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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.
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:
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.
Youngstown State director of player personnel Tim Johnson will no longer be permitted to stand on the sidelines during the spring football season following an incident with a Northern Iowa player on Saturday.
The school and the Missouri Valley Football Conference announced the discipline on Monday.
"I apologize to UNI, Youngstown State, the Missouri Valley Football Conference and our community for what occurred on Saturday," Johnson said in a statement. "As a member of the YSU Football staff, my actions are held in high regard and that should have never occurred. Again, I deeply apologize to all who have been impacted by my actions."
As Sam Cooper of Yahoo Sports noted, Northern Iowa's Quan Hampton caught a pass and headed toward the sidelines, where Johnson appeared to lean in with his shoulder and knock the pass-catcher to the ground.
Hampton remained in the game and helped lead his team to a 21-0 victory.
Johnson was a linebacker at Youngstown State and played for the Chicago Bears, Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Ravens during his NFL career. He also played professionally in the Canadian Football League.
This is his first season as a member of Youngstown State's football staff.
The Penguins are 0-2 in the spring season and will face Southern Illinois this coming Saturday.
Former North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance declared for the 2021 NFL draft Tuesday, per Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel.
Lance made his decision after North Dakota State announced in August it would not play football in the fall and would attempt to hold the season in the spring.
"It's a little bit mind-boggling for me," he told Thamel. "It's been a heck of a ride for the last year. I've learned a ton, I've grown a ton as a person and a football player. I honestly have to give all the credit to the guys around me, to the strength staff and coaching staff and guys I've played with."
Lance added that it "was the hardest decision I ever had to make in my life, without a doubt."
The Missouri Valley Football Conference postponed its season to the spring amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bison did end up playing one game, beating Central Arkansas 39-28 on Saturday. Lance finished 15-of-30 for 149 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
Lance was already considered one of the top players in the 2021 NFL draft class. He was rated No. 4 overall by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller in his initial big board. The Minnesota native joins Clemson's Trevor Lawrence as the top quarterbacks available.
Even with just one full season playing at the college level, Lance was incredible as a redshirt freshman in 2019 while leading the Bison to an FCS championship.
The 6'4" quarterback finished last year with 2,786 passing yards and 28 touchdowns with zero interceptions in 16 games. He also added 1,100 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
In the FCS Championship Game, Lance took over with 160 rushing yards to lead his team to a win over James Madison.
While some will question the numbers versus weaker competition, the quarterback has impressed scouts with both his physical and mental abilities on the field.
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network compared Lance to Andrew Luck as a prospect, noting both had good athleticism and impressive maturity.
"More than anything else, these are two guys who exude confidence on the field," Jeremiah wrote. "They are fearless, but they avoid being reckless. That's a very delicate balance."
Considering he was just a freshman last year, there is still room for the talented player to grow.
The question for NFL teams is whether he has done enough to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft or close to it.
A limited amount of game tape against mostly inferior competition and what is in effect a whole year off could create too many question marks for teams trying to invest in a franchise quarterback. It puts more pressure on the predraft workouts for one of the most intriguing prospects in years.
North Dakota State's Trey Lance is one of the quarterbacks to watch during the 2020 college football season (assuming there is one amid the COVID-19 pandemic).
And despite playing for a smaller school, Lance is already garnering big comparisons. The NFL Network's draft guru, Daniel Jeremiah, sees a lot of Andrew Luck in Lance's game:
"I know Luck is a little bit bigger, but they are similar athletes and they both played with a maturity beyond their age at the collegiate level. I remember watching Luck run over defenders. I also remember being so impressed with his ability to execute on key plays in every game. I see the same things when I study Lance. More than anything else, these are two guys who exude confidence on the field. They are fearless, but they avoid being reckless. That's a very delicate balance. Luck was on his way to a Hall of Fame career before shocking the football world and retiring a year ago. I don't have quite the same grade on Lance, but he could get there with continued growth and development."
Lance has good size for the position (6'3", 224 lbs) and had an excellent 2019 season, throwing for 2,786 yards, 28 touchdowns and zero interceptions while completing 66.9 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 scores.
Those are massive numbers on their own. But don't ignore that North Dakota State has also become something of a burgeoning quarterback factory in recent years. Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Carson Wentz is an NDSU alum. So is Los Angeles Chargers' fifth-round pick Easton Stick.
And Jeremiah isn't alone in being high on Lance:
Comparing him to Luck is major praise. Before shocking the world by retiring before the age of 30, Luck was a four-time Pro Bowler who had thrown for 4,593 yards, 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 2018, completing 67.3 percent of his passes.
If Lance ends up being anything close to Luck, he'll have had a successful career and made an organization very happy. For now, of course, he has to prove his superb 2019 season wasn't a fluke.
President Donald Trump once again has served fast food to a championship college football team.
The North Dakota State football team was invited to the White House Monday to celebrate its FCS championship—its seventh in the last eight years—and the players were treated to a mix of McDonald's and Chick-fil-A food:
This came nearly two months after the Clemson Tigers were also treated to fast food at the White House after winning the FBS championship.
Trump reportedly paid for the meal in January himself with the government in the midst of a shutdown, although that wasn't an issue this time around.
According to Tom Schad of USA Today, the president personally chose the fast food instead of a meal prepared by chefs.
The North Dakota State Bison football team is scheduled to visit President Donald Trump at the White House after winning the FCS football championship for the seventh time in eight years.
According to TMZ Sports, North Dakota Republican Senator John Hoeven contacted Trump to set up the invite.
"With NDSU's history of excellence, it is only fitting that they be honored at the White House," Hoeven said. "And we look forward to working with the President to coordinate the visit."
NDSU will follow Clemson, which visited the White House in January after beating Alabama for the FBS national title.
As part of the visit, Clemson football players and coaches were served a fast food feast amid the federal government shutdown.
The Bison have dominated the FCS scene for the past several years, and their 38-24 win over Eastern Washington in the 2018 title game helped them break a tie with Georgia Southern for the most FCS national titles in history.
North Dakota State will be honored for its achievements with a trip to the White House at a yet-to-be-determined date, but it is unclear if head coach Chris Klieman will be part of the celebration since he made the jump to Kansas State to replace Bill Snyder.
