FCS Playoffs 2014: Quarterfinals Results, Semifinals Schedule and Bracket Update
Following a second round that was largely dominated by the favorites holding up their end of the bargain, the 2014 FCS Playoffs are looking for a jolt in the form of an upset in the quarterfinals. The four games taking place on Friday and Saturday feature seven ranked teams, including top-ranked New Hampshire.
In addition to the top-seeded Wildcats, who along with Chattanooga had the stage to themselves on Friday night, all eyes will be focused on North Dakota State.
After surviving last weeks' clash with rival South Dakota State, the Bison will look to make a statement against Coastal Carolina on Saturday. North Dakota State hasn't lost in this tournament since 2010, winning three straight championships.
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Will the Bison have enough in the tank after the emotional second-round win? Did New Hampshire live up to its billing as the No. 1 seed?
This weekend will answer those questions and many more, which will be recapped for your reading pleasure right now.
| Date | Matchup | Score/Start Time |
| Friday, December 12 | No. 1 New Hampshire def. No. 8 Chattanooga | 35-30 |
| Saturday, December 13 | No. 2 North Dakota State def. No. 7 Coastal Carolina | 39-32 |
| Saturday, December 13 | Sam Houston State def. No. 6 Villanova | 34-31 |
| Saturday, December 13 | No. 5 Illinois State def. No. 4 Eastern Washington | 59-46 |
Quarterfinal Results
Illinois State def. Eastern Washington, 59-46
In the final quarterfinal matchup, Illinois State rode an offensive tidal wave to a victory at Roos Field against Eastern Washington.
Marshaun Coprich led the way for the Redbirds, racking up 258 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries. He also put the game away in the fourth quarter. After Eastern Washington scored to cut the deficit to 52-39, Coprich had a 74-yard touchdown run on the next drive, per Randy Reinhardt of The Pantagraph:
Illinois State dominated the game on the ground, running for 343 yards and six touchdowns. Tre Roberson had a solid day passing, going 19-of-24 for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
Roberson's effort not only helped the Redbirds clinch their spot in the semifinals, but it also made history for the school, per the team's official Twitter:
Eastern Washington can't blame quarterback Vernon Adams for the loss. On a day where the defense allowed 59 points and the offense mustered 95 yards on 23 carries, the sophomore had 425 yards and three touchdowns.
Radio personality Brad James noted the Eagles had their backs against the wall basically from the start, getting down 10-0 in the first quarter and giving up 21 points in the third quarter, so it was hard to see a comeback happening:
Illinois State's offense has been rolling since losing to Northern Iowa on October 1. The Redbirds have scored over 40 points in their last four games and their 59 points today is the second-highest total of the season.
Now, the Redbirds will face their most difficult task in the playoffs with a matchup against top-ranked New Hampshire on the horizon.
Sam Houston State def. Villanova, 34-31
The biggest upset of the quarterfinals took place at Villanova Stadium, with the sixth-ranked Wildcats being knocked off by Sam Houston State. The Bearkats squeaked out a 34-31 victory when Villanova kicker Chris Gough missed a 51-yard field goal attempt with 34 seconds to play.
Villanova started the game at a disadvantage with star quarterback John Robertson out after suffering a concussion last week, via the school's official Twitter feed:
Robertson is a finalist for the Payton Award, which is the FCS version of the Heisman Trophy, and had 2,846 passing yards, 1,078 rushing yards and 46 total touchdowns. Credit Villanova for fighting through the loss of its best offensive player to put up 31 points and 514 yards.
The defense was the issue for the Wildcats, allowing Sam Houston State to put up 34 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter.
Bearkats quarterback Jared Johnson was on top of his game, going 22-of-27 with 303 yards and three touchdowns. He also chipped in with 32 rushing yards.
The big play of the game was a 66-yard strike from Johnson to LaDarius Brown that opened the scoring in the second half and gave Sam Houston State a 24-16 lead, per the school's Twitter:
Brown, who finished the game with 174 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions, is known to most FBS fans for his time at TCU. He was dismissed from the school in February after reportedly being arrested for possession of marijuana, per Stefan Stevenson and Domingo Ramirez Jr of The Forth Worth Star-Telegram.
