by Matt Cooke
The Wolves are headed to the NCAA quarterfinals after a dominating second-half effort Saturday afternoon at Parker Field in Cleveland, Mississippi, as 6th-seeded West Georgia took down second-seed Delta State with a 37-27 victory in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. The Wolves are now 11-2 on the year for just the second time in school history, with the other 11-win season coming in the 1982 Division III national championship season.
The second half total team effort from the Wolves brought UWG back from a 27-21 deficit just before halftime, as UWG outscored the Statesmen 16-0 in the final 23 minutes of the game. The third quarter was especially dominating, as the UWG offense outscored Delta 6-0, but outgained one of the top offenses in the nation 140-8. The UWG defense allowed no first downs in the period and gave up four yards rushing and four yards passing with defensive coordinator Scott Symons' adjustments at the half.
The first quarter was a sprint out of the gate, as UWG forced a three-and-out on the opening drive from Delta State, including a sack by junior defensive tackle Marrion Holmes. The sack was the first for the Wolves against DSU, as UWG was able to hit Delta State quarterback Tyler Sullivan multiple times in Carrollton earlier this year, but never sacked him. Denarius Appling returned the punt 24 yards to the DSU 31 and the Wolves were in business.
It took six plays and no third down opportunities for the Wolves on their opening drive, to go 31 yards, finishing off with a 1-yard plunge from Seth Hinsley to give UWG a 7-0 lead in the early going. But Delta State responded quickly, going 75 yards in seven play while taking just 1:42 to do so, tying the game at 7-7 with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Tyler to Casey Osborne.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Statesmen kicked to Denarius again, and the senior made them pay with a 51-yard return to the Delta State 33, giving Dallas Dickey and the UWG offense another short field. The Wolves took six plays again, this time using a 4th-down conversion to get there, then Denarius scored on an 18-yard run to make the score 14-7 with just over seven minutes to play in the period.
Darrius Caldwell got to Tyler on the first play, then Marcus Sayles picked off the sophomore quarterback on the second play from scrimmage, returning the interception to the Delta State 12, giving the Wolves yet another short field. Three plays later, West Georgia led 21-7 on a six-yard touchdown pass from Dallas to Shaq Hall.
But Delta State was fierce in defending their turf at Parker Field, going on another long march and scoring on a 1-yard run from Eddie McCadney to make the score 21-13. The Wolves blocked the extra point attempt with Marcus coming through with the block, keeping the lead at eight points. But on the ensuing kickoff, the Wolves failed to recover a short kick and DSU took over at the UWG 28. That was the catalyst to Delta State scoring 20 unanswered points, but UWG would get the final laugh of the half with a drive that began after another big play from Marcus, who intercepted Tyler in the end zone with six minutes to play in the half.
West Georgia took seven plays to go 80 yards in just under four minutes, culminating with Seth's second touchdown run of the game, this time a 34-yard romp where Seth tight-roped the sideline and ran in for the score. The extra point was no good after a Dallas rush went nowhere, and the two teams went into the locker room locked up at 27-27.
To open the second half, the Wolves marched down the field, going 64 yards in nine plays, but fell short as DSU returned the interception in the end zone favor with a pick from Cedric Tillman. From that point on, it was all West Georgia, as the defense forced a three-and-out followed by a 10-play, 50-yard scoring drive from the Wolves. The final touchdown of the game was scored by Brandon Lucas, a senior transfer from Delta State, who ran in from 10 yards out for what would end up being the game-winning score.
That was the only score of the third quarter, and neither team could capitalize and reach the end zone beyond that.
The final scoring drive of the day was one of beauty, as the Wolves took over after a fourth-and-nine incomplete pass at their own nine yard line from Tyler with 12:19 left in the game. Dallas and senior quarterback Emmanuel Taylor split the quarterback duties on that drive that took over seven minutes of time off the clock. The Wolves got as close as the Delta State five yard line before a pair of plays that lost yardage, but Hunter Heck's field goal from 30 yards out was good and put the game on ice.
Seth continued to be the workhorse, rushing 25 times for 126 yards in the game, his sixth 100-yard performance this year and third straight. Denarius was two yards from his first 100-yard rushing game, running the ball seven times for 98 yards. Shaq had six receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown in the winning effort.
The Wolves' defense was the story, though, as they held an offense that averaged 500.2 yards per game through the season to just 393 on the day, including 260 yards passing. Marcus had two interceptions and now has three picks on the year to help push the Wolves to a school-record 11 wins in the 2014 season.
It will be an all-Gulf South Conference quarterfinal next Saturday, as the 5th-seeded Valdosta State Blazers took down top-seed Lenoir Rhyne in Hickory, North Carolina earlier on Saturday. The Wolves and Blazers will meet in a rematch of earlier this season, when the Blazers handed UWG its worst loss of the season, 40-6 at Cleveland Field in Valdosta.
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