COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF GAMES : Triple-Overtime Magic Is Repeated by Nevada

Senior fullback Ray Whalen scored three touchdowns, including the winner in the third overtime, to lead Nevada to a 59-52 victory over Boise State in the NCAA I-AA semifinals Saturday at Reno.

It was the Wolf Pack’s second triple-overtime victory in two weeks. Nevada defeated Furman, 42-35, last week in identical overtime scoring.

Nevada (13-1) will face defending champion Georgia Southern next Saturday in Statesboro, Ga. Nevada’s only loss this season was a 30-14 setback to Boise State (10-4).

Whalen, who didn’t play the previous game against Boise State, rushed for 245 yards and a school-record 44 carries Saturday.

In the fourth quarter, Nevada outscored Boise State, 22-17, but allowed the Broncos to score the tying touchdown with 59 seconds remaining in regulation. The seven-yard pass from Mike Verdin to Ryan Tell sent the game into overtime knotted at 45.

In the overtime, each team gets a chance to score from the opponent’s 25-yard line.

Both teams missed field goals in the first overtime. Boise went ahead on a one-yard run in the second overtime, but Nevada tied it at 52 on an eight-yard pass from freshman Chris Vargas to Scott Benning.

Georgia Southern 44, Central Florida 7--Raymond Gross passed for 159 yards and two touchdowns and Joe Ross opened a 35-point second half with a 55-yard touchdown run as Georgia Southern (11-3) crushed Central Florida (10-4) at Statesboro to advance to the I-AA championship game for the fifth time in six years.

NCAA DIVISION II

North Dakota State 51, Indiana (Pa.) 11--Chris Simdorn accounted for 324 yards and five touchdowns as North Dakota State romped to its fifth Division II championship in eight years, defeating Indiana at Florence, Ala.

North Dakota State completed the 11th perfect season in school history at 14-0. Indiana, which also lost to the Bison during the regular season, finished 12-2.

Simdorn, who was awarded the Harlon Hill Trophy as the top player in Division II on Friday night, directed the Bison’s devastating veer offense to 627 yards--including 448 on the ground. He rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns and completed four of eight passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns.

Tony Satter, who ran for 174 yards in 12 carries, capped the third-quarter outburst with a 66-yard touchdown.

NCAA DIVISION III

Allegheny 21, Lycoming 14--Jeff Filkovski threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Kurt Reiser in overtime as Allegheny College beat Lycoming in a battle of Pennsylvania schools at Bradenton, Fla.

Allegheny (13-0-1) rallied from a 14-0 deficit to tie the score on Filkovski’s seven-yard touchdown pass to Julio Lacaya with 1:38 remaining in regulation. Lycoming finished at 12-1.

NAIA DIVISION I

Central State 38, Mesa State 16--Tailback Ray Hill scored two touchdowns, one a 79-yard run, and rushed for 208 yards as Central State of Ohio (10-1) won its first NAIA championship by defeating Mesa State of Colorado at Grand Junction, Colo.

Mesa State (9-4) played without national rushing leader Marlo Johnson, who was suspended after being arrested in Conway, Ark., for allegedly breaking a fan’s jaw with his helmet.