Grand View: 2024 NAIA Football National Champions

 

DURHAM, N.C. - Second seeded Grand View (Iowa) claimed the 69th Annual NAIA Football National Championship with a 35-7 victory over No. 1 Keiser (Fla.) Saturday afternoon at Durham County Memorial Stadium, dominating the game from start to finish and claiming the program’s second national title 11 years to the date of its first. 

This battle of undefeated teams began with a methodical drive from the Vikings, highlighted by a big fourth down pickup when Jackson Waring found Lance Clayburg in the flats who muscled his way for a gain of 19 to get into the red zone. Two plays later, Waring battled through multiple defenders to get inches from the goal line before a clutch punch out from KU defensive back CJ Gilmore knocked the ball free and Hunter Hargrave recovered on the one yard line. 

In the shadows of their own goal line, Shea Spencer dropped a 31 yard dime to Refeno Vangates to get some breathing room, but Grand View battened down the hatches to force the punt. 

The Vikings went back to work offensively on an eight-play, 63-yard drive capped off with a 14-yard dart from Waring to Aisea Toki on a post route into the back of the end zone to take a 7-0 lead 4:40 to play in the first. It was Toki’s seventh touchdown reception of the season and the 22nd touchdown pass for the NAIA Player of the Year. 

Keiser's Andrew Burnette broke off a 28-yard run to break into Grand View territory and eventually set up a fourth down decision from AFCA NAIA Coach of the Year Myles Russ who called Burnette’s number again. The third team All-American running back picked it up easily with a seven yard carry up the gut. However, the Vikings stood tall again at the start of the second quarter as the Iowa-based side found their goal line stand and forced a turnover on downs on the five-yard-line. 

Waring showed the dual-threat nature again, breaking off a 53-yard carry to hit 100 yards on the ground on just seven carries for the Grand View signal caller. On second and 19, Waring dropped it into the bucket of Toki again with a 22-yard seam route for their second six-point connection of the day to end a 95-yard drive and take a two-score lead just under 20 minutes into the game. 

The Vikings forced a three-and-out on the Seahawks, but the Keiser defense answered the call, capitalizing on a couple of false starts to stall the drive out around midfield ahead of a brilliant punt from Kody Kruschwitz that was downed at the six. 

Spencer escaped the deep danger again with a sideline fade for 30 yards to Elisha Edwards, but once again the Vikings forced a turnover-on-downs as Aaron Brown and Dane Johnson led the charge stopping the fourth-down quarterback sneak to take possession on the positive side of the field for the first time of the day at the two minute timeout. 

Waring led a clinical drive with the short field and time winding down in the opening half before finding Triston Williams on the post route for a 19 yard touchdown strike. Justyn Hamm cashed in the extra point for the third time in as many tries with 1:05 to go. Waring closed the first half with 111 passing and 148 rushing yards, becoming the first player since Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Patrick Crayton (2003) to eclipse the century mark in both categories in the national title game. 

With one minute left in the half and getting the ball back to start the second half, Keiser took advantage of the essential double possession as Spencer threw a beautiful pass with a stunning grab by Maurico Porcha to gain 35 before linking up with the third year wideout on a 26 yard strike across the middle for his eighth receiving touchdown of the season to start climbing the mountain with a 21-7 score line at half. 

The adjustments made by Grand View Head Coach Joe Woodley, who was the defensive coordinator last time the Vikings stood tall over the NAIA, were extremely effective and its evidence bloomed early. The Seahawks turned to Burnette to start the second half and the running back opened it with a bang with a 20-yard rush, but the drive stalled out before the defense responded with holding the Vikings to just 30 yards on eight plays. A 55 yard punt from Kody Kruschwitz was downed at the two to again put Keiser in poor field position. 

Following another KU three-and-out, Grand View started its second drive in Seahawk territory and called four straight run plays before Waring scrambled and linked up with Corey Phillips in the corner of the end zone for his fourth passing touchdown of the afternoon and Phillips’ fourth receiving score of the year, on a 20 yard completion.

Keiser gutsily went for it on fourth-and-one from their own 19 yard line and went to Burnette again with a 13 yard carry to pick up a fresh set of downs before Spencer scampered for 11 yards himself to get into GVU territory. Spencer scrambled to convert another fourth down just across midfield. Three plays later, the Seahawks were faced with another fourth down and a massive pass break up from Prince Brown forced the third turnover on downs of the day for Keiser. It was Brown’s ninth pass breakup of the season. 

