Ashland's Cole Krizancic Ends A 4 Overtime Thriller With A Buzzer Beater

For those lucky few who attended the Grand Valley State - Ashland game in Ashland, Ohio last night saw one hell of a basketball game.

The game went four overtimes and ended when Ashland's Cole Krizancic's nailed a corner three at the buzzer for a 93-92 win for the Eagles.

Here's the video of Krizancic's game winning three in the 4th overtime.


"The play basically was Wendell (Davis) to get up the floor, and Boo (Osborne) and I were in the corners," Krizancic said. "It's definitely huge."

"I'm so proud of him," Ashland head coach John Ellenwood said. "Cole hasn't had the easiest road here. To hit that shot, I'm very proud of him. He's just a winner, and that's why he's in an Eagle uniform."

Ashland is 6-0 on the season.

Teenager Scores Against Louisville In Hoops

((HT: Mike Rutherford's Vine/College Basketball Talk))

Patrick McSweeney, a 15-year-old battling leukemia since the age of five, got plugged into the Bellarmine hoops program through a Boston-based nonprofit that matches chronically ill children with local college teams known as Team IMPACT.

Here's his bucket against the Cards...


And here's how WHAS-TV covered McSweeney's debut
Louisville coach Rick Pitino said afterwards: "(Sunday was) a cool thing for a young man. Everyone in Card Nation and at Bellarmine is praying that he makes a nice recovery."
Pitino is 100-percent correct...

The Best FSU Quarterback Might Be Jason Vander Laan.

There were some offensive fireworks going off Saturday in Big Rapids, Michigan.

Neither team could stop the run or the pass

Lake Erie put up 708 yards of total offense.

NCAA Division II #3 ranked Ferris State had 706 yards of total offense.

But FSU (Ferris State, not Florida State though the Seminoles might put up that much on Lake Erie and perhaps more) scored 10 more points than the Lake Erie Storm winning 66-56.


"It was a track meet out there and fortunately our guys pulled it out in the end," Ferris State head coach Tony Annese said.

Ferris State quarterback back Jason Vander Laan is buried way under the radar.  Saturday, against the Storm, Vander Laan rushed for 284 yards and three touchdowns.  He also passed for 215 yards and three touchdowns.

Add that up and it's 499 yards of total offense and six touchdowns for the FSU quarterback. (Van Der Laan not Jameis Winston)

Like Winston last year, Vander Laan, a junior, might hear is name called when the Harlon Hill Award is given (Division II's Heisman Trophy).

Last year Vander Laan rushed for 1,607 yards which was a NCAA single season record for all divisions.

Ken Sparks Ties Bear Bryant

((HT: Carson Newman their own selves))

And the HQ knows what you're wondering if you're not a big fan of college football that's not Division I...

Sparks is the coach of the Carson-Newman D2 juggernaut and his team beat Tusculum this past weekend...
Evidence below...


With that win, Sparks got his 323rd career win as a head coach and ties him for 5th all-time...

Here's Sparks talking about his milestone...

QB Catches TD Pass From Himself

((HT: North Greenville/Lost Letterman))

The HQ has seen this before, but it's still pretty cool when it goes down...
Like last year with Nick Marshall...


So, we have our new example... North Greenville University QB Nelson Hughes.

Against Mars Hill University on Saturday Hughes pulled this off for a 47-yard score, but NGU lost to Mars Hill 30-27


Still cool, though...

Division II Upset: CSU-Pueblo Has 42 Game Regular Season Winning Streak Snapped By Ft. Lewis

Ft. Lewis Head Coach John L. Smith

Ft. Lewis College stopped a near record regular season winning streak and John L. Smith has
resurfaced.

Late in the fourth quarter on fourth down and trailing by five to #2 CSU-Pueblo Ft. Lewis head coach John L. Smith went to his bag of tricks and I'm sure it's a deep bag.

Smith has always been sort of a mad scientist from this days at Louisville, Michigan State and that one year at Arkansas called for a wide receiver pass, something the Skyhawks had been working on that week.

Quarterback Jordan Doyle tossed to wide receiver Jordan Gillen who found Juquelle Thompson wide open in the end zone for the go - ahead touchdown.

