Villanova, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - They have the same Sam Houston State players who opened the season by losing three of their first four games. But realistically, the Bearkats are a much different team today. They are headed back to the FCS semifinals for the third time in four seasons after beating sixth-seeded Villanova, 34-31, in the quarterfinals Saturday while the Wildcats played without star quarterback John Robertson because of symptoms from a concussion. Unseeded Sam Houston State (11-4), which has won three playoff games, will play at second-seeded North Dakota State (13-1) in the semifinals next weekend. The Bearkats lost to the Bison in both the 2011 and 12 national championship games. Sam Houston has few key players from those recent powers and even has a first- year coach in K.C. Keeler, the national-championship-winning coach from Delaware who coached against Villanova for 11 seasons in CAA Football from 2002-12. The Bearkats had prepared to face Robertson in the teams first-ever meeting, but that changed Saturday after he awoke with a headache from the concussion he suffered in last weekends playoff win over Liberty. Robertson, a redshirt junior who was the CAA Football offensive player of the year, went through concussion protocols during the week and was cleared to play against Sam Houston State, but he was scratched by the teams medical staff following an examination Saturday morning. Jalen Overstreets 1-yard touchdown run with 4:03 left to play gave Sam Houston its 34-31 lead. Villanova (11-3), behind Robertsons replacement, senior Chris Polony, moved the ball down to the Bearkats 29, but drew an ill-timed delay- of-game penalty while setting up for a potential, game-tying 46-yard field goal attempt. That made it a 51-yard attempt for Chris Gough and he missed wide to the left with 32 seconds left. Polony played well in relief of Robertson. He completed 13-of-24 pass attempts for 228 yards and one touchdown, and carried the 13 times for 87 yards and two touchdown. Very Robertson-esque, in fact. Sam Houston seems so different because it has jelled with a team that has eight FBS transfers and 18 starters who didnt start in Keelers first spring game. New quarterback Jared Johnson, last years backup behind four-year starter Brian Bell, was 22-for-27 for 303 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Leading 17-16 at halftime, Sam Houston scored on the first play of the third quarter when Johnson threw a 66-yard bomb to LaDarius Brown for their second touchdown connection. But Villanova tailback Kevin Monangai scored on a 58-yard run with 9:36 left in the third quarter and Kevin Gulyas caught the two-point conversation from Polony to tie the game 24-24. Luc Swimberghes 30-yard field goal with 10:54 left in the fourth quarter put Sam Houston back in front, 27-24. But Villanova answered with a nine-play, 67-yard drive, which was capped by Polony rolling out from a shotgun for a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 31-27 Wildcats with 7:15 left. Sam Houston had an answer as well, moving 75 yards in 10 plays and going ahead 34-31 on Overstreets 1-yrd run up the middle at the 4:03 mark. Polony had originally beaten out Robertson for the No. 1 job in 2012, but Robertson had made 35 straight starts for the Wildcats before Saturdays game. Polony accounted for two touchdowns in the first quarter. He connected with wide receiver Poppy Livers for a 54-yard touchdown pass to pull Villanova within 7-6 before the extra point was missed. He later scored on a 36-yard keeper to give the Wildcats a 13-7 lead. But Sam Houston answered that score with a 12-play, 80-yard drive, moving back ahead 14-13 after Johnsons second touchdown pass, a 4-yarder to Gerald Thomas with 9:54 remaining in the second quarter. Swimberghe extended Sam Houstons lead with a 32-yard field goal, but Gough, who missed the earlier extra point, closed the half with a 46-yard field goal to pull the Wildcats within 17-16. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1 seed North Dakota State (13-1) 39, No. 7 seed Coastal Carolina (12-2) 32 Fargo, ND - North Dakota State trailing in the fourth quarter has been a rarity during its three-year reign as the FCS champion, but the Bison have come from behind to win two consecutive playoff games in eight days. Indeed, they continue to have the collective heart of a champion even as teams get closer in the rear-view mirror. Running back John Crockett rushed for a school playoff-record 227 yards and two touchdowns and became the Bisons new single-season rushing leader while second-seeded North Dakota State held off seventh-seeded Coastal Carolina, 39-32, Saturday for the second consecutive year in the national quarterfinals. The game was far different from North Dakota States 48-14 playoff rout of Coastal last season, but the Bison (13-1) will host Sam Houston State (11-4) in the national semifinals next weekend. The Bison defeated Sam Houston in both the 2011 and 12 national championship games. A week ago, the Bison rallied past Missouri Valley Conference rival South Dakota State in the