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While the major universities continue to moan and groan about their upcoming four-team College Football Playoffs, the smaller division schools are already battling in their playoffs and are now into the Sweet 16 round of games this weekend.
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits are in the very unusual position of being the #1 overall seed in the FCS football playoffs as the games continue on Saturday.
Despite having been a part of the FCS playoffs for the past eleven seasons, the Jackrabbits have watched as fellow Missouri Valley Conference competitor North Dakota State has hoisted the championship trophy nine times in the past eleven seasons. It must have been hard for South Dakota State’s fans and players to watch.
This season, South Dakota State won this year’s annual match-up with a 23-21 win over North Dakota State in Fargo. The team also posted a perfect Missouri Valley Conference record for the first time in 2022. The Jackrabbits have never won the FCS title since the division started in 1978. Will this finally be their year to breakthrough?
The final 16 teams are playing on Saturday. Unfortunately, you’ll need to pay for ESPN+ to watch each of this week’s games as the major networks continue to ignore these interesting and meaningful games in favor of the major college conference championships.
The FCS finals will be played in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas on Saturday, January 8, 2023.
Let’s take a brief look at all eight games being played on Saturday and become more familiar with the teams.
Delaware Blue Hens (8-4) @ #1 South Dakota State Jackrabbits (11-1)
The Blue Hens advanced to this week’s game after destroying Saint Francis 56-17 last weekend in the play-in round. Their “reward” is now a long, cold road trip to play the number one team in this year’s FCS division, South Dakota State. Delaware is led by quarterback Nolan Henderson. He has thrown 32 touchdown passes already this season.
South Dakota State earned the #1 seed by going 8-0 against a very tough Missouri Valley Conference schedule. The Jackrabbits’ only loss this year came in a very close 7-3 fourth quarter loss at Big Ten member, Iowa. The team’s balanced offense (160 yards per game on the ground and 207 via the air) and a stifling defense (allowing just 14 points per game) are the calling cards for the top-rated FCS team of 2022.
New Hampshire Wildcats (9-3) @ #8 Holy Cross Crusaders (11-0)
New Hampshire comes into this weekend’s match-up after surviving a tough 52-42 win over Fordham in their opening round game. Junior running back Dylan Laube posted a Wildcat record 424 total yards along with four touchdowns in last week’s win.
Holy Cross (based in Fitton, Massachusetts) had the Patriot League’s top-rated defense and offense this season. The champs average 39 points per outing. They may need to score a bunch to slow down New Hampshire’s exceptional running game. The Crusaders’ multi-talented quarterback Mathew Sluka was named the most valuable player in New England this season. He passed for 2,300 yards and 25 touchdowns and was also the team’s leading rusher.
Montana Grizzlies (8-4) @ #3 North Dakota State Bison (9-2)
The Griz trailed 24-3 – at home – in their opening round game against Southeast Missouri State last weekend. Fortunately, Montana woke up and scored the game’s final 31 points to win 34-24 and advance to play the defending champion North Dakota State Bison this weekend. Wide receiver Malik Flowers ran a kick-off back for a touchdown and had 250 total yards in the win.
North Dakota State has become the FCS version of the Alabama Crimson Tide over the past dozen years. They have won the FCS title nine times in the past eleven seasons! The Bison are a dominant running team with a quarterback, Cam Miller, who has run and thrown for more than ten touchdowns each this year. The Bison’s home crowd advantage in the FargoDome could be worth another seven points in this match-up, too.
Southeastern Louisiana Lions (9-3) @ #6 Samford Bulldogs (10-1)
Fans of the Lions got their money’s worth in the team’s first round game home win against Idaho. In a game which featured a couple of fourth quarter lead changes, the Vandals missed a game-tying field goal with six seconds left to allow Southeastern to escape with a 45-42 thrilling win. The Lions are riding a six-game winning streak as they trek to Birmingham, Alabama for a match-up with sixth-seeded Samford.
With a team-record ten regular season wins and an unbeaten record in the Southern Conference, the sixth-seeded Samford Bulldogs have been patiently waiting to get back on the football field. Southeastern Louisiana and Samford last played against each other in 2013 (won by SELU 34-31). The Samford Bulldogs pass the ball for over 300 yards per game and run for another 130 on the ground. Samford’s only loss this year was 33-0 to another well-known Bulldogs team – the defending FBS champions of the University of Georgia.
Gardner-Webb Bulldogs (7-5) @ #5 William & Mary Tribe (10-1)
Gardner-Webb went on the road last weekend to win their first-ever FCS playoff game in downing Eastern Kentucky 54-41. The Bulldogs, winners of the Big South, rushed for an incredible 405 yards last weekend in their win. Quarterback Bailey Fisher won the league’s offensive MVP this year as he passed for 2,800 yards and 19 touchdowns. All-American tight end Ryan Miller has caught a school record 28 touchdowns during his Bulldogs career.
Patiently waiting at home in lovely Williamsburg, Virginia last weekend was William and Mary. Co-winners of Colonial Athletics Association, the Tribe’s ten regular season wins are a school record. William & Mary ran the ball for 275 yards per game on offense and passed for another 180 per outing, too. In the first game of the 2022 season, the Tribe defeated FBS member Charlotte, 41-24.
Weber State Wildcats (10-2) @ #4 Montana State Bobcats (10-1)
Out of the Big Sky Conference, Weber State is no stranger to the FCS Playoffs. This is their sixth playoff appearance in the past seven seasons. The Wildcats took down North Dakota last week 38-31 to advance into the Round of 16. This week’s game with Montana State is a rematch of their October 22 match-up in Bozeman where the Bobcats prevailed by a narrow 43-38 score.
Montana State won the Big Sky Conference with a perfect 8-0 mark. In that earlier contest with Weber State, the #4 Bobcats benefitted from four (correct) safeties in the game. You might remember that Montana State hosted ESPN’s College Game Day for the first time last month. The Bobcats easily defeated their intrastate rival Montana 55-21 later in the day.
Furman Paladins (10-2) @ #7 Univ. of Incarnate Word Cardinals (10-1)
Furman is the runner-up of the Southern Conference. They knocked-off Elon 31-6 last weekend to advance into this round. The Paladins feature a run-heavy offense and a stingy defense which keeps them close in most contests. One of Furman’s two losses came at FBS Clemson by a margin of 35-12.
The University of Incarnate Word Cardinals only began playing at the FCS level in 2013. Like another San Antonio school (UTSA), the Cardinals’ football program has become quite successful in a relatively short time. UIW has scored at least 31 points during every game they played in 2022. If you like passing, the Cardinals quarterback Lindsey Scott, Jr. passed for an incredible 50 touchdowns this season!
Richmond Spiders (9-3) @ #2 Sacramento State Hornets (11-0)
Richmond shut-out Davidson 41-0 in the opening round of the FCS Playoffs last weekend. With the easy win, the Spiders from the Colonial Athletic Association will spin a 2,800 mile web to play their first game ever in the state of California on Saturday as they take on #2 seed Sacramento State. Quarterback Reece Udinski has passed for 3,400 yards and completes 75% of his passes on the year.
Unbeaten Sacramento State is led by Big Sky Conference offensive player of the year, running back Cameron Skattebo. The team rushes for more than 250 yards per game (good for sixth among all FCS teams). The Hornets are, pardon my pun, still madder than the proverbial wet ones after having lost in the opening round of the FCS playoffs in their last two tries. They have been focused on getting a win over Richmond this week in hopes of advancing into the quarterfinals next weekend.
Again, all eight FCS playoff games will be televised, but you’ll need to pay for ESPN+ to watch. Enjoy!