You can see the play below.  The play occurs at 1:42.




“We repped it all week in practice, and I was ready for it. I kept wanting coach to call it all game,” said Gillen, “I kept waiting for it, and we had run the ball hard enough before, and we had run plays that were similar to that, and we blocked good on it. They thought we were just going to run it again, so they all bit on it. Everybody bit, and Juquelle was wide open.”

CSU-Pueblo could not counter and saw their 42 game regular season winning streak come to an end as Ft. Lewis prevailed 23-22.

“That was special. ... I’ve been to Notre Dame’s stadium and beat them there, and I’ve been a lot of places, a lot of bowl games. I’ve beaten No. 1 UCLA in the Rose Bowl, and this is as big as it’s ever been in my career,” Ft. Lewis head coach John L. Smith said.  “I can’t be more proud of these guys than I am. They hung in there and fought from the bottom of their heart.”

CSU-Pueblo streak goes down as the second longest regular season win streak in NCAA Division II history.  Grand Valley State set the record winning 48 straight from 2004 - 2009.

The Good And The Bad In Thursday College Football Record Breaking

((HT: ESPN))

First, let's go with the good... well, "good" if you're a fan of Texas A&M-Commerce

98 points, 986 yards of total offense and a 78-point win over East Texas Baptist
Here's the short version...


Not surprisingly, the 986 yards is an NCAA Division II record for total offense. They also set Lone Star Conference records for points scored with 98, tied the touchdown record with 13, broke the record for the most point after attempts with 13 and tied the record with 11 PATs made. A&M-Commerce set a record for most points in a half with 57.

On the flip side, NCAA DII South Atlantic Conference power Tusculum allowed (or "didn't allow?") minus-100 total yards and minus-124 yards rushing to set the NCAA single-game records in a 71-0 victory over the College of Faith.

Here's what Tusculum thought about the match-up before the game
((HT: Tusculum Athletics))


The previous record was minus-69, by Division II school Fort Valley State against Miles in 1993. The previous record for fewest yards rushing allowed was minus-112, by Division III program Coast Guard against Wesleyan (Connecticut) in 1989.

Tusculum beat Faith last year 63-0 and here's the Frankie DeBusk show from that week

Northern State's Don Meyer Passes From Cancer

((HT: KELO-TV))

The former head coach at Northern State University, a Division II NCAA basketball power under Don Meyer, passed early Sunday morning after fighting cancer for six years.

The knows what you're thinking... why focus an effort on a Division II basketball coach...???

We agree that Don Meyer is the best coach no one knows about
((HT: ESPN))


He retired from coaching in 2010 with 923 career wins and received the "Jimmy V" Award in 2009

Meyer was in hospital for three days with a feeding tube before returning home under hospice care earlier this week. His family said that his health has been drastically declining over the past several months.

The family released a statement earlier this morning:

"Don Meyer peacefully went to heaven on Sunday morning, May 18, 2014. He won his greatest victory and is now running again and gearing up to pitch nine innings. The family appreciates the outpouring of love, prayers and concern."

Here's the acceptance speech from 2009
((HT: ESPN))


That's why the HQ is spending time on Don Meyer and, full disclosure, we also have Buster Olney's book on Meyer...

A Tie...??? How Does This End In A Tie...??/

((HT: Hot Clicks))

When you shatter a light overhead and can't do a anything about it...

There is no alternative (???)

Johnson C. Smith and Winston-Salem State had a buzzer beater smash a light that was dangling overhead and the officials decided to make a game a wash...

Here's head coach Bobby Collins and the play in question...


Winston-Salem State moves to 15-9-1 while Johnson C. Smith moves to 14-10-1.

BUZZER BEATER: Length Of The Floor Pass And Lay-up In 2 Seconds A Game Winner For #2 Drury

The Drury Panthers are the defending NCAA Division II national champions and they were in a fight with Great Lakes Valley Conference rival Wisconsin-Parkside Thursday night in Springfield, MO.

