South Dakota State vs. North Dakota State in the FCS playoffs

Matt Zimmer, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·4 min read
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SDSU's Pierre Strong, Jr. goes against NDSU defense during the game at the Fargodome Friday, Dec. 14, in the FCS playoffs in Fargo.
SDSU's Pierre Strong, Jr. goes against NDSU defense during the game at the Fargodome Friday, Dec. 14, in the FCS playoffs in Fargo.

South Dakota State has held the upper hand in the Dakota Marker rivalry series of late.

The Jacks defeated the Bison 23-21 this year in the Fargodome for their third straight win over NDSU, and their fifth win in the last seven meetings – in the regular season. The playoffs have been a different story (the Dakota Marker is not at stake in postseason games).

SDSU and NDSU have played four times in the playoffs – all in Fargo – and the Bison have won all four. Only one of them has been close.

This time they’ll be facing off at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Tex., but that’s not terribly encouraging for SDSU, either.

The Bison’s all-time record in Frisco? 9-0.

SDSU? 0-1.

More:History of the Dakota Marker: South Dakota State trails North Dakota State 10-8

Will that past have any impact on what happens this time, on Jan. 8? Maybe, maybe not. What seems certain is these are the two best teams in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision this year, and the two best programs overall, as well. It’s a fitting championship.

Here’s a look back at the prior playoff meetings between the Jacks and Bison.

2012: North Dakota State 28, South Dakota State 3

After blasting Eastern Illinois 58-10 in the first Division I home playoff game in program history, the Jacks went to Fargo to play the first December football game in program history. It did not go well.

More:Zimmer: Finally, it's South Dakota State vs. North Dakota State in Frisco

The Bison held Zach Zenner, who’d rushed for 295 yards the week prior, to just 46, and while SDSU scored first on a Justin Syrovatka field goal late in the first quarter, the Jacks never scored again. NDSU scored four unanswered touchdowns, three of them in the second quarter, to cruise to a 28-3 win on their way to the national championship.

2014: North Dakota State 27, South Dakota State 24

This time SDSU was ready. Zenner and quarterback Austin Sumner were seniors, and while the Jacks had lost four times in the regular season – including a 37-17 loss in the Fargodome – there was a sense that the Jacks were as equipped to challenge the national champs as ever.

Sure enough, when NDSU jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a pair of Carson Wentz touchdowns, the Jacks answered, tying the score by halftime on two Zenner touchdown runs, then taking the lead on a Syrovatka field goal.

After NDSU retook the lead at 20-17 midway through the fourth, Sumner led the Jacks on a 9-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown strike to freshman Jake Wieneke and gave SDSU a 24-20 lead with 3:18 to go.

They couldn’t hold it. Wentz and the Bison went 76 yards in eight plays, with a 12-yard pass to RJ Urzendowski with 54 seconds left providing the winning margin and ending the Jacks’ season in heartbreaking fashion.

2016: North Dakota State 36, South Dakota State 10

The Jacks had stunned the Bison in the Dome in October, dominating play but needing to overcome several mistakes to pull off a 19-17 win behind dual threat quarterback Taryn Christion.

When the teams reconvened in December the Bison were prepared. SDSU threw the first punch, jumping out to a 10-0 lead on scoring drives of 75 and 71 yards on their first two possessions. They’d manage less than 50 yards the whole rest of the game.

After rushing for 141 yards in the regular season meeting, Christion was sacked so many times he finished with -16 net rushing yards, while the Bison ran for 302 yards and pulled away for the easy win.

2018: North Dakota State 44, South Dakota State 21

After an 8-2 regular season the Jacks weren’t thrilled to be put on the same side of the bracket as the Bison, but they did relish the chance to clinch their first trip to Frisco on NDSU’s home field. Beating the Bison twice in one season had proved impossible for SDSU up to that point, so there was some hope NDSU wouldn’t be able to do it, either.

But NDSU, who beat the Jacks 21-17 in Fargo during the year, just overwhelmed and wore down the SDSU defense, scoring 30 second-half points while their defense gave Christion a thumping in the final game of his career. NDSU rushed for 439 yards and had a whopping 608 yards of total offense.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota State vs. North Dakota State in the FCS playoffs