College Football Playoffs : Troy State Beats Portland State for Division II Title

Quarterback Mike Turk scored on runs of 1 and 51 yards Saturday to lead Troy State of Alabama to the NCAA Division II championship with a 31-17 victory over Portland State at Florence, Ala.

Turk’s 51-yard run with 1:43 left was the clincher for the Trojans (12-1-1), giving Troy State its second Division II title in four years. Turk, just 5 feet 6 inches, rushed for 190 yards in 25 carries.

As a freshman, Turk led the Trojans to a Division II title in 1984. The Trojans had previously won an NAIA championship.

The Vikings (11-2-1) went ahead, 17-10, with 9:28 left in the third quarter on Chris Crawford’s 37-yard pass to Tim Corrigan. Crawford completed 22 of 37 passes for 287 yards. Turk’s one-yard scoring run tied the score, 17-17, with 6:08 left in the third quarter.

NCAA Division I-AA

Northeast Louisiana 44, Northern Iowa 41--Teddy Garcia kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime at Monroe, La., to put the Indians in the championship game.

Northeast (12-2) will play Marshall for the national title next Saturday at Pocatello, Ida.

Garcia kicked a 41-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining to defeat Eastern Kentucky last week in the quarterfinals.

Northern Iowa (10-4) rallied from a 21-0 deficit and tied the game, 41-41, when Mike Smith hit Sherrod Howard with a five-yard touchdown pass and then passed to Woody Wright for a two-point conversion with seven seconds remaining in regulation.

Smith set an NCAA I-AA playoff record with six touchdown passes.

Marshall 24, Appalachian State 10--Ron Darby rushed for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Thundering Herd avenged a defeat to Appalachian State earlier this season with an upset victory over the second-ranked Mountaineers at Boone, N.C.

Marshall (10-4) advances to the title game next Saturday in Pocatello, Ida., against Northeast Louisiana, which defeated Northern Iowa, 44-41.

Marshall’s Tony Petersen completed 25 of 37 passes for 259 yards and 1 touchdown, and Marshall’s defense held Appalachian (11-3) to 149 yards.

Appalachian State beat the Thundering Herd, 17-10, on Nov. 7.

NCAA Division III

Wagner 19, Dayton 3--Greg Kovar threw for 301 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Seahawks (13-1) won the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl and the Division III national championship at Phenix City, Ala.

Dayton finished 11-3.

NAIA Division I

Carson-Newman 21, Mesa, Colo. 7--Willie Lundy returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, and the defending national champion Eagles reached the NAIA championship game again with a victory at Jefferson City, Tenn.

Carson-Newman (10-3) will play Cameron next Saturday at Cameron, Okla., in a rematch of last season’s title game, won by the Eagles, 17-0.

Mesa finished 11-1.

Cameron 20, Pittsburg State 10--Keith Ellis rushed 15 times for 101 yards as Cameron (10-2) scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to upset top-ranked Pittsburg State (11-1) in the semifinals at Pittsburg, Kan.