With less than two seconds left in the game and the score tied at 52 Drury's Lonnie Boga threw a perfect length of the floor pass to Mael Amenyedzi who finished with a lay-up at the buzzer to win it for the Panthers 54-52.

Thanks Drury Athletics:

That was the only points Amenyedzi scored in the game.

"It's not just about me. It's about the win." Amenyedzi said in the Springfield, MO News Leader. "It happened to be me that scored the last shot,” 

Drury is ranked number 2 in the NCAA Division II college basketball poll and improves their record to 21-1 overall, 31-1 in the GLVC.

BUZZER BEATER: Catch-And-Shoot At The Buzzer Is A Game Winner For UC-San Diego

With a second left all California-San Diego could do is a catch and shoot.  James McCann found Drew Dyer in the corner and Dyer hit the shot to win it for the Tritons 66-64 over Chico State




"We really put ourselves in position to have a chance and we were fortunate to make some plays at the end. I'm really proud of our effort." UCSD head coach Eric Olen said.

Dyer would have 17 points and nine rebounds for UCSD.  McCann led the Tritons with 23 points.

A Rare 4-Point Play At The End Of The Game For Daemen College Over N.Y.Tech 84-83

This is very rare in college basketball, a four point play to win the game in the final seconds.

Sunday in Amherst, N.Y. Daemen College took on New York Tech in a NCAA Division II match-up.

Down by three in the final seconds Daemen's Kyle Clifford launch a three point shot, made it field goal to tie the game and was fouled with 3.3 seconds left.

Clifford sank the free throw for the game winner.

Here's the highlights, Clifford's four point play occurs at 1:47 in this video.  Thanks Daemen SportsInfo



Clifford only played eight minutes in the game and scored 8 points.  Gerald Beverly led Daemen with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Daemen is now 15-6 overall, 12-3 in the East Coast Conference and in second place in the ECC.

WILD FINISH: A Buzzer Beating Dunk Forces OT, Then Southern Arkansas Wins It With A 3 Point Shot

This is one of the wilder finishes in college basketball.

Ole rivals Southern Arkansas and Arkansas - Monticello met in Magnolia Thursday night.  With the UAM Boil Weevils up by two Jeffery Walker threw down a put-back dunk at the buzzer to force overtime.

In the overtime Reece Dunlap would win it for the SAU Muleriders with a three point bomb.

Here's the highlights, Thanks Mulerider Athletics



Walker finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Muleriders.   Alre'k Brown led SAU with 28 points.

BUZZER BEATER: Royal Thomas' Tip-In Off Inbound Pass Wins The Game For Georgia College

Down by a point with 0.3 seconds left all Georgia College could do is a re-direct off the inbound pass.

Ryan Blumenthal executed the pass and Royal Thomas bank it home to defeat GRU Augusta 56-55.

Here's the game winner.

Thanks  GCSUBobcatSID:


Thomas finished with 11 points for the Bobcats.  Blumenthal was GCSU's leading scorer with 13 points.

BUZZER BEATER: Joe Kiely Goes Coast To Coast For Game Winning Layup For Colorado - Mesa

In a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference early season showdown Colorado - Mesa needed a coast-to-coast buzzer beating lay-up by sophomore Joe Kiely to defeat Colorado-Colorado Springs 83-82.

Thanks KREX-TV, Grand Junction, Colorado

“He (head coach Andy Shantz) told me if they score to Joe Thorton just get to me and go as fast as I could to the bucket and that’s what I did.” Kiely said.

Kiely would end up with 14 points, the Mavericks were led by Ryan Stephen with 26 points and 11 rebounds.

Luncheon Brawl DQ's Virginia State From Playoffs

A few days back, the CIAA made the decision to cancel their title game between Winston-Salem State and Virginia State after a VSU player allegedly beat up WSSU quarterback Rudy Johnson in a bathroom during the media luncheon promoting the game...

Now, the conference has decided Virginia State is now ineligible for the Division II playoffs.

The CIAA issued a statement Saturday night saying its board of directors made its decision during a conference call.

Forsyth County authorities say Virginia State running back Lamont Britt was charged with misdemeanor assault and inflicting serious injury.

