There is no doubt that March is the craziest month of the college sports calendar. But if the first weekend of December is any indication of the rest of the month, than March may be getting a challenge. The second round of the FCS playoffs were in full swing, and here is what happened over the weekend.
The one Bison fans care about
It wasn’t pretty, but the South Dakota State Jackrabbits escaped with a win. The Villanova Wildcats pushed the Jacks all the way, and it took a Chase Vinateri field goal late in the fourth. The kick was in by just inches. It ricocheted off the right upright and through. The Jacks took the lead in the first through Dallas Goedert. Villanova answered back with Alex Padovani hauling in the six yard Zach Bednarczyk. The Jacks were held to just 197 yards of total offense. This win means that the Jacks will make another trip north to Fargo for a rematch of the Dakota Marker. The Jacks won that game 19-17.
That team up North
The University of North Dakota had never lost a playoff game in the Alerus Center. It looked like it would stay that way through three quarters of their matchup with Richmond. The Spiders would put up 20 unanswered points to break the Fighting Hawks record. Griffin Trau hit an 18-yard chip shot as time expired to advance the Spiders, 27-24. Garret Hudson tied the game with an eight-yard reception with 5:24 left in the game. The Hawks led 24-7 in the third quarter.
The other MVFC team
Youngstown State got the upset at Jacksonville State. The Ohio Valley Conference champions fell for just the second time all year and for the first time at home. Bo Peleni’s team jumped to a quick start thanks to Hunter Wells’ 70-yard pass to Damoun Patterson just five minutes in. The Penguins just hit the gas after, putting up 40 points. Jody Webb ran for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 40-24 win.
No. 2 gets the job done
Central Arkansas jumped out to a 14-0 lead at Eastern Washington. The Eagles then woke and defended their nest with ease. 31 straight points meant that the top seed in the opposite side of the bracket advanced, 31-14. Quarterback Gage Gubrud threw for 449 yards and three touchdowns, adding another score on the ground. The Eagles will now host Richmond next week.
James Madison route
No. 4 James Madison quarterback Bryan Schor threw for five touchdown passes in the Dukes 55-22 drubbing of New Hampshire. The Dukes scored four touchdowns in the second quarter to distance themselves from the Wildcats. James Madison gained 567 yards in the game.
Undefeated stay that way
Sam Houston State can feel snubbed with the five seed. As the only undefeated team in FCS, they could have gotten a better draw. But Chattanooga game the Bearcats all they could handle. The Bearcats opened the game with 21 unanswered. The Mocs would tie it up a 21-21 in the third. Sam Houston held Chattanooga to field goals twice in the fourth quarter, making the final score 41-36. The Bearcats will now travel to Virginia to take on James Madison.
The other upset
Joining North Dakota and Jacksonville State in the ranked losers of the second round is The Citadel. A low scoring affair between The Citadel and Wofford. Wofford scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth to win the game 17-3. An interception return by Wofford’s Devin Watson put the game out of reach for the Terriers. They will move on to face Youngstown State in the battle of the unranked teams.