FCS Playoffs First Round Recap: Eight Advance

The first round of the FCS playoffs is officially in the books and most of the usual suspects found themselves moving on when the dust had settled. It was a Saturday full of big performances, strong defensive showings and one miraculous comeback from a first-timer. Here’s went went down in the first weekend of the postseason and who’s moving on.

Villanova Routs Harvard

Harvard’s first trip to the postseason was a short-lived one as it got blasted by 12-seed Villanova on Saturday afternoon. The 52-7 shellacking by the Wildcats was made possible in large part by the monster day that running back Isaiah Ragland put together, running for 152 yards and a score. Ragland was one of four ball carriers to find the end zone for ‘Nova. Another was quarterback Pat McQuaide who threw for 193 yards and three touchdowns along with no interceptions.

On the other side, the Crimson offense could not find any sort of success. QB Jaden Craig completed just nine of his 21 pass attempts for 107 yards. He also threw two picks. On the day, Harvard turned the ball over three times and never really had much of a shot as Villanova outgained them 512 yards to 213.

The Wildcats will move on to play 5-seed Lehigh next Saturday for a spot in the quarterfinals. Harvard’s season ends with a 9-2 overall record.

Yale Stages Epic Comeback to Topple YSU

The win of the entire weekend went to Yale. Making its first ever appearance in the FCS playoffs, the Ivy League champion Bulldogs gave their fans one to remember and Youngstown State fans one to forget. After falling behind to Beau Brungard and the Penguins 35-7 at halftime and then 42-14 early in the second half, Yale staged one of the best playoff comebacks ever, scoring 29 unanswered points to knock off YSU 43-42.

The rally was fueled by running back Josh Pitsenberger who ran wild over the Penguins defense to the tune of 209 yards and three touchdowns. Pitsenberger’s third score, a 57-yard scamper with under three minutes left to play, was the one that put the Bulldogs on top. Needing a stop late to have a chance, Youngstown State defensive back Makai Shahid was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving Yale the first down. Pitsenberger could have had a fourth score but wisely went down short of the end zone a few plays later, allowing Yale to kneel out the clock.

During the comeback, the Bulldogs scored touchdowns on five consecutive drives and forced a big fumble and missed field goal from YSU. QB Dante Reno threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns while both wideouts Lucius Anderson and Jaxton Santiago went for over 100 yards receiving. For Youngstown State, Brungard accounted for over 400 all purpose yards and threw three touchdowns as well, all of which went to Max Tomczak.

It was about as disheartening of a loss as YSU has ever experienced and it snaps an incredible 17-game home winning streak in the playoffs for the Penguins. The improbable win will send Yale to Bozeman next weekend for a date with 2-seed Montana State in the second round.

With Mason Back SDSU Rolls New Hampshire

The news that South Dakota State fans have been nearly two months to hear finally came down on Saturday with quarterback Chase Mason returning to the lineup from his ankle injury and with him back, the Jackrabbits looked like shades of their old selves against New Hampshire. Mason led the Jacks to a lopsided 41-3 win in the snow and set up what should be an epic second round game with #3 Montana next weekend.

Mason’s return was a great one as he threw for three touchdowns and had only four incomplete passes (20 attempts) all day. Backup signal caller Jack Henry also tossed a TD while both Julius Loughridge and Josiah Johnson ran for scores as well. The South Dakota State defense shut down UNH quarterback Matt Vezza, holding him to just 48 passing yards. The only Wildcats points came off the foot of kicker Nick Reed who connected on a 30-yard field goal.

For the second straight year, New Hampshire sees its season end in the opening round in blowout fashion. The Wildcats finish 8-5 overall. South Dakota State has now won two straight as it prepares for a trip West to Montana.

Abilene Christian Rumbles Past Lamar

Abilene Christian’s season will continue after a solid 38-20 win over Lamar at home on Saturday. Quarterback Stone Earle had a big day, accounting for four touchdowns and 308 passing yards in the win. Two of his touchdown throws went to receiver Javon Gipson. With the win, ACU will head to the second round again where they will take on Southland champion Stephen F. Austin.

Lamar was able to find some success against the Wildcats defense but not nearly enough. QB Aiden McCown completed 15 of his 31 passes for 266 yards and two scores, one of which was a long 77-yard throw to Izaha Jones in the third quarter. It was all for naught, though, as ACU was never really in danger of relinquishing their lead. The Cardinals are still seeking their first ever playoff victory.

Abilene Christian did play and beat SFA earlier this season, winning 28-20 at home. That loss was one of only two that the Lumberjacks suffered all season. Next week’s rematch, however, will be in Nacogdoches.

