The 2021 FCS Playoffs continue this weekend with two semifinal games on the schedule. Both contests are slated for Saturday.
Semifinal round action on Saturday, May 8 kicks off at noon ET with the top-seeded South Dakota State Jackrabbits hosting the unseeded Delaware Blue Hens at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, S.D. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN.
South Dakota State enters the contest at 7-1 (5-1 Missouri Valley), with the lone blemish on its schedule coming over two months ago at North Dakota. The Jackrabbits turned away Holy Cross, 31-3, in the first playoff round, before holding off Southern Illinois in a 31-26 result last week.
Delaware takes the field still undefeated, carrying a 7-0 record (4-0 CAA). The Fightin’ Blue Hens snuck past Sacred Heart, 19-10, in an opening-round playoffs contest at Delaware Stadium, then fended off fourth-seeded Jacksonville State, 20-14, in Alabama last week.
The second semifinal round game on Saturday features the third-seeded James Madison Dukes visiting the second-seeded Sam Houston State Bearkats at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Tex. The game is scheduled for 2:30pm ET and it will be televised by ABC.
James Madison is 7-0 this season (3-0 CAA). The Dukes claimed close home victories in the first two rounds, turning away VMI, 31-24, and vanquishing North Dakota, 34-21.
Sam Houston State still holds an unblemished record at 8-0 (6-0 Southland). The Bearkats squeezed past Big South champion Monmouth, 21-15, before knocking off two-time defending national champion North Dakota State, 24-20, in the quarterfinals.
Winners of the semifinal games will play in the Division I Football Championship Game on Sunday, May 16, 2021 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas (2:00pm ET, ABC).
SEMIFINAL-ROUND GAMES (MAY 8)
Saturday, May 8, 2021
Delaware at (1) South Dakota State
Noon ET | ESPN
(3) James Madison at (2) Sam Houston State
2:30pm ET | ABC