Carson-Newman, Lenoir-Rhyne Earn NCAA Football Championship Bids
Carson-Newman and Lenoir-Rhyne have earned selections to the 2012 NCAA Division II Football Championship, joining 22 other programs from across the country that will compete for the national championship.
INDIANAPOLIS – Carson-Newman and Lenoir-Rhyne have earned selections to the 2012 NCAA Division II Football Championship, joining 22 other programs from across the country that will compete for the national championship.
Carson-Newman earned the No. 2 seed in Super Region II, while Lenoir-Rhyne is the No. 3 seed. C-N receives a first-round bye, and L-R will host No. 6 seed Fort Valley St. on Saturday in its opener.
Carson-Newman will be making its SAC-best 23rd postseason appearance in school history and its first since 2009. The Eagles enter the NCAA Championship with an overall record of 8-2 and a 5-2 mark in the conference.
Carson-Newman, which has won six-straight games, entered the season's final weekend as the nation's No. 2 rushing offense.
C-N, ranked 24th in last week's AFCA national poll, closed the regular season by handing Mars Hill on Saturday, 35-17.
Lenoir-Rhyne, meanwhile, earned its first postseason bid in school history after winning the SAC regular-season title with a record of 8-2, including 6-1 in the conference. After opening its season 1-2, The Bears have won seven-straight games, including Saturday's 44-14 win over Catawba.
Behind the nation's top-ranked rushing offense, Lenoir-Rhyne outscored its opponents by a conference-best 204 points during the regular season.
L-R will face sixth-seeded Fort Valley St. in the first round. FVSU went 8-3 during the regular season to win the Southern Intercollege Athletic Conference's east division.
The winner of the Lenoir-Rhyne vs. FVSU game will face Carson-Newman in second round on Nov. 24.