No. 6 Sam Houston State (12-1) at No. 2 North Dakota State (12-1)
GAME INFO:
When: Friday, Dec. 15, 8 p.m. ET
Where: Fargo, North Dakota
TV: ESPN2
[divider]
Playoffs so far:
North Dakota State sat the opening weekend on a bye before dismantling San Diego, the same Pioneer League team it took care of a year ago in round two of the playoffs. They promptly took care of business of Wofford a week later in another rout.
Sam Houston State has back-to-back wins over South Dakota and Kennesaw State. The Bearkats have jumped out to an early lead and hung on in each contest, winning a shootout over South Dakota and getting a key defensive stop to take out Kennesaw State.
[divider]
Player Matchups
QB COMPARISON: Easton Stick vs. Jeremiah Briscoe (stat comparison)
RB COMPARISON: Bruce Anderson vs. Corey Avery (stat comparison)
TOP RECEIVER COMPARISON: RJ Urzendowski vs. Davion Davis (stat comparison)
TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Nick DeLuca vs. PJ Hall (stat comparison)
[divider]
QUICK HIT: NDSU is into the semi-finals for an astonishing 7th straight season. SHSU and NDSU will match up for the fourth time in that playoff run. The Bison beat the Bearkats twice in the championship (2011 and 2012 seasons) and once in the semifinals (2014).
[divider]
NEXT ROUND
The winner of North Dakota State and Sam Houston State will advance to the FCS Championship to take on the winner of James Madison and South Dakota State.