NCAA Football Playoffs : Georgia Southern Upsets Nevada Reno, Gains Final

Quarterback Tracy Ham rushed for 162 yards and passed for 147 yards Saturday as Georgia Southern upset No. 1-ranked Nevada Reno, 48-38, in an NCAA Division I-AA football playoff semifinal game at Reno.

Fourth-ranked Georgia Southern (12-2), the defending I-AA champion, advanced to Friday’s championship game at Tacoma, Wash., against Arkansas State, which defeated Eastern Kentucky, 24-10.

Ham, who threw for two touchdowns and rushed for two more, had 26 carries and completed 8 of 16 passes.

Quarterback Eric Beavers threw for four touchdowns for the Wolf Pack (13-1), which lost for the first time in 20 games at home.

Arkansas State 24, Eastern Kentucky 10--At Jonesboro, Ark., quarterback Dwane Brown accounted for three touchdowns to put No. 2 Arkansas State (12-1-1) in the Division I-AA championship game.

Brown scored from 1 and 19 yards and threw a 6-yard pass to tight end James Waldrop.

The Indians’ defense forced six turnovers and held Eastern Kentucky (10-3-1) to three points on four possessions inside the 10-yard line.

North Dakota State 27, South Dakota 7--For North Dakota State quarterback Jeff Bentrim, it was an appropriate ending to a brilliant four-year career.

Bentrim ran for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Bison won the NCAA Division II championship at Florence, Ala.

The victory capped a perfect season for North Dakota State (13-0).

Bentrim set a Division II record for rushing touchdowns with 64, breaking the mark set by Walter Payton at Jackson State.

Augustana 31, Salisbury State 3--Brad Price rushed for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns at Phenix City, Ala., to help Augustana win an unprecedented fourth straight NCAA Division III title in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.

Price, who carried 32 times, helped Augustana finish the season with a 12-0-1 record.

Salisbury State finished at 13-1.