SDSU, NDSU on the brink of rematch in FCS national championship
The Football Championship Subdivision playoffs continued this weekend and although both teams have one round to go, South Dakota State and North Dakota State could meet for the national championship for the second straight year.
The Jackrabbits and Bison met for the national championship last January as SDSU pounded NDSU 45-21 for the school's first title. But despite both schools being FCS powerhouses, the potential for a rematch wasn't always a given.
NDSU hasn't been as dominant as in years past when it racked up nine national championships dating back to 2011. Despite entering the playoffs with an 8-3 record, the Bison dismantled Drake 66-3 in the first round before a blocked PAT in overtime fueled a 35-34 upset victory over No. 6 Montana State last weekend.
The win over the Bobcats set up a rematch with South Dakota, who stunned the Bison with a 24-19 victory in the DakotaDome on Sept. 30. While the Coyotes played in front of a sold out crowd on Saturday, the Bison would be the ones pulling the upset, racing out to a 21-3 lead in the first quarter on a nine-yard touchdown run by Cam Miller, a 43-yard touchdown run by Cole Payton and an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown by Jayden Price.
Miller threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Joe Stoffel and Payton added a 17-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give the Bison a 35-3 lead at halftime and NDSU never looked back in a 45-17 victory.
While the Bison cruised to the semifinals, the top-seeded Jacks had a difficult time early in the first half of their quarterfinal with No. 8 Villanova.
With a 30 mph wind howling through Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, SDSU got a 42-yard field goal by Hunter Dustman on its opening drive before Jalen Jackson gave the Wildcats the lead with a 25-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
But Matthew Durrance flipped the game with a 45-yard touchdown return on a blocked punt in the second quarter and Isaiah Davis racked up 134 of his 192 yards in the fourth quarter including a 66-yard touchdown run that iced the Jacks' 23-12 victory.
The wins punched a ticket to next week's semifinals for NDSU and SDSU but neither has a clear path to Frisco.
The Jacks will face No. 5 seed UAlbany, who upset No. 4 Idaho at the Kibbie Dome on Saturday night. While the Great Danes also defeated Richmond 41-13 in the second round during their tournament run, they haven't faced a team like SDSU, who enters Friday night's game with a 27-game winning streak and a 19-game winning streak in Brookings.
The Bison will also have a tough test when they travel to No. 2 seed Montana. The Grizzlies pounded Delaware 49-19 in a snowstorm to advance in the second round and survived an overtime thriller over seventh-seeded Furman on Friday night to advance to the semifinals.
Regardless, the Bison and Jackrabbits will look to set up a Dakota Marker rematch on Jan. 7 when the FCS National Championship Game is played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
