#2 Marian advances to NAIA Semifinals
A pair of shutouts in the NAIA Football Championship Series occured on Saturday, with #2 Marian advancing to the semifinal round, and #9 Saint Xavier falling on the road.
 | #2 Marian 30, #10 Cumberlands (Ky.) 0BOX SCORE |  |
The Marian defense held No. 10 Cumberlands (Ky.) to just 120 yards of total offense, as the 2nd-ranked Knights (11-0) took a 30-0 victory over the Patriots in the NAIA Football Championship Series Quarterfinals.
Running back Charles Salary rushed for two TDs in the win, collecting 90 yards on 23 carries. Quarterback Ethan Darter completed 12 of 26 passes, for 174 yards and a touchdown.
The 2nd-ranked Knights opened the game with a 9-play drive, capped by Salary's four-yard TD run. An 18-yard field goal from Matt Plesac and 13-yard TD pass from Darter to Johnny William would give Marian a 16-0 advantage by the end of the first half.
Looking to get back into the game, Cumberlands threw a pick-six to Ryley Pease on their opening drive of the second half, as the junior returned the ball 16 yards for the score. Another 4-yard TD run from Salary later in the third closed out the scoring for the Knights, who will advance to their first NAIA FCS semifinal since 2015.
 | #1 Morningside (Iowa) 51, #9 Saint Xavier 0BOX SCORE | FULL RECAP |  |
For the third season in a row, No. 9 Saint Xavier's season came to a close in Sioux City, Iowa the NAIA Football Championship Series quarterfinals, as the Cougars fell to No. 1 Morningside (Iowa), 51-0.
Quarterback Alex Martinez threw for 240 yards, completing 30 of 56 passes, as the Cougars (9-3) were held to a season-low 276 yards of total offense. Running back Vance McShane rushed five times for 68 yards, while Nick Czeszewski made eight catches for 57 yards to lead the SXU receivers.
Morningside (12-0) jumped out to a 17-0 lead after scoring on three of their first four drives, with Jacob Denney grabbing an interception inside the SXU 5-yardline to keep the Mustangs from going 4-for-4 to start the game. Four turnovers over the second and third quarters kept the Cougars from mounting a comeback, as the Mustangs continued to put points on the board throughout the game.
Josh Hettiger and Ron Carroll led the SXU defense with ten tackles apiece, while Jarvis Carter finished with nine stops.
