Northeast Conference champion Duquesne overcame a slow start, beating Towson 31-10 to open the FCS Playoffs on Saturday and setting up a second-round matchup with fifth-seeded South Dakota State.
The Dukes were the only road team to win in the first round.
The Jackrabbits (8-2) and Dukes (9-3) face off Saturday at 2 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.
SDSU beat Duquesne 51-13 in a regular-season game last year.
Northern Iowa – one of three qualifiers from the Missouri Valley Football Conference – beat Lamar 16-13 in Cedar Falls.
The Panthers (7-5) head to No. 6 UC Davis (9-2) in the second round for a 6 p.m. game Saturday.
Montana State, which fell 45-14 at SDSU on Sept. 8, defeated Incarnate Word 35-14 in the first round. MVFC champ and top-seeded North Dakota State (11-0) is host to the Bobcats (8-4) in the second round Saturday at 2 p.m. in Fargo, N.D.
The Colonial Athletic Association had a rough time in the first round, as four of its record six qualifiers lost – Towson, Elon 19-7 at Wofford, Stony Brook 28-14 at Southeast Missouri State and Delaware 20-6 at fellow league member James Madison. No. 7 Maine, the CAA’s automatic qualifier, received a bye.
The Terriers (9-3) travel to fourth-seeded Kennesaw State (10-1) in the second round for a 1 p.m. contest. The winner of that game faces the SDSU/Duquesne victor.
Nicholls State beat San Diego 49-30 in a matchup of automatic qualifiers – the Colonels won the Southland Conference and the Toreros took the Pioneer League.
Jacksonville State edged East Tennessee State 34-27 in the late game.
Nine of the 10 conference champions (AQs) are in the second round, with such teams going 4-1 in the first round.
RECORDS BY CONFERENCE
Qualifiers Rec. Byes
Ohio Valley 2 2-0 0
Big Sky 4 1-0 3
MVFC 3 1-0 2
Northeast 1 1-0 0
Southern 2 1-1 0
Southland 3 1-2 0
Colonial 6 1-4 1
Big South 1 0-0 1
Patriot 1 0-0 1
Pioneer 1 0-1 0
FCS PLAYOFFS
First round – Saturday, Nov. 24
Montana State 35, Incarnate Word 14
James Madison 20, Delaware 6
Duquesne 31, Towson 10
Wofford 19, Elon 7
Nicholls State 49, San Diego 30
Northern Iowa 16, Lamar 13
Jacksonville State 34, East Tennessee State 27
Southeast Missouri State 28, Stony Brook 14
Second round – Saturday, Dec. 1
All games on ESPN3
Montana State (8-4) at No. 1 North Dakota State (11-0), 2 p.m.
James Madison (9-3) at No. 8 Colgate (9-1), noon
Duquesne (9-3) at No. 5 South Dakota State (8-2), 2 p.m.
Wofford (9-3) at No. 4 Kennesaw State (10-1), 1 p.m.
Nicholls State (9-3) at No. 3 Eastern Washington (9-2), 4 p.m.
Northern Iowa (7-5) at No. 6 UC Davis (9-2), 6 p.m.
Jacksonville State (9-3) at No. 7 Maine (8-3), 11 a.m.
Southeast Missouri State (9-3) at No. 2 Weber State (9-2), 3 p.m.
Quarterfinals – Friday, Dec. 7-Saturday, Dec. 8
NDSU/MSU winner vs. Colgate/JMU winner
KSU/Wofford winner vs. SDSU/Duquesne winner
EWU/NSU vs. UCD/UNI winner
WSU/SEMO winner vs. Maine/JSU winner
Semifinals – Friday, Dec. 14-Saturday, Dec. 15
Championship
Saturday, Jan. 5
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
11 a.m. [ESPN2]
• Duquesne 31, Towson 10
TOWSON, Md. – A.J. Hines racked up 246 yards from scrimmage and scored twice as the Dukes overcame a 10-0 deficit with 31 unanswered points on a rainy, breezy and cool afternoon at Johnny Unitas Stadium.
