The Spring 2021 FCS Championship game features the No. 1 seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits taking on the No. 2 seed Sam Houston State Bearkats.
South Dakota State (8-1, 5-1) and Sam Houston State (9-0, 6-0) will square off on Sunday, May 16, 2021 and the game will be televised nationally by ABC at 2:00pm ET/1:00pm CT. Dave Pasch will handle the play-by-play, Andre Ware will provide analysis, while Kris Budden will report from the sidelines.
Additionally, a Spanish-language presentation of the South Dakota State-Sam Houston State football championship game will be available to stream via ESPN3.
Sunday’s meeting between the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State and the Bearkats of Sam Houston State will mark their first-ever meeting on the gridiron. South Dakota State competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), while Sam Houston State is a member of the Southland Conference.
South Dakota State is making their first appearance in the FCS Championship Game. The Jackrabbits defeated Holy Cross in the first round (31-3), Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals (31-26), and Delaware in the semifinals (33-3), all at home in Brookings, S.D.
Sam Houston State will be making their third national championship game appearance. The Bearkats lost to North Dakota State in both contests, 17-6 in 2011 and 39-13 in 2012. Overall, Sam Houston State has appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs 13 times.
On their way to the championship game, the Bearkats knocked off Monmouth in the first round (21-15), defending champion North Dakota State in the quarterfinals (24-20), and James Madison in the semifinals (38-35). The Bearkats also recorded all three of their playoff wins at home in Huntsville, Texas.
Prior to relocating to Frisco in 2010, the FCS Championship was played at Finley Stadium on the campus of UT Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Tenn., from 1997 through the 2009 season.
Spring 2021 FCS Championship Game
(2) Sam Houston State vs. (1) South Dakota State
Sunday, May 16, 2021 | 2:00pm ET | ABC
Toyota Stadium – Frisco, Texas
Football Schedules