Welcome to the FCS Football Talk podcast.
On this episode, Sam Herder and Zach McKinnell preview the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs.
Friday, Dec. 13
8 p.m. CT on ESPN: #8 Idaho at #1 Montana State
Saturday, Dec. 14
11 a.m. CT on ESPN: #6 UIW at #3 SDSU
2 p.m. CT on ESPN+: #5 UC Davis at #4 South Dakota
2:30 p.m. CT on ABC: #7 Mercer at #2 NDSU
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3 Game Balls and a Flag
Each week of the 2024 FCS football season, the FCS Football Talk podcast will award three game balls and a flag from the previous weekend’s action.
The game balls are awarded to three standout teams or individual players, while the flag is thrown after a disappointing performance or questionable coaching decision.
Below are the three game balls and a flag from the second round of the FCS playoffs.
Zach’s 3 Game Balls And A Flag
- Game Ball: Montana State QB Tommy Mellott
- No. 1 Montana State advanced to the quarterfinals after a 49-17 victory over UT Martin
- Quarterback Tommy Mellott had his best performance of the season, completing 22-of-25 passes for 300 passing yards and four passing touchdowns
- Mellott was the catalyst for Montana State’s 500 yards of total offense, as the Bobcats averaged 8.5 yards per play
- Following his performance, Mellott has recorded 2,256 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, one interception, 659 rushing yards, and 11 rushing touchdowns
- Game Ball: South Dakota
- No. 4 South Dakota advanced to the quarterfinals after an impressive 42-31 victory over No. 13 Tarleton State
- The Coyotes trailed entering the fourth quarter but outscored the Texans 21-3 in the fourth quarter, highlighted by Quaron Adams’ 70-yard touchdown run with 5:13 remaining
- South Dakota’s offense generated 296 rushing yards, 7.6 yards per carry, and four rushing touchdowns
- Travis Theis: 25 carries for 130 rushing yards (5.2 YPC) and three rushing touchdowns
- Quarterback Aidan Bouman had an outstanding performance, completing 18-of-22 attempts for 213 passing yards and two passing touchdowns
- South Dakota held All-American running back Kayvon Britten to 86 rushing yards and 3.6 yards per carry
- The Coyotes also forced three key interceptions, leading to 21 points in the second half
- Game Ball: UC Davis
- No. 5 UC Davis advanced to the quarterfinals after a dominant 42-10 win over No. 12 Illinois State
- Quarterback Miles Hastings led the Aggies with 403 passing yards and three touchdowns, completing 75.7% of his passes
- Running back Lan Larison had another outstanding performance, posting 104 rushing yards, 87 receiving yards, and three rushing touchdowns
- UC Davis held Illinois State to 2-of-5 on red zone opportunities
- Linebacker David Meyer led the Aggies with nine total tackles and one tackle for loss
- Despite generating 415 yards of total offense, Illinois State was limited to 4.5 yards per play, compared to the Aggies average of 7.8 yards per play
- Flag: Villanova’s Offense
- No. 11 Villanova was eliminated after a 13-6 loss to No. 6 Incarnate Word
- The Wildcats only generated 138 yards of total offense, averaging 2.8 yards per play against the Cardinals
- The offensive struggles were highlighted by third down struggles (1-of-12), which led to the Wildcats finishing the game with only nine first-downs
- Villanova failed to establish the run, posting 35 rushing yards on 23 carries (1.5 YPC)
- Quarterback Connor Watkins was inefficient, completing 12-of-27 attempts for 103 passing yards and one interception
- Incarnate Word’s defense recorded eight tackles for loss and three sacks
Sam’s 3 Game Balls And A Flag
- Game Ball: South Dakota State
- SDSU continues to peak at the right time, beating Montana 35-18
- The Jackrabbits led 35-3 before Montana scored with 09:41 and 00:04 remaining
- SDSU outgained the Grizzlies 222-75 in rushing yards. Amar Johnson rushed for 103 yards and Angel Johnson added 91
- Mark Gronowski finished 12/16 passing for 151 yards and two touchdowns
- SDSU intercepted Keali’i Ah Yat twice (Adam Bock and Tucker Large with Bock returning his 40 yards for a score)
- Freshman DL Bryce Hawthorne had 2.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks
- Game Ball: Mercer’s Defense
- Mercer’s defense continues to play at a high level
- Against Rhode Island, Mercer allowed just 49 rushing yards on 26 attempts
- The Bears did allow 266 pass yards, but they picked off Hunter Helms once, which was returned by Myles Redding for a touchdown
- Mercer owns the No. 1 FCS rushing defense (66.9 YPG) and leads the FCS with 23 interceptions
- Game Ball: NDSU QB Cam Miller
- ACU limited NDSU to just 101 rushing yards
- Cam Miller delivered to spark the Bison offense, going 20/29 for 274 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception
- Miller is a Top 3 Walter Payton Award finalist, throwing for 2,614 yards, 26 touchdowns, and two interceptions. He’s added 377 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground
- Flag: Illinois State
- Illinois State was just a touchdown underdog, but it went to UC Davis and lost 42-10
- It was a strong season for the Redbirds but a disappointing finish
- ISU allowed 155 yards on the ground and 403 passing
