PUEBLO — Colorado State-Pueblo makes qualifying for the national playoffs in Division II football look easy. It isn’t. There’s the gantlet of a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schedule to survive, for starters.
Since first putting on pads as the University of Southern Colorado in 1938, the ThunderWolves have played in only four Division II tournaments — all in the past four seasons.
Their hurdle appeared to be as big as the nearby Wet Mountains. They couldn’t get to the final four.
The ThunderWolves finally won a big one Saturday.
Daniel Wise’s 83-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter propelled CSU-Pueblo past Ohio Dominican 31-28 in a national quarterfinal game that drew 4,186 fans to the ThunderBowl.
CSU-Pueblo became the first RMAC football team to qualify for the NCAA semifinals since the Division II playoffs began in 1973.
“It’s friggin’ cool,” said ThunderWolves coach John Wristen. “I’m excited. We’ve been close. But I always wanted to say we were a part of a final four.”
CSU-Pueblo (12-1) will play West Georgia (12-2) in a semifinal game next Saturday in Pueblo. West Georgia played its quarterfinal game on the road and beat Val- dosta (Ga.) State 31-17. West Georgia opened the playoffs with road victories over Tuskegee (Ala.) 20-17 and Delta State (Miss.) 37-27.
“Our challenge was to knock that door down,” Wristen said. “We knocked that door down. Now we’re playing with house money.”
On his touchdown return, Wise fielded the punt deep in his territory. Then he took the hard way through the Ohio Dominican coverage — straight up the gut and through traffic.
“I saw it was the heat of the moment,” said Wise, whose touchdown gave the ThunderWolves a 31-21 lead with 10:52 remaining. “And I knew if I made this play for my team, we were going to see the promised land.”
CSU-Pueblo held Ohio Dominican (11-2) to minus-1 yard rushing in the first quarter and took a 10-0 lead into the second quarter. Two quick touchdowns gave the T-Wolves a 24-0 lead with 10:40 left before halftime.
A blocked punt by CSU-Pueblo’s J.B. Mathews set up one touchdown, a 23-yard reception by Paul Browning. Joe Rosenbrock’s interception deep in Ohio Dominican territory led to another CSU-Pueblo touchdown, which Cameron McDondle scored on a 2-yard run.
But the Panthers scored 21 consecutive points to cut their deficit to 24-21 early in the third quarter. They trailed 24-14 at halftime.
Ohio Dominican’s rally started when JT McFarland caught a 42-yard TD pass from Mark Miller on a fourth-and-3 play. Da’Twane Harris blocked a punt for the Panthers, and Di’Andre Harrison returned the ball 16 yards for another TD.
Miller’s 15-yard scoring pass to Dez Stewart made it 31-28 with 6:54 remaining. Ohio Dominican’s last offensive play was Miller’s fourth-and-10 incomplete pass from the Panthers’ 36-yard line with 33 seconds left.
“It’s a great opportunity for us,” Wristen said of advancing. “I think we still have unfinished business.”
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or
