Dallas Dickey’s nine-yard touchdown run with 3:09 left in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Division II Playoffs Saturday put the game away for 7th-ranked West Georgia, as the Wolves held on to defeat in-state rival Valdosta State 27-20 at University Stadium.
The run capped a six-play, 72-yard drive that took just over two minutes and was the answer to a two-yard touchdown run from Valdosta State with 5:35 to play in the contest. VSU’s Cedric O’Neal scored on that play to make the score 20-19 VSU, but the two-point conversion failed. After his touchdown run, Dickey connected with receiver Shaq Hall in the corner of the end zone for a two-point conversion, putting the Wolves up 27-20.
The contest was very different from the first meeting between the two teams back on October 10, as the Wolves won that one going away, 49-28 in Carrollton. In Saturday’s rematch, the Wolves rushed for 292 yards on 44 carries and had two 100-yard rushers en route to a second-straight trip to the NCAA Super Region 2 championship game.
Devontae Jackson led all rushers with 120 yards on 20 carries and scored the game’s first touchdown, his only score of the day. Dickey carried 14 times for 100 yards and had one touchdown rushing and one through the air. Hall hauled in four catches for 27 yards and a touchdown to lead the UWG receivers on the afternoon.
On the defensive side of the ball, senior linebacker Marion Chapman led the way with nine tackles, including 1.5 for a loss. Junior end Dylan Donahue had his best day in a UWG uniform with eight tackles, including 3.5 sacks in the game. He was tough for the VSU defense to handle in the second half, as 2.5 of his sacks came in that period.
West Georgia advances to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs on December 5 and will host 6th-seeded Tuskegee in the Super Region 2 championship. The Wolves won last year’s championship and advanced to the NCAA Semifinals before falling to eventual champion Colorado State-Pueblo. Kickoff for next Saturday’s contest will be noon.
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