FCS Playoffs 2022-23: Date, Schedule for NDSU vs. SDSU Championship
Dec 18, 2022
BROOKINGS, SD - OCTOBER 29: South Dakota State Jackrabbits Running back Isaiah Davis (22) celebrates with teammates after a touchdown during the college football game between the Indiana State Sycamores and the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on October 29th, 2022, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, in Brookings, South Dakota. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The No. 1 South Dakota State Jackrabbits will face the No. 3 North Dakota State Bison in a huge rivalry matchup in the 2023 FCS championship game Jan. 8 in Frisco, Texas, following a 39-18 win over No. 4 Montana State on Saturday.
South Dakota State is back in the championship game for the first time since 2020 and is looking for its first title in program history.
The Bison, meanwhile, have been the most dominant team in the FCS over the last decade-plus. They clinched a berth in the FCS title game for the 10th time in the past 12 seasons with a 35-32 win over Incarnate Word on Friday.
North Dakota State is aiming to win its 10th FCS title, all of which have come since 2011.
Here's a look at the schedule for the championship game and a deeper dive into each program's playoff run.
Championship Schedule
No. 1 South Dakota State vs. No. 3 North Dakota State: Saturday, Jan. 8 at 2 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape
The rivalry between South Dakota State and North Dakota State dates all the way back to 1903. The Jackrabbits dominated play through 1963, but since then, the Bison have been in command despite three straight losses dating back to the 2021 season.
North Dakota State leads the series against South Dakota State 63-45-5.
The Jackrabbits and Bison met Oct. 15, and South Dakota won 23-21 after trailing 21-7 entering halftime. SDSU scored on all four of its second-half possessions and kept NDSU off the board after halftime to claim the win.
The Jackrabbits and Bisons have met in the FCS playoffs four times—2012 second round, 2014 second round, 2016 quarterfinals and 2018 semifinals—and North Dakota State won each matchup.
South Dakota State's Run to the Final
As the No. 1 seed, South Dakota State earned a first-round bye after going 10-1 in the regular season.
They began their run to the title game with a 42-6 win over Delaware in the second round behind a 104-yard, two-touchdown performance from running back Isaiah Davis.
The Jackrabbits then defeated No. 8 Holy Cross 42-21 in the quarterfinals behind a respectable performance from quarterback Mark Gronowski, who completed 12 of 22 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 47 yards and one score.
In Saturday's semifinal matchup against No. 4 Montana State, SDSU won 39-18 on another three-touchdown performance by Gronowski, who passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another score.
Gronowski and Davis have been SDSU's biggest performers this postseason, and the Jackrabbits will need both to be at their best if they want to claim the title over North Dakota State.
North Dakota State's Run to the Final
North Dakota State secured a first-round bye and the No. 3 seed after going 9-2 in the regular season.
The Bison earned a 49-26 win over Montana in the second round behind brilliant rushing performances from running backs Kobe Johnson (206 yards, two touchdowns) and TaMerik Williams (101 yards, one touchdown).
From there, NDSU defeated No. 9 Samford 27-9 in the quarterfinals behind a two-touchdown performance by Cam Miller. The quarterback completed 15 of 18 passes for 194 yards and one touchdown, in addition to rushing for 21 yards and a score.
In Friday's semifinal matchup against No. 7 Incarnate Word, North Dakota State won 35-32 thanks to a three-touchdown performance from Johnson.
The Bison offense has been somewhat one-dimensional this postseason as Miller has thrown for just 257 yards in three games. The running game has been outstanding, but the passing game needs to get going if NDSU hopes to claim another title.
Video: Moose Spotted Running Across South Dakota St. Football Field
Nov 5, 2021
FRISCO, TX - MAY 16: The helmets of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits lay on the field before the Division I FCS Football Championship game against the Sam Houston State Bearkats held at Toyota Stadium on May 16, 2021 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Andy Hancock/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
What happens when a moose tries to play with a jackrabbit?
We could have gotten an answer to this question Friday if there had been a football game in progress when a moose was spotted running around South Dakota State's field:
MOOSE ON THE LOOSE: A moose was spotted running around the South Dakota State University football field Friday.
Dykhouse Stadium has been the home of the Jackrabbits football team since 2016.
Perhaps this is part of some elaborate mind game heading into this week's marquee matchup, like when Bayside and Valley would go at it on Saved by the Bell. South Dakota State is hosting the North Dakota State Bison in the Dakota Marker game on Saturday.
Bison and moose aren't from the same family, but there is enough of a similarity between the two animals if you are far enough away and squinting that someone who is paranoid might suspect North Dakota State of shenanigans.
Of course, the more likely explanation is the moose was just running in the neighborhood and saw an opening it wanted to check out.
