FCS Quarterfinals Recap

Photo Courtesy of Albany Football's X account @UAlbanyFootball

Furman 28 at Montana 35 OT

Many believed that Furman was heading to Missoula to get steamrolled by a very hot Montana squad in weather conditions that they would not be able to handle. Someone forgot to tell the Paladins. This was the quarterfinal game of the weekend. Through four quarters of play every time The Griz would score, Furman had an answer. In overtime they were unable to respond to the 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Clifton McDowell to Keelan White as Montana scored the victory in the extra stanza. 

The senior McDowell was great in this game. He threw for 218 yards and also ran for another 118 yards. However, it was a junior who became a national star in this game. Junior Bergen, the Griz receiver from Billings Montana, returned two kicks for touchdowns. The first was a 99-yard return on the opening kickoff of the game. The second was a 59 yard punt return in the fourth quarter that put Montana back on top and had the Griz faithful going bananas in the stands. Montana will have one more opportunity to defend home turf as they welcome in the Bison of North Dakota State on Saturday afternoon December 16th at 4:30 pm ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Villanova 12 at South Dakota State 23

The Jacks looked like they were overlooking Villanova and the Wildcats came out and tried to take full advantage. Midway through the second quarter Villanova held a 6-3 lead over the defending champions before the Jacks decided to lock in. From there they outscored the Wildcats 20-6. They scored a touchdown in each quarter which included an Isaiah Davis 66-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to put the lead back to double digits after a Villanova field goal made it a five-point game. The Wildcats were unable to find the endzone again as the fourth quarter just became the Jacks bleeding away the clock. 

The South Dakota State defense was once again suffocating. They only allowed 219 total yards and six completions on 18 pass attempts. Davis put the offense on his back. He carried the ball 27 times for 192 yards. He also had two of quarterback Mark Granowski’s 11 completions for 24 yards. They will welcome in the white hot Albany Great Danes Friday night December 15th at 7pm ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+. They better not sleep on that East Coast squad or the results may look drastically different.

North Dakota State 45 at South Dakota 17

Over the past decade the only team that has shown the ability to beat the Bison twice in one season is the Jack Rabbits of South Dakota State. That fact remains as South Dakota was knocked down with a 21-3 first quarter haymaker and was never able to get off the mat. The Bison followed it up with two more touchdowns in the second quarter and the second half was a mere formality. The Bison walked into the Dakota Dome and dominated the Coyotes in front of a packed house of over nine thousand in what turned out to be the least competitive game of the weekend. 

The Bison defense forced three turnovers and held the ‘Yotes to under 300 total yards and two touchdowns. Both Bison quarterbacks took center stage in the victory. Incumbent Cam Miller paced the passing offense with another economical and efficient performance throwing the ball. He completed 13 of his 15 attempts for 210 yards and a touchdown. His sophomore backup Cole Payton led the ground game rushing for 65 yards and two touchdowns on six carries. As a team the Bison rushed for 206 yards and four touchdowns. The Bison will travel to Missoula for a semifinal showdown with the Griz that will be in front of a crown over twice as big as they faced in Vermilion. 

Albany 30 at Idaho 22

The Vandals led the game for three quarters. After the first quarter Idaho was led 10-7 thanks to a 45-yard Ricardo Chavez field goal. The second quarter both teams exchanged touchdowns, First was a five-yard run by Idaho running back Anthony Woods. That was answered by a 39-yard touchdown reception by Brevin Easton from Albany quarterback Reese Poffenbarger. The third quarter was a defensive struggle. A 24-yard Chavez field goal was the only points on the board and Idaho led by five points entering the fourth. In the final quarter Albany scored 16 points in a row to take a commanding 30-19 lead. A Griffin Woodall 29-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds remaining in the game put the game out of reach for the East Coast visitors. 

Poffenbarger outdueled Vandals quarterback Gevani McCoy. He finished the game with 341 yards and three touchdowns, all of which went to Easton who also finished with 228 yards. Woodall led the Great Danes rushing attack with 98 yards and a touchdown. The Danes will be on the road once again next week when they travel to take on the defending champion South Dakota State Jackrabbits They will be extremely live underdogs after the way the Jacks looked in their game against Villanova.