FLORENCE
– After being held to less than
20 total yards in the second half, the
University of North Alabama offense put
together a dramatic 10-play, 55-yard scoring
drive and pulled out a 20-17 win over Delta
State in the second round of the NCAA
Division II playoffs.
UNA, now 10-1,
will advance to the quarterfinals to face
another Gulf South Conference rival,
Valdosta State. Delta State ends its season
at 10-2.
North Alabama
had scored a field goal on its first
possession of the second half to take a
13-10 lead that it held until Delta State
finally took the lead at 17-13 with 5:31 to
play in the game. The Statesmen defense had
shutdown the Lions after the initial drive
and had forced six consecutive UNA punts,
including five three-and-out possessions.
But starting at his own 45, Lion senior
quarterback A.J. Milwee, who had been sacked
four times in the game and had been under
constant pressure, engineered a 10-play,
game-winning drive.
Milwee hit
Rocky Coleman on back-to-back passes for 21
and eight yards, then completed an out to
Reggie Hubbard for eight and another out to
Messing for nine. A David McCants run gave
UNA a first-and-goal with 36 seconds to play
at the DSU five. After two incompletions,
Milwee hit Messing coming across the end
zone with a five-yard touchdown pass with 16
seconds to play. Kenny Spencer’s PAT gave
the Lions a 20-17 lead. It was Messing’s
23rd career TD catch, extending his school
career record. It was also Milwee’s second
TD pass of the game, and extended his
school-record for career touchdown passes to
44.
North Alabama
had defeated Delta State 28-17 back on
October 18 at Braly Stadium and the Lions
avenged a quarterfinal playoff loss at home
to Delta State last season in another
rematch contest.
UNA finished
with just 244 total yards, gaining 47
rushing and 197 passing. Delta State gained
390 yards but the UNA defense stepped up all
day, forcing one turnover and recording
seven sacks and eight tackles for loss.
North Alabama
broke on top first with a 43-yard field goal
from senior Scott Shurden. The kick, at 4:53
in the first quarter, capped a short
six-play, 17-yard drive for the Lions. Delta
State got the game’s first touchdown at the
8:46 mark of the second period when Chad
Schroeder dove over the top of the pile from
one-yard out. Trey Adams PAT gave the
Statesmen a 7-3 advantage and capped a
10-play, 91-yard drive.
UNA answered
with a touchdown drive of its own with just
two minutes left in the half as senior
Reggie Hubbard pulled in a 13-yard pass from
A.J. Milwee in the left corner of the end
zone. Kenny Spencer’s PAT gave UNA a 10-7
advantage.
The Statesmen
tied the game before the half, driving
47-yards before Trey Adams kicked a 41-yard
field goal with 24 seconds left.
In the second
half, UNA took the opening kick and moved
from its own 36 to the DSU 15 before the
drive stalled. Milwee was temporarily
knocked out of the game after taking a blow
while recovering a fumble. Shurden came on
and kicked a 32-yard field goal to give UNA
a 13-10 lead.
Neither team
could move the ball offensively after that
until Delta State broke a 67-yard pass play
when Garrett Dewitt hit Eric Marshall late
in the fourth quarter. The play took the
ball all the way to the UNA one-yard line
and Dewitt dove in from there for the
go-ahead touchdown. Adams PAT made it 17-13
with 5:31 to play.
Michael Johnson
led UNA’s defense with nine tackles, while
Montrell Craft had three sacks and Tim Hunt
two. Delta State’s defense had 15 tackles
for loss on the day, led by Michael Eubanks
with three.
UNA is now 24-9
all-time in the Division II playoffs and has
more post-season wins that any current
member of Division II. The win was UNA’s
20th at home in the post-season in 25 games
at Braly.
The 10th win
also made UNA’s Class of 2007 just the
second in school history to win 10 or more
games in three straight seasons. The Lions
went 11-3 in 2005 and 11-1 last season. The
other group to do it was the three
consecutive national championship teams from
1993-95 that went 14-0, 13-1 and 14-0.
Printable Game
Statistics - Delta State
