AZUSA, Calif. – Marcus Lampkin is a third-stringer used occasionally as a change-of-pace back.

On a rain soaked Cougar Stadium field, he not only changed the pace, he changed the game.

The 5-foot-5 Lampkin rushed for a season-high 106 yards on 13 attempts, all in the second half, 40 of which came on a third-quarter touchdown run to lift the NAIA’s No. 10-ranked Azusa Pacific to a 24-3 victory over No. 1 and previously undefeated Sioux Falls (S.D.) in the quarterfinals of the 2004 NAIA Football Championship Series Saturday night in Azusa.

The win moves the Cougars to 11-2 overall and places them in next week’s semifinals for the third time in the past 7 years. Sioux Falls suffers just its second defeat in the past 25 games and ends its season at 11-1.

“It was just a great a team effort,” said Cougar coach Peter Shinnick, “The fact that we have a chance to continue playing is because this team loves being together and doesn’t want to see it end.”

In one sense it was business as usual for a dominant Azusa Pacific defense which pushed its streak to 9 straight quarters without allowing touchdown. In another sense, this effort was seemingly from another world, and though it didn’t produce the shutout that it got in last week’s first-round playoff win at Northwestern Oklahoma State, it nonetheless was even more dominating. Led by Peder Moore, who was named Defensive Player of the Game for the second straight week, the Cougar defense limited Sioux Falls to just 113 yards of total offense, surrendering just 9 measly yards in the second half on the strength of minus-11 in the third quarter alone. The Sioux Falls offense came into the game averaging 446 yards and an NAIA-leading 44 points per contest.

“We really functioned on all facets tonight,” said Shinnick. “To take a team that scored 72 the week before (USF beat Tabor 72-11 in the opening round of the playoffs) and hold them to 3 this week is amazing. And offensively, to mix it up the way we did, well I’m just thrilled for them.”

The game turned on the shifty running of Lampkin, who didn’t even get into last week’s playoff game at Northwestern Oklahoma and yet this week was named the game’s Offensive MVP. With the Cougars holding a 10-3 halftime lead, Lampkin entered the game early in the third quarter and took advantage of several delays and draw plays to rack up 39 yards on his first 4 carries. Then after Azusa Pacific received one of the Sioux Falls’ 8 punts with 5:21 left in the third quarter, Lampkin took the first snap of the drive and scampered 40 yards nearly untouched to put the Cougars up 17-3.

“We got a great push from Lampkin tonight, and he just busted it,” said Shinnick.

“Not playing me last week was one of the best things that could have happened for me,” said Lampkin. “The coaches aren’t going to give me anything. I have to earn it, and I probably had one of my best week’s of practice ever because I was so focused.”

Azusa Pacific got on the board first when Ben Buys capped a 6-play, 58-yard drive with a 7-yard scamper around right end to put the Cougars up 7-0 with less than 4 minutes into the second quarter.

Sioux Falls answered by marching 51 yards on the ensuing drive, riding the feet of sophomore running back Michael Dvoracek, who accounted for 29 yards on 4 rushes. However, with a first down and the ball at the Azusa Pacific 18, Moore’s defensive presence began to emerge, tackling Dvoracek for a 2-yard loss for the first of 3 straight losses. The drive stalled, and T.C. Fraser bailed out USF’s only promising progression of the night with a 43-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with 6:08 left in the half.

“Peder is unbelievable,” said Shinnick. “It is very difficult to stop him, and he has a pretty good supporting cast around him. You have to choose your poison. If you double-team Peder, then you have to deal with Jed Thurner or Chuck Asiodu. It’s not easy.”

In the closing minutes of the first half, USF quarterback Joe Wright and Dvoracek mishandled an exchange, and Thurner fell on the loose ball at the Sioux Falls’ 33. Four plays later Mike Betancourth nailed a 43-yard field goal, his ninth straight successful attempt, to give Azusa Pacific a 10-3 lead at halftime.

Once Azusa Pacific went up by 2 touchdowns, Sioux Falls never had a chance to get back into the game. The Cougars didn’t let USF across the midfield stripe in the second half until early in the fourth quarter. The third quarter alone was one long wipe-out for the South Dakota Cougars, who had 3 straight 3-and-out drives and were pushed back 11 yards in the process.

“We have a great scheme, and we have guys who believe in the scheme and will do anything to their bodies to get to the ball,” said Moore, who finished with a game-high 10 tackles, 3.5 of which that went for loss. “We were not intimidated by their numbers. We know who we are.”

Sioux Falls made one last gasp for the end zone, moving the ball to the Cougar 25 before 2 incompletions and a Asiodu-Thurner sack put USF in a fourth-and-17 situation. Though USF completed a pass, Moore raced down field to level a vicious blow that not only dropped Sioux Falls 8 yards shy of a first down but that also took the life out of the USF effort.

Azusa Pacific added a late touchdown when Sioux Falls muffed a punt that David Leary recovered at the USF 8-yard line. On the next play Sean Davis found tight end Ricky Burgan in the corner of the end zone for a TD strike and the final margin of victory with 3:36 remaining.

“We’re peaking as a team,” said Moore. “We’re playing very well right now. As a defense, we want to be on the field, and we want to have the game in our hands.”

Azusa Pacific produced 206 yards on the ground and 338 overall. Davis finished 11-for-19 passing for 132 yards. He garnered 34 on a completion to Paul Silva that set up Buys’ TD run.

The Cougars, who are second in the nation in QB sacks, had 5 more tonight led by Moore’s 1.5. They held Sioux Falls’ ground game, which came in averaging a whopping 242 a game, to a mere 20 yards on 29 carries and cut USF’s aerial attack in half to just 93 passing yards.

The victory is Azusa Pacific’s first-ever over a No. 1-ranked team in 3 tries.