AZUSA, Calif. -- The NAIA’s No. 9-ranked Azusa Pacific (8-1) will meet No. 7 University of Mary (9-1) Saturday (Nov. 22) in Bismarck, N.D., at 1 p.m. (CST) in the opening round of the 2003 NAIA Football Playoff Series.

Azusa Pacific, which has won 17 of its past 19 games, returns to the playoffs after a 2-year absence, which included the jilting of last year’s 9-1 team. The Cougars won the 1998 NAIA national championship in their first-ever playoff appearance, advanced to the 1999 semifinals and was bounced in the first round of the 2000 playoffs.

“This is not a culmination of our goals,” said Azusa Pacific coach Peter Shinnick, “but it certainly is a significant achievement and a proud moment for the team, particularly for the 23 seniors.”

Azusa Pacific moved up 1 spot in the final coaches’ poll conducted and released this morning. The Cougars would have had to move 2 spots in order to secure home site for a first-round game.

The Azusa Pacific-Mary playoff matches 2 of the NAIA’s top defenses. Mary, which finished second in Dakota Athletic Conference behind No. 3 and undefeated Dickinson State, has won 6 straight games, including the past 4 by a combined 162-6 score. The Marauders are allowing an NAIA best 6.4 points a game.

“Obviously, Mary is very good statistically,” added Shinnick. “They’ve been one of the top defenses over the past 3 years. We won’t know what they do or how they do it until we see some game film, but this is playoff football. It will be a huge test for us.”

Azusa Pacific heads into the playoffs with a 4-game win streak, having won the past 3 by a combined 97-17 count. The Cougars are allowing just 11.7 points a game, and has yielded only 7 points in the second half of the past 5 games.

The game may turn on Azusa Pacific’s power rushing game, which is averaging 201 yards a game against Mary’s NAIA-leading rush defense which is allowing a mere 43.4 yards a contest.

While Azusa Pacific is making its first-ever venture into North Dakota, this is not the Cougars’ first lengthy road trip of the season nor its first game in chilly temperatures. On Nov. 1, the Southern California team defeated Gustavus Adolphus, 23-10, in 30-degree temperatures in St. Peter, Minn. Temperatures for Saturday’s first-round playoff game are expected to be in the mid-20s in Bismarck.

Azusa Pacific is 6-2 all-time in the NAIA Playoff Series. During its run to the 1998 NAIA crown, the Cougars defeated Dakota Athletic Conference member Huron, 26-24, in the semifinals.

Mary is making its fifth straight NAIA Playoff appearance and its eighth in the program’s brief history. The Mauraders are 6-7 all-time. Their best showing was a semifinal appearance in 1999.

Azusa Pacific will charter a flight out of Los Angeles International Airport on Friday (Nov. 21) to Bismarck and return to Southern California Saturday evening.

Click here to view the entire pairings for the first round of the 2003 NAIA Playoffs.