final minute of their second-round game. On Saturday, they fell behind for the first time, 32-31, on Coastal running back DeAngelo Hendersons 2-yard touchdown run to open the fourth quarter. The Chanticleers, however, failed on a two-point attempt after a second straight score, keeping their lead at one point. North Dakota State then retook the lead two possessions later when Crockett found running room along the Coastal sideline and scored on a 45-yard dash with 9:28 remaining to play. Quarterback Carson Wentz ran up the middle to score a two-point conversion and lift the Bison advantage to 39-32. On Coastals next drive, the Chanticleers converted a fake punt just inside their territory, but didnt gain another first down on the drive. After NDSUs Adam Keller missed a 49-yard field goal that could have put the win away, Bison safety Colten Heagle (team-high 12 tackles) stymied the Chants final drive with an interception of Alex Ross just inside Bison territory with 53 seconds remaining. Crockett, whos gained three 1,000-yard seasons, has 1,754 this season on a school-record 320 carries, including 26 on Saturday. Hes scored 17 of his 18 touchdowns on the ground. Wentz accounted for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in the win. But Big South co-champion Coastal Coastal Carolina (12-2) was nearly up to the challenge, scoring the most points against NDSU during the Bisons playoff win streak. Henderson had 143 rushing yards and the touchdown, Ross rushed for two touchdowns and All-American Quinn Backus finished with eight tackles to end his illustrious career with 441 stops, 14th on the FCS all-time list. North Dakota State, which had won 22 straight home games and 14 consecutive playoff games, had hoped to assert itself in the second half after clinging to a 24-20 halftime advantage. After Coastals offense went three-and-out to begin the third quarter, the Bison completed a nine-play, 69-yard drive with Wentzs 2-yard scoring run around right end providing a 31-20 lead. But Ross capped the Chanticleers following possession by diving into the North Dakota State for a 4-yard touchdown and they pulled within 31-26 at the 3:29 mark. Hendersons go-ahead touchdown capped a quick-strike, four-play drive which went 95 yards when Ross had a 48-yard pass to John Israel, Henderson a 32-yard run and Ross a 13-yard pass to Osharmar Abercrombie. The first half featured offensive firepower as North Dakota State took a 24-20 lead at halftime. Crockett opened the scoring with a 70-yard touchdown and Wentz fired touchdowns to Kevin Vaadeland and Luke Albers. But Coastal moved the chains and Devin Brown returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown midway through the second quarter, tying the game at 17-17. Alex Catrons 25-yard field goal on the final play of the half pulled Coastal within 24-20. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday, Dec. 13 FCS Playoff Quarterfinals No. 5 seed Illinois State (11-1) at No. 4 seed Eastern Washington (11-2) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, Dec. 12 No. 1 seed New Hampshire (12-1) 35, No. 8 seed Chattanooga (10-4) 30 Durham, NH - All-American wide receiver R.J. Harris is noted as being New Hampshires hardest worker. No doubt hes the Wildcats best player. Harris caught two touchdowns, including on a 61-yard screen pass in the fourth quarter that helped put away top-seeded New Hampshires 35-30 victory over eighth-seeded Chattanooga in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs Friday night. The win gives the Wildcats (12-1) a semifinal-round date at home next weekend against either fourth-seeded Eastern Washington or fifth-seeded Illinois State, who face each other in another quarterfinal on Saturday. New Hampshire, making its 11th straight playoff appearance under coach Sean McDonnell, has captured 12 straight wins and 14 straight home games, both program records. Harris decisive second touchdown was electrifying. New Hampshire clung to a 28-24 lead in a back-and-forth game when it took possession of the ball at its 39 following a Chattanooga punt early in the fourth quarter. On first down, Harris went in motion and took a handoff from quarterback Sean Goldrich. Harris lateralled the ball to fellow wide receiver Jimmy Giansante, who then flipped it back to Goldrich. The senior signal caller lofted a screen pass to Harris in the backfield at the 30, who immediately picked up blocks and blew past Chattanooga defenders along the sideline to give the Wildcats the games first double-digit lead, 35-24, with 11:04 remaining to play. Nick Cefalo then intercepted Chattanooga quarterback Jacob Huesman on the Mocs ensuing drive and New Hampshire begin milking game clock from there. Huesman had dominated the first half before the Wildcats had defensive answers after halftime. But on Chattanoogas next possession, running back Derraine Craine scored on an 8-yard pass from Huesman with 1:32 left to pull the Mocs with 35-30. With no remaining timeouts, the Mocs needed to recover the ensuing onside kick, but New Hampshires Keith Parkinson did. The Wildcats ran out the clock from there