FCS Playoffs Round 2 Recap: Flipping the Script

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The second round of the FCS playoffs lived up to its billing as an exciting weekend of action. It just didn’t necessarily unfold the way many thought it would or at least a lot of it didn’t. Round two was historic in a lot of ways for several different squads. From a thrilling finish in what turned out to be a eye-opening upset in North Dakota to a dominant shutout in Georgia, the weekend that was in the subdivision made folks do a double take. Here’s how it all went down and where it leaves us heading into the final eight.

Illinois State Stuns #1 NDSU

In what turned out to be one of the all time playoff shockers, unseeded Illinois State upended #1 overall North Dakota State on the road. With 15 points scored in the final three minutes, ISU sent the perennial national title contender packing in its own building. It is only the second time ever NDSU has suffered a home postseason loss (the other coming to now-FBS James Madison in the 2016 semifinals) since moving to the FCS and, for the first time in six years the Redbirds will head to the quarterfinals.

It took everything Tommy Rittenhouse and company had in Fargo and then some to pull off the upset. North Dakota State looked as though it might roll early as it opened up a 14-0 first quarter lead thanks to a big 52-yard punt return touchdown from Jackson Williams. From there, though, the tides began to turn for the Redbirds. Victor Dawson broke free on a long 69-yard scoring run and then, following an ugly pick six from Rittenhouse, receiver Daniel Sobkowicz brought in a TD pass to make it 21-14 at the break. It would be the first of three scoring grabs Sobkowicz would make on the day.

The turnover troubles continued to plague Rittenhouse into the second half when he threw his fourth pick of the day. NDSU capitalized and made it 28-14 shortly after. From that point on, though, Illinois State was able to capture the momentum. Between Bison quarterback Cole Payton going down with a hand injury late and the Redbirds defense making some key stops when they needed it most, NDSU found itself on the wrong side of a ISU surge. Rittenhouse connected with Sobkowicz with just over a minute play on a play that appeared as though it would tie the game at 28 apiece. Instead of going for the tie, though, Illinois State went for the jugular and went for two. Fullback Scotty Presson Jr. snagged the pass that put ISU up 29-28.

It was an unfamiliar position for the Bison to be trailing late and without Payton in, they were unable to overcome it. With just seven seconds left, backup signal caller Nathan Hayes tried a fourth down pass to RaJa Nelson but the Illinois State defense held. A stunned Fargodome fell silent as the Redbirds erupted in celebration.

For the first time since 2009, NDSU will not compete in the quarterfinals of the playoffs while Illinois State will move on. Rittenhouse, in spite of five interceptions, still overcame his mistakes and threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns, all of which went to Sobkowicz. Dawson ran for 137 yards as well and the ISU defense completely handled the North Dakota State offense, holding them to under 200 total yards on the day.

The improbable win is Illinois State’s first over North Dakota State in regular or postseason play dating all the way back to 2010 and it will guarantee that there will be a new FCS champion this year. The Redbirds will hit the road for the the third straight week to take on ___ in the quarterfinals.

Montana State Survives Yale Upset Bid

The Ivy League champions brought everything they had in their arsenal to Bozeman on Saturday and gave the #2-seeded Bobcats quite the scare on their home turf. Still, in the end, Montana State ended up escaping with the 21-13 win but it did not come without its share of drama. A late-game exchange between head coach Brent Vigen and MSU running back Julius Davis capped a weird and sluggish day for the Bobcats offense which struggled at times. Still, a win is a win, and Montana State is headed to the quarterfinals for the fifth time in the last seven seasons.

The Bulldogs got another big day from running back Josh Pitsenberger who ran for 124 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Dante Reno threw for 198 yards and a score as well but was plagued with two interceptions, one of which went to Big Sky Defensive MVP Caden Dowler. Dowler, a junior safety for MSU, now has five picks in his last four games. Reno, though, still outdueled Bobcats quarterback Justin Lamson who only threw for 92 yards and had no scores.

Montana State took a slim 7-0 lead into halftime as Yale’s defense was playing lights out for the first 30 minutes. In the second half, however, MSU opened up a 14-0 lead thanks to Davis who scampered in from three yards out. The Bulldogs would not get on the board until the fourth quarter but when they did, they would score 13 points in the final frame. The ‘Cats put the game away late with a 33-yard touchdown run from Adam Jones and a big sack from Hunter Parsons on Yale’s last drive.