It marked Duquesne’s first FCS Playoffs win since joining the Division I ranks in 1993 and also marked the program’s first defeat of a ranked FCS opponent in six chances.
Hines ran 28 times for 175 yards and a touchdown while adding a 71-yard TD reception for the Northeast Conference champion Dukes (9-3).
Daniel Parr was 6-of-19 for 144 yards with a TD through the air and also ran for a touchdown. Daquan Worley ran for 73 yards and a score.
For Towson (7-5), of the Colonial Athletic Association, Tom Flacco – younger brother of Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco – went 10-of-33 for 127 yards with a TD passing and ran for 38 yards. Shane Simpson picked up 96 yards on the ground and Kobe Young added 92.
Flacco hit Jabari Allen for a 34-yard touchdown pass at the 10:43 mark of the first quarter to open the scoring.
Towson’s Aidan O’Neill missed a 37-yard field goal attempt later in the period, but connected on a 26-yarder with 7:07 left in the second to push the margin to 10-0. The short kick came after Simpson had an 8-yard touchdown scamper called back by a holding penalty.
Towson was on the verge of extending its advantage late in the second; however, on third-and-goal, Duquesne’s Brandon Stanback forced Simpson to fumble on the 1-yard-line and then pounced on the loose ball.
The Dukes got on the board after Mitch Maczura booted a 32-yard field goal as time expired.
It was all Duquesne in the second half.
Worley found the end zone from 48 yards out with 12:21 to go in the third, knottin the score at 10-all. Parr and Hines hooked up for the 71-yard touchdown soon thereafter.
The Dukes’ lone hiccup of the second half came when the Tigers’ Malik Tyne sacked Parr and jarred the ball loose and teammate Grant Udinski recovered the ball at the Towson 45 with 5:09 to play in the period.
The Duquesne defense came through with a stop, turning Towson over on downs at the Dukes’ 28-yard-line.
Parr gave the Dukes some breathing room with a 3-yard TD plunge with 12:31 remaining in the game. The run capped a 10-play, 72-yard drive that lasted more than 5 minutes.
Towson went four-and-out on its ensuing possession, giving Duquesne the ball at the 15-yard line with 3:38 to play. Hines had runs of 12 and 3 yards after that to provide for the final margin.
Stanback had 11 tackles, including a sack, to go with the takeaway for the Dukes. Abner Roberts added 10 tackles, including three for loss (one sack).
The Tigers’ Jamal Gray made 11 stops.
Duquesne joined Wagner as the only NEC teams to win FCS Playoffs games. Wagner topped Colgate 31-20 in the first round in 2012.
Total offense: DU 70-426 (51-282 rushing/6-19-144 passing), TU 80-357 (47-230 rushing/10-33-127 passing). Turnovers: DU 1 (1 fumble), TU 1 (1 fumble). Possession time: DU 30:25, TU 29:35. A: 2,158.
• Northern Iowa 16, Lamar 13
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Austin Errthum kicked a trio of field goals, including the game-winner with 13:09 remaining, as the Panthers (7-5) outscored the Cardinals 13-0 after the first quarter to post the victory.
Marcus Weymiller ran for 128 yards and Trevor Allen added 112. Eli Dunne went 8-of-21 for 107 yards with a TD and an INT.
UNI forced Southland Conference member Lamar (8-4) into four turnovers, three of which came on fumbles. Duncan Ferch had 10 tackles. Korby Sander recovered a pair of fumbles and Elerson G. Smith notched a pair of sacks.
The Cardinals’ Darrel Colbert was 14-of-25 for 268 yards with two TDs and an INT. Myles Wanza picked up 85 yards on the ground. Lane Taylor tallied 14 tackles.
Lamar struck first on Colbert’s 73-yard scoring strike to Kirkland Banks just 37 seconds into the game.
