SELINSGROVE, PA – Both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and D3football.com were in agreement in their year-end national polls, awarding Susquehanna University Football the number-four spot for the program's highest-ever ranking. 

While Susquehanna ended up one game short of their first-ever NCAA Division III Championship Game appearance, their work shaped perhaps the greatest season in program history. Entering the NCAA Playoffs ranked sixth in both the AFCA and D3football.com national rankings, the River Hawks won an unprecedented three national tournament games to reach their second-ever final four appearance and first since 1991. Their 12-2 record set the team record for wins in a season, while adding to their impressive five-year stretch that won them 51 games. They also carried into 2024 a 23-game regular season win streak and 17 straight road wins, both new school standards.

The 2024 campaign was also a satisfying run for tenth-year head coach Tom Perkovich, along with many of his upperclassmen. Earning their third straight conference title and NCAA Playoff appearance, Susquehanna looked to reverse its fortunes after disappointing first-round exits in 2022 and 2023. With a 9-1 overall record and a third consecutive perfect conference season going 6-0 in the Landmark, the River Hawks earned a first-round bye in the newly-expanded national title race and a second-round date hosting Hobart. SU prevailed, 42-35, for its first national playoff win since 1991. They moved northwest to Saint John's University in Minnesota, where they stunned the one-seeded Johnnies on a walkoff field goal from Dominic Bourgeois, 41-38. This led to another hosting gig against Bethel in the quarterfinals, using a last-minute touchdown from quarterback Josh Ehrlich to beat the Royals, 24-21.

The River Hawks' history-making run met its end at North Central as the Cardinals advanced to their fifth-straight national championship game, defeating Mount Union for their third title in that span, 41-25. Susquehanna held the distinction of facing off against the top three ranked teams in NCAA Division III this season in Saint John's, North Central, and 2023 national champion SUNY Cortland during the regular season. As fate would have it, North Central and SUNY Cortland squared off in last year's championship game, giving the River Hawks another distinction of facing off against each of the national champions from the last two seasons.

Entering the tournament, Susquehanna was on pace to break many school season records. No offensive record was safe under the scoring ammo that featured quarterback Ehrlich, senior wide receiver Kyle Howes, and rookie running back Rahshan La Mons. Ehrlich, a Gagliardi Trophy national semifinalist and the Landmark's Offensive Player of the Year, became the first Susquehanna quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season with 3,092, along with passing for over 30 passing touchdowns with 33. Howes completed his senior campaign as the second Susquehanna receiver to amass 200 career receptions with 203, while setting a school record with 16 touchdown receptions in a season. He compiled the second-highest season total in receptions and receiving yards with 76 and 1,240 yards, respectively, with his two rushing TDs and one kickoff return for touchdown against Juniata giving him the second-highest total touchdown count in program history with 19. The fleet-footed La Mons rolled to a Landmark Rookie of the Year season finding scoring opportunities from virtually anywhere. Setting a school season rushing record with 1,650 yards, he tallied 18 rushing touchdowns for second all-time and a school-record 24 total touchdowns between three receiving touchdowns after catching 40 passes for 427 yards and three punt return touchdowns, including two against Keystone on Oct. 12. These accolades shaped him into a nod for D3football.com's All-America Team, earning Third Team honors at running back.

Just as vital to the team's success was the defense. While Susquehanna hardly found itself behind in a regular-season game, the defense stepped up in all aspects of the NCAA playoff games to give the offense time to catch up. This rang true in the third-round game against Saint John's. Trailing 10-0 early, the River Hawks stepped up to stifle the Johnnies long enough to put Susquehanna back in the game, eventually leading to the victory. Linebacker Garrett Carter earned the Landmark Conference's Defensive Player of the Year after racking up a team-best 85 total tackles with 39 solo and nine for loss, along with two sacks to earn All-Region 2 accords by D3football.com. The secondary punished any air raids with 13 interceptions, led by two apiece from linebackers Drew Robinson and Josh Parson and defensive back Dominic Winn. One pick-six was also tallied during the season in the program's 79-6 win over Keystone on Oct. 12, the team's largest single-game point total in a regular-season game since 1919. A curl pattern to the left was knocked away by cornerback Le'trey Bond, which was caught out of the air by linebacker Jesse Ruisch who ran it back 22 yards for his first career score.

Lineman Jake Schultes collected the second-highest season sack total in program history with 8.5, while tallying three turnovers and 43 tackles, including 19 solo. A highlight game for Schultes was in the opener against Bridgewater where he recovered a fumble, then broke up a pass at the line of scrimmage and caught his own deflection for a pick. Fellow lineman Brian Layton turned in 6.5 sacks and 56 tackles with 12 tackles for loss on his way to a Second Team selection on D3football.com All-Region 2. In the playoffs he combined for 2.5 sacks in the latter games against Bethel and North Central, garnering 1.5 sacks against the Royals towards the elite-eight win, then one sack against the eventual-champion Cardinals.

In all Susquehanna covered 20 All-Landmark selections, six D3football.com All-Region 2 choices, one D3football.com All-American, and nine Landmark Players of the Week. Academically the River Hawks also showed prowess, with senior center Eli Kantor being named the Landmark's Football Senior Scholar-Athlete, as well as CSC Academic All-District alongside Andrew Wells and Jesse Ruisch. The team finished high up the ladder in the national stats with the ninth-highest total offensive yards with 484.5 per game, the tenth-highest ground game with 230.5 rushing yards per contest, 11th with a 52.2 third-down conversion rate, 16th in scoring offense at 42.3 points per game. Coach Perkovich and his staff were recognized as D3football.com's Region 2 Coaching Staff of the Year.