MSU will stay home for the quarterfinals where it will welcome in 7-seed Stephen F. Austin on Friday night. Yale sees its impressive season end at 9-3 overall.

South Dakota Eviscerates #6 Mercer47-0

In what many thought might be the game of the weekend, South Dakota surprised everyone by delivering an absolute beatdown of Mercer in Macon on Saturday afternoon. The Bears came in flying high after wrapping up their second straight outright SoCon championship and having freshman quarterback Braden Atkinson be named the 2025 Jerry Rice Award recipient. None of that mattered, though, the Coyotes defense who blanked Atkinson and the Mercer offense.

The USD defense tormented Atkinson all afternoon, forcing four interceptions. Defensive back Mikey Munn came down with two of those picks and had two tackles. On the other side, both ‘Yotes quarterback Aiden Bouman and running backs L.J. Phillips Jr. and Carson Fletcher put up gawdy numbers. Bouman completed 13 of his 18 pass attempts for 241 yards and two TDs while the duo of running backs each went for over 100 yards. Phillips found the end zone twice.

The only real strong performance Mercer had was a 105-yard showing from its running back C.J. Miller. Atkinson only threw for 148 yards and had a staggering 21 incompletions. Brayden Smith led the Bears receivers with 42 yards on three catches. The South Dakota defense turned the Bears away on third down seven times throughout the game and made two fourth down stops to boot. It was the most lopsided victory of the season for USD and was just the second loss to an FCS opponent Mercer had this year.

South Dakota will travel again next weekend for a date with #3 Montana on Saturday.

Montana Blows Out SDSU

A lot of folks thought that South Dakota State would be able to roll into Missoula and give Montana one of its biggest challenges of the season. The #3 Griz, however, had different plans and easily dispatched SDSU to the tune of 50-29 in front of their home crowd. After having their last two seasons end at the hands of those same Jackrabbits, the Grizzlies turned things around and dominated the Jacks.

It was the visitors that would jump out to a 14-6 advantage by the end of the first quarter. A long 95-yard touchdown pass from Chase Mason to Grahm Goering got things started for SDSU and then a one-yard run from Mason later in the opening frame made it seem like the Jackrabbits were picking up right where they left off last week against UNH. After giving up those two scores, though, Montana’s defense would lock down and not let Mason and company get points again until the fourth quarter.

UM quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat ended up throwing for 360 yards and four touchdowns and no picks while star running back Eli Gillman ran for another 135 yards and two TDs. It marked Gillman’s seventh game this season in which he’s hit the century mark. Griz everything man Michael Wortham also had a big day, accounting for 113 receiving yards and a score. Wortham also completed a throw and ran the ball six times for 22 yards. In total the Montana offense put up 552 yards.

South Dakota State did not have nearly enough to keep pace with everything UM was able to do offensively. The Jackrabbits did get 356 passing yards from Mason but he also threw two interceptions. Both Goering and Alex Bullock went for over 100 yards but they only had one score between them. The Jacks’ season will end at 9-5 overall while Montana improves to 12-1 on the year. The Grizzlies will host the other team from South Dakota on Saturday when they welcome in the Coyotes.

Villanova Gets By Lehigh in Low-Scoring Road Tilt

So much ado was made about Lehigh and its perfect 12-0 regular season and yet, when push came to shove, it was 12-seeded Villanova that prevailed in the second round showdown between the two Pennsylvania schools on Saturday in Lower Saucon. The Mountain Hawks defense did a good job slowing down a ‘Nova offense that dropped 52 points a week ago. Their own offense, though, was rendered almost completely inept. The only score they got all day was a third-quarter touchdown run from Aaron Crossley.

It was a scoreless first half as each offense struggled to get any traction going. For fifth-seeded Lehigh both quarterback Hayden Johnson and running back Luke Yoder were held in check. For Villanova the story was much of the same as signal caller Pat McQuaid was unable to produce much of anything through the first 30 minutes. Ja’breil Mace, too, was thwarted on the ground and the game hit the break at a 0-0 tie.

It was the Mountain Hawks that broke the scoring drought but after they got their TD from Crossley, they did nothing else. The defense broke just enough and allowed the Wildcats to get touchdowns from both Mace and then wideout Braden Reed. That was all ‘Nova would end up needing as it closed out Lehigh 14-7 to advance to the quarterfinals for the second time in the last three seasons. They will take on Tarleton State on the road next Saturday.