The moose didn't appear to be trying to cause any trouble. It wandered into the open stadium, took a quick look around and decided it wasn't the right place to be.
Sam Houston State Wins FCS Championship Game on Last-Second TD vs. South Dakota State
May 16, 2021
FRISCO, TEXAS - MAY 14: Jequez Ezzard #12 of the Sam Houston State Bearkats runs the ball against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the first quarter during the 2021 NCAA Division I Football Championship at Toyota Stadium on May 16, 2021 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
After a one-hour, 11-minute lightning delay, Sam Houston State completed its perfect 10-0 season as the Bearkats came away with a 23-21 victory in a rainy FCS national championship game in Frisco, Texas on Sunday.
Quarterback Eric Schmid found Ife Adeyi for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 16 seconds left to play to save the Bearkats' season and claim the title.
WITH 16 SECONDS LEFT SAM HOUSTON TAKES THE LEAD 😱😱😱😱😱
The Bearkats struggled to make things happen from the start. After fumbling their first possession, they looked to punt the ball away after a turnover on downs. But amid the messy conditions, Matt McRobert fumbled the ball and fell on it at the Sam Houston 19-yard line, setting up strong position for the Jackrabbits to double their 7-0 advantage.
Luckily for Sam Houston, South Dakota turned the ball over on downs, too.
Sam Houston got its chance late in the first quarter when three false-start penalties had SDSU punt the ball away. On the return, Jequez Ezzard found the end zone, but the Bearkats were called for an illegal block in the back on the return and the score was erased, setting the stage for a 7-0 South Dakota State lead to continue into the second quarter.
Ezzard made up for it early in the second quarter, putting Sam Houston on the board with a 35-yard score.
We are back in the game and still can't stop thinking about this Jequez Ezzard touchdown 🤭
The score came just before the lengthy weather delay midway through the second quarter.
Ezzard, who was the hero in the Bearkats' comeback victory against James Madison in the semifinals, scored again to cap a nine-play, 74-yard drive that left South Dakota State with just 1:21 left in the half.
But after five plays, Sam Houston got the ball back on a Quentin Brown interception.
The weather's impact on the game was noticeable, as a Sam Houston team that entered Sunday averaging 450 yards of total offense per game was limited to 164 yards in the first half.
After two incomplete passes to Ezzard on the final drive of the third, the Bearkats decided to look elsewhere and had Seth Morgan nail a 45-yard field goal to make it a 10-point lead with 12 minutes to go.
But once South Dakota finally figured him out, Schmid had little else to turn to, and the Jackrabbits nearly ran away with the win until he found Ife Adeyi in the end zone with 16 seconds left.
Isaiah Davis' Big 4th Nearly Saves South Dakota
It didn't long for the Jackrabbits to face trouble. The hero of South Dakota's story went to the sidelines on the team's opening drive.
Quarterback Mark Gronowski, who was the conference's offensive player of the year and finished second in voting for the Jerry Rice Award as the top FCS freshman, hobbled off the field after an incomplete pass.
Backup quarterback Keaton Heide saw time in 2019 but had thrown just two passes this season. He took the field on their next drive and led the team to the end zone, where Isaiah Davis had a one-yard rush to give his team the lead. Cole Frahm's kick was good for a 7-0 lead.
The Jackrabbits strike FIRST in the National Championship game 👏
Gronowski returned to the sidelines and had a headset on, marking the end of his day and putting the ball in Heide's hands.
South Dakota had the ball coming out of the lengthy weather delay midway through the second quarter, but the field goal attempt that would have put them up by three was no good.
After Sam Houston doubled its score, South Dakota had a chance to close the deficit with under two minutes to play in the half. But Heide was picked off to end the charge.
A combination of weather and losing their best passer led the Jackrabbits to just 119 total yards of offense in the half, 75 of which came on the ground.
The South Dakota State defense woke up in the third, and Don Gardner's coverage on Ezzard limited the Bearkats to a field goal, making it 17-7 with 37 seconds left in the third quarter.
With that momentum, the Jackrabbits used a five-play drive at the start of the fourth, and just as Ezzard was the star for Sam Houston, it was Davis again on a 28-yard rush that got South Dakota back in it. With a good extra point, it became a three-point game with 13:12 to play.
HE CAN'T BE STOPPED! What a run by Isaiah Davis🏃♂️💨
Strong defense from the Jackrabbits got them the ball on their own 15-yard line with six minutes left to play, and an 85-yard rush from Davis made up the difference to send the Jackrabbits to victory in their first title game.
Here's that Isaiah Davis run for a touchdown, complete with the team chasing him in celebration on the sidelines! #friscoJackspic.twitter.com/XLSiHs4hyE
