Incarnate Word, winner of the highest-scoring FCS playoff game ever (66-63 at Sacramento State in the quarterfinals) takes its show on the road once again when it attempts to knock off North Dakota State Friday night. The 6 p.m. CT kickoff will be televised on ESPN2 and will start a historic game deciding whether NDSU returns to Frisco one win away from its tenth national championship since 2011.
The Bison have won FCS titles under Craig Bohl, Chris Klieman, and Matt Entz; Entz can move one victory closer to his third “chipper” as a head coach this week.
Meanwhile, UIW is in the midst of its deepest postseason run in school history. Head coach G.J. Kinne, who is outgoing for FBS Texas State, will be succeeded by current associate head coach and wide receivers coach Clint Killough, a UIW football alumnus. In the meantime, though, the Cardinals will have Kinne at the helm in search of their first win over NDSU. The teams’ only prior meeting was a nonconference regular-season matchup that saw ESPN’s College GameDay come to Fargo in 2014.
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NDSU’s Offense vs. UIW’s Defense
Fresh off allowing 63 points to Sac State, Incarnate Word’s defense faces questions about its readiness for the North Dakota State rushing offense (269.1 YPG) that buoys a relatively old-school approach to averaging just over 400 yards in total offense. UIW could use a defensive touchdown like the one scored by Kelechi Anyalebechi on his 55-yard fumble recovery in the fourth quarter last week. Anything goes for a visitor trying to tip the scales in its favor in the Fargodome in late December.
One element to weigh is the overall health of NDSU, which has been hit with a slew of injuries. On offense, the injury bug now includes RB TaMerik Williams, who was taken out of the quarterfinal win vs. Samford. Williams appears on this week’s Bison depth chart beneath Kobe Johnson; if he can go, it is an appetizing matchup, as playoff opponents go, anyway, vs. the nation’s 55th rushing defense and No. 54 total defense.
NDSU was met with ample physicality on the part of Samford in that game’s early stages, and it took the better part of two quarters for the Bison to assert their usual selves. It’s safe to say that the defending national champs desire a faster start on offense Friday, in their run-game bread and butter or otherwise, to be first to set the tone while defending QB Lindsey Scott Jr. on drives of…
UIW’s Offense vs. NDSU’s Defense
This is the main event. Scott is arguably burning as the FCS’s brightest star. He now gets the brightest lights of a standalone semifinal at NDSU on national TV.
The attention is earned, as Scott’s 4,404 yards and 59 touchdowns this season are uncanny. Coupled with a subdivision-best passing efficiency at 207.02, the numbers relay the talent on display as Scott tossed the game-winning touchdown to Taylor Grimes in Sacramento with under 30 seconds in regulation.
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UIW’s FCS-leading 53 PPG, spearheaded by Scott, pitted against NDSU’s defense, amounts to one of the best strength-on-strength scenarios of not only this season, but likely in multiple playoffs. Incarnate Word might just be the most threatening matchup on offense for North Dakota State, outside of South Dakota State, since 2016 James Madison.
The Bison have to like their counter, though, carrying the country’s fourth-ranked passing defense, scoring defense, and total defense into the battle with Scott and top pass-catchers Grimes and Darion Chafin. In this “final four” situation, expect NDSU’s home field to turn back up a notch, too. The fans in green and gold will show their appreciation for landing a home semi as the third seed by the decibel count.
Special Teams
Even with the hearty acknowledgment of Scott’s heroics, after traveling a long distance from San Antonio for a second straight week, let alone being against FCS playoff history’s odds in Fargo, UIW could use a boost to its offense by earning some moments of plus-field position.
One route to this could be the Cards’ punt return game, which checks in at No. 15 nationally with 13.56 YPR. UIW also has three punt return touchdowns in 2022, matched only by Montana and Stephen F. Austin in the top 15.
Of course, to receive punt return opportunities requires earning stops on defense, which is an area in question for the Cardinals. While the shine is on Scott, he will be asked to lead another shootout if NDSU isn’t punting much Friday evening.
On the Bison’s special teams, their unit came up big while scoreless with Samford when Spencer Waege blocked the Bulldogs’ 34-yard field goal attempt. NDSU has had just one of its own kicks blocked all season, assisting in its 89.8% red zone offense (eighth in the FCS).