YOUNGSTOWN — The Yale Bulldogs secured the Ivy League’s first-ever automatic berth in the FCS playoffs and will play at Youngstown State at noon Saturday.

The 15th-seeded Penguins are in the playoffs for the second time in three years.

Youngstown State secured a spot by downing Northern Iowa, 35-32, in the regular-season finale Saturday to win at the UNI-Dome for the first time since 1999.

Quarterback Beau Brungard ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries and completed 20-of-25 passes for 226 yards and two scores.

The Penguins are 8-4 overall and 5-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Five other MVFC teams are in the field — North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Illinois State and North Dakota.

Yale earned its place in the postseason by defeating previously unbeaten, No. 10 nationally-ranked Harvard, 45-28, Saturday to clinch a share of the Ivy League title. Harvard also advanced and will play the first round at 12th-seeded Villanova.

Youngstown State is in the FCS playoffs (formerly called NCAA Division I-AA) for the 14th time in school history. The Penguins are 30-9 in the playoffs with four national titles.

Tickets for Saturday’s game at Stambaugh Stadium are $20. The YSU Athletic Ticket Office will be open Monday-Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Youngstown State-Yale winner will advance to the second round against No. 2 seed Montana State on Dec. 6.

Mules visit Mt. Union

ALLIANCE — The Muhlenberg Mules will get another chance at Mount Union in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Freshman Leo Dauberman intercepted two passes and sophomore Andrew Deutsch booted a pair of field goals as Muhlenberg came from behind twice to defeat Union, 34-26, in Saturday’s opening round at Scotty Wood Stadium in Allentown, Pa.

Muhlenberg sophomore quarterback Luke Spang finished 24-of-31 passing for 241 yards and three touchdowns in his first career postseason start. He completed passes to 10 different receivers.

The Mules (9-2) will play at Mount Union (10-0) at noon Saturday at Kehres Stadium. The Purple Raiders have been to the playoffs every season since 1992.

Muhlenberg has played at Mount Union twice before — losing 38-10 in 2018 and 35-29 in overtime in 2021 — both in the quarterfinals.

Presidents fall

SELINSGROVE, Pa. — The Washington & Jefferson College Presidents never led in the second half and lost 38-32 to the Susquehanna University River Hawks in the opening round of the NCAA Division III playoffs Saturday at Amos Alonzo Stagg Field.

Washington & Jefferson finished the season with an 8-3 record.

Presidents junior linebacker Roclen Bettura from Crestview teamed with Jalen Broxie to sack quarterback Josh Ehrlich on the last play of the fourth quarter with Susquehanna leading 28-24.

The game turned on the final play of the first half. Trailing 17-14, Xavier Maple blocked a Presidents 37-yard field goal attempt, leading to a 70-yard return by Romero Lavalais that gave Susquehanna a lead it would never relinquish.

Susquehanna (9-2) advances to play at Christopher Newport (10-0) this Saturday. It is a rematch from Sept. 27 when Christopher Newport won 41-27.

Geneva’s long day

BROCKPORT, N.Y. — Isaiah Simmons ran 65 yards for a touchdown on SUNY Brockport’s second play from scrimmage and Geneva’s record-setting quarterback Caleb Romano was injured early in the second quarter as the Golden Tornadoes fell 46-10 Saturday in the Eastern College Athletic Conference’s Scotty Whitelaw Bowl at Bob Boozer Field.

Simmons ran for a career-high 271 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries for the Golden Eagles, who finished at 7-4 overall. Simmons completes his junior season with 1,609 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns.

Brockport had 466 total yards, while Geneva struggled without Romano and had 99 total yards on 65 plays.

Romano was 7-of-11 for 76 yards before leaving the game. He passed for a school-record and 3,501 yards and 33 touchdowns this season.

For Geneva, Keaton Baker from United had two catches for 8 yards and Cooper Edmiston from Southern Local made two tackles on the kickoff team and had 16-yard kickoff return

Geneva finishes at 6-5.

Titans shine Brite

CANTON — Sophomore Brite Cannon caught four passes for 140 yards and finished with 228 all-purpose yards as the Westminster College football team beat Mount St. Joseph, 40-21, in the Extra Points Bowl Saturday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

Westminster wrapped up its season with an 8-3 record, the winning eight or more games for the sixth time under 12th-year head coach Scott Benzel.

In the ForeverLawn Bowl in the afternoon, Wabash scored a touchdown with two seconds remaining in regulation and converted a two-point attempt to defeat Ohio Northern, 32-31.

Trailing 31-24, Wabash drove 69 yards in the final two minutes. Jackson Gilbert threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game, a 23-yarder to Nick Witte to close within 31-30. Then running back Cole Dickerson took the direct snap and threw to Rowen Durbin for the winning two-point conversion.