On Saturday, fantastic seasons ended for Mary Hardin-Baylor and UIW. The Crusaders fell 17-10 to Johns Hopkins in the NCAA Division III quarterfinals, and the Cardinals lost 55-14 to South Dakota State in the FCS quarterfinals.

Johns Hopkins advanced to the DIII semifinals and will face Mount Union, while SDSU will face the winner of North Dakota State and Mercer in the FCS semifinals. Both games are set for Dec. 21.

UMHB’s defense was solid throughout most of the contest, but the Blue Jays found openings in the Crusader zone in the second quarter, leading to two touchdown passes from James Rinello. Cole Crotty caught a 14-yard pass early in the second quarter, and Robby Enright scored on a 36-yard touchdown reception to stake the Blue Jays to a 17-0 lead.

In a contest featuring two perennial playoff programs meeting for the first time, a few former Texas High School football players for Johns Hopkins made key plays for the Blue Jays. Will Leger (St. John’s HS) led all receivers with 139 yards on six receptions, including a 76-yard reception that set up JHU’s first score in the game.

With the Cru threatening to score at the JHU 12-yard line with under two minutes remaining, Isaac Urquidi (Round Rock HS) sacked UMHB quarterback Jake Wright for a nine-yard loss. Wright was sacked again for the fifth time in the contest on the ensuing play to end the threat. Carter Hogg (Dallas Episcopal HS) added two tackles for loss for JHU.

The loss ended the Cru's magnificent run through the DIII playoffs, which sparked memories of the 2004 squad’s run to the Stagg Bowl. UMHB opened the playoffs with a win at Trinity before earning its first win in three tries against rival Hardin-Simmons in the second round. The Cru defeated Linfield in Oregon last week to advance to the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, UIW ran into a buzzsaw against the two-time reigning FCS national champions. The Jackrabbits' rushing attack tore through the Cardinals’ defense, finishing with 274 yards on the ground. Amar Johnson led the ground attack with 133 yards on 18 attempts.

SDSU scored 24 points in the second quarter to take a comfortable 31-0 lead into halftime. The Jackrabbits extended their lead to 38-0 before UIW found the end zone when Zach Calzada found Roy Alexander for a three-yard touchdown pass. Calzada scored from one yard out on the Cardinals' next drive to pull within 38-14 late in the third quarter.

Despite the disappointing defeat, UIW had a remarkable season. The Cardinals won the Southland Conference title outright for the fourth time since 2018 and the third in the last four seasons. UIW earned its highest seed in playoff history at No. 6 and defeated No. 11 Villanova last week following a first-round bye.