Deion McShane returned the opening kickoff 59 yards to set the Panthers up with a short field, before Errthum cut the deficit in half with a 21-yard field goal.
The Cardinals countered with a 12-play, 75-yard drive as Colber hooked up with Case Robinson from 25 yards out to make it 13-3 in favor of the visitors midway through the opening stanza.
Errthum connected from 44 yards out at the 8:16 mark of the second and Dunne found Jalen Rima for a 32-yard touchdown with 1:59 left as the score was tied at 13-all at the break.
Lamar threatened throughout the second half but saw two drives end with fumbles and two more with missed field goals.
The Panthers’ Bryce Douglas forced Wanza to fumble and Sander recovered at the UNI 16-yard-line at the 9:12 mark of third.
Lamar’s Chaston Brooks picked off Dunne and returned the ball 4 yards to the UNI 21 with 4:33 left in third; however, Elvin Martinez missed a 42-yard field goal soon thereafter.
The Panthers put together the go-ahead drive after that, moving 58 yards on 11 plays in 4 1/2 minutes. Errthum booted a 35-yard field goal that made it 16-13 with 13:09 to play.
The Cardinals’ A.J. Walker fumbled at the UNI 19 with 10:45 remaining in the game – Christian Jegen forced it and Sander recovered.
UNI took nearly 5 minutes off the clock before punting to the Lamar 14. The Cardinals moved 67 yards on nine plays, but Martinez’s 36-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right with 2:50 showing on the clock.
Total offense: UNI 71-346 (50-239 rushing/8-21-107 passing), LU 71-417 (44-149 rushing/14-27-268 passing). Turnovers: UNI 1 (1 INT), LU 4 (3 fumbles/1 INT). Possession time: UNI 32:12, LU 27:48. A: 4,082.
• Montana State 35, Incarnate Word 14
BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Bobcats (8-4) racked up 513 yards of offense, forced four turnovers and possessed the ball for more than 41 minutes in the win over the Cardinals (6-5) in a matchup and Big Sky Conference and Southland Conference teams.
Troy Andersen went 12-of-29 for 164 yards with a TD and ran for 84 yards with another score. Isaiah Ifanse picked up 171 yards on the ground.
Michael Jobman recorded 10 tackles. Brayden Konkol picked off a pass and recovered a fumble.
UIW’s Sean Brophy was 22-of-35 for 313 yards with two TDs and an INT. Kody Edwards had four catches covering 133 yards with a touchdown. Silas Stewart, who recovered a fumble, and Justin Alexandre both made nine stops.
MSU’s Nolan Askelson blocked a punt and Lance McCutcheon returned it 11 yards to the house to open the scoring 4 minutes in.
The Cardinals pulled even on Brophy’s 5-yard TD toss to Jaeli Campbel later in the period.
Grant Collins forced Brophy into an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone in the second, as the safety put the home team on top for good at 9-7. Tristan Bailey kicked a 35-yard field goal and Andersen plunged to paydirt from a yard out to push the margin to 18-7 at halftime.
Brophy and Edwards hooked up for a 33-yard score on the opening drive of the third period, pulling UIW within 18-14.
Bailey’s 19-yard field goal with 6:21 left in the third made it 21-14.
MSU pulled away in the fourth as Travis Jonsen ran for a 19-yard score with 12:59 remaining and then caught a 37-yard TD toss from Andersen with 10:43 left to provide for the final margin. Jonsen had two receptions for 76 yards, rushed five times for 26 yards and went 1-of-1 passing for 10 yards.
Total offense: MSU 86-513 (66-339 rushing/13-20-174 passing), UIW 54-382 (19-69 rushing/22-35-313 passing). Turnovers: MSU 1 (1 fumble), UIW 4 (3 fumbles/1 INT). Possession time: MSU 41:22, UIW 18:38. A: 10,017.
