SELINSGROVE, PA - The #6 Susquehanna football team broke through and won its first national playoff game in over three decades Saturday, using a big first half to push themselves to a 42-35 victory over Hobart in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs at Doug Arthur Stadium.

Getting the ball to start off the afternoon, the River Hawks rolled down the field on a long 10-play, 69-yard drive that culminated in a 4-yard touchdown pass thrown by Josh Ehrlich to Kyle Howes. Susquehanna (10-1) would score on all three of their next drives as well, with rookie sensation Rahshan La Mons trucking through a Hobart (9-2) defender on his way to an 18-yard score that capped off another long drive. Ehrlich would find another one of his favorite targets on the next drive, hitting Chris Bookter for a 20-yard score to give the hosts a three-score lead after a tip-drill interception by defensive back Dominic Winn. E.J. Taylor put the Statesmen, who qualified for the NCAA playoffs via winning the Liberty League, on the board with an explosive 74-yard touchdown run, which was quickly equalized on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Ehrlich. The River Hawks led 28-7 at halftime.

Ehrlich continued to dominate in the second half, running for another 1-yard score on Susquehanna's opening drive of the half before tossing another touchdown pass to another unique wideout, this time from 17-yards out to Hunter Morgenroth, who finished the game as the River Hawks' leading receiever with 6 catches for 59 yards. Meanwhile, the Statesmen staged a valiant comeback attempt, coming within a single score of the River Hawks as Taylor ran for two more scores; Hobart quarterback Johnny Colombi also ran for a 12-yard score of his own and chucked a 25-yard touchdown pass to Luke Hescock on what would prove to be the final score of the day.

After forcing the Statesmen to use all three of their timeouts, the River Hawks were faced with a crucial 3rd-and-9 at Hobart's 32-yard line. Ehrlich once again delivered in the clutch, finding tight end Michael Robbins open for an 18-yard grab that allowed Susquehanna to enter victory formation to kneel out the rest of the clock. Ehrlich completed 16 of 21 passes for 198 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also ran for 48 yards and the aforementioned two scores. La Mons finished as the team's leading rusher with a career-high 29 carries for 116 yards. Drew Robinson finished with a team-high 7 tackles while Jake Schultes delivered the pressure up front with 1.5 sacks.

The win is the program's first in national action since 1991, a 31-24 win over rival Lycoming in the quarterfinals. The then-Crusaders also defeated Dickinson in the first round that same season. It also continues Susquehanna's 19-game winning streak against unranked opponents.

Susquehanna will now travel to Collegeville, Minnesota, next weekend to take on Saint John's (MN) in the third round of the NCAA playoffs at Clemens Stadium. The Johnnies defeated UW-La Crosse 24-13 on Saturday to secure their place in the next round and are the #1 team in the NCAA's National Power Index (NPI) rankings and are #3 in D3football.com's rankings.