FCS Playoffs 2015: Latest Semifinals Bracket After Friday Quarterfinals Results
Two FCS quarterfinals got underway on Friday with a top-two team going down, and the perennial favorites moving on.
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks took care of business against Charleston Southern, while the Illinois State Redbirds saw their season come to an end, thanks to the Richmond Spiders' dominant running attack.
Here is a recap of Friday's action, as well as the times you need to know for the other two quarterfinal matchups on Saturday.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| No. 7 Richmond 39, No. 2 Illinois State 27 | Richmond vs. NDSU/UNI |
| No. 1 Jacksonville State 58, No. 8 Charleston Southern 38 | Jacksonville State vs. Colgate/Sam Houston State |
| No. 3 North Dakota State vs. Northern Iowa | Noon ET, ESPN |
| Colgate vs. Sam Houston State | Noon ET, ESPN3 |
No. 1 Jacksonville State 58, No. 8 Charleston Southern 38
When Jacksonville State needed to pull away from a pesky Charleston Southern team, Troymaine Pope made it so that wouldn't happen.
Pope ran for 250 yards and three touchdowns as the Gamecocks advanced to the semifinals and will await the winner of the Colgate-Sam Houston State game.
Charleston Southern kept the game close after the first 30 minutes, keeping it a 10-10 game at the end of the first half. Both offenses went on a scoring explosion in the second half, combining for 10 touchdowns, with Jacksonville State scoring six of them in the final 30 minutes.
Pope began the scoring onslaught with a 76-yard touchdown run 32 seconds into the second half, as Jacksonville State took a 20-10 lead early in the second half. The Gamecocks outscored Charleston Southern 21-7 in the third quarter and kept a firm grip on the lead the rest of the night.
Daren Stoltzfus from WCIV in Charleston commented on Pope's long touchdown run:
Gamecocks quarterback Eli Jenkins also contributed with 195 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the Jacksonville State win.
Should Sam Houston State beat Colgate, it'll set up a rematch of last year's FCS playoffs, when Jacksonville State lost to Sam Houston State, 37-26, in the second round.
No. 7 Richmond 39, No. 2 Illinois State 27
One of the first big-time upsets of these playoffs has finally happened, with the No. 7-ranked Spiders upsetting No. 2 Illinois State, at Hancock Stadium, to move on to the FCS semifinals.
Spiders quarterback Kyle Lauletta threw for 369 yards and a touchdown, and running back Jacobi Green pitched in with 137 yards and three touchdowns in the upset.
Richmond Football tweeted after the victory:
"FINAL | Richmond beats Illinois State, 39-27, to advance to #FCSPlayoffs Semifinals! #OneRichmond #CAAFB pic.twitter.com/YTXLtKc9FL
— Richmond Football (@SpiderFootball) December 12, 2015"
Illinois State quarterback Tre Roberson threw for 370 yards and two touchdowns, but he didn't receive any help from the running game. The Redbirds only accumulated 78 rushing yards on 26 carries, with Roberson tallying 36 of those yards on 10 carries.
Richmond once led 32-14, with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, after Green scored on a 27-yard touchdown. Illinois State came back to score twice in a three-minute span to make it 32-27 with 3:31 remaining, but it was Green who shut the door. A 28-yard touchdown run with 2:26 to go helped give Richmond the 12-point lead that put them into the Final Four.
It was a clean game for most of the night. Richmond was called for one penalty and turned the ball over twice. But the Spiders, with the help of Green, just made enough plays and provided enough balance offensively to continue their season.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
