The 2023 FCS Playoffs continue this weekend with two semifinal games on the schedule. One contest is slated for Friday with the second on Saturday.
Semifinal round action kicks off on Friday, December 15 at 7:00pm ET with the top-seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits hosting the fifth-seed UAlbany Great Danes at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, S.D. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2 and streamed via ESPN+.
The UAlbany-South Dakota State game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.
South Dakota State comes into the game undefeated at 13-0 overall. The Jackrabbits dispatched the Mercer Bears in the second round of the FCS Playoffs, 41-0, and then defeated the eighth-seed Villanova Wildcats last week in the quarterfinals, 23-12, both at home.
UAlbany heads into the matchup with an 11-3 overall record. The Great Danes defeated the Richmond Spiders at home in the second round, 41-13, and the fourth-seed Idaho Vandals on the road in the quarterfinals, 30-22.
The second semifinal round game is set for Saturday, Dec. 16 and features the second-seed Montana Grizzlies hosting the North Dakota State Bison at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Mont. The game is scheduled for 4:30pm ET and it will be televised by ESPN2 and streamed via ESPN+.
Montana and North Dakota State have met nine times overall on the gridiron, most recently in the second round of the 2022 FCS Playoffs. The Bison defeated the Grizzlies in that contest, 49-26 in Fargo, N.D., and now lead the series 5-4.
Montana is 12-1 overall this season. The Grizzlies defeated the Delaware Blue Hens in the second round of the FCS Playoffs, 49-19, and the seventh-seed Furman Paladins in the quarterfinals, 35-28.
North Dakota State heads into the game with an 11-3 record. The Bison, who were not seeded this season, defeated the Drake Bulldogs in the first round, 66-3, the Montana State Bobcats in the second round, 35-34, and the South Dakota Coyotes in the quarterfinals, 45-17.
Winners of the semifinal games will play in the Division I Football Championship Game on Sunday, January 7, 2024 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The game will be televised by ABC at 2:00pm ET/1:00pm CT.
2023 FCS Semifinals
Friday, Dec. 15, 2023
(5) UAlbany 0, (1) South Dakota State 59
Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023
NDSU 29, (2) Montana 31 (2OT)