BROOKINGS – At this point in the FCS playoffs, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits are on edge.

This isn’t anything special. With eight teams remaining ahead of this weekend’s quarterfinal matchups, all of them are on edge as they look to make their way to Frisco, Texas for the national championship game.

But the Jackrabbits just aren’t on the edge, they have an edge. SDSU has been here before and when they host No. 8 Holy Cross at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings on Saturday afternoon, they’ll have an advantage that has helped them make several deep runs into the playoffs.

“I think the biggest thing is to always be on edge,” SDSU head coach John Stiegelmeier said about advancing in the playoffs. “[You have to] always be on edge as a head coach. Always be on edge as an assistant coach and make sure that your players are on edge. Don’t look at the stats or compare stuff….know that you have to do your job as well as you can when the ball is snapped and between when the ball is being snapped.”

The quarterfinals are nothing new to the Jackrabbits. After making its first appearance in 2016, SDSU has reached the quarterfinals in five of the past six seasons. The Jackrabbits have also won their past four quarterfinal games and will look to make it five straight for the Crusaders on Saturday.

Holy Cross will be making its first quarterfinals appearance since it lost to Western Carolina in 1983. The Crusaders have made just five playoff appearances since but have qualified in each of the past four seasons. That includes a trip to Brookings during the 2021 spring season where the Jackrabbits earned a dominant 31-3 victory.

While the Crusaders have some playoff experience, getting this deep into the tournament is a different experience.

“In the playoffs, the difference is that you’re one and done,” Stiegelmeier said. “You have to win to play on. It’s not a bowl game. It’s not the middle of the season, regardless of the opponent. You’re playing for another week with those seniors. You’re playing for another week with your coaching staff, your best friends and so on.”

The Crusaders have been on the same path as the Jackrabbits this season, but it’s been one that has been less traveled. In addition to the deep playoff run, the Crusaders enjoying their first 12-win season in school history. They also claimed their fourth straight Patriot League title but are the first Patriot League team to advance to the quarterfinals since Colgate did it in 2018.

The Jackrabbits are similar in some ways and their 2022 season has also been filled with historical milestones. SDSU earned its first No. 1 ranking in school history last October and won its first outright conference title. While the Jackrabbits have continued to collect accolades on the way to the quarterfinals, Stiegelmeier said it’s not something they talk about – especially with a school-record 11-game winning streak and a trip to the semifinals on the line.

“I think when you’ve been there and done that, you’re not as emotional when you take the next step,” Stiegelmeier said. “I think when we became No. 1…that first week, there were some emotions there. There were some unique feelings by our program and then we got over it. So we’ve been here. We’ve done this. For our football team, we don’t expect to be here but we know can get to this point in the playoffs. Right now, we’re playing a lot of good football, so there’s a lot of confidence.”

That confidence will be needed against a Holy Cross team that isn’t just a good story, but a quality football team. The Crusaders come into Saturday’s game averaging 243.8 rushing yards per game. They also carry a different look than some of the teams the Jackrabbits have seen throughout the season as quarterback Matthew Sluka leads the team with 1,021 yards rushing.

Stiegelmeier joked that when he was a defensive coordinator, he believed that it should be illegal for quarterbacks to run with the ball. But with other dynamic weapons such as running back Peter Oliver, who ran for a career-high 178 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win over New Hampshire, it will be a test for the Jackrabbits against an offense that averages over 38 points per game.

That road will become more difficult if the Jackrabbits are able to survive. Of the eight teams remaining, five are ranked in the top seven of rushing yards per game this year. It’s even tougher on the defensive side of the ball where four teams – including the Jackrabbits and Crusaders – rank in the top 10 in scoring defense.

“If they score 38 points against our defense, I think there will be bad news,” Stiegelmeier said. “That will be a tough day because we won’t be playing the type of defense that we’re used to. I think the further we go down this road, the less 53-52 or whatever the scores have been will be because of the level of football with the seeds playing each other.”

With all eight seeded teams having made their way to the quarterfinals and the matchups should only increase in difficulty. The Crusaders may not be used to the grind but the Jackrabbits are battle tested and hoping that their experience will lead them through Saturday’s matchup and the final weeks of the season.

“The games should get tougher, right?” Stiegelmeier said of the teams remaining. “We’re playing another seeded team. I always thought when we first made the playoffs, there are 16 teams to win the national championship. Now it’s 24 [teams]. Everybody has that opportunity and right now we’re the final eight. So it’s exciting.”