and advanced to the national semifinals for the second consecutive season. Last year, they were eliminated at eventual national champion North Dakota State one step shy of the national championship game. Harris finished with seven receptions for 172 yards. Until his second touchdown, the first-ever meeting between the two conference champions - New Hampshire in CAA Football and Chattanooga in the Southern Conference - was extremely tight. Huesman had 428 total yards and accounted for three touchdowns in Chattanoogas loss, which ended a seven-game losing streak. Goldrich threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score for New Hampshire. The Wildcats went ahead for good 28-24 on Nico Steritis 6-yard draw with 13:23 left in the fourth quarter. But the play nearly didnt happen. Chattanooga defensive back Trevor Knight intercepted Goldrich in the Mocs end zone. But video replay confirmed Knight didnt re-establish himself in the end zone before catching the ball. On the next play, Steriti scored his second touchdown of the game to erase a 24-22 New Hampshire deficit. An attempt for a two-point conversion failed, however. Trailing 22-21 after three quarters, Chattanooga (10-4) went ahead when Henrique Ribeiro kicked a 27-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter. The kick stopped a string of four straight missed field goal attempts by Ribeiro during the playoffs. New Hampshire had kept seven of its previous opponents to under 20 points, but Chattanooga took a 21-15 lead into halftime after Huesman scored from 1 yard out with 21 seconds remaining in the second quarter. It completed a huge first half in which he was 15-for-17 for 167 yards and rushed for another 64 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown erased a 15-14 Mocs deficit. Goldrich threw a 49-yard scoring pass to Harris with 4:47 left and then holder Andy Vailas ran in a faked extra point for the two-point conversion. Baker Mayfield Jersey . CSKA received the heavier punishment of playing its next European home game behind closed doors, after its supporters displayed racist and far-right symbols in the Czech Republic during a 2-1 loss to Viktoria Plzen on Dec. Carlos Hyde Jersey . - The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent centre Brian de la Puente. http://www.brownsauthenticproshop.com/Youth-Antonio-Callaway-Browns-Jersey/ . -- Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer, Colby Rasmus drove in two runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers 9-4 on Saturday. Chad Thomas Jersey . -- Atlanta Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson is being checked for a possible concussion after blowing a tire on his way to the first workout of spring training. E.J. Gaines Browns Jersey . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91.Back in the mid-90s, I was walking the Royal Lytham golf course on the opening morning of the British Open when my friend and I found ourselves in the washroom with Greg Norman. The Australian star was struggling with his first round but not as much as my mate who lived and died on every swing after putting a large bet on the Great White Shark the day before. Norman was valued by the bookies as a 14/1 shot at winning the Open. After a few words of banter with us, just an hour into the event, that value had dramatically changed. He would have a bad day, yet still get paid; my friend had an awful day and would throw his betting ticket away after the second round. I have never really been a large fan of golf. I understand the appeal of walking outside watching people do what you wish you could but, Majors aside, tournaments didnt do it for me. This has mainly got to do with the way their governing bodies rank players. Pull out a newspaper in the middle of summer and head towards the standings section and amongst actual league tables, dictated by wins and losses in many sports, is golfs money list. A ranking that separates players by the amount of money they earn has always seemed pompous to me. I understand they make way more than most people and good luck to each of them but printing it in the form of standings was just a way of rubbing it in for me. There are just some things as sports fans that we do not need to know. What sportsmen and women make is one of them. There is a reason that the pay slip you get from your employer is sealed. There is a reason you likely have no idea what the majority of the people you work with make. There is a reason you have no idea what your neighbour makes or his neighbour. With that information available, people start to judge people differently. Why dont I get what he has? What does the boss see in that person and not me? Most people in life tend to overrate their own capabilities and believe they are worth more to their employer than they get. Giving them private information on people is counterproductive and brings out unfortunate traits such as jealousy and greed. Professional sports are no different. In fact, it is much worse where a culture has been created that allows players, who believe they are of a similar talent, to use a colleagues salary