• James Madison 20, Delaware 6
HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Dukes (9-3) – the 2016 FCS champions and runners-up a year ago – were the only CAA team to win in the first round, beating conference foe Delaware (7-5) on a windy day.
Ben DiNucci went 23-of-31 for 223 yards with a touchdown.
The JMU defense limited the Blue Hens to 185 yards of offense and forced a pair of turnovers.
Jimmy Moreland led the way with 10 tackles. John Daka had two sacks. Wayne Davis and Charles Tutt both picked off a pass.
JMU’s Ethan Ratke kicked a 23-yard field goal late in the first quarter. John Daka sacked Pat Kehoe for a 6-yard loss and a safety to make it 5-0 early in the second. Marcus Marshall’s 4-yard TD rush helped the Dukes move ahead 12-0.
Delaware’s Jake Roth booted a 48-yard field goal late in the second quarter and Frank Raggo connected from 37 yards out early in the third to cut the deficit to 12-6.
JMU moved ahead 20-6 after DiNucci found Jake Brown for an 8-yard score and then hit Dylan Stapleton on the two-point conversion.
Total offense: JMU 77-316 (46-93 rushing/23-31-223 passing), UD 57-185 (25-69 rushing/13-32-116 passing). Turnovers: JMU 1 (1 fumble), UD 2 (2 INT). Possession time: JMU 37:04, UD 22:56. A: 7,297.
• Wofford 19, Elon 7
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference champion Terriers (9-3) beat the Phoenix (6-5), who are CAA members, on a pleasant day at Gibbs Stadium.
Wofford ran for 344 yards and dominated possession of the ball 37:11-22:49.
Nathan Walker led a balanced attack with 90 yards and a touchdown. Lennox McAfee added 63 yards, Ryan Lovelace 56, Miller Mosley 42, Andre Stoddard 40, Joe Newman 34 and D’Mauriae VanCleave 21.
Jireh Wilson recorded seven tackles and forced a fumble. Mason Alstatt picked off a pass.
Luke Carter went 4-of-5 on field goals, including a 32-yarder to open the scoring.
Elon moved ahead 7-3 on Brelynd Cyphers’ 1-yard TD plunge early in the second.
Carter missed a 36-yard kick at the 11:34 mark of the second but connected from 21 yards out with 2:09 left to cut the deficit to 7-6 at halftime.
The game’s lone TD came on Walker’s 4-yard rush with 9:54 to play in the third. Carter had a 33-yard boot with 4:35 left in the third and a 25-yarder with 9:53 remaining in the game to provide for the final margin.
Elon’s Daniel Thompson went 20-of-32 for 209 yards with an INT. Cole Coleman made 11 tackles.
Total offense: WC 67-364 (59-344 rushing/4-8-20 passing), EU 60-260 (28-51 rushing/20-32-209 passing). Turnovers: WC 0, EU 2 (1 INT/1 fumble). Possession time: WC 37:11, EU 22:49. A: 2,157.
• Nicholls State 49, San Diego 30
THIBODAUX, La. – The Colonels (9-3) beat the Toreros (9-3) in a matchup of champions from the Southland Conference and Pioneer League on a warm, overcast day.
Chase Fourcase went 21-of-31 for 337 yards with two TDs and an INT while rushing for 82 yards and two more scores for NSU, which led 21-7 after a quarter and 35-10 at halftime.
Dontrell Taylor ran 14 times for 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Damiion Jeanpiere had seven receptions covering 143 yards with a TD.
Austin Dickerson notched seven tackles and Evan Veron pounced on a loose ball on defense.
San Diego quarterback Anthony Lawrence capped a standout career by going 30-of-56 for 322 yards with four touchdowns.
In the FCS recordbook, he finished fifth in touchdown completions (120), 10th in passing yards (12,628) and 14th in total offense (12,681).