With the win, Sam Houston State will move to the semifinals next week against North Dakota State at the Fargodome.
North Dakota State def. Coastal Carolina, 39-32
For the second consecutive week, North Dakota State was pushed to the limit in its quest to become the first school to win four straight FCS championships. Coastal Carolina had an answer for every challenge presented by the Bison before time unfortunately ran out.
The Chanticleers had a chance to tie the game on the final drive, but a dropped pass on first down and sack of quarterback Alex Ross on the next play halted the drive before it got started. Ross was intercepted on a fourth-and-12 play to clinch the Bison win over Coastal Carolina in this round for the second straight year, per ESPN Stats & Info:
North Dakota State's offensive hero for the game was running back John Crockett, who finished with 227 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. The Bison were helped out in the fourth quarter by quarterback Carson Wentz, who converted a two-point conversion following a Crockett touchdown, via Beth Hoole of Valley News Live:
On the game, the Bison finished with 327 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground. It was a vintage performance by the three-time defending national champions, who got an efficient performance from Wentz with 173 passing yards.
In a losing effort, Coastal Carolina proved to be an excellent challenge. The Chanticleers didn't panic when they were down 14-3 after the first three drives of the game, but the defense couldn't get a stop in the fourth quarter when it needed to most.
One highlight from the game for Coastal Carolina was from Devin Brown, who had a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown in the second quarter to tie the game at 17, via Aaron Marks of 100.3 The Team:
The Coastal Carolina school Twitter feed congratulated the football team after the loss, its first in eight games on the road:
Moving ahead to the semifinals, North Dakota State will take on Sam Houston State next weekend.
New Hampshire def. Chattanooga, 35-30
In a squeaker at Cowell Stadium, New Hampshire was able to hold serve on its home turf with a come-from-behind victory over Chattanooga.
The Wildcats were bailed out in the fourth quarter after quarterback Sean Goldrich threw what looked to be an interception to Trevor Knight in Chattanooga's end zone, but Wright's foot was deemed to be out of bounds. On the next play, Nico Steriti scored from six yards out to give the top seed a 28-24 lead.
New Hampshire's defense didn't have a lot of big moments, but it was able to make a critical stop on third-and-six on Chattanooga's next drive. On the Wildcats' first play after getting the ball back, R.J. Harris scored on a 61-yard pass play to put them up 35-24, via New Hampshire alumni on Twitter:
Harris finished with 172 receiving yards and two touchdowns, which was critical because New Hampshire's running game never got going. Steriti, who was coming off a season-high 110 yards against Fordham last week, had the late touchdown run but was held to 58 yards on 16 carries.
Per the Colonial Athletic Association's official Twitter account, Harris' second touchdown catch was also a historic one:
Once Harris got going, the Wildcats' offense took off, as B/R Pac-12 writer Kyle Kensing noted after the star wideout made a circus catch in traffic with a defender draped all over him:
The final score doesn't show it, but Chattanooga controlled a lot of this game. It came into this matchup with tremendous confidence, as evidenced by fullback Taharin Tyson's comments to Stephen Hargis of The Times Free Press:
"We've got a good group of veteran guys who have played in a lot of big games in their college and high school career, so they know what the atmosphere will be like.
Even the young guys know now how to focus on being ready. I don't think we'll be nervous. Maybe at first, like for any big game, but it's going to come down to who makes more plays and fewer mistakes.
"
The Mocs had 346 yards of offense in the first half and held a 21-15 lead, but the offense couldn't keep it going and the defense eventually cracked against New Hampshire's offense. They made too many mistakes in the second half, the biggest of which was an interception thrown by Jacob Huesman as the offense was driving to try and make it a one score game midway through the fourth quarter.
With the victory, New Hampshire is guaranteed a home game in the semifinals against Illinois State.
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