Vulcans in Division II semifinals
California (Pa.) will be on the road Saturday, traveling to Maryville, Mo., to play Northwest Missouri State at 8:30 p.m. in the NCAA Division II football playoff semifinals. California’s third-straight appearance in the semifinals will be broadcast on CBS College Sports Network.
The Vulcans (11-3) plowed through high-scoring West Liberty (W.Va.) State last Saturday, securing a 57-35 victory over the top seed in Super Regional One.
California opened the playoffs with a 42-13 home victory against Fayetteville State. The Vulcans avenged an earlier loss in the second round by slipping past Shippensburg, 26-21.
Northwest Missouri State is appearing in its fifth-straight semifinal, advancing to the national championship in the previous four attempts.
The contest features a pair of 200-win coaches in John Luckhardt and Mel Tjeerdsma. This marks the 28th time in NCAA history that two coaches with 200 victories have coached against each other.
Tjeerdsma has the most post-season victories in NCAA Divison II history with 24, while Luckhardt has a combined 19 wins with Division III Washington & Jefferson and California.
The winner will face the winner of Grand Valley State-Carson-Newman in the title game on Saturday, Dec. 12, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Ala. The championship will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 1 p.m.