Stony Brook 27 - 34 Sam Houston
Final
  for this game

Flanders' late TD lifts No. 1 Sam Houston State

Dec 3, 2011 - 11:57 PM

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Huntsville, TX (Sports Network) - Tim Flanders' 7-yard touchdown run with 1:10 remaining lifted No. 1-ranked Sam Houston State past Stony Brook, 34-27, in the second round of the FCS playoffs Saturday.

The playoff's top seed survived the scare to advance to the national quarterfinals. The Bearkats (12-0), the only unbeaten team in the FCS, will host Montana State (10-2) next Friday or Saturday.

After Flanders' go-ahead score, Stony Brook's final drive ended after quarterback Kyle Essington threw four straight incompletions.

The loss ended the Seawolves' nine-game winning streak. The Big South champions finished with a 9-4 record.

Meanwhile, Sam Houston State, the Southland Conference champion, moved on with its 14th straight win dating to last season.

The Bearkats overcame a 10-3 halftime deficit at Elliot T. Bowers Stadium in their first playoff game since 2004. They scored on five straight second-half possessions, including four touchdowns.

Flanders, who rushed for 102 yards on 21 carries, rushed the ball eight times for 40 yards on Sam Houston State's game-winning drive, which went for 83 yards over 10 plays. The redshirt sophomore and Southland Conference Player of the Year went untouched around right end for the final touchdown.

After quarterback Brian Bell scored on a 5-yard run with 2:15 left in the third quarter, giving Sam Houston a 17-10, the Bearkats didn't trail again, although Stony Brook tied the game twice in the fourth quarter, including 27-27 on a Brock Jackolski 2-yard run with 6:37 left.

Sam Houston State entered the game with the FCS' No. 1 scoring defense - 12.6 points per game - but Stony Brook was a formidable challenge.

Essington threw for 226 yards on only nine completions, including two touchdowns. Jackolski rushed for 86 yards and fellow two-time 1,000-yard rusher Miguel Maysonet added another 73 yards.

Bell was 11-for-20 for 161 yards and threw second-half touchdowns to Richard Sincere for five yards and Trey Diller for 80 yards.






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