Virginia State coach Latrell Scott apologized for the incident in a prepared statement and said one of his players was involved in the fight.

"I apologize for yesterday's unfortunate incident at the CIAA luncheon. One of our players made a mistake and cost our team the opportunity to play in the CIAA championship game today. This isolated incident does not represent us as a team or university and we extend our deepest regrets to the WSSU player involved. Due to the ongoing investigation, I cannot comment on the details of the events that took place but can clarify that only one of our players, not five as previously reported, was involved."

Britt has been charged with assault and inflicting serious injury and had bond set at $7,500. He was no longer in the Forsyth County (NC) jail Saturday.

Here was the original story from Greensboro...
((HT: MyFox8))

CIAA Title Game Canceled After Luncheon Fight

((HT: MyFox8/Winston Salem))

The CIAA football title game between Winston-Salem State and Virginia State was supposed to take place tomorrow afternoon. But it won't now because it was canceled after the Winston-Salem State QB was assaulted in a bathroom during the media luncheon...

Virginia State's Lamont Britt now faces charges of misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury...

The Winston-Salem Journal, citing multiple anonymous sources, reported that five Virginia State players were involved in the assault of Rudy Johnson.

"We understand that some Virginia State University and Winston-Salem State University student-athletes were involved in an incident during the time of today's luncheon event," CIAA commissioner Jacqie Carpenter said in a statement. "The police are currently investigating the incident and are speaking with the individuals involved. Leadership from the CIAA and the participating institutions are fully cooperating. Further details and updates regarding the status of the championship game will be forthcoming."
The Journal was told by other WSSU players that Johnson would not have been able to play in the title game tomorrow because of his injuries that, according to the police report, were a swollen eye and a cut above it...

Here's the story...

West Texas A&M Puts Up 90 Points On McMurry. Buffalos Win 90-57

It was an old fashioned shoot out in Abilene, Texas Saturday.

In a battle between NCAA Division II foes as 9/16 ranked West Texas A&M put up 90 points on McMurry in a 90-57 win.

Here's the highlights, many thanks to KTAB-TV, Abilene, Texas.




West Texas A&M totaled 693 yards of total offense led by quarterback Dustin Vaughn who threw for 452 yards and six touchdowns.

Buffalo running back Aaron Harris rushed for a career high 136 yards on 11 carries.

"It was kind of a breakout game for both Harris and Alridge on the ground,"  West Texas A&M interim head coach Mike Nesbitt said.  "Our offensive line did a great job sealing up some holes and getting a good push, especially in the third and fourth quarters today."

Both teams combined for 172 offensive plays and 1,401 yards of total offense.  

Those of us at the OSG HQ want to know, where's the defense.

Who Is Bo Cordell And Why Are We Talking About Him...???

((HT: Tusculum University their own selves))

Tusculum QB Bo Cordell broke the Division II record for career yards passing in the Pioneers 41-33 loss to Wingate.

Cordell (pictured right with head coach Frankie DeBusk, thanks Ben Cash/Tusculum) threw for 349 yards (32-55-349-2TD) to get his career total to 15,049 yards. That broke the D-II record set by Zach Amedro, who threw for 14,733 yards for West Liberty from 2007-10. Cordell is also now 5th all-time in passing yards...

Case Keenum holds the record for most career yards passing regardless of classification with 19,217...

Wingate broke up a TD pass attempt in the endzone with less than a minute to go to preserve the win...

Here's an interview that Cordell did with Darren Reese of the Greeneville Sun newspaper about what he's doing up at Tusculum in his junior year...

Florida Tech Adds Their Name To "Football Music Videos"

((HT: Florida Sports Today))

Florida Tech is starting their football program this season with an opener against Stetson (who is also starting their program again this season themselves). They had 120 kids come out for their first round of practices...

Which is a good thing...

They're diving into their Gulf South Conference-Division II schedule full bore and mixing in some NAIA schools to fill out their grid in Melbourne.

But, as is the way with most confident teams, they decided to cut a track celebrating their successes that they're going to have... via edited rap video...

Here's their first attempt at it...

Ah, the optimism of youth...
In both act and age...

But it needs some work...