The Seahawk defense answered the call with a three-and-out of their own to get the ball back into their offense’s hands but a couple of deep heaves narrowly misconnected, setting the Seahawks up with their sixth fourth down conversion attempt of the day. A check down pass to Jaden Meizinger moved the chains. On second-and-four from the 18, Kellen Moore stayed disciplined in the play action and picked off Spencer in the end zone before returning it 20 yards. 

With time and the score on their side, Grand View relied again on the run game and let Dalten Van Pelt feast, giving the running back seven carries in which he picked up 54 yards capped off with an 11 yard rush to the pylon to put a bow on the national title. The run put him over 100 yards rushing, marking the first time in NAIA history that a team has had two centurion rushers in the championship game. 

Spencer put together a nice drive to try to get a consolation touchdown, but the Grand View defense stood tall once more to hold Keiser scoreless in a half for the first time since Oct. 7, 2023. 

Following the game, Waring was named the Offensive Player and Jackson Filer the Defensive Player of the Game. Waring ended the game with 203 yards rushing, 132 yards passing and four touchdowns. Filer concluded with eight tackles with four solos and a hurry on a defense that held Keiser to just one third down conversion on 13 attempts and allowed zero points on three Seahawk trips to the red zone. 

For Grand View, Van Pelt ended the game with 107 yards rushing and a score. John Argo had nine tackles with six solos and a pass breakup. 

On Keiser's side, Shea Spencer had 277 yards on 22 completions and a touchdown. Porscha led all pass catchers with 102 yards receiving and Brunette finished with 85 yards on the ground. Evan Jackson led all defenders in the game with 13 tackles with 12 solo; Tristan Vann added eight tackles with seven solos. 

The game snapped a 23-game win streak for last season’s champion Keiser. The result also avenged a 2022 semifinal matchup for Vikings in which Keiser went to Iowa and picked up the road win 38-21. 

Grand View is now 52-3 dating back to the beginning of the 2021 season. Grand View adds the 2024 Red Banner to the 2013 title in which the Vikings defeated Cumberlands (Ky.) 35-23. 

Florida: 2024 Gasparilla Bowl Champions

 TAMPA, Fla. — At the end of an oftentimes turbulent season and a game with its share of yawns, the Gators did what winning bowl teams do.

They danced and laughed and took silly photos together. They clutched the Gasparilla Bowl trophy and paraded around the field at Raymond James Stadium, relishing Friday's 33-8 victory over Tulane.

Florida's first bowl victory in five seasons was far from a masterpiece, but that had little significance to the players and coaches celebrating the final moments of a long and trying season.

"Great to finish the right way,'' head coach Billy Napier said.

The Gators, after a pair of blowout losses to Miami and Texas A&M early in the season, after Napier's future in charge of the program was in question, after losing several key players to season-ending injuries, after not becoming bowl-eligible until the next-to-last game of the regular season, finished the season on a four-game winning streak and a healthy dose of momentum heading into 2025.

Florida's season featured more zigzags than anything the players rode at Busch Gardens earlier in the week. And Fridays' thumping of the Green Wave was no different.

Two moments stood above all others in the end. Both featured 6-foot-5, 449-pound senior defensive lineman Desmond Watson, who grew up a short drive from downtown Tampa and played at nearby Armwood High School. The first came in the first quarter when Watson stopped Tulane quarterback Ty Thompson on a third-and-2 play at UF's 48. Watson didn't just stop Thompson short of the first down; he bear-hugged him and lifted him three feet off the ground as officials blew their whistles. He turned the 6-foot-4, 224-pound Thompson into a rag doll.

The second play that had people talking about Watson afterward — and earned him a highlight on ESPN's "SportsCenter" — happened on third-and-1 from Tulane's 26-yard line late in the fourth quarter as Florida attempted to run out the clock. Napier inserted Watson into the game at running back as part of what the Gators call the "Hawk Package," a nod to Armwood High's mascot.

"Been thinking about it the whole year," Napier said. "And Des has played really good. Bowl games, you're looking for buttons to push. I think this one helped our team. You saw that sideline light up when he went out there. A lot of fun, and he did a great job. I think the guys rallied around him."

