North Dakota State vs. Richmond: FCS Playoffs 2015 TV Info, Time and More
The North Dakota State Bison are just two wins away from securing their fifth straight FCS championship, but they must first overcome dark horse Richmond in Friday's semifinal.
The Bison are 11-2 and coming off a pair of convincing playoff wins over Montana and Northern Iowa, which they outscored 60-19 to reach the semifinal.
Seventh-seeded Richmond is seeking its first national title since 2008
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Friday’s victor will take on either No. 1 seed Jacksonville State or Sam Houston State, who meet in the remaining semifinal Saturday.
No. 2 North Dakota State vs. No. 12 Richmond
Date: Friday, December 18
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
The Bison have won 18 straight playoff games and host Friday’s contest at the Fargodome, considered one of the most hostile environments in the FCS.
Despite a capacity of 18,700, the Fargodome has been measured to reach decibel levels of 115, per Dave Johnson of the Daily Press, which is on par with the New Orleans Saints’ Superdome. Such a figure is classified as the “average human pain threshold” by the Purdue University department of chemistry.
Richmond head coach Danny Rocco said the Spiders conducted three days of practice in simulated noise environments this week, per Johnson.
What’s remarkable is the Bison continue to win without star quarterback Carson Wentz—considered a first-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft —who has missed seven games after breaking his wrist in October.
Wentz returned to practice last week with optimism, but ultimately was a no-go for the team’s quarterfinal win over Northern Iowa. His status for Friday remains in question.
Yet the Bison are undefeated with backup Easton Stick, a freshman that won’t light up the stat board but embodies a winning poise.
Either Stick or Wentz will duel with Richmond’s Kyle Lauletta, who ranks second in the FCS with 3,427 passing yards and 11th with a 150.8 passing efficiency.
In his third year—he played as a true freshman before redshirting in 2014—Lauletta is gaining valuable experience at every checkpoint, particularly this late in the season, as he told the Colonial Athletic Association:
But Lauletta and company will meet a NDSU defense that ranks seventh in scoring (16.4 points per game allowed) and total yardage allowed (281.5 yards per game). It’s historically been the Bison's catalyst as the root of their overall success.
The allure and attention paid to the FCS playoffs—particularly North Dakota State’s unprecedented run—hasn’t gone unnoticed, and rightfully so.
According to Sports TV Ratings, more people tuned into the Bison’s win last week than the college basketball game between North Carolina and Texas, which ended in a buzzer-beater:
The Bison and Spiders should duke it out for another exciting FCS playoff finish with the platform of a national audience to lean on. There should be some great fireworks from the Fargodome Friday.
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