INDIANA, USA — The NCAA Division II, III and NAIA postseason brackets have been released, and there's a few Indiana college football programs that will have a chance at a national championship.
The UIndy Greyhounds (9-1) of Division II and Division III's DePauw Tigers (10-0), fresh off their Monon Bell victory on Saturday, will join an exclusive group of small college football teams playing next week. The Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats (9-1) and Marian Knights (9-1) will represent the NAIA in postseason play.
UIndy will play Pittsburgh State on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. in the first round of the Division II playoffs. If the Greyhounds win against Pittsburgh State, they will play the winner of Grand Valley State and Ferris State in the second round on Nov. 25.
The Greyhounds have averaged 34 points per game so far this season and have held opponents to under 13 points per game. Starting quarterback Gavin Sukup currently boasts a 171.75 passer rating, having thrown 24 touchdown passes this season. On the ground, Sukup has scored six rushing touchdowns, while running back Jon Lewis has amassed 846 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Their opponent, the Pittsburgh State Gorillas, posted a regular season record of 10-1, having played one more game than the Greyhounds. The game should be relatively even, with Pittsburgh State averaging a little under 35 points per game, almost the same as UIndy. The Gorillas' passing game, at least statistically, is not as good as that of the Greyhounds.
For the DePauw Tigers, they are set to travel to Michigan to take on Alma at noon on Nov. 18. The Tigers had a bye two weeks ago prior to the Monon Bell game, and it appeared as though the week off hurt the Tigers more than it helped, as the team started sluggish against Wabash.
This time, however, the Tigers enter their next game on the heels of a major victory in their most important game. DePauw is averaging 44 points per game so far this season, while allowing under 14 points per game. Quarterback Nathan McCahill boasts an incredible 186.33 passer rating through 10 games, 2,474 total passing yards, 29 touchdown passes and only five interceptions.
Running back Gus Baumgartner has scored 11 rushing touchdowns and amassed almost 750 total rushing yards throughout the season so far. He ran for almost 100 yards and two touchdowns in the Monon Bell game.
In the NAIA, both Indiana Wesleyan and Marian were selected to be part of the postseason after each posting 9-1 seasons. The Wildcats and Knights ended the regular season tied atop the MSFA Mideast League standings. While the two teams are not scheduled to go head-to-head in the first round, the Wildcats won 42-40 over the Knights during their Nov. 4 matchup.
Both teams will have first round byes, thanks to their one-loss seasons. Their opponents will be announced after the first round concludes.
Marian has averaged 33 points per game and allowed a little over 15 points per game so far this season. Indiana Wesleyan have scored 35 points per game and allowed a little under 17 points per game this season. Wildcats starting quarterback Xander Stokes has a 140.37 passer rating through 10 games, 2,400 total yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Marian starting quarterback Zach Budalo has thrown for 2,180 total yards, 16 touchdowns, five interceptions and has a 161.50 passer rating throughout the regular season.