Watson took the handoff from backup quarterback Aidan Warner and rumbled for a first down to the delight of the prominent Orange & Blue faithful among the announced crowd of 41,472. Watson stayed in on the next play to serve as lead blocker for walk-on running back Anthony Rubio, the son of Florida senator Marco Rubio.

The party had officially started with the Gators on their way to a final touchdown scored on a 9-yard run by Rubio, a walk-on who rushed six times for 32 yards in his memorable bowl debut. Watson grinned ear to ear when discussing his turn in the spotlight.

"It was great,'' he said. "Since I came to college, every time I go on the internet, I see somebody say I should be in some type of package to get the ball, especially since I wear No. 21, a running back number. I never really looked too much into it. I never went to Coach Napier about it. But I feel like he's seen it, too. It was a great moment to finish off my career as a Florida Gator."

Watson even did a Heisman pose when he returned to the sideline.

"They were begging me to do it," he said.

Watson is part of a senior class that had not tasted victory in a bowl game until Friday. He is a rarity in today's landscape, playing as a true freshman in 2021 and spending all four seasons at one school.

Watson said he had 20 friends and family at the game and, more than anything else, wanted to leave the field as a winner in his final game.

"That was the biggest thing for me, being here all four years, that was a great way to finish it,'' Watson said. "I feel like the season we had, it set the floor for the young guys. I say the floor because we always feel like we need to get better. If things go the way they should go, I feel like I'm part of the reason and helped the team."

While Watson's show-stopping moments highlighted the victory, Gators true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway (22 of 35, 305 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) earned MVP honors. Lagway tossed a 7-yard touchdown to tight end Tony Livingston late in the third quarter to overcome a pair of first-half interceptions that cost the Gators in the red zone.

Lagway finished 6-1 as Florida's starting quarterback and was undefeated in games he started and finished. His only loss came to Georgia when he left the game in the second quarter with the Gators leading because of a hamstring injury. Lagway is still not 100 percent, but he and kicker Trey Smack (four field goals) provided enough offense for the Gators to turn back the Green Wave handily.

But he was not satisfied.

"It's a bad taste in my mouth, that performance,'' Lagway said. "I was just playing bad football, not taking care of the football. Seeing plays that I thought I could make and just forcing it."

Lagway's two interceptions, one a pass into coverage in the end zone, became a nonfactor thanks to another strong defensive performance. Despite missing starting defensive linemen Caleb Banks and Cam Jackson to injuries and edge rusher T.J. Searcy absent after he entered the transfer portal, the Gators recorded three interceptions, stopped Tulane on fourth down three times, and limited the Green Wave to a season-low 194 yards.

"We were sloppy early,'' Napier said. "We were a little rusty on offense. We could have had control of the game earlier if we played cleaner on offense. You're going to have days like that. That's why you play complementary ball.

"One of the reasons we've been able to turn it around is we've played really good defense. Today was no different. We stopped the run. We made them one-dimensional. We kept the shots in front of us. We did a good job of tackling on the perimeter."

Smack scored the early points, Lagway was MVP, and the defense dominated. Those factors added to a winning recipe, as Florida finished 8-5 in its first winning season since 2020. With the victory, Napier climbed back to .500 (19-19) and boarded the bus back to Gainesville, eager to work on the future.

But before all that, he took part in the fun. He put in a running play for Watson that they created on the fly.

"I can do it all,'' Watson said.

"We literally put the play in on the field at practice,'' Napier said. "The guys were, 'Hey, give him the ball, Coach. Give him the ball.'

"Have you ever seen a 400-plus guy run the ball before?"

No, Coach, we have not. Refrigerator Perry was listed at only 335 pounds. But it was fun to watch, another memorable moment in a season full of plot twists.

Ohio: 2024 Cure Bowl Champions

 

ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio football program (11-3, 7-1 MAC) wrapped up their 2024 season at the StaffDNA Cure Bowl with a historic 30-27 victory over the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (9-5, 7-1 CUSA) at Camping World Stadium Friday afternoon (Dec. 20). Graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro's standout performance earned him game MVP accolades. 

 

This win marks Ohio's first time in program history recording an 11-win season as well as the program's sixth-straight bowl victory, becoming the first Mid-American Conference program to win six-straight bowl games. 

The win also marked head coach Brian Smith's first win at the helm of the Bobcats. 