Illinois State Stifles Lions on Road

The Redbirds will get their rematch with Missouri Valley foe North Dakota State next weekend thanks to a dominant defensive performance at Southeastern Louisiana. The Lions were held out of the end zone all day while the Redbirds own offense got touchdowns by way of the run and the catch from QB Tommy Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse accounted for just 149 total yards but that’s all he needed.

The ISU defense was lights out, picking off Carson Camp three times and Kyle Lowe once. Senior defensive back Mason Kaplan was responsible for two of those interceptions. As a whole, the defense made nine third down stops, forced four punts and took the ball away four times. SLU, who got into the tournament as an at-large selection from the Southland Conference, was held to its lowest point output since its Week 1 loss at Louisiana Tech.

Star receiver Daniel Sobkowicz hauled in eight passes while running backs Victor Dawson and Wenkers Wright each got at least 11 touches and combined for 134 yards on the ground. Sobkowicz threw a touchdown to Rittehouse in the third quarter to help pull away.

Illinois State has now won a playoff game in each of the last two seasons but will have to face top overall seed NDSU next week in Fargo. The Redbirds battled the Bison earlier this year, losing at home 33-16.

Rhode Island Outlasts CCSU in First Round Again

For the second straight season, Central Connecticut’s season comes to an end after a hard-fought opening round loss to Rhode Island. The 9-seed Rams again bested the NEC champs at home to get their playoff journey underway and have earned the right to take on UC Davis next weekend.

Devin Farrell was as sharp as ever, throwing for 365 yards and two touchdowns. He and receiver Marquis Buchanan could not be stopped. Buchanan caught seven balls for 101 yards and a TD. It was a quarterback battle, though, as CCSU signal caller Brady Olson went toe to toe with Farrell, going for 311 yards and two scores on his side also. Blue Devils receiver Michael Trovarelli was on the other end of 11 of those throws and racked up 106 yards himself.

After falling behind 14-0, Central Connecticut got back into it with a scoring strike from Olson to running back Elijah Howard on the heels of a 16-play drive. CCSU would hang around but had to settle for field goals late instead of touchdowns and that ended up making the difference.

Rhode Island, after missing out on the playoffs for nearly 40 years, has now reached the second round for the second straight season. Central Connecticut finishes their 2025 campaign at 8-5.

South Dakota Trounces Drake For Second Time this Season

Drake’s first trip to the DakotaDome this year did not go well and their second one wasn’t a whole lot better. South Dakota made light work of the Pioneer League champions just as they did back in Week 4. Aidan Bouman had a nearly perfect day under center, completing 15-of-20 throws for 261 yards and four touchdowns. Running back L.J. Phillips Jr. ran for 132 yards and a score on 14 carries and the Coyotes ended up winning comfortably 38-17.

Drake quarterback Logan Inagawa delivered both of the Bulldogs’ touchdowns, one a pass to Jackson Voth and one a run himself. Voth caught ten passes for 86 yards and the TD. It marks the third consecutive year that Drake has lost in the opening round. The Bulldogs season ends at 8-4 overall.

South Dakota will take on 6-seed Mercer next weekend in Macon in what should be one of the better games of the second round. The ‘Yotes, who reached the semifinals last year, have only won one road playoff game in their history.

UND Shuts Down High-Powered Golden Eagles but Loses Kaminski

North Dakota picked up its first ever road playoff win on Saturday but the 31-6 final does not really indicate how close the game was for a good, long time against Big South-OVC champion Tennessee Tech in Cookeville. After opening up a 10-0 lead, UND found itself in a 10-6 gridlock before it finally pulled away in the fourth quarter. The victory came at a cost, though, as QB Jerry Kaminski went down early in the second half and did not return.

Kaminski threw for 98 yards, a touchdown and an interception before exiting. Simon Romfo came in to finish out the game under center. The real success for the Hawks, however, came on their back of their defense that held a Tennessee Tech offense that was averaging over 40 points per game to just six. The UND front bottled up Kekoa Visperas all afternoon, sacking him six times and breaking up six of his throws.

The defensive effort was led by seniors like safety Zach Lewis and linebacker Malachi McNeal. Lewis totaled 11 tackles while McNeal had a forced fumble as well as a fumble recovery along with 1.5 sacks. They were a big reason why usually-explosive TTU players such as running back Quintell Quinn and receiver Noah Robinson were held in check. The only Golden Eagles points came from a Visperas touchdown throw to tight end Brian Courtney in the third quarter.

One of the best seasons in Tennessee Tech history comes to an unceremonious end as the team concludes its campaign with an 11-2 overall record. North Dakota, meanwhile, moves on to face #4 Tarleton State next weekend.