Tigers claw through Baker, into NAIA Quarterfinals

Georgetown used the bye week to get healthy and prepared for a tough Baker team and the rest paid off. The Tigers racked up 401 yards and 35 points in the first half alone, en route to a 42-21 win to advance to the Quarterfinal Round of the NAIA Football Championship Series.

Baker deferred the opening kick, so Georgetown started the game with the ball on its own 30. On play 2, Gehrig Slunaker found Aaron Maggard down the seam for a 29-yard pass to the Baker 43. 3 plays later, Darius Neal broke free for a gain of 21 to the Baker 16. The run was mere foreshadowing the day Neal turned in. Slunaker then found Jeremy Adams on a sweep down to the Baker 3. Neal plunged in from 3 yards out for his 18th TD of the year and an early 7 point Tiger lead.

Baker went 3-&-out on its opening drive, punctuated by a tandem sack by Colton Cornish and Issac Young. After a short punt, the Tigers started their next drive on the GC 40. 2 runs and a catch from Neal tallying 19 yards put the ball on the BU 41. With the Tigers in the hurry up, trickery was pulled out as Gehrig Slunaker threw a backwards pass to Dillon Warren, who in turn launched a pass down the left sideline to a wide open Jeremy Adams for a 41-yard touchdown. Georgetown took a 14-0 lead just 5:57 into the game.

The game broke wide open late in the 1st quarter. Georgetown had the ball on its own 13. Darius Neal took a handoff on the left side, broke a tackle, and was off to the races. Thanks to stellar downfield blocking, Neal made an 87-yard house call and gave GC a 21-0 lead. The run was 1 yard shy of tying the school record of 88 yards, which Neal tied against UPike earlier this year.

The defense then took its turn on the highlight reel. On the first play of the 2nd quarter, Kyren Simpson went airborne for an interception to put GC back on offense at midfield. Slunaker connected with Dillon Warren for a pickup of 14. The Tigers would convert on a 4th-&-3 with a jet sweep by Warren to the Baker 23. On the next play, Slunaker found a leaping Jeremy Adams down the left seam for a touchdown and a 28-0 lead with 12:20 to go in the half.

After a Baker punt, Georgetown took over on its own 43. 3 straight runs from Jahmir Ackerson totalling 21 yards moved possession to the Wildcats' 36. On a 2nd & 1, Slunaker found JC Shegog wide open over the middle and the speedster did the right by motoring right up the middle for a 36-yard touchdown. Drew Rader's 5th extra point made the game a 35-0 Tiger lead. Georgetown would take that lead to halftime as it outgained Baker, 401-85 in the half.

Baker found its offense in the 3rd quarter. Its first possession lasted 6:29 and took 15 plays, resulting in a short TD pass to get the Wildcats on the board. The Tigers quickly punted on its next drive and Baker went right back to work. Although a 64-yard punt from Drew Rader started the Wildcats drive on its own 4, BU was able to mix the run and pass to drive forward. The drive would ultimately cover 96 yards in 14 plays. With 43 seconds to go in the 3rd, nervousness set in for some at Toyota Stadium as Baker clawed within 35-14.

Enter Darius Neal. He sat out the previous drive but was sent back in here. The junior running back decided he had enough of the tension. On the 1st play of the drive, Neal broke free down the Baker sideline for a 59-yard touchdown run, his 3rd of the day and 20th of the season, extending his own school record. 42-14 Georgetown to end the 3rd.

Baker took the ball into the 4th quarter and pushed the Tigers' defense to the brink. The 12th and final play of the drive was a 4th-&-7 from the GC 15. Baker completed a pass inside the 5 and as the receiver was eyeing the end zone, the ball was jarred loose on a vicious hit at the 1. Georgetown recovered in the end zone for a touchback, ending any Baker hope of a rally. The Wildcats got a final score later in the 4th on a fumble recovery and return for TD.

Darius Neal and Chad Holleran were named the offensive and defensive players of the game. Neal needed just 8 carries to amass 188 yards and 3 touchdowns. Holleran led the Tigers defense with 13 tackles, 2 for loss. In total, the offense ran for 344 yards. Jahmir Ackerson ran for 99 yards on 17 carries. Reese Johnson added 40 yards on 9 carries. Gehrig Slunaker turned in an efficient performance, going 8-14, for 126 yards and 2 TD. He gave way to Drew Hartz in the 4th.

Georgetown will play in the quarterfinals on Saturday, December 2nd, at Toyota Stadium. Kickoff will be at 1:00pm. Tickets will go on sale on Monday, November 27th at Noon.