 

The offense saw multiple individual records set, led by graduate student wide receiver Coleman Owen (Gilbert, Ariz.), becoming the Bobcats' all-time single-season receiving yards leader (1,216). Additionally, Navarro (Tempe, Ariz.) became the second quarterback in program history to log over 1,000 rushing yards in a single season (1,062), an accomplishment an Ohio quarterback hasn't claimed since Kareem Wilson (1996, 1,072 yds). Notably, he is the second Bobcat to run for over 1,000 yards this season, joining graduate student running back Anthony Tyus III (Portage, Mich.), and he is the first quarterback in program history to record over 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. 

 

Navarro finished the game 19-for-28 with one touchdown on 227 yards in the air. On the ground, Navarro logged all three of the Bobcats' rushing touchdowns on 15 carries and 119 yards. Navarro's four total touchdowns tied a Cure Bowl record for touchdowns in a game. Tyus led the rushers with 123 yards on 26 touches. He also snagged Ohio's lone receiving touchdown of the game, logging three receptions on 34 yards. 

 

In the air, Owen finished the game with 11 catches for 111 yards, while Tyus added his three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt freshman tight end Mason Williams (Mogadore, Ohio) added one catch for 18 yards. 

 

Defensively, the Bobcats held a Jax State squad who averaged 267.3 this season on the ground to 40 total rushing yards.

Graduate student linebacker Blake Leake (Culpeper, Va.) finished with nine total tackles, .5 sacks for three yards and one interception for 17 yards. Senior cornerback Tank Pearson (Oxford, Miss.) finished with 11 tackles, while redshirt junior defensive end Bradley Weaver (Hilliard, Ohio) finished with five tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, .5 sacks and one fumble recovery. 

 

Navarro struck late in the first quarter, wrapping up a seven-play, 79-yard drive with a 24-yard rushing touchdown. The quarterback logged his second rushing touchdown of the day the next drive, rushing up the middle eight yards into the end zone. The Gamecocks bounced back quickly, cutting Ohio's lead to 14-7 with 1:12 remaining in the first quarter with a 75-yard receiving touchdown. 

 

Ohio's offense ended a 6:12 drive with Navarro's third rushing touchdown of the day, extending their lead to 20-7. After the following Jacksonville State drive ended in a failed field goal attempt, the Bobcats quickly extended their lead with an 11-yard pass to Tyus, marking the first passing touchdown of the game and Tyus' second on the season. 

 

The Gamecocks scored the only touchdown of the third quarter, putting the score at 27-14 with 9:36 remaining in the quarter. Sophomore kicker Gianni Spetic (Chardon, Ohio) opened the fourth quarter with a 48-yard field goal, extending Ohio's lead to 16 points. Jacksonville State scored two more rushing touchdowns, cutting their deficit to just three points, but Ohio maintained possession for the final drive of the game, taking victory formation to solidify their 30-27 victory. 

Eyyyy Luigi! What you do!?

 I hear there's gonna be a documentary on the Luigi Mangione case. Hmph! An Academy Award sample plotline:

A stuffy, well-heeled Ivy grad who has everything for him decides to shock the world and assassinate a lynchpin of Big Health Insurance after being allegedly wronged. The man gets caught in a McDonald's while the snitcher gets nothing because she is nothing and that is something. The man faces the death penalty for committing a federal offense against humanity and sanity...only to be pardoned by two tall people: Donald Trump...and the real puppet-master of the Disjointed Provinces of America, Elon Musk. The man goes on to work in the Cabinet as an understudy of one RFK Jr. to Make America Healthy Again through drafting responsible health insurance provisions et al. Tough work, lots of work, big pay, good life, right?

But then it all comes crashing down when the snowflakes of the Democratic left come calling for the protagonist of this sordid story because they want to summon a blue wave in the 2026 midterms. Because in America, the loseurs will make life hell for the wieners and the wieners will always be hounded by the loseurs. This is American Way. Since 1776. A tradition that built America, and can destroy America. The film ends...when the protagonist is slowly brought into the death chamber in Huntsville, Texas by the tie down team, with his head shaven, and tattoos all over his scrawny body. He looks on slowly at the camera, and as he turns away, cut to black. Vine boom.

See this whole thing for what it truly is, you hopeless cravens on Facebook! This...is...