The 2018 FCS Playoffs are here and we've got game-by-game wrap ups.
[divider]COMPARE: Any Two FCS Players | Any Two FCS Teams[divider]
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South Dakota State 27Kennesaw State 17 |
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Next up: No. 5 SDSU (10-2) at No. 1 NDSU (13-0) Time/Date: Dec. 14 or Dec. 15 | TV: ESPN family, TBD COMPARE: SDSU at NDSU |
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PREDICTIONS: What Did We Get Wrong in the Quarters?
THE STANDOUTS
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Christian Rozeboom, LB, South Dakota State – The junior stud finished with 14 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and forced a fumble in the win, even though he came out for a few plays after being banged up on the field.
OTHER STAT STANDOUTS:
Taryn Christion, QB, SDSU – In nasty passing conditions, he still managed to throw for 147 yards and a score, while also rushing for 37 yards and a touchdown.
Pierre Strong, RB, SDSU – The freshman rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Cade Johnson, WR/KR, SDSU – Caught four passes for 72 yards, while also averaging 34.3 yards per kickoff return.
Logan Backhaus, LB, SDSU – Had 6 solo tackles, a TFL and an interception.
Daniel David, QB, KSU – In emergency duty due to injury, the QB threw for 94 yards and a touchdown in the rain, while also rushing for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Anthony Gore, LB, KSU – Collected a team-high 7 tackles, while also posting 2 TFLs.
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THE TURNING POINT
With Kennesaw State rallying late, and South Dakota State up against the wall with a 3rd and 12 situation, quarterback Taryn Christion hit top receiver Cade Johnson for a 33-yard gain and a critical first down. Just five plays later, Christion put the game away with a 15-yard touchdown run to give the game its final score. For a second though, it looked like KSU may get the ball back and may come away with the comeback win.
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THE SKINNY
The weather was frightful, and there wasn't much delightful at all about the conditions at Kennesaw State on Saturday, but South Dakota State and Kennesaw State still managed to give fans — mostly watching at home because of the miserable conditions — an exciting game where the Owls nearly rallied to win it until Taryn Christion worked his magic (see turning point above).
The question about the contrast in styles and how they matched up? It didn't really get answered. Because of the rain, SDSU didn't get to whip the passes around quite like it used to do, but it still found a way to post 27 points. Kennesaw State still managed to rush for 300-plus yards, so you can't pin the loss on SDSU shutting down the Owls' run game — even after Walter Payton Award finalist Chandler Burks went down to an injury in the second quarter and returned in a sling in the second half. Backup QB Daniel David didn't seem to skip a beat and was quite effective — so again, things worked the way they're supposed to when it comes to what Kennesaw State does well.
Bottom line? SDSU was just a bit more opportunistic than Kennesaw State. It wasn't a case of either team truly dominating the other. The only thing that dominated was the weather, which kept a lot of fans away from the stadium.
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PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK
South Dakota State is the only program this year to truly push North Dakota State, and it was in the FargoDome back in September. The Jackrabbits led the Bison going into the fourth quarter and seemed to scheme perfect for the matchup. SDSU isn't afraid of NDSU, as it has proven it can beat the Bison in 2016 and in 2017, and there are a lot of key players still around from those victories — both in Fargo and in Brookings. Couple that with the near-win earlier this year, and this should be one of the best games of the year in the FCS.