Lehigh sees its incredible 2025 season come to a screeching halt after an unblemished regular season. Head coach Kevin Cahill just won the coveted Eddie Robinson Award last week but for the second year in a row, the team will bow out in the second round.

Tarleton State Handles UND

The Texans have won their second ever playoff game and, for the first time ever, they are in the Elite Eight of the FCS playoffs. TSU handled business against North Dakota and finds itself further than it has ever been in the postseason in its second year making the tournament. UND could not contain Tarleton State quarterback Victor Gabalis who threw for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns. The only real success the Hawks had against Gabalis was a Bennett Walker interception.

For all TSU did well through the air, they also had a solid day on the ground. Running back Tylan Hines got 28 carries for 120 yards and the team as a whole rushed for 145. Meanwhile for North Dakota, the leading rusher was signal caller Jerry Kaminski. Kaminski, who had to exit last week’s game, had no touchdowns throwing and tossed a pair of picks to the Texans defense.

Tarleton State never really had to sweat in this one as they opened up a 3-0 first quarter lead and never looked back. They held UND to just 112 passing yards and allowed 13 first downs all afternoon. The win keeps their home record in tact at a perfect 7-0 this year and that’s where they’ll remain for the quarterfinal bout with Villanova on Saturday. North Dakota’s season ends with an 8-6 overall mark.

SFA Outlasts Abilene Christian

Stephen F. Austin is headed to its first quarterfinal game since 2009 with a narrow home win over UAC champion Abilene Christian. It was the second time SFA faced this Wildcats squad this fall and this time… unlike their September matchup… the Lumberjacks came out on top. Sam Vidlak was on fire, throwing for 357 yards and three touchdowns. For all he did well, though, ACU was able to continually answer making for the most back-and-forth game of the weekend.

The Wildcats got three scoring runs from Jordan Vaughn, two of which came back-to-back in the second quarter to ensure the game was knotted up at 17 all come halftime. SFA, however, regained the lead coming out of the break with a four-yard touchdown run from Jerrell Wimbley. ACU would again have a response when quarterback Stone Earle scampred in from 17 yards out.

Wimbley and Vaughn would trade scoring runs after that but it would be Stephen F. Austin that took a late lead with a nice touchdown throw from Vidlak to standout receiver Kylon Harris. That score would give the Lumberjacks the edge it would not relinquish. A field goal from Jacob Hand would put the icing on the cake for SFA as they went on to win 41-34.

Stephen F. Austin survived ten penalties and got it done despite losing the time of possession battle by almost a ten-minute margin. Abilene Christian got three touchdowns from Vaughn but none from Earle through the air. It is the Wildcats’ first loss since mid October. They will see their season end in the second round in back-to-back years. SFA now has an 11-game wining streak and will travel to Montana State on Friday night.

UC Davis Topple Rhode Island 47-26

For the second year in a row, UC Davis is quarterfinal bound. The Aggies bested CAA champion Rhode Island on Saturday night behind a five-touchdown performance from freshman quarterback Caden Pinnick. Pinnick also accounted for 376 total yards in the decisive victory but it was not one in which the Rams went away quietly despite what the final score might indicate.

Some early Aggies mistakes allowed Rhody to keep it close for a while. Pinnick tossed a pick on his second drive to Trey Lubin then, on the next possession, UC Davis kicker Hunter Ridley missed on a 33-yard field goal try. The Rams would get touchdowns on their ensuing three possessions to take a 20-18 lead into the half. Back-to-back scoring runs from Antwain Littleton Jr. and a long touchdown snag from receiver Marquise Buchanan had the Aggies on potential upset alert.

After halftime, though, UC Davis turned it on. Two plays into their first series of the third quarter, running back Jordan Fisher broke free on a 50-yard touchdown run that gave the Aggies the lead for good. Rhode Island would only score one more time while UC Davis stormed out to a commanding 47-26 win. Fisher would finish the day with 140 yards on the ground while receiver Samuel Gbatu Jr. would end with four catches for 121 yards. Zach Jones hauled in two TDs for the Aggies as well.

For Rhode Island, quarterback Devin Farrell threw for nearly 300 yards and has a pair of scores as well but he and the Rams offense could not ultimately keep pace. Penalties were also an issue as Rhody was flagged ten times for a total of 57 yards. The Rams season ends at 11-3 overall while UC Davis, as the 8-seed, will host Illinois State next Saturday.

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