ASHLAND — Ashland University quarterback Travis Tarnowski exorcised a demon.
The emotions of last year’s playoff snub have finally been cleansed.
The NCAA announced its Division II playoff field late Sunday afternoon and, as expected, Tarnowski and the Eagles earned one of the 28 bids. AU will host two-time defending national champion Northwest Missouri State next Saturday at a time to be determined.
Ashland (10-1) earned the No. 3 seed in Super Regional 3. The Bearcats (9-2) dropped two of their final three games and slipped to No. 6 in the regional rankings.
The top seven teams in each of the four super regionals qualified for the tournament. The top team in each region received a first-round bye, while the next three teams earned the right to host an opening-round game.
Last year, AU finished 9-2 overall but was left out of the playoffs.
“I remember that feeling I had a year ago when it came up on the screen that we weren’t in,” Tarnowski said after Saturday’s 31-19 win over Saginaw Valley in the regular season finale at AU’s Jack Miller Stadium. “That feeling I had last year, I can finally wash it away.”
Ashland, which won the outright Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship, will be making its seventh postseason appearance. The Eagles last qualified for the playoffs in 2015, falling at home to Grand Valley State. It was the last time AU lost a home game.
“Last time we had a playoff game here, I didn’t play my best and we didn’t play our best,” said Tarnowski, who has rewritten AU’s record book, of that 45-28 loss. “We’re kind of looking for some redemption for the home crowd.
“We’re going to let this thing ride out as long as possible because it’s my last year and I don’t want this to end.”
Neither does junior defensive end James Prater Jr., who matched AU’s single-game record with 3.5 sacks in Saturday’s victory.
“Last year, being at the (postseason) banquet and having all of our parents there and then we found out we didn’t make it, that was embarrassing,” Prater Jr. said. “We knew we didn’t want that to happen again this year.”
Last year’s snub has served as motivation for the Eagles all season.
“Our guys have been salty from a year ago when they didn’t get a chance to play in the postseason,” AU coach Lee Owens said. “Now we get a chance. If they perform in season two like they did in season one, we might be playing for a while.”
Coverage of Ashland University Eagles athletics is produced in partnership with OhioHealth, the official sports medicine provider for Ashland University.
