DIVISION III FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

In other Division III first-round games:

Muir 35, St. Francis 14--Sultan McCullough, one of the nation’s top college recruits, displayed his talents by rushing for 267 yards and four touchdowns. His scores came on carries of five, three, six and 82 yards, the last a run on which he raced down the sideline and pumped the ball up and down with one hand.

“Too much speed; we just couldn’t contain him,” St. Francis Coach Bill Redell said. “We knew they’d run the option, we knew he’d be the guy, we just couldn’t stop it.”

St. Francis (7-4) pulled to within 21-14 when tailback Darius Brown scored on a four-yard run with 6:08 to play in the third quarter. But three plays later, Muir quarterback Lashaun Ward connected on a 75-yard touchdown pass play to Elonte Vaughn that effectively ended the game.

Brown rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown in 22 carries. Kjell Nesen of St. Francis completed only three of 14 passes for 29 yards and was heavily pressured.

Muir needed only 57 seconds to open the scoring, going 76 yards in four plays and scoring on a five-yard run by McCullough. Tim Dultz added the first of his five extra points.

The Mustangs (8-3) were ahead, 14-0, five minutes after a three-yard McCullough run.

St. Francis struck for its first points early in the second quarter by driving 88 yards in 11 plays and scoring on Murice Law’s three-yard run.

Nesen had a 46-yard run up the middle after an outstanding fake handoff and Muir hurt itself with a personal-foul penalty.

Muir regained a 14-point lead on its subsequent possession, with McCullough scoring on a six-yard run to give the Mustangs a 21-7 halftime lead.

St. Francis’ final scoring drive went 91 yards in 13 plays.