By Todd Epp
May 5, 2021 | 11:18 AM
BROOKINGS, S.D. (KELO.com) South Dakota State University will make its third appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in the last four seasons this Saturday against Delaware.
State is looking to get over the semifinal hump after dropping a 51-16 decision at James Madison in 2017, followed by a 44-21 setback at North Dakota State in 2018.
Delaware, which received the Colonial Athletic Association’s automatic bid into the 16-team playoff field, holds a 7-0 record this season, including playoff victories over Sacred Heart and fourth-seeded Jacksonville State.
Kickoff at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium is set for 11 a.m. this Saturday. Coverage on KELO Radio begins at 10 a.m.
University of North Dakota logo.
James Madison extended their home playoff winning streak to 11 straight following a 34-21 win over North Dakota in the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals on Sunday night.
JMU running back Percy Agyei-Obese rushed for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Dukes (7-0 overall) will play at Sam Houston in the semifinals on Saturday.
Cole Johnson added 251 yards passing and 2 touchdowns for JMU.
Moorhead native Otis Weah rushed for 96 yards and 1 touchdown for UND, while Tommy Schuster passed for 213 yards and 2 interceptions.
The Fighting Hawks finish the spring season 5-2 overall.
BOX SCORE
JMU 10 10 7 7 34
SCORING PLAYS
JMU 3 UND 0 – Ethan Ratke made a 43-yard field goal with 10:49 left in the first quarter.
North Dakota State University logo.
North Dakota State’s spring season came to a close on Sunday with a 24-20 loss against Sam Houston in the quarterfinal round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
The Bearkats scored 10 points off 3 Bison turnovers and limited NDSU to a season-low 229 yards of offense from Elliott T. Bowers Stadium.
Sam Houston quarterback Eric Schmid passed for 227 yards and 1 touchdown while adding 36 yards rushing and 1 touchdown.
Cam Miller went 7-of-18 for 90 yards passing and 2 interceptions for NDSU.
Sam Houston (8-0 overall) will host James Madison or North Dakota in the semifinals.
NDSU (7-3 overall) fails to make the semifinals for the first time since the 2010 postseason.
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The Bison are the national power in the Football Championship Subdivision, having won eight of the last nine titles, including the last three. NDSU hasn t been its typical dominant self this season, which included an October game against Central Arkansas that was Lance s final appearance with the team.
One of those defeats was against South Dakota State by a 27-17 score two weeks ago. The Bison also lost to Southern Illinois.
Here s a look at the Minnesota connections of the three border teams:
North Dakota
Players to watch
Few running backs in FCS were better this season than Otis Weah of Moorhead. He was named First Team All-MVFC after averaging 7.1 yards per carry and 105.7 yards per game over eight contests with eight touchdowns. Weah had 13 carries for 64 yards and a score in North Dakota s 44-10 win over Missouri Valley State in the first round of the playoffs.