Total offense: NSU 74-606 (43-269 rushing/21-31-337 passing), USD 72-358 (14-9 rushing/31-58-349 passing). Turnovers: NSU 1 (1 INT), USD 1 (1 fumble). Possession time: NSU 33:39, USD 26:21. A: 8,571.
• Jacksonville State 34, East Tennessee State 27
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The Ohio Valley Conference champion Gamecocks (9-3) scored 24 consecutive points after halftime in the win over the Buccaneers (8-4) of the Southern Conference.
JSU’s Zerrick Cooper was 20-of-32 for 226 yards with three TD tosses to Shaq Davidson and a pair of picks. Jaelen Greene ran for 121 yards.
Cooper sandwiched scoring throws of 5 and 13 yards to Davidson around Cade Stinnett’s 27-yard field goal and Marlon Bridges picked off a pass and returned it 32 yards to paydirt to make it 34-20 with 7 1/2 minutes remaining in the game.
ETSU’s Austin Herink ended up 17-of-39 for 260 yards with a TD and an INT and ran for a touchdown.
Titus Tucker had a 60-yard pick six to end the first quarter as the visitors led 10-7. They were up 20-10 at halftime.
Herink’s 10-yard TD rush stopped the JSU run and pulled ETSU within 34-27 with 5:30 showing on the clock.
The Buccaneers got the ball back near midfield with 4:22 to go and later had a first-and-goal at the JSU 4-yard-line. However, Quay Holmes was stopped at the goal line on the next play and fumbled – Zack Woodard forced it and Tre’ Threat pounced on the loose ball for a touchback.
Total offense: JSU 59-421 (27-195 rushing/20-32-226 passing), ETSU 75-436 (36-176 rushing/17-39-260 passing). Turnovers: JSU 2 (2 INT), ETSU 2 (1 INT/1 fumble). Possession time: JSU 28:14, ETSU 31:42. A: 11,024.
• Southeast Missouri State 28, Stony Brook 14
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Seawolves (7-5) scored all their points in the second quarter, before the Redhawks (9-3) put up 28 in the third to record the first FCS Playoffs victory in program history.
SEMO, of the Ohio Valley Conference, moved up to the Division I ranks in 1991. The Redhawks lead the nation with a plus-27 turnover margin.
That proved to be key Saturday as the home team forced four turnovers and did not give the ball away. Daniel Santacaterina was 13-of-29 for 136 yards through the air and had a hand in all his squad’s scores.
Justin Swift intercepted a Joe Carbone pass on the first possession of the second half to set SEMO up at the SBU 24-yard-line. Santacaterina scored on a 16-yard run to cut the deficit in half.
Taj Jenkins then picked off Carbone at the SBU 38. Santacaterina hit Kristian Wilkerson for a 5-yard touchdown to knot the score at 14-all.
A short punt by the Seawolves combined with a personal foul gave the Redhawks another short field. This time, Santacaterina threw a 9-yard TD toss to Jerrick Orr to give SEMO the lead.
The hosts forced another punt but then had to kick it away themselves; however, Demarcus Rogers recovered a fumble on the play. On the next play, Santacaterina and Wilkerson hooked up again, this time for a 38-yarder to give SEMO a 28-14 advantage.
Swift finished with 12 tackles to go with the INT and also recovered a Carbone fumble early in the game when Stony Brook was nearing the red zone. Zach Hall made 13 stops.
Carbone ended up 15-of-27 for 211 yards with a TD to go with the three turnovers.
SBU, members of the Colonial, got a 2-yard scoring plunge by Donald Liotine midway through the second. Carbone found Julius Wingate for a 36-yard touchdown toss 1:54 before halftime.
Total offense: SEMO 65-240 (36-104 rushing/13-29-136 passing), SBU 89-404 (45-119 rushing/22-44-285 passing). Turnovers: SEMO 0, SEMO 4 (2 INT/2 fumble). Possession time: SEMO 24:57, SBU 35:03. A: 5,679.
