ic limbs. Versfeld testified that Pistorius disability

Fargo, ND (SportsNetwork.com) - Whew! North Dakota States reign as the three-time FCS national champion was pushed to the limit by South Dakota State on Saturday, but freshman R.J. Urzendowskis second touchdown reception of the game with 54 seconds left lifted the second- seeded Bison to a 27-24 win in the second round of the playoffs Saturday. Urzendowski caught a 12-yard fade pattern from quarterback Carson Wentz to erase South Dakota States go-ahead touchdown just minutes earlier and send North Dakota State (12-1) to next weekends national quarterfinals, where they will host seventh-seeded Coastal Carolina (12-1). A year ago, NDSU eliminated Coastal, 48-14, in the quarterfinals. Before South Dakota State fell for the seventh straight time to Missouri Valley Football Conference rival North Dakota State, the Jackrabbits (9-5) thought they might have a stunning upset. Quarterback Austin Sumners 3-yard touchdown pass to freshman Jake Wieneke with 3:18 left put the visitors ahead, 24-20. But the Bison drove 76 yards in eight plays, helped by a pass interference that moved the ball 14 yards to the South Dakota State 7. After Wentz threw an incompletion and the Bison were moved back five yards by a false start, Wentz faked a handoff to John Crockett and lofted the game-winning pass over SDSU cornerback Dallas Brown and into the hands of the 6-foot Urzendowski just inside the end zone. On the first play of South Dakota States ensuing possession, Tre Dempsey intercepted Sumner at the Jackrabbits 25 to put North Dakota States escape on ice. The Bison overcame South Dakota State senior running back Zach Zenner, who rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns while becoming the first player in NCAA history to surpass 2,000 yards in a season for a third time. He finished the season with 2,019 yards. Zenner kept South Dakota States go-ahead drive alive with a 5-yard run on 4th- and-2 at the Bison 32. The Jackrabbits scored when Sumner faked a handoff to Zenner and fired a quick slant to Wieneke in the Bison end zone with 3:18 left to play. North Dakota State built a 14-0 lead in the first half as Wentz fired a 27-yard touchdown pass to Urzendowski and then ran in a 27-yard score. Urzendowski finished with four receptions for 109 yards. Crockett rushed for 102 yards on 23 carries and Wentz had 70 yards on 13 carries. South Dakota State fought back to tie the game 14-14 before halftime on two Zenner touchdown runs in the second quarter. Justin Syrovatkas 33-yard field goal at the 6:43 mark of the third quarter put the Jackrabbits ahead 17-14, but NDSUs Adam Keller countered with two field goals and the Bison went back ahead 20-17. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Coastal Carolina 36, Richmond 15 Conway, SC - Coastal Carolina could have stewed for the last two weeks over a blocked field goal attempt on the final play of the regular season, which spoiled its perfect record. Instead, the Chanticleers went out and did something about. Seventh-seeded Coastal took its frustration out on Richmond with a 36-15 rout in the second round. Coastal (12-1) will travel to second-seeded North Dakota State for the national quarterfinals next weekend. A year ago, the Chanticleers fell to NDSU, 48-14, in the final eight. The only blemish on Coastals record was the 15-14 loss to Liberty to end the regular season on Nov. 22. The Chanticleers had a 24-yard chip shot blocked to end that game and were forced to share the Big South Conference title with Liberty. But coach Joe Moglias squad, coming off a first-round bye, played with focus in ending Richmonds season one week after the visiting Spiders (9-5) eliminated Morgan State from the playoffs. The Chanticleers rushed for 316 yards to overcome Richmond quarterback Michael Strauss 402 passing yards. Coastal Carolina clung to a 6-0 lead late in the second quarter until they capped an 11-play, 58-yard drive with Alex Ross 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Craig Weick with 33 seconds left in the first half. Austin Cain ran in the two-point conversion and the Chanticleers had a 14-0 halftime lead. It got much worse for Richmond in the third quarter. Andre Johnson scored on a 9-yard run to give Coastal a 21-0 lead at the 12:13 mark. The Spiders answered with Strauss 76-yard touchdown pass to Brian Brown to pull within 21-7. But Henderson broke off a 50-yard touchdown run on the Chanticleers ensuing drive and Ross scored from 1 yard out just before the end of the quarter to push the lead to 36-8. Henderson finished with 134 yards on 19 carries and Ross was 22-for-41 for 171 yards and a touchdown, adding 52 yards on the ground. Senior linebacker Quinn Backus was dominant as he led the Coastal defense with 10 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, 1.5 tackles for losses, two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries. Richmond entered the game ranked No. 1 in the FCS on third down conversions, but the Spiders went 2-for-13. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- New Hampshire 44, Fordham 19 Durham, NH - New Hampshire has the nations top ranking and No. 1 playoff seed to motivate opponents, but the Wildcats announced they feel ready for the challenge by dispatching Fordham, 44-19, in the second round of the FCS postseason. UNH (11-1) extended its school-record winning streak to 11 games as its began its 11th straight appearance in the playoffs. The Wildcats will host eighth- seeded Chattanooga (10-3) in the national quarterfinals next weekend. The CAA Football champions had terrific offensive balance with 274 passing yards and 270 rushing yards. Nico Steriti rushed for a season-high 110 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on 14 carries to fuel the win, while quarterback Sean Goldrich passed for 240 yards and had 48 yards and a touchdown on the ground. If it wasnt for Fordham freshman sensation Chase Edmonds (208 rushing yards, 385 all-purpose yards, one touchdown), the score could have been worse for the Rams (11-3), the Patriot League champions who were coming off a first-round win over Sacred Heart. New Hampshire had six sacks of Fordham quarterback Mike Nebrich in the games first nine minutes and threatened to swamp the Rams. Jimmy Owens scored on a 51-yard run on the Wildcats first offensive play and Goldrich capped their second drive with an 8-yard scoring run on 4th-and-2 as they built a 14-0 lead in the games first 6 1/2 minutes. But two turnovers by New Hampshire kept the Rams in the game and they pulled within 14-12 in the second quarter on Edmonds 91-touchdown run and two Michael Marando field goals. The Wildcats then regained firm control of the game by halftime. Steriti scored on an 11-yard touchdown run with 3:07 left in the second quarter and Brad Prasky kicked a 30-yard field goal to end the half, pushing their lead to 24-12. Steriti scored on two more runs (1 and 7 yards) in the third quarter to sandwich around a Fordham score that was set up Edmonds 65-yard kickoff return and New Hampshire led 37-19 after three quarters. Steriti added his fourth touchdown on a 24-yard touchdown with 4:48 to play. Nebrich, averaging 312.5 passing yards per game, was held to 161 yards on 12- of-30 passes with one touchdown and one interception. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 35, Indiana State 14 Chattanooga, TN - The Southern Conference had a subpar season after the departure of its traditional FCS playoff teams, but new power Chattanooga clearly is as good as ever The Mocs followed the lead of junior quarterback Jacob Huesman as they gained their first playoff win with a 35-14 triumph over Indiana State in the second round. Huesman accounted for 394 yards and three touchdowns as No. 8 Chattanooga advanced to the national quarterfinals. The Mocs (10-3) will visit top-ranked and top-seeded New Hampshire (11-1) next weekend. Chattanooga has won the last two SoCon titles. Georgia Southern and Appalachian State, who won a combined nine national titles in the FCS, have left the conference for the FBS level. Huesman rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, and completed 15-of-24 pass attempts for 241 yards and one touchdown. Keon Williams rushed for another 70 yards and a touchdown as the Mocs kept a balanced attack and outgained Indiana State (8-6) 503 yards to 178 while holding the ball for 42 minutes, 57 seconds. Chattanooga had lost its only other playoff game in 1984, but the Mocs grabbed control of the game in the first quarter. On the games third play from scrimmage, Mocs safety Semaje Kendall intercepted Indiana State quarterback Mike Perish at the Sycamores 30-yard line and returned the ball to the 3. One play later, Williams scored just one minute into the game. The Mocs balanced out the short possession with a long scoring drive, going 90 yards on 14 plays, with Huesmans 1-yard run pushing the lead to 14-0 at the 5:03 mark. Indiana State, a Missouri Valley Football Conference member coming off a playoff win against Eastern Kwentucky, cut its deficit in half on Perishs 75- yard touchdown pass to A.J. Johnson with 51 seconds left in the first quarter. But Huesmans 29-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Hudson with two minutes left in the first half pushed Chattanoogas lead to 21-7 by halftime. Huesman then capped the opening drive of the second half with a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Mocs ahead, 28-7. The drive went 84 yards over 11 plays. Chattanooga won despite place-kicker Henrique Ribeiro missing all three of his first-goal attempts. The Mocs forced three turnovers, including two interception of Perish. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Illinois State 41, Northern Iowa 21 Normal, IL - Illinois State enacted revenge for its only loss of the regular season by pounding Northern Iowa, 41-21, in a matchup of Missouri Valley Football Conference teams in the second round of the FCS playoffs. The result was surprisingly one-sided after Northern Iowa won the regular- season meeting, 42-28, at home, but fifth-seeded Illinois State (11-1) kept its two-season home winning streak intact while powering into the national quarterfinals next weekend. They will face Saturdays second-round survivor between Montana and fourth-seeded Eastern Washington. Illinois State, which has won 13 straight games at Hancock Stadium, built a 24-0 halftime lead to dispatch of UNI (9-5). Quarterback Tre Roberson finished with 382 yards and four touchdowns through the air and running back Marshaun Coprich had 148 yards and a score on the ground. Illinois State scored on its first three drives to take a commanding 21-0 lead. Roberson connected on a 6-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Meredith to cap the games opening drive and then Coprichs 29-yard run on the Redbirds second possession set up his 1-yard score to make it 14-0 with 8:16 left in the first quarter. The Redbirds third drive began midway through the first quarter and ended in the first minute of the second quarter after they went 87 yards in 15 plays with Roberson and Meredith connected on a 2-yard touchdown pass. Nick Aussiekers 45-yard field goal to end the first half pushed Illinois States lead to 24-0. The Redbirds had a 345-52 advantage in offensive yards and a 16-3 advantage in first downs in the half while holding the ball nearly twice as long as the Panthers. James OShaughnessy (four receptions, 115 yards) caught two touchdowns in the second half and joined Meredith (seven receptions, 105 yards) with over 100 receiving yards. Northern Iowa All-American David Johnson had only 48 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, but he finished with 108 yards on four kickoff returns and another 30 yards on five receptions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Sam Houston State 37, Jacksonville State 26 Jacksonville, AL - When Sam Houston State had a 1-3 record, the Bearkats were just looking for any victory, let alone reaching the FCS playoffs. The Bearkats turned their season around and won for the second time in the playoffs on Saturday, dispatching third-seeded Jacksonville State, 37-26, as quarterback Jared Johnson accounted for four touchdowns. Sam Houston (10-4), under first-year coach K.C. Keeler, will travel to sixth- seeded Villanova (11-2) for the national quarterfinals next weekend. The Bearkats, making their fourth straight playoff appearance, have won seven straight games and nine of their last 10 since falling to Division II Colorado State-Pueblo on Sept. 13. They shared the Southland Conference title with Southeastern Louisiana and then eliminated the Lions in the playoff first round a week ago. Johnson completed 13-of-19 pass attempts for 161 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The Bearkats trailed 26-24 at halftime after Jacksonville States Connor Rouleau ended the first half with a 42-yard field goal. Johnson then connected with LaDarius Brown for a second touchdown pass - this time a 49-yarder - to put Sam Houston ahead, 30-26, with 8:03 left in the third quarter. The Bearkats defense stopped Jacksonville State (10-2) on downs at the Sam Houston 43. On the sixth play of the Bearkats ensuing drive, Jalen Overstreet scored on a 33-yard run to push the lead to 37-26. Overstreet finished with 83 yards on 10 carries. Jacksonville State, the Ohio Valley Conference champion whose 10-game winning streak ended, outgained Sam Houston 513 yards to 402, but quarterback Eli Jenkins threw two interceptions in addition to rushing for one touchdown and passing for one. Gamecocks tailaback DaMarcus James carried the ball 19 times for 128 yards and a touchdown. Running back Keshawn Hill caught Johnsons other touchdown pass. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Villanova 29, Liberty 22 Villanova, PA - Villanova quarterback John Robertson says the Wildcats thrive on playing from behind. They faced their biggest deficit of the season in the FCS playoffs, but rallied to beat Liberty, 29-22, behind Robertsons TD pass and run in the fourth quarter of their second-round matchup. The sixth-seeded Wildcats (11-2) will host Sam Houston State (10-4) in the national quarterfinals next weekend. Sam Houston went on the road to upset third-seeded Jacksonville State on Saturday. Villanova faced a 13-0 deficit in the second quarter and was behind the Big South Conference co-champion 22-14 entering the fourth quarter. But Robertson connected on a 70-yard bomb to Kevin Gulyas to pull Villanova within 22-20 with 13:17 left to play. Robertson then ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game. After Villanova stopped Liberty (9-5) on a three-and-out Robertson took the Wildcats on an 18-play, 84-yard march and ran in the winning touchdown from 1 yard out with 1:12 remaining. Robertson also scored from 3 yards out in the second quarter and finished with 100 yards on 18 carries. He added 217 passing yards for the second-place team in CAA Football. Kevin Monangai carried the ball 20 times for 102 yards. Villanova had a 447-246 advantage in yards. Liberty quarterback Josh Woodrum scored on a 1-yard run and Nick Newman had a 58-yard fumble return for a touchdown. John Woodrum kicked three field goals, including a 50-yarder - his fifth of the season from at least that distance. The visiting Flames appeared in the playoffs for the first time this season. They defeated another CAA team, James Madison, on the road last Saturday. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Montana (9-4) at No. 4 seed Eastern Washington (10-2), 4:30 p.m. John Lackey Jersey . -- Ryan Millers debut for the St. Steven Wright Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, Lynch wants a new contract from the Seahawks, and will likely skip all off-season workouts until he can renegotiate his deal with the Seahawks. http://www.officialredsoxfanstore.com/authentic-shane-victorino-red-sox-jersey/ . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Rusney Castillo Jersey . -- Pinch-runner Rajai Daviss decision to steal third base just as Oakland catcher Derek Norris was throwing the ball back to the pitcher caught most everyone by surprise -- including several of his Detroit teammates. Babe Ruth Jersey . Notes on Bergeron, Marchand, Gorges, Vanek, Gaborik, Doughty, Hiller and more. BRUINS STORM BACK TO TAKE GAME TWO The Boston Bruins rallied from a 3-1 deficit, scoring four unanswered goals, to win Game Two, 5-3 over the Montreal Canadiens. PRETORIA, South Africa -- Oscar Pistorius was not suffering from a mental illness when he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and was able to understand the wrongfulness of what he had done, according to psychiatric reports submitted Monday at the Olympic athletes murder trial. The conclusions by a panel of experts, read aloud by chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel, appeared to remove the possibility that the double-amputee runner could be declared not guilty because of a mental disorder, which would result in his being committed to a mental institution. The court-ordered evaluation was conducted during a one-month break in the trial, after a psychiatrist testifying for the defence, Dr. Merryll Vorster, said that Pistorius had an anxiety disorder that may have contributed to the shooting in his home in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013. Pistorius said he feels vulnerable because of his disability and long-held worry about crime, Vorster noted. Nel had requested an independent inquiry into Pistorius state of mind, suggesting that the defence might argue that the athlete was not guilty because of mental illness. The examination was conducted at a state psychiatric hospital by a psychologist and three psychiatrists. On Monday, Nel announced the findings when the trial resumed. However, he quoted only briefly from the conclusions, and the entire reports were not publicly released, raising questions about what else they contained. Pistorius has testified that he fired through a closed bathroom door, killing Steenkamp, in the mistaken belief there was a dangerous intruder in his home. The prosecution has alleged that Pistorius, 27, killed 29-year-old Steenkamp after a Valentines Day argument. Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if found guilty of premeditated murder, and could also face years in prison if convicted of murder without premeditation or negligent killing. HHe is free on bail.dddddddddddd Later Monday, defence lawyer Barry Roux called surgeon Gerald Versfeld, who amputated Pistorius lower legs when he was 11 months old, to testify about the runners disability and the difficulty and pain he endured while walking or standing on his stumps. Pistorius was born without fibulas, the slender bones that run from below the knee to the ankle. At Rouxs invitation, Judge Thokozile Masipa and her two legal assistants left the dais to closely inspect Pistorius stumps. The athlete was on his stumps when he killed Steenkamp, and his defence team has argued that he was more likely to try to confront a perceived danger than to flee because of his limited ability to move without prosthetic limbs. Versfeld testified that Pistorius disability made him "vulnerable in a dangerous situation." During cross-examination, Nel questioned the surgeons objectivity and raised the possibility that Pistorius could have run away from a perceived danger on the night of the shooting. He also said Pistorius rushed back to his bedroom after the shooting and made other movements that indicated he was not as hampered as Versfeld was suggesting. Roux, the chief defence lawyer, also called acoustics expert Ivan Lin to testify about the challenges of hearing something accurately from a distance. Neighbours have said in court that they heard a woman screaming on the night Pistorius shot Steenkamp, which could bolster the prosecutions claim that the couple were arguing before Pistorius opened fire. The defence, however, has suggested the witnesses were actually hearing the high-pitched screams of a distraught Pistorius after he realized he had shot Steenkamp. At times during the trial, Pistorius has sobbed and retched violently, prompting the judge to call adjournments. On Monday, Pistorius was calm and took notes during testimony. ' ' '