FCS Playoffs 2014: Round 2 Results, Quarterfinals Schedule and Bracket Update

Even though the eyes of most college football fans are on conference championship games, the Football Championship Subdivision is busy settling its champion the old-fashioned way: tournament style. 

The second round of the 2014 FCS playoffs took place on Saturday with eight games around the country, including top-ranked New Hampshire. Even though the Wildcats are the No. 1 seed, all eyes are focused on North Dakota State. 

The Bison, who have grown in popularity thanks to ESPN's College GameDay taking its show to Fargo, have won three consecutive titles and are looking to break a tie with Appalachian State as the only schools to win four straight FCS championships.  

Here's a look back at the action from the second round of the FCS playoffs and a look at the bracket heading into the quarterfinal round next week. 

Matchup	Final Score
No. 1 New Hampshire def. Fordham	44-19
No. 8 Chattanooga def. Indiana State	35-14
No. 5 Illinois State def. Northern Iowa	41-21
No. 7 Coastal Carolina def. Richmond	36-18
Sam Houston State def. No. 3 Jacksonville State	37-26
No. 2 North Dakota State def. South Dakota State	27-24
No. 6 Villanova def. Liberty	29-22
No. 4 Eastern Washington def. Montana	37-20

Matchup	Location
No. 1 New Hampshire vs. No. 8 Chattanooga	Cowell Stadium (Durham, NH)
No. 4 Eastern Washington vs. No. 5 Illinois State	Roos Field (Cheney, WA)
No. 2 North Dakota State vs. No. 7 Coastal Carolina	Fargodome (Fargo, ND)
No. 6 Villanova vs. Sam Houston State	Villanova Stadium (Villanova, PA)

Round 2 Recap

BRUCE CRUMMY/Associated Press

The best game of the day took place in Fargo, as North Dakota State got a late touchdown pass from Carson Wentz to RJ Urzendowski to secure a 27-24 victory against the rivals from South Dakota State. The thrilling nature of the game isn't a surprise, as these two schools have built a tremendous rivalry. 

The Bison had their backs up against the wall on that final touchdown drive. Their defense a go-ahead touchdown pass with just over three minutes to play. Wentz is in his first year as the starting quarterback for North Dakota State, so you never know what can happen in this situation. 

With less than one minute to play and the length of the field to go, South Dakota State's drive never really got started. The Jackrabbits had a false start penalty that made it 1st-and-15. On the next play, Austin Sumner threw an interception to Tre Dempsey, via Mike McFeely of 790 KFGO Radio:

The runner-up for game of the day came in Pennsylvania, as Villanova needed 15 points in the fourth quarter to avoid an upset on its home field against Liberty.

The Wildcats aren't a huge passing team, nor did John Robertson have a great game with eight completions on 19 attempts, but he made a big play in the fourth quarter with a 70-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Gulyas and converted a two-point conversion to tie the game. 

Robertson used his legs for the go-ahead score with just over one minute to play. Along the way, the junior quarterback became Villanova's all-time leader in yards, via the team's official Twitter:

The biggest takeaway from the early games is how easily chalk held. It's not surprising to see New Hampshire, Chattanooga and Illinois State winning, but Fordham, Indiana State and Northern Iowa looked beaten as soon as the opening kickoff in their respective games. 

New Hampshire got a season-best 110 rushing yards and four touchdowns from Nico Steriti in a 44-19 victory over Fordham. The senior running back came into the game with 396 yards on 101 carries, though he has been used in plenty of scoring situations, as evidenced by his 12 touchdowns. 

It's no surprise that the Wildcats used the ground to secure this victory, as they average 177.7 yards per game on the ground and have picked up 35 of their 60 touchdowns this season via the run. 

Despite the final score, New Hampshire head coach Sean McDonnell had praise for Fordham before the game, telling Tim O'Sullivan of The Concord Monitor that the undefeated Rams were among the best he's seen.

“This is the most skilled team I’ve seen out of the Patriot League in my 16 years of coaching,” McDonnell said.

“(And) they’re not just an offensive football team, their defense can play.”

While the respect may have been there, the gap in talent was evident. Speaking of talent, No. 5 Illinois State was all over Northern Iowa, 41-21, behind 382 passing yards and four touchdowns from quarterback Tre Roberson. 

Doug McSchooler/Associated Press

Mike Hlas of The Cedar Rapids Gazette rubbed salt in the wound for fans of Indiana football, noting that Roberson used to play for the Hoosiers:

While he didn't get a lot of playing time with Indiana, Roberson was effective for the Hoosiers in 2013 with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions on 138 attempts. The Hoosiers could have used that production with an offense that ranked 121st in passing. 

The win provided the Redbirds revenge for their only loss in the regular season, a 42-28 defeat at Northern Iowa on November 1. 

The first upset of the day came courtesy of Sam Houston State, which went to Alabama and knocked off No. 3 Jacksonville State, 37-26. It was an unusual game, as the two teams combined for 50 points in the first half. 

After the coaches were able to make adjustments at halftime, things calmed down, but not before Sam Houston State put up 13 points in the third quarter.

Jacksonville State didn't score in the second half, and the 26 points it put up ties its second-lowest total of the year against FCS competition. Michigan State held the Gamecocks to seven points in the season opener. 

The Bearkats used a dominant rushing attack in their victory, carrying the ball 53 times for 241 yards. Four players had at least 10 carries, though none of them broke 100 yards.