Villanova, PA (SportsNetwork. Detroit Tigers Gear .com) - They have the same Sam Houston State players who opened the season by losing three of their first four games. But realistically, the Bearkats are a much different team today. They are headed back to the FCS semifinals for the third time in four seasons after beating sixth-seeded Villanova, 34-31, in the quarterfinals Saturday while the Wildcats played without star quarterback John Robertson because of symptoms from a concussion. Unseeded Sam Houston State (11-4), which has won three playoff games, will play at second-seeded North Dakota State (13-1) in the semifinals next weekend. The Bearkats lost to the Bison in both the 2011 and 12 national championship games. Sam Houston has few key players from those recent powers and even has a first- year coach in K.C. Keeler, the national-championship-winning coach from Delaware who coached against Villanova for 11 seasons in CAA Football from 2002-12. The Bearkats had prepared to face Robertson in the teams first-ever meeting, but that changed Saturday after he awoke with a headache from the concussion he suffered in last weekends playoff win over Liberty. Robertson, a redshirt junior who was the CAA Football offensive player of the year, went through concussion protocols during the week and was cleared to play against Sam Houston State, but he was scratched by the teams medical staff following an examination Saturday morning. Jalen Overstreets 1-yard touchdown run with 4:03 left to play gave Sam Houston its 34-31 lead. Villanova (11-3), behind Robertsons replacement, senior Chris Polony, moved the ball down to the Bearkats 29, but drew an ill-timed delay- of-game penalty while setting up for a potential, game-tying 46-yard field goal attempt. That made it a 51-yard attempt for Chris Gough and he missed wide to the left with 32 seconds left. Polony played well in relief of Robertson. He completed 13-of-24 pass attempts for 228 yards and one touchdown, and carried the 13 times for 87 yards and two touchdown. Very Robertson-esque, in fact. Sam Houston seems so different because it has jelled with a team that has eight FBS transfers and 18 starters who didnt start in Keelers first spring game. New quarterback Jared Johnson, last years backup behind four-year starter Brian Bell, was 22-for-27 for 303 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Leading 17-16 at halftime, Sam Houston scored on the first play of the third quarter when Johnson threw a 66-yard bomb to LaDarius Brown for their second touchdown connection. But Villanova tailback Kevin Monangai scored on a 58-yard run with 9:36 left in the third quarter and Kevin Gulyas caught the two-point conversation from Polony to tie the game 24-24. Luc Swimberghes 30-yard field goal with 10:54 left in the fourth quarter put Sam Houston back in front, 27-24. But Villanova answered with a nine-play, 67-yard drive, which was capped by Polony rolling out from a shotgun for a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 31-27 Wildcats with 7:15 left. Sam Houston had an answer as well, moving 75 yards in 10 plays and going ahead 34-31 on Overstreets 1-yrd run up the middle at the 4:03 mark. Polony had originally beaten out Robertson for the No. 1 job in 2012, but Robertson had made 35 straight starts for the Wildcats before Saturdays game. Polony accounted for two touchdowns in the first quarter. He connected with wide receiver Poppy Livers for a 54-yard touchdown pass to pull Villanova within 7-6 before the extra point was missed. He later scored on a 36-yard keeper to give the Wildcats a 13-7 lead. But Sam Houston answered that score with a 12-play, 80-yard drive, moving back ahead 14-13 after Johnsons second touchdown pass, a 4-yarder to Gerald Thomas with 9:54 remaining in the second quarter. Swimberghe extended Sam Houstons lead with a 32-yard field goal, but Gough, who missed the earlier extra point, closed the half with a 46-yard field goal to pull the Wildcats within 17-16. Detroit Tigers Shirts . Russia has spent about $51 billion to deliver the Sochi Olympics, which run Feb. 7-23, making them the most expensive games ever, even though as a winter event it hosts many fewer athletes than summer games do. Stitched Tigers Jerseys . Those who impressed in each of the three events were asked to attend the main CFL Combine which begins Friday in Toronto. https://www.cheaptigers.com/ . Josh Mazzola drove in five runs to lead the Goldeyes (20-12) past the Capitales 11-5 Friday night at Le Stade Municipal in Quebec City.The Saskatchewan Roughriders used home-field advantage and a torrid second quarter to pace their fourth championship in franchise history on Sunday, topping the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23 in the 101st Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium. The Riders put the pedal down in the second quarter, pouring on 24 points to take a 25-point lead into half-time, leaning on the legs of running back Kory Sheets. Sheets pounded the Hamilton defence for 128 yards in the first half alone and had already broken George Reeds 47-year-old club record for most rushing yards (133) in a Grey Cup game early in the third quarter. In the fourth he would set a new Grey Cup rushing