The 2016 Shepherd Rams football team represented Shepherd University during the

2016 NCAA Division II football season The 2016 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, began on September 1, 2016 and ended with the NCAA Division II ...

as a member of the

Mountain East Conference The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 12 schools, mo ...

(MEC). They were led by head coach

Monte Cater Monte Cater (born July 7, 1949) is a former American football coach. From 1987 to 2017, he was the head football coach at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. From 1981 to 1986, Cater was the head football coach at Lakeland Colle ...

, in his 30th season at Shepherd, and finished the season 13–1. With a conference record of 10–0, they were named MEC champions and advanced to the

Division II Playoffs Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

, losing in the semifinals to North Alabama. The Rams played their home games at

Ram Stadium Ram Stadium is a 5,000-seat stadium in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. It is home to the Shepherd University Rams football and lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized ...

in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Preseason

After finishing the 2015 season with a record of 13–1, with the only loss coming in the national championship game to Northwest Missouri State, the Rams were ranked #4 in the preseason poll.

Regular season

The 2016 regular season for the Rams consisted of 10 games against Mountain East Conference foes. The Rams went undefeated in the regular season and were given the third seed in Super Region I in the 2016 NCAA Division II football playoffs.

Playoffs

Despite going undefeated and being ranked #3 in the nation, the Rams had to play in an opening round game of the playoffs. The Rams defeated #25

Assumption College Assumption College may refer to these educational institutions: Australia * Assumption College, Kilmore, Victoria * Assumption College, Warwick, Queensland Canada * Assumption University (Windsor, Ontario) (formerly Assumption College) * Assumpt ...

in the game, 48–31, to advance to the Round of 16. The Rams then went on the road and were able to defeat

LIU Post LIU Post (formally, the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, and often referred to as C.W. Post) is a private university in Brookville, New York. It is the largest campus of the private Long Island University system. The campus is name ...

, 40–21, to improve to 12–0 and continue their playoff run. In the national quarterfinals the following week, the Rams again went on the road. This time, the Rams were able to defeat California (Pa.), 41–30. The Rams hosted a national semifinal game for the second consecutive year, losing to North Alabama, 23–13.

Schedule

References

{{Shepherd Rams football navbox

Shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...

Shepherd Rams football seasons

Shepherd Rams football The Shepherd Rams are the athletic teams that represent Shepherd University (formerly Shepherd College), located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, in NCAA Division II, Division II intercollegiate sports of the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...