If there was any doubt that South Dakota State University is still the team to beat in the Football Championship Subdivision, the reigning national champion and No. 1 seed provided a resounding answer in its first playoff game this year by routing Mercer 41-0 last Saturday.
The Jackrabbits’ runaway victory was part of a second round that went mostly as expected. The only unseeded team to win also is the most dominant in the history of the FCS. North Dakota State University, the winner of nine of the past 12 national titles (and the runner-up last season), won 35-34 at No. 6 Montana State by blocking a PAT in overtime, eliminating the Bobcats for the fourth time in five years.
That game, though, also highlighted how quickly the competition amps up in the playoffs once the eight seeded teams join the fray after first-round byes. A week earlier, the Bison won their opener 66-3 against Drake, which made the 24-team FCS playoffs for the first time.
The victory against Montana State was the record 46th playoff victory for the Bison (against four losses) and moved them into the quarterfinals for the 14th straight season. They will be on the road again this weekend, facing South Dakota in the DakotaDome.
The Coyotes have reached the quarterfinals for the first time.
Here’s a closer look at all four quarterfinal matchups, with the number indicating seed rather than ranking and all times Eastern.
No. 7 Furman (10-2) at No. 2 Montana (11-1), 9 p.m. Friday (ESPN2)
Furman, the national champion in 1988, has reached the quarterfinals for the ninth time overall, but this is the first such run for the Paladins since 2005. Meanwhile, the Montana Grizzlies are in their 15th quarterfinal round. The same programs faced off for the 2001 national championship at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, with Montana winning 13-6.
Southern Conference champion Furman, ranked second late in the season, beat a league rival last Saturday in Greenville, South Carolina, winning 26-7 to end the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s season. Montana, also at home, scored on a blocked punt and a fumble return and blew out Delaware 49-19 in the snow in Missoula.
The Paladins rank third in the FCS in rushing defense, allowing an average of just 92.7 yards on the ground per game, and seventh in scoring defense at 16.8 points allowed per game. But Montana was similar in each category, allowing averages of 14.8 points (fourth) and 97.7 rushing yards (ninth).
No. 8 Villanova (10-2) at No. 1 SDSU (12-0), noon Saturday (ESPN)
The Wildcats would seem to have drawn the short straw in the field by having to go to Brookings to face the reigning champions, but in the past 20 years, the Coastal Athletic Association has won five national titles.
Villanova represented the CAA well by winning it all in 2009, and the Wildcats hosted the Jackrabbits in 2021, losing 35-21 when Isaiah Davis ran for 174 yards and three touchdowns for SDSU. He ran for three more touchdowns last week against Mercer, which finished second in the SoCon alongside UTC and lost 38-14 to Furman in late September and 22-10 to the Mocs in mid-October.
The Jacks lead the FCS in passing efficiency, total defense (256.8 yards allowed per game), scoring defense (10.3 points allowed per game), third- and fourth-down conversion rates, red-zone offense and red-zone defense, and they are in the top five in several other categories.
“What doesn’t impress you with those guys?” Wildcats coach Mark Ferrante said. “We know Isaiah Davis. In 2021, he was a sophomore and had a great game against us in their victory here. … It’s going to be two teams going toe to toe, and hopefully we’ll come out with a victory. Hopefully we’ll make the fewest mistakes.”
AP photo by LM Otero / North Dakota State University tight end Joe Stoffel (82) slips between South Dakota State University’s Isaiah Stalbird, left, and Reece Winkelman during the FCS national championship game on Jan. 8 in Frisco, Texas. SDSU beat NDSU that day, but both teams are among the final eight in the playoffs heading into this weekend’s quarterfinals.NDSU (10-3) at No. 3 South Dakota (10-2), 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)
The Coyotes won 24-19 at NDSU on Sept. 30 and are one of only two programs — SDSU is the other — to have beaten the Bison twice since 2011. Both programs in this matchup, though, have evolved since September, and the visitors have that 14-1 edge in quarterfinal appearances to take into account.
“Is there advantage in that? Maybe,” South Dakota coach Bob Nielson said. “You know, they’ve had a lot of players that have been through the grind of the playoff structure. But I like the way that our guys handled the environment last Saturday, and the chance to be at home is an advantage for us.”
The Coyotes’ Will Leyland hasn’t missed in 12 field-goal attempts this season, with a long of 50 yards. Bison kicker Griffin Crosa is 15-of-18 with a long of 44 yards.
No. 5 Albany (10-3) at No. 4 Idaho (9-3), 10 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)
These are the unfamiliar players at this level.
Albany, which shared the CAA title with Richmond and Villanova after all three finished 7-1 in league play during the regular season, is making its first appearance this deep in the FCS playoffs. Reese Poffenbarger threw for two touchdowns and ran for two as the Great Danes dispatched Richmond with ease in the second round, 41-13.
Meanwhile, Idaho is in the playoffs for the fifth time, but this appearance is the Vandals’ first in 30 years
The Vandals beat Southern Illinois 20-17 in overtime last week with a huge special teams assist. Jermaine Jackson returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown, Ricardo Chavez kicked two field goals, and Xe’Ree Alexander blocked the Salukis’ attempt for a winning field goal at the end of the fourth quarter to force the extra period.