Battle of the undefeated square off in Kansas City

(THE PICKET) — For the first time ever the Shepherd Rams are National Championship bound.

The only team standing in the way of a championship are the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State out of Maryville, Missouri. The game is Saturday at 4 p.m. from Sporting Park in Kansas City. It will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

The Rams come in undefeated with a 13-0 record with playoff wins against Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 17-13; Slippery Rock, 28-16; and Grand Valley State, 34-32 in the semi finals.

The Ram offense didn’t miss a beat last week without Harlem Hill finalist quarterback Jeff Ziemba, who went down with an AC joint sprain, making him a game time decision for the championship. Due of the stellar play of back-up Connor Jessop, along with the explosive running of Allen Cross who finished the day with 168 yards and two touchdowns, the Rams boarded a plane Wednesday night for Kansas City.

“Allen running so well made it a lot easier for me to get comfortable early and really helped as the game went,” Jessop said after the semifinal victory.

The Bearcats are 14-0 and are very familiar to the championship pressure, appearing in nine championships winning the title four times in the history of the program and most recently in the 2013 season.

Northwest Missouri State has rolled through the playoffs this year beating their opponents by an average score of 27 points a game including a routing of Humboldt State of Arcata California in the second round.

The Bearcats dual threat backfield of Emanual Jones and Cameron Wilcox are both dangerous runners who have averaged 50 plus yards each in the three playoff games.

Shepherd is expecting a large number of fans to make the 1,000 mile trek to Kansas City. A fan bus will be taking up to 54 fans to Kansas City to watch the Rams live, the bus will Dec. 19. The price is $270 and will include the bus ticket, a ticket to the game, and ram Rally before the game. The Aladdin Holiday Inn Hotel is running a special Shepherd Rate for $117.43 a night. The bus to the stadium will depart the Aladdin Hotel at 11 a.m. the morning of the game and drop fans off directly at the Ram Rally.

For those who want a fan atmosphere in the Shepherdstown area,

Shepherd’s alumni association will host an official game-watching party beginning Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in Shepherdstown.

The game also can be viewed at The Club at Cress Creek and Town Run Brewing Co. in Shepherdstown, Captain Bender’s Tavern in Sharpsburg and Zephiria Sports Bar in Hagerstown.

“This is big. It’s fantastic,” said Sylvia Manning, Shepherd University’s interim president. “It’s bringing the university and the town the kind of national exposure it could never get.”