Wheaton rallies in snow for playoff upset over Wartburg
A 4-yard touchdown run by Matt Crider with 24.8 seconds left lifted Wheaton College to a 28-24 victory over Wartburg in the Division III football playoffs on Saturday. The game was played in a snowstorm in Iowa and qualifies as a major upset. Wartburg was 10-0 this season and one of the top four seeds in the 40-team playoff.
Wheaton (10-2) moves on to face DePauw in the third round next Saturday, most likely on the road. The Thunder's two losses this season were to North Central and Mount Union, the top-two teams in the Division III poll all year.
The lead changed hands three times in the fourth quarter. Wheaton went ahead 21-16 with 10:25 left on Crider's 1-yard run. Wartburg answered with a 10-yard touchdown run from Dawson Rud with 5:01 left.
After the kickoff, the Thunder drove 77 yards in 14 plays for the winning score. Wartburg reached the Wheaton 29-yard line, but a pass into the end zone was knocked away by Colin Moore as time expired.
In spite of the snow, Wheaton QB Mark Forcucci completed 19 of 32 passes for 228 yards. Whit Jewett was the leading receiver with 9 catches for 113 yards, while Crider finished with 67 yards on the ground on 21 carries.
Crider and Moore are Wheaton Warrenville South grads, while Forcucci went to Wheaton North.
North Central 38, Hanover 6:
On a snow-covered field in Naperville, top-ranked North Central plowed to a 38-6 victory over Hanover in the second round of the Division III playoffs. The Cardinals (11-0) will host Wisconsin-LaCrosse next Saturday.
The snow didn't slow down North Central's passing attack. Quarterback Garret Wilson completed 12 of 16 passes for 233 yards, while receiver Thomas Skokna (Hinsdale Central) had 6 catches for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Illinois State 21, SE Louisiana 3:
The Illinois State defense pulled down 4 interceptions in a 21-3 victory at Southeast Louisiana on Saturday in the FCS playoffs. The Redbirds (9-4) will play at No. 1 seed North Dakota State next week in the second round.
Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse had a rushing and receiving touchdown. The St. Francis grad scored on a 6-yard run to put ISU on the scoreboard, then caught a 1-yard pass from receiver Daniel Sobkowicz in the third quarter to make it 14-3. Sobkowicz, from Rolling Meadows, also had 8 catches for 89 yards.
SE Louisiana's starting quarterback was Carson Camp, a Bloomington-Normal native who previously played at South Dakota and Sacramento State.