Interception with 1:52 remaining set up winning field goal
For the third time in the 2010 NCAA Division II playoffs former Tiger Cody Eich stepped into the spotlight for the University of Minnesota-Duluth football team.
In the Bulldogs opening round 20-17 win over St. Cloud State, he blocked a punt to set up the go-ahead touchdown.
In the national semifinals, the ex-Tiger picked off two passes from his strong safety position to help preserve a 17-13 win over defending champion Northwest Missouri State.
The Bulldog junior saved his best for last, however. In last Saturday's 20-17 last second win over Delta State University (Mississippi) in Florence, Alabama, his leaping interception and 20-yard return in the final two minutes of regulation led to the Bulldogs winning field goal.
The national championship is the second for Eich who was a special teams player for UMD when it ruled the Division II roost in 2008. In his three years on the varsity team UMD is a remarkable 42-2.
Eich finished the 2010 season as the third leading tackler for the Bulldogs with 69. He also intercepted three passes, broke up four and recovered a fumble. For his efforts he landed a berth on the all-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team.
