FCS Second-Round Playoff
The Matchup – Duquesne (9-3) at No. 5 seed South Dakota State (8-2) at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium (19,360) in Brookings, South Dakota
Kickoff – 3 p.m. ET
Coverage – ESPN3
Series – Tied 1-1 (last meeting: South Dakota State won 51-13 at home on Aug. 31, 2017)
3 Players to Watch – Duquesne: RB A.J. Hines (256 carries, 1,499 yards, 15 TDs), WR Nehari Crawford (67 receptions, 1,017 yards, 10 TDs), LB Brett Zanotto (86 tackles, 6 TFL, 2 PBU); South Dakota State: QB Taryn Christion (163 of 270, 2,549 yards, 28 TDs, 6 INTs), WR Cade Johnson (52 receptions, 1,072 yards, 15 TDs), LB Christian Rozeboom (73 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2 INTs)
The Skinny – These teams are familiar with each other after facing off in their 2017 season opener in Brookings. Duquesne earned its first playoff win and just the second in Northeast Conference history by downing Towson 31-10 in the opening round last Saturday. Hines, the NEC offensive player of the year, has averaged 182 rushing yards and 218 yards from scrimmage with 11 TDs during a six-game winning streak. QB Daniel Parr, a Florida Atlantic transfer, has thrown 20 TDs, often looking for Crawford when the Dukes are in the red zone. CB Jonathant Istache broke up three passes against Towson, giving him 18 passes defended this season. South Dakota State is 6-0 at home. Similar to Hines, Missouri Valley Football Conference freshman of the year Pierre Strong Jr. has been a roll, needing just 40 carries to rack up 577 yards and eight TDs in the last three games. But it all starts with Christion, who holds conference records for total offense (12,263 yards), passing yards (10,892) and TD passes (97) in a career. He directs an offense that has only seven turnovers, the third-fewest in the nation. Chase Vinatieri kicked a 57-yard field goal indoors at UNI – the longest in the FCS this season.
Up Next – The winner will play either Wofford (9-3) or No. 4 seed Kennesaw State (10-1) in the quarterfinals Dec. 7 or 8.
Prediction – Duquesne is playing with home money after a stirring road win in the first round. A rested Jackrabbits squad will simply score too many points. South Dakota State, 38-17.
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