Rebecca Droke, Post-Gazette Carnegie Mellon's Robert Gimson carries for some of his 142 yards in the second half yesterday against Millsaps College in the first round of the Division III playoffs. Click photo for larger image.

Millsaps College was in a hurry with a no-huddle, spread offense that featured quick-hitting passes.

Carnegie Mellon was patient, pounding away with a diversified running attack generated from its unconventional wing-T formation.

Time was on CMU's side.

"When we find a formation that gives us mismatches in our favor, we exploit them," said CMU running back Robert Gimson, who carried 23 times for 142 yards and a 17-yard touchdown as the Tartans (11-0) bunched all their scoring in the second half of a 21-0 victory against Millsaps (Miss.) in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs yesterday at Gesling Stadium.

CMU, winner of 11 games in a season for the first time, will play at Wesley College (11-0) in Dover, Del., Saturday in the second round. Wesley, ranked No. 3 in the American Football Coaches Association poll, advanced with a 49-21 victory against Dickinson. CMU and Wesley have met twice, with Wesley winning, 47-28, in 2003 and CMU winning, 24-10, in 2004.

The Tartans, whose previous appearance in the playoffs was 1990, won a playoff game for the first time since a 31-25 victory against Minnesota-Morris in 1979.

CMU started slowly against Millsaps (7-4). The Tartans didn't make a first down on their first four possessions and were mired in a scoreless stalemate at halftime. They haven't trailed at any time in a game this season.

"When something's not going right, [offensive coordinator Rich Erdelyi] has answers," Gimson said. "I've never doubted our ability to run the ball. We just had to find the right plays."

The second half belonged to CMU's punishing ground game and an opportunistic defense that created five turnovers for the game, with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. The Tartans possessed the football for 40:15 compared to just 19:45 for the Majors.

"The most telling stats of the football game were the time of possession, that says a lot, and the five Millsaps turnovers. We had none," CMU coach Rich Lackner said. "It was tough-going early on, but I think we wore them down a little bit in the second half. We're going to rush the football."

With Gimson running reverses, counters and sweeps and fullback Travis Sivek smashing up the middle, CMU relentlessly drove for touchdowns on runs of 3 and 10 yards by Sivek for a 14-0 lead after three quarters. Gimson's 17-yard dash late in the fourth quarter completed the scoring.

Sivek rushed for 108 yards on 25 carries despite a defense stacked on the line to stop him.

"If they take away one thing, we think we have other weapons," Lackner said of the Tartans who ran for 260 yards, about 12 below their season average. "You can take certain things away, but you can't take them all away."

Sivek (1,280 yards) and Gimson (1,004 yards) give the Tartans two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season for the first time.

Millsaps coach Mike DuBose, a former coach at the University of Alabama in his first season with the Majors, was impressed by CMU's play.

"There are no missed assignments on that football team. Where they're supposed to be, they are there," he said.

Millsaps relied on the passing of quarterback Juan Joseph, who completed 24 of 37 for 230 yards. He threw three interceptions and was sacked three times. Millsaps, which entered averaging 33 points per game, was held to minus-5 yards rushing on 19 carries.

"Our defense did a great job," Lackner said of the Tartans, who allowed 8.2 points per game in the regular season. "Our guys know what they're doing."