DIVISION I-AA FOOTBALL Appalachian State gets 29-23 win over Furman

The Mountaineers will face Northern Iowa Friday in the title game.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOONE, N.C. -- Backup quarterback Trey Elder scored on a 1-yard run with about two minutes remaining to give Appalachian State a 29-23 victory over Furman on Saturday in the Division I-AA semifinals.
Elder replaced injured starter Richie Williams in the first quarter and finished 12-for-17 for 165 yards. He threw for another touchdown to help the Mountaineers (11-3) reach the championship game for the first time. They play Northern Iowa Friday in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The Paladins (11-3) had one last chance. Quarterback Ingle Martin was hit by defensive end Jason Hunter and fumbled, with Appalachian State's Omarr Byrom picking up the loose ball and returning it all the way to the 1 with 13 seconds to go.
The Mountaineers simply ran out the clock at that point to rebound from a loss earlier this season to Southern Conference rival Furman.
Kevin Richardson rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns to lead Appalachian State to 436 yards of total offense. Elder added 69 yards on the ground but fumbled twice, including one at Furman's 7.
Northern Iowa 40,Texas State 37, OT
SAN MARCOS, Texas -- Matt Tharp intercepted Barrick Nealy's third-down pass after Brian Wingert made a 25-yard field goal to give Northern Iowa (11-3) the victory Friday night.
Northern Iowa tied it at 37 with 1:27 remaining on Terrance Freeney's 2-yard touchdown run and Eric Sanders' 2-point conversion pass to Justin Surrency. Sanders, who passed for 417 yards and four touchdowns, was 6-of-7 on the 72-yard tying drive.
Texas State had a chance to win in regulation, but the Bobcats (11-3) ran out the final 1:16 to set up the overtime, drawing boos from the crowd of 15,712.
Texas State took a 37-29 lead with 5:01 to go on Daniel Jolly's 2-yard run. Dominic Giametta recovered Johnny Gray's fumble deep in Panthers' territory to set up the TD.
Sanders completed his first nine passes, including a 30-yarder to a diving Justin Surrency in the end zone, and another for 12 yards to Brian Cutright for a touchdown, and Northern Iowa led 14-0 with 3:30 remaining in the first quarter.
Texas State answered with an 11-play, 82-yard drive capped by Barrick Nealy's pass to a wide-open Markee White, but the Panthers came right back. Sanders' play-action fake froze the Bobcats' defense, and receiver Patrick Hunter was 20 yards behind the nearest defender on a 69-yard scoring play that helped the Panthers take a 23-17 lead at the break.
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