to challenge their company to make sure they get paid what they believe they are worth. Thankfully, in Europe most sports salaries are hidden. We do not know what the England cricket captain, the star Welsh rugby full back, or even the Formula One World Champion makes. Even the Premier League does its best to not advertise weekly salaries of players. Those negotiations take place where they should - behind a closed door. In North America, where the salaries of all major stars are easily accessible, these battles take place in front of the public eye, allowing agents to make names for themselves and become stars on television programs and radio shows. On Monday, Toronto FC paraded Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley as their new signings and it certainly created a buzz around the world. The MLS club was allowed their moment in the sun for a few hours before the attacks started around the salary given to US midfielder Bradley. It is now the end of the week and they are still coming. ESPN analyst and former MLS star, Alejandro Moreno, went out of his way three times during the MLS SuperDraft coverage to question whether a defensive midfielder is worth that much money. Bradley is far from a defensive midfielder but that is not the point. The point is Toronto FC believes the salary - reported to be $6.5 million per year for five years - is very much worth getting Michaeel Bradley.dddddddddddd. And that should be enough for people to think he is worth it. However, some have written that Bradleys salary now means comparable MLS midfielders, such as Kyle Beckerman of Real Salt Lake, are underpaid. A simple google search shows us Beckerman is paid over $300,000 per season; one of the highest salaries in the league. That is a value he has created after some phenomenal seasons at that level. Beckerman is not coming from Europe. He is, however, part of the Major League Soccer Players Union that agreed to league rules that allows teams to only go above such a maximum salary for up to three players per team. If his team is willing to do that for him (and no one will know better than them if he is worth it) the rules are in place to do so. Last year, on league DPs, Beckerman told the Salt Lake Tribune: "Its good for our league, its good for teams, its good for young players, its good for everybody. Its a win-win situation. If you can find one that fits in your team, then I dont see any reason why not to do it." Toronto FC have found three reasons to do it this winter. Signing three DPs was called financial suicide by MLSE President Tim Leiweke this week but in reality, for his owners, these are key opportunities for them in a salary cap league to differentiate themselves from many of the other clubs. That is why Bradley is getting paid what he is. A US international left Europe at 26 to come to a club in Canada who have gained just 85 points in the last three seasons, winning 17 of their last 102 league games. If the club achieve the lofty goals they want to while Bradley is at the club, they will put past disappointments firmly in the rearview mirror but no one should forget about them when assessing Bradleys wages. Over the next five seasons when the salaries are printed, we are going to see a large seven figure sum next to the name of Bradley and it is important to remember why he is getting that money. Many would argue that the US international had 6.5 million reasons to return home to Major League Soccer and that is hard to question, but now onlookers have 6.5 million reasons to look at Bradley differently and that is a pity. Seeing that has already started, you can guarantee we will hear the words he isnt worth that much money once he starts playing. This is not a knock on Bradleys talent. He is, after all, arguably already the most talented midfielder in the league, but it is just the nature of how people will judge a player who wont score goals every week and show up in highlight reels. However, what he is is a player who was available and willing to listen to Toronto FC when they were a laughing stock around the league. What if, privately, Toronto FC bosses knew how difficult it was to get him to even pick up his phone and talk to them? Two numbers are talked about with Bradley and thats the transfer fee paid to Roma and his, now, much reported salary figure. What if, privately, Toronto FC bosses created a third category for him called convincing money to help him say yes to a team synonymous with failure? What if, privately, Toronto FC felt Bradley was worth, on the field, more like $3.25 million per year but had no problem paying him the same amount of money per season to come and represent them and change a losing culture? This is the major problem with salaries being available. They are simple numbers that have no instructions next to them from who decided them. It is a pity they are accessible to allow people to judge players differently but if the information is going to continue to be made available, it is essential those who point the figures gather all the facts before doing so. 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