FCS Playoffs 2016: Round 2 Results, Quarterfinals Schedule and Bracket Update
The Football Championship Subdivision playoffs moved back to the forefront on Saturday with eight second-round games, highlighted by No. 1 North Dakota State's 45-7 win over San Diego.
Jacksonville State, which was coming off a first-round bye, was the highest-ranked team to lose 40-24 against Youngstown State. The Citadel also got sent home earlier than expected thanks to Wofford's stellar defensive effort.
Here are the results from Saturday's FCS playoffs action:
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2016 FCS Playoff Results
| No. 1 North Dakota State vs. San Diego | North Dakota State, 45-7 |
| No. 2 Eastern Washington vs. Central Arkansas | Eastern Washington, 31-14 |
| No. 3 Jacksonville State vs. Youngstown State | Youngstown State, 40-24 |
| No. 4 James Madison vs. New Hampshire | James Madison, 55-22 |
| No. 5 Sam Houston State vs. Chattanooga | Sam Houston State, 41-36 |
| No. 6 The Citadel vs. Wofford | Wofford, 17-3 |
| No. 7 North Dakota vs. Richmond | Richmond, 27-24 |
| No. 8 South Dakota State vs. Villanova | South Dakota State, 10-7 |
2016 FCS Playoff Quarterfinals
| Friday, Dec. 9 or Saturday Dec. 10 | No. 1 North Dakota State vs. No. 8 South Dakota State | TBD | ESPN3 |
| Friday, Dec. 9 or Saturday Dec. 10 | No. 4 James Madison vs. No. 5 Sam Houston State | TBD | ESPN3 |
| Friday, Dec. 9 or Saturday Dec. 10 | Youngstown State vs. Wofford | TBD | ESPN3 |
| Friday, Dec. 9 or Saturday Dec. 10 | No. 2 Eastern Washington vs. Richmond | TBD | ESPN3 |
Recap
North Dakota State 45, San Diego 7
North Dakota State wasted no time asserting its will against San Diego. The Bison jumped out to a 21-0 lead at halftime and never looked back.
Their ground game was the key to success with six players combining for 299 yards on 31 carries. Easton Stick and Lance Dunn each had over 90 yards on a combined 13 rushes.
Stick did get the passing game involved when asked. He finished 12-of-20 with 208 yards and three touchdowns through the air, setting a new school record in the process, via North Dakota State Football:
South Dakota State 10, Villanova 7
Things figure to be more interesting for North Dakota State next week in the quarterfinal against South Dakota State. The Bison's one loss this season came at home on October 15 when the Jackrabbits pulled off a 19-17 upset.
North Dakota State did have a chance to win that game, even holding the lead literally until the final second when Taryn Christion found Jake Wieneke in the end zone for a two-yard touchdown to steal a win for South Dakota State.
The Jackrabbits got a field goal from Chase Vinatieri, who is the nephew of Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, with 86 seconds left in the fourth quarter for a 10-7 win and the only second-half score from either team.
South Dakota State got the win despite having seven total rushing yards on 20 carries.
Youngstown State 40, Jacksonville State 24
Youngstown State outlasted Jacksonville State in an offensive shootout, giving the Penguins their fourth straight win and third straight game with at least 38 points.
Hunter Wells only went 10-of-18, yet still managed to rack up 290 passing yards in the win. His lone touchdown pass opened the scoring on this 70-yard bomb to Damoun Patterson, via FCS Football:
Jody Webb dominated on the ground with 140 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
Jacksonville State's rushing attack was terrific, with Eli Jenkins and Josh Clemons each going over 100 yards. The problem is Jenkins was terrible when asked to pass, going 6-of-26 with one touchdown and two interceptions.
The Gamecocks had won all 10 FCS games they played this season. Their lone defeat before Saturday was against LSU in September.
Sam Houston State 41, Chattanooga 36
Sam Houston State kept its perfect record intact, along with its quest for a second national title, thanks to a narrow 41-36 win over Chattanooga.
The Bearkats nearly squandered a 21-point lead when Chattanooga got two quick scores late in the second quarter. The Mocs would tie the game in the third quarter on Xavier Borishade's 18-yard touchdown catch with just under 12 minutes remaining.
Sam Houston State responded with two touchdown drives of its own in the third quarter before holding on to its narrow margin by keeping the Mocs off the board for the final four minutes after Henrique Ribeiro cut the lead to 41-36.
This was Sam Houston State's first single-digit victory of the season.
James Madison 55, New Hampshire 22
James Madison brought the offensive firepower to an overwhelmed New Hampshire defense in its 55-22 rout to reach the quarterfinals.
New Hampshire did hold a 7-3 lead after the first quarter before James Madison scored 28 unanswered points in the second quarter to blow the game wide open.
Dukes quarterback Bryan Schor went 30-of-37 with 371 yards and tied a school record in the process, via James Madison Football's Twitter account:
New Hampshire running back Dalton Crossan had a good day in defeat with 92 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
Eastern Washington 31, Central Arkansas 14
After falling behind 14-0 five minutes into the second quarter, Eastern Washington scored the last 31 points of the game to reach the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season.
Gage Gubrud led the Eagles' offensive attack with 449 passing yards, 68 rushing yards and three total touchdowns (two passing). Kendrick Bourne and Cooper Kupp benefited from all of those passing yards, as the duo combined for 23 catches and 221 yards.
Eastern Washington's defense held Central Arkansas quarterback Hayden Hildebrand to just 115 yards and one interception.
The Huskies have won 10 straight games since North Dakota State beat them in overtime on September 10.
Wofford 17, The Citadel 3
Devin Watson's 62-yard interception returned for a touchdown with 41 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter sealed Wofford's upset win over the Citadel.
This game was a defensive struggle throughout, despite both teams having success running the ball. Wofford had 223 rushing yards on 42 carries, with Joe Newman's 36-yard score early in the fourth quarter giving the Terriers their first lead of the game.
The Citadel had 237 rushing yards of their own but needed 57 carries to hit that mark. Quarterback Dominique Allen was uncomfortable in the pocket late in the game when he had to make a play, finishing just 11-of-22 for 121 yards and two interceptions.
Richmond 27, North Dakota 24
Richmond scored the final 20 points of the second half, capped off by Griffin Trau's 18-yard field goal with three seconds remaining, to give the Spiders a 27-24 upset win over North Dakota.
Quarterback Kevin Johnson engineered Richmond's comeback. He went 15-of-22 with 289 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Brian Brown was a monster on the outside with seven catches for 187 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
The Spiders defense also held its own throughout the game, limiting North Dakota's offense to 324 total yards. The Fighting Hawks averaged just 5.1 yards per play in their third loss of the season.
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