Favorites New Hampshire and North Dakota State eked out one-possession victories over game Chattanooga and Coastal Carolina teams, and will move on to the semifinals. Next weekend, each will face an upset victor for the right to play in Frisco for the FCS championship.
The No. 2 Bison welcome Sam Houston State, which started the tournament unseeded and added an upset of overall No. 6 Villanova on Saturday. And No. 1 UNH gets No. 5 Illinois State, which just won on the red field at Eastern Washington.
Updated bracket via the NCAA:
Things kicked off Friday when top-seeded New Hampshire hosted Chattanooga. The Mocs took a 21-15 lead into halftime, and led 24-22 in the fourth quarter, looking for an upset. New Hampshire scored two touchdowns in the fourth to secure the 35-30 victory.
In Fargo, three-time defending champions North Dakota State held off a valiant upset bid from Coastal Carolina, defeating the Chanticleers 39-32. John Crockett ran 26 times for 227 yards for the Bison, with two long touchdown runs to secure the victory.
Sam Houston State continued their magical run through the postseason with another big upset. The only unseeded team left, the Bearkats beat Villanova 34-31 in Pennsylvania after a late poor timeout decision by the Wildcats ended up forcing 'Nova to take a 51-yard field goal to tie the game. They missed it, allowing SHSU to move on to the semis.
In the third game of the day, No. 5 ISU advanced to its first semifinal since 1999, led by running back Marshaun Coprich's 271 yards from scrimmage.