NDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For the first time in school history the Gallaudet University football team is in the NCAA postseason. The Bison learned of its first round opponent Sunday night when the 2013 NCAA Division III football championship field of 32 teams were announced.
The 25th-ranked Bison (9-1) will travel to Geneva, N.Y., on Saturday, Nov. 23, to face No. 7 Hobart College (9-0) in the first round. The game will kick-off at noon at Boswell Field.
Gallaudet won its first-ever Eastern Collegiate Football Conference title after it went 6-1 in league play. The Bison and Norwich tied for first-place but GU held the tiebreaker after a 30-22 win over the Cadets on Oct. 12. The Bison won their first nine games of the season and had an 11-game winning streak, dating back to last season, before they lost yesterday, 7-6, at SUNY Maritime.
Hobart is making its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament, eighth overall. The Statesmen won their third straight Liberty League championship after they went 7-0. This is the second year in a row Hobart has completed the regular season with an unblemished record. Hobart is 6-7 all-time in the NCAA play, last season they reached the quarterfinal round.
There is one common opponent between Gallaudet and Hobart this season, the University of Rochester. The Bison defeated the Yellowjackets 37-13 on Sept. 21 and Hobart won 42-21 yesterday to close out the regular-season schedule.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron. The winner will advance to the second round to face either St. John Fisher or John Carroll on Saturday, Nov. 30, at noon.
The Bison football team becomes the first-ever men's team sport to make a NCAA tournament in Gallaudet school history.
2013 NCAA Division III Football Championship
- Bracket (PDF)
- Interactive Bracket
- Rock the Vote: Who will win? Choose Gallaudet in the NCAA GameCenter Fan Vote
- NCAA Official Release
- NCAA Tournament History (PDF)
