FARGO – No. 2 seed North Dakota State University (NDSU) (12-2) hosts two-time defending national champion and No. 3 seed South Dakota State University (SDSU) (12-2) in the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Football Championship at 11 a.m. this Saturday, December 21, at the Fargodome. The winner advances to face No. 1 Montana State or No. 4 South Dakota in the FCS championship Monday, January 6, in Frisco, Texas.

Saturday’s game will be televised nationally on ABC with Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Sam Acho (analyst) and Taylor Davis (reporter) describing the action. The broadcast will also be available to ESPN+ subscribers on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.

Statewide network coverage on all 25 stations across the Pioneer Seeds Bison Sports Network begins at 10 a.m. including Bison 1660 and 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Sam Neidermann (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and Noah Gindorff (sideline). Streaming is available on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.

This is the 117th meeting between North Dakota State and South Dakota State in a series dating back to 1903. NDSU leads the series 64-47-5. The Bison snapped a five-game losing streak to SDSU with a 13-9 victory in Fargo on October 19 before a sellout crowd of 18,807 in a matchup of then the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in FCS.

The Bison drove 92 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:49 left to play. Cam Miller went 7-for-7 passing to six different receivers on the final drive, which took 5:25 off the clock. RaJa Nelson caught the 20-yard TD pass (his second of the game) and linebacker Logan Kopp’s interception sealed the win.

The Dakota Marker, the rivalry trophy established in 2004 for NDSU-SDSU football games, is only up for grabs during regular-season matchups between the two programs. This is the sixth postseason meeting between the Bison and Jacks. NDSU won the first four playoff games in Fargo in the 2012 second round (28-3), 2014 second round (27-24), 2016 quarterfinals (36-10) and 2018 semifinals (44-21). SDSU won the last meeting in the 2022 championship (45-21). NDSU has an 11-10 edge in the Dakota Marker series.

North Dakota State is 8-1 in FCS playoff rematches with regular-season opponents. Three of those victories came after regular-season losses to Montana in 2015, South Dakota State in 2016 and South Dakota in 2023. NDSU was 9-3 in Division II playoff rematches, including a 27-7 win over South Dakota in the 1986 championship and a 51-11 win over Indiana (Pa.) in the 1990 championship.

This is North Dakota State’s 38th postseason appearance and 15th straight dating back to 2010. The Bison have advanced to the quarterfinals or beyond all 15 years in the FCS playoffs. NDSU has an 84-18 record in the postseason with 17 national championships including nine FCS titles in 11 years from 2011 to 2021.

The Bison won three College Division national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969 and five Division II titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990. NDSU is 79-17 in the NCAA playoff format since 1973, and the Bison own the record for FCS playoff victories with a 49-5 mark, including 37-1 in the Fargodome.

North Dakota State has a top-two seed for the 10th time in 15 FCS playoff appearances. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have home field advantage through the semifinals, and this is the 12th time NDSU has hosted through the semifinals. The Bison were No. 3 in 2015 and hosted a semifinal en route to the national title that year after a quarterfinal loss by No. 2 Illinois State. The Bison were No. 3 again in 2022 and won a home semifinal against No. 7 Incarnate Word after UIW beat No. 2 Sacramento State 66-63 in the quarterfinals.

NDSU had nine all-conference selections and five honorable mentions. QB Cam Miller was one of six All-MVFC first team picks along with LT Grey Zabel, RT Mason Miller, WR Bryce Lance, DT Eli Mostaert and LB Logan Kopp. RB CharMar Brown made the second team with K Griffin Crosa and RS Jackson Williams.

Honorable mentions were FB Truman Werremeyer, TE Joe Stoffel, DT Kody Huisman, S Sam Jung and LS Caleb Bowers. Mostaert finished second in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year behind South Dakota lineman Mi’Quise Grace, and first-year head coach Tim Polasek was second for MVFC Coach of the Year behind Bob Nielson from South Dakota.

NDSU had five players named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team including RB CharMar Brown, C Trent Fraley, RS Jackson Williams, S Jaylin Crumby and CB Anthony Chideme-Alfaro.

First-year NDSU head coach Tim Polasek was named FCS Region 4 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association. Polasek is in his third stint at NDSU after working as an assistant coach under Craig Bohl from 2016 to 2012 and offensive coordinator under Chris Klieman from 2014 to 2016.

North Dakota State running back CharMar Brown won the 14th annual Jerry Rice Award, presented to the FCS national freshman of the year. Brown is the second winner in NDSU history, joining 2019 quarterback Trey Lance.

Quarterback Cam Miller is one of the three top finalists for the Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the FCS offensive player of the year. The winner will be named at the Jan. 4 FCS National Awards banquet in Frisco, Texas. Bison defensive tackle Eli Mostaert was 14th in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award (defensive player of the year).