James Gillespie takes an interception to the house in the final seconds of the second quarter, giving Union a 17-6 lead at the half. Photo by Tom Nettleton, d3photography.com

Union won a defensive battle on the road, while Ithaca ran on the road as well and Johns Hopkins and Randolph-Macon won at home in the lower right-hand bracket of the 2023 Division III football playoffs.

In a battle of two talented defenses, Union got a multiple score lead and hung on to beat No. 25 Delaware Valley on the road, 24-16. The final minute of the first half proved the difference. First, Union took advantage of a short field off a short punt that gave the Garnet Chargers the ball at the DelVal 25. Union could not advance the ball but Max Gluck nailed a 36-yard field goal that put Union in front 10-6. DelVal received the ball with 25 seconds left and, instead of taking a knee, tried to push down the field. Instead, James Gillespie picked off pass at midfield and returned it for another Union score, giving the Garnet Chargers a 17-6 halftime lead.

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In the second half, still trailing 17-6, the Aggies had a second and goal from the three but Union held DelVal to a field goal. Then Union quarterback Donovan Pacatte connected with Landers Green for a 35-yard touchdown, effectively putting the game out of reach.

James Gillespie finished with two interceptions and Union's defense held Delaware Valley to 243 total yards and 13 first downs. DelVal's defense forced five turnovers, one resulting in a late touchdown, and held Union's rushing attack 126 yards below its season average.

No. 19 Ithaca beat the host Springfield Pride at their own game at Stagg Field and came away with a 21-7 victory. Ithaca held Springfield to just 160 yards of offense and 105 yards rushing, while the IC offense ran for 259 yards and finished the day with 294 yards as the Bombers held onto the ball for over 40 minutes. Springfield entered the game as the nation's leading rushing team with 407 per game.

Jalen Leonard-Osbourne had 165 yards on 20 carries, while quarterback Colin Schumm added 60 yards on 17 attempts.

Up by one at the end of the first quarter, Johns Hopkins outscored Western Connecticut 48-7 across the second and third en route to a 62-20 win against the Wolves. The teams traded six scores in the first 17 minutes of the game with the Blue Jays building a 21-13 lead in that time. A Bay Harvey 6-yard run and a pair of Geoff Schroeder scoring runs accounted for Hopkins' 21 points, while WestConn got a pair of field goals from Anthony Weidtman and a 73-yard touchdown reception from Dae-Shawn Allen. JHU broke the game open in the final 6:15 of the second quarter as they scored three touchdowns in that span to build to a 41-20 halftime lead.

Spencer Uggla ran for a game-high 216 yards, as part of a 430-yard rushing day for the Blue Jays. Dae'Shawn Allen caught seven passes for 259 yards and two TDs for Western Connecticut (7-3).

No. 8 Randolph-Macon recorded 440 yards of total offense, including 232 on the ground, in holding off Christopher Newport 28-20. Macon led 28-10 early in the fourth quarter before CNU pushing back into it, including blocking a chip-shot field goal that would have put the game away for Randolph-Macon (11-0). But Alex Biddle was able to recover an onside kick with about three minutes left and run out the clock.