(STATS) – For the FCS semifinals, it’s all come back to what’s been the three best conferences in the last decade.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference – still the premier conference – is guaranteed a national finalist for the eighth straight season after rivals North Dakota State and South Dakota State won quarterfinals to set up a rematch in the semifinals.
CAA Football Maine also advanced out of the quarterfinals and will face Eastern Washington, which won an all-Big Sky quarterfinal over UC Davis
The last 10 national champions have come out of the three conferences, including NDSU with six titles. Next weekend’s survivors will face off in the championship game Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas.
Here’s a review of each quarterfinal-round game and a lookahead to the semifinals:
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No. 7 seed Maine (10-3) 23, No. 2 seed Weber State (10-3) 18=
Story Line: Behind a powerful defensive effort that forced four interceptions in the second half, the Black Bears clawed their way into the FCS semifinals for the first time. Quarterback Chris Ferguson threw a pair of touchdowns in less than a four-minute span of the second and third quarters.
Game Ball: The “Black Hole” defense featured many standout performances from defensive end Kayon Whitaker (pressure up front) to linebacker Sterling Sheffield (six tackles, including three for loss) to cornerback Manny Patterson (six tackles, interceptions). Strong safety Jeff DeVaughn had two of the four interceptions and the unit combined on 13 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Key Stat: Weber State entered with a 100-yard rusher in five straight games and a 152-yard average overall, but the Black Bears limited the Wildcats to negative-1 yard on the ground. Running backs Treshawn Garrett and Josh Davis managed 28 yards on 21 carries.
Up Next: Maine will make a second straight trip out to Big Sky country to face Eastern Washington in the semifinals. The Black Bears are battled-tested, having played eight road games and posting a 7-0 record against ranked opponents. Their size and physical play at the line of scrimmage could trouble the more finesse Eagles.
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No. 1 seed North Dakota State (13-0) 35, No. 8 seed Colgate (10-2) 0=
Story Line: The Bison posted their first playoff shutout since 2011 and 19th straight victory, moving within two wins of a record seventh FCS championship. They were business as usual as Easton Stick threw three touchdown passes and the defense limited Colgate to 157 yards.
Game Ball: Colgate entered the game ranked No. 1 in the FCS in scoring defense and total defense, but Stick ran the NDSU attack with precision, finishing 14 of 19 for 205 yards and scoring passes to tight end Ben Ellefson and wide receivers Darrius Sheppard and Phoenix Sproles.
Key Stats: First downs were a decided difference with NDSU tripling Colgate 21-7. While the Missouri Valley Conference power was a combined 8 of 14 on third- and fourth-down conversions, the visitors from the Patriot League were 1 of 15.
Up Next: NDSU will host MVFC rival South Dakota State in the semifinals, having eliminated the Jackrabbits in the playoffs in 2012, ’14 and ’16. The Bison’s 21-17 win over the Jackrabbits on Sept. 29 was their closest game of the season. They trailed early in the fourth quarter until Stick scored on a 5-yard run.
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No. 5 seed South Dakota State (10-2) 27, No. 4 seed Kennesaw State (11-2) 17=
Story Line: In a game played in heavy rain, South Dakota State built a 20-3 lead and withstood a Kennesaw State comeback, putting the game away on quarterback Taryn Christion’s 15-yard touchdown run up the middle with 2:22 left. The Owls played the second half without quarterback Chandler Burks, the two-time Big South offensive player of the year, because of an injury.
Game Ball: With the Jackrabbits unaccustomed to facing a triple option offense, SDSU junior linebacker Christian Rozeboom came up huge with 14 tackles (10 solos) – twice as many as anybody else in the game. He had three tackles for loss and forced a fumble. He moved into second place on the school’s career tackles chart with 353.
Key Stats: While Kennesaw State outgained SDSU 418-308, the Jackrabbbits got it right in the Owls’ red zone – a perfect 5-for-5, including three touchdowns. They have scored in 25 straight quarterfinals and 44 of 48 quarters – plus an overtime session – this season.
Up Next: The Jackrabbits have their shot at North Dakota State in the semifinals. Since 2011, and the first of NDSU’s six FCS titles, coach John Stiegelmeier’s Jackrabbits are the only team to beat the Bison twice – in the 2016 and ’17 regular seasons. No player commands NDSU’s respect quite like Christion, who’s played well in their matchups.
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No. 3 seed Eastern Washington (11-2) 34, No. 6 seed UC Davis (10-3) 29=
Story Line: Sam McPherson raced in on a game-winning 35-yard run with 26 seconds left, only 47 seconds after UC Davis’ Ulonzo Gilliam scored his third touchdown and Namane Modise took a pitch in for a two-point conversion to give the Aggies a 29-28 lead.
Game Ball: On a veteran-laden EWU offense, redshirt sophomore quarterback Eric Barriere, who took over in the sixth game, might be able to call it his after a heroic effort. He completed 21 of 25 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, adding one touchdown run. He also had a pivotal 29-yard scramble to start the Eagles’ game-winning drive.
Key Stat: UC Davis committed four turnovers to EWU’s one. The two teams remained tied at 14 going into halftime after the Aggies skipped an easy field-goal attempt to run a trick play on the final play of the half. Wide receiver Darius Livingston, lined up in the backfield, was intercepted in the end zone by Eagles linebacker Chris Ojoh.
Up Next: Eastern Washington will host Maine in the semifinals, seeking to get back to the championship game for the first time since its national title season in 2010. The Eagles hosted a semifinal in 2016, falling to Youngstown State 40-38 on a touchdown with one second remaining. Second-year coach Aaron Best was an assistant at the time.
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