a team that averaged 47.8 points per contest going into the game.

The North Central offense was humming along, building a 20 point lead over Wartburg before the Knights righted the ship and fought back. When Wartburg took a 27-26 lead in the fourth, it marked the first time this season that the Cardinals have trailed in a game but not to be deterred, they marched back down the field to retake the lead that the defense would preserve for the win.

Stagg Bowl

Two high-powered offenses face off in the Stagg bowl in just a few days. Given how proficient each team is at scoring, the defenses will each face huge tests in keeping mounds of points off the board. Cortland’s defense stood tall this past weekend, holding Randolph-Macon to just 14-points but North Central is a different animal. On the flip side, the Cardinals gave up 27-points to an explosive at times but not a top overall offense in Wartburg which could point to some trouble for them in the Stagg Bowl.

Through our calculations, North Central enters the matchup as a 9.5 point favorite but we’ll just have to see how that pans out. The Red Dragons are making its first ever appearance in the Stagg Bowl which is huge for the school but means they have never competed on this stage. By contrast, the Cardinals are making their fourth consecutive appearance in the title game which gives them a mental advantage with performing under the lights. Regardless, every prediction indicates a lot of points being scored on Friday which should make for an exciting 50th installment of the DIII Championship game.

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