FCS Playoffs 2021: Dates, Schedule, Teams, Bracket and More
Nov 28, 2021
HARRISONBURG, VA - May 02: A view of the NCAA FCS logo on the sidelines during the second half of the NCAA Division I FCS Football Championship Quarterfinal game between the James Madison Dukes and the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Bridgeforth Stadium on May 2, 2021 in Harrisonburg, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Saturday marked the first day of the FCS playoffs, with eight games across the country setting things up for a second round next weekend that will bring the top eight teams in the rankings into the fold.
Defending champion Sam Houston State is the No. 1 overall seed in this year's tournament. The Bearkats finished the regular season 10-0 and have won 21 straight games overall dating back to November 2019.
No. 2 North Dakota State (10-1) will be seeking its ninth national title since 2011. The Bison lost to Sam Houston State in the quarterfinals of last year's playoffs, ending their quest for a fourth consecutive title.
Looking ahead to the second round of the playoffs, here's a recap of Saturday's first-round results and the upcoming schedule.
Holy Cross (10-2) vs. No. 5 Villanova (9-2), Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. ET
Eastern Washington (10-2) vs. No. 6 Montana (9-2), Dec. 3 at 9 p.m. ET
Kennesaw State (11-1) vs. No. 7 East Tennessee State (10-1), Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. ET
Southeastern Louisiana (9-3) vs. No. 3 James Madison (10-1), Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. ET
Incarnate Word (10-2) vs. No. 1 Sam Houston State (10-0), Dec. 4 at 3 p.m. ET
Southern Illinois (8-4) vs. No. 2 North Dakota State (10-1), Dec. 4 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Tennessee-Martin (10-2) vs. No. 8 Montana State (9-2), Dec. 4 at 4 p.m. ET
South Dakota State (9-3) vs. No. 4 Sacramento State (9-2), Dec. 4 at 9 p.m. ET
Preview
Sam Houston State and North Dakota State could be on a collision course to the title game, but the path to that point is going include several major obstacles.
ESPN's Bill Connelly has No. 3 James Madison with the second favorite to reach the championship game thanks in part to ranking in the top 20 in both offense and defense:
The Dukes fell by a single point to Villanova in October and responded by winning their last six games by an average of 38-13. Before they head off to the Sun Belt, can they win their second national title in six years? In terms of high-level offense and defense, they might be the most balanced team in the country.
The Bison are a favorite to reach the title game, according to Connelly, but they haven't been a juggernaut all year. They only beat North Dakota by six points and Missouri State by seven points. Their lone defeat was against South Dakota State on Nov. 6.
It's certainly hard to bet against North Dakota State given its success this season and its reputation. The program has won eight of the past 10 national titles.
Since Cam Miller took over as the Bison's starting quarterback on Oct. 30 against Indiana State, the offense has scored at least 44 points in three of four games. Opponents have scored a total of 70 points during that span.
Sam Houston State has really only been tested twice this season. in back-to-back games against Central Arkansas (45-35) and Stephen F. Austin (21-20).
In six games since that close call against Stephen F. Austin in Week 2, the Bearkats have beaten their opponents by an average of 29.3 points per contest.
Saturday's game against Incarnate Word is the first time Sam Houston State has played an opponent ranked in the FCS Top 25 since the opener against Central Arkansas.
If there's a potential spoiler in the field, No. 5 Villanova has a ceiling on offense that can cause a lot of problems for opposing defenses. Rayjoun Pringle averaged 20.2 yards per reception and caught seven touchdown passes during the regular season.
Jaaron Hayek led the Wildcats with 37 receptions and eight touchdowns in 11 games. Quarterback Daniel Smith and running backs Jalen Jackson and Justin Covington combined for 1,484 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns.
Villanova has two losses this season, with one coming against Penn State, 38-17, at Beaver Stadium on Sept. 25. Its other defeat came against William & Mary, 31-18, on Oct. 30.
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
