Lowmiller helps carry USF to national title

Ryan Lowmiller's final college football season ended Saturday in a familiar way.

Lowmiller, a Crystal Lake South graduate, rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown to help top-ranked University of Sioux Falls to a 25-22 victory over No. 3 Lindenwood in Rome, Ga., to secure the school's fourth NAIA football title.

The victory helped USF (15-0) win back-to-back titles for the first time in school history and claim its third crown in four seasons.

"We have a whole bunch of seniors on this team who have been together for four years," Lowmiller, one of 20 seniors, told the Northwest Herald this week. "I enjoy the relationships I've built with these guys. I wouldn't change a thing."

USF's senior class compiled a 56-1 record over four seasons and won three NAIA titles. Fellow CL South grad Tony Benedetto is a sophomore wide reciever for USF.

Sioux Falls freshman placekicker Braden Wieking was named the Offensive Player of the game after making an NAIA title game record three field goals. His 42-yard boot with 9:50 left in the fourth quarter broke a 22-22 tie.

But it was Lowmiller who helped secure the victory on a fourth-quarter drive that started at USF's 6-yard line.

With USF leading, 25-22, Lowmiller twice converted key first downs and carried the ball nine times for 30 yards on the drive. Lowmiller gained two yards on a fourth-and-one at Lindenwood's 37. Three plays later, another two-yard run by Lowmiller helped USF convert a third-and-two at the Lindenwood 27.

"This one is pretty special," USF head coach Kalen DeBoer said on the postgame show on KWSN-AM. "This year was amazing."

Lowmiller's two-yard touchdown run, along with Wieking's extra-point kick, helped USF tie the game at 22-all with 9:45 remaining in the third quarter.

Sioux Falls senior quarterback Lorenzo Brown, who was named the NAIA Player of the Year on Friday, struggled in the title game.

Brown was intercepted twice while completing 15 of 24 passes for 198 yards and rushed 19 times for only 41 yards.

Lindenwood finished the season 13-1.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.