record, breaking Johnny Brights mark of 169 set in 1956. Sheets finished with 197 rushing yards and was named Grey Cup Most Valuable Player. The 28-year-old running back was quick to credit the fans with providing the boost his team needed. "I said it before the game started, this is not a neutral crowd," he said. "The fans are going to be in here knocking and rocking and they proved it." The Riders became the third straight team to claim the Grey Cup on home field, following in the footsteps of the 2011 B.C. Lions and 2012 Toronto Argonauts. Chris Getzlaf was named Most Valuable Canadian, racking up 78 receiving yards on three catches. Getzlaf was playing in just his second game back from a knee injury suffered on Oct. 26. When asked about the legacy of this Riders team, quarterback Darian Durant said the teams legacy was only beginning. "This is just the start," Durant told TSN after the game. "Weve got a great nucleus and hopefully we can keep this group together or as much of us together and keep this thing rolling." Durant found Geroy Simon with an 15-yard touchdown pass for the Riders first score of the game, marking the veteran receivers first-ever Grey Cup TD reception despite three previous trips to the big game. Finding Simon would prove to be a theme throughout the game, the two hooking up for a 42-yard score late in the second quarter. The veteran receiver would finish with 67 yards off three receptions, adding a third Grey Cup ring to his resume. Simon told TSN after the victory that winning a Grey Cup for Saskatchewan, in front of the home fans, was one of his prime objectives in signing with the Riders. "Thats the only reason I came here, because I knew that there was an opportunity [to win a Grey Cup]," Simon told TSN after the game. "This is amazing." The home crowd was raucous from the start of the pre-game ceremonies, giving the Ticats defence the silent treatment upon introductions before erupting for the Riders pre-game appearance. "The one thing that led us to a dominant performance was that the fans were unreal," Roughriders coach Corey Chamblin said. "It was unreal. From pre-game warm-up I knew it was going to be tough for those guys. I looked at them and said I wouldnt want to be in your shoes. I mean, it was ridiculous. The whole thing was green.&quuot; Neither team was able to gain any traction right off the top, with both the Ticats and Riders going two-and-out on their first possessions of the game, the Riders nearly turning the ball over on a fumble. Tigers Jerseys 2019. TSNs Milt Stegall believes the home crowd got into the heads of the Hamilton players in the early-going. "I dont know if they knew the pressure they were getting into," Stegall said at half-time. "Not only pressure from the home team, but pressure from the fans." The Riders pulled away in the second quarter, adding a 20-yard field goal and a three-yard touchdown run from Jock Sanders onto the Simon touchdown to take a two-major lead mid-way through the quarter. A 29-yard reception from Chris Getzlaf would set up a one-yard touchdown run from Sheets and Simon would again reach the end-zone to send the Riders to half-time up 31-6. From that point on, the crowd was able to help keep the Riders in control, even as Hamilton began to mount a comeback. Hamilton would get back on the board with the first score of the second half with Henry Burris calling his own number for an 18-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Another Congi field goal would further close the gap on the first play of the fourth quarter. Saskatchewan would kill the Ticats momentum in the fourth, however, thanks to Sheets touchdown run and a spectacular touchdown reception from Weston Dressler in the games dying minutes. CFL on TSN analyst Matt Dunigan praised Durants all-around game at the half, pointing to his ability to use all his weapons as a key factor in the Roughriders first-half dominance. "When he decides to use his legs, its special," Dunigan said at half-time. "And, when he wasnt using his legs he was airing it out to none other than Superman". Sundays victory marks just the fourth title in the Roughriders 103-year history, joining Championships from 1966, 1989 and 2007. One of the key figures behind two of those victories was on the losing end of Sundays game: Ticats head coach Kent Austin. Austin, who won Grey Cups with the Riders as quarterback in 89 and as head coach in 07 found a lot of positives in the efforts of his young Ticats team. "Im unbelievably proud of that room," he said after the game. "We have a lot to build on. Weve got a good young football team. We have got to get better in some areas, and we will, but weve got a great foundation. Really proud of these guys, love all of them." Prime Minister Stephen Harper - who sat next to CFL Commissioner Mak Cohon at Sundays game - expressed his congratulations to the Riders after their victory. "I would like to congratulate the Saskatchewan Roughriders on todays victory and their remarkable season," Harper said in a post-game statement. “On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to thank both teams for their unwavering determination throughout the season and for providing us with such exciting sporting moments today." ' ' '