NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs : Nevada Reno Routs Tennessee St., 33-6

Eric Beavers passed for 231 yards and a touchdown, and Marty Zendejas kicked four field goals as top-ranked Nevada Reno routed Tennessee State, 33-6, Saturday at Reno in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

Nevada Reno (13-0), which will play host to defending champion Georgia Southern in the semifinals next week, can become the first collegiate team in this century with 15 victories in a season by winning the national title in two weeks.

Zendejas’ field goals came from 49, 37, 44 and 41 yards.

Georgia Southern 55, Nicholls State 31--Quarterback Tracy Ham rushed for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns and passed for another score to lead the Eagles to an easy victory at Statesboro, Ga.

Ham, who completed 11 of 19 passes for 167 yards, scored on a 55-yard bootleg around right end on a fourth-and-two play to give the Eagles (11-2) a 7-0 lead.

Eastern Kentucky 24, Eastern Illinois 22--Sean Payton’s two-point conversion pass fell incomplete with 27 seconds left and the Colonels escaped with a victory over the Panthers at Charleston, Ill.

The Colonels (10-2-1), ranked 10th, will play at Arkansas State next Saturday in the semifinals. The No. 3 Panthers (11-2) had an 11-game winning streak snapped.

Arkansas State 55, Delaware 14--Rickie Jemison rushed for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Indians past the Blue Hens at Dover, Del.

Arkansas State (11-1-1) piled up 646 yards on offense, 518 rushing.