# 2015 Shepherd Rams football team

The 2015 Shepherd Rams football team represented Shepherd University as a member of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) during the 2015 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 29th-year head coach Monte Cater, the Rams compiled an overall record of 13–1 with a mark of 10–0 in conference play, winning the MEC title. Shepherd advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs and received a first-round bye. They beat IUP in the second round, Slippery Rock in the quarterfinals, and Grand Valley State in the semifinals, before losing the NCAA Division II Championship Game to Northwest Missouri State. The Rams played their home games at Ram Stadium in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

## Regular season

The 2015 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 top seed in Super Region I in the 2015 NCAA Division II football playoffs.

## Playoffs

The Rams received a first-round bye in the playoffs, being the top-ranked team in Super Region 1. Their first postseason game was at home against IUP, a 17–13 win.
The Rams then went on to defeat Slippery Rock, 28–16, in a quarterfinal game to continue their playoff run.
In the national semifinals on December 12, 2015, the Rams played Grand Valley State. The Rams won the game 34–32, to reach the 2015 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game.
In the National Championship game, Shepherd lost to NW Missouri State 34–7.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 5 | 12:00 p.m. | at West Virginia Wesleyan | | Ross FieldBuckhannon, WV | | W 43–0 | 2,681 |
| September 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Charleston (WV) | No. 25 | Ram StadiumShepherdstown, WV | | W 45–25 | 3,017 |
| September 19 | 1:00 p.m. | at Virginia–Wise | No. 20 | Carl Smith StadiumWise, VA | | W 41–10 | 1,008 |
| September 26 | 12:00 p.m. | Notre Dame (OH) | No. 16 | Ram StadiumShepherdstown, WV | | W 43–14 | 4,713 |
| October 10 | 1:00 p.m. | at Glenville State | No. 10 | Morris StadiumGlenville, WV | | W 48–31 | 1,094 |
| October 17 | 12:00 p.m. | West Virginia State | No. 9 | Ram StadiumShepherdstown, WV | | W 46–17 | 4,119 |
| October 24 | 12:00 p.m. | at Concord | No. 9 | Callaghan StadiumAthens, WV | | W 35–28 | 1,252 |
| October 31 | 12:00 p.m. | West Liberty | No. 6 | Ram StadiumShepherdstown, WV | | W 44–10 | 4,789 |
| November 5 | 7:10 p.m. | at Fairmont State | No. 6 | Duvall-Rosier FieldFairmont, WV | | W 41–14 | 939 |
| November 14 | 12:00 p.m. | Urbana | No. 5 | Ram StadiumShepherdstown, WV | | W 52–20 | 4,489 |
| November 28 | 12:00 p.m. | IUP* | No. 5 | Ram StadiumShepherdstown, WV (NCAA Division II Second Round) | | W 17–13 | 5,007 |
| December 5 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 10 Slippery Rock* | No. 5 | Ram StadiumShepherdstown, WV (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal) | | W 28–16 | 5,321 |
| December 12 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 12 Grand Valley State* | No. 5 | Ram StadiumShepherdstown, WV (NCAA Division II Semifinal) | ESPN3 | W 34–32 | 6,496 |
| December 19 | 3:00 p.m. | vs. No. 1 Northwest Missouri State* | No. 5 | Sporting ParkKansas City, KS (NCAA Division II National Championship) | ESPN2 | L 7–34 | 16,181 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||