Gameday
TOPEKA, Kan. – The ACU Wildcats find themselves in familiar territory this weekend, both literally and figuratively, as they open the NCAA Division II playoffs against Washburn of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
Kickoff from Yager Stadium is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, and the game can be heard locally on Mix 92.5 FM. Fans can also watch the game for free
here and listen to it free online
here.
The Wildcats are one of only four programs in the country to have reached the NCAA Division II playoffs in every season since 2006 (the others are Northwest Missouri State, North Alabama and Albany State, Ga.), and Saturday's game will be their ninth post-season contest since the 2006 season.
The Wildcats' first-round foe is Washburn, a team that they beat, 34-26, in the 2010 season-opener at Yager
Stadium, which will also host Saturday's playoff game.
Both teams will be trying to make a bit of history in Saturday's game. ACU will be trying to win a playoff
game against an MIAA team for the first time after losing to Northwest Missouri State in 2008 and
2009 and Central Missouri in 2010, while the Ichabods of Washburn are looking for their first NCAA playoff win ever. Washburn lost to Northwest Missouri State in the second round of the 2005 playoffs (after receving a first-round bye) and West Texas A&M in the 2007 first round.
Both teams are led by standout quarterbacks with junior Mitchell Gale pulling the trigger for the Wildcats and senior Dane Simoneau calling the signals for the Ichabods. Both are regional finalists for the Harlon Hill Award, and both are among the top quarterbacks in NCAA Division II football. Gale and Simoneau have thrown for more than 18,000 yards between them and have led their teams to a combined 52 wins since 2008. Gale is 23-7 as the
Wildcats' starter since mid-2009, while Simoneau is 27-12 as the Ichabods' starter with a school-record 10,651 passing yards.
The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the second round of the 2011 post-season and will take on NCAA Division II Super Region Four No. 2 seed Pittsburg State next Saturday in Pittsburg, Kan. The Gorillas finished 9-1 in the regular season and finished tied for the MIAA championship.
