South Dakota State vs North Dakota State: Box score, stats, game summary and more ft. Mark Gronowski

The FCS football playoff continued Saturday with a South Dakota State vs North Dakota State matchup. These two Dakota rivals competed in a semifinal matchup between the No. 3-seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits and No. 2-seed North Dakota State Bison.

This was the sixth playoff meeting between these teams in the past 13 years, and the second game this season. They faced each other in October, with the Bison coming out with a 13-9 victory. Heading into the game, South Dakota was a -165 favorite according to Caesars Sportsbook, and North Dakota was a +140 underdog.

However, the Bison were able to pull off an upset victory, winning the game 28-21.

South Dakota State vs North Dakota State box score

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
South Dakota State	7	7	0	7	21
North Dakota State	7	7	0	14	28

South Dakota passing stats

Player	Completions	Attempts	Yards	Passing TDs
Mark Gronowski	14	25	1	0
Chase Mason	0	1	0	0

South Dakota rushing and receiving stats

Player	Rushes	Yards	Rush TDs	Rec	Yards	Rec TDs
Amar Johnson	15	77	1	3	30	0
Mark Gronowski	15	50	1	0	0	0
Chase Mason	3	0	0	0	0	0
Kirby Vorhees	5	1	0	0	0	0
Maxwell Woods	1	1	0	1	6	0
Lofton O'Groske	0	0	0	1	35	0
Griffin Wilde	0	0	0	4	66	0
Greyton Gannon	0	0	0	3	33	0
Maxwell Woods	0	0	0	1	6	0
Davin Stoffel	0	0	0	1	20	0
Grahm Goering	0	0	0	1	14	1

South Dakota kicking stats

Player	Extra Point Made/Attempted	Field Goal Made/Attempted	Long
Hunter Dustman	3 for 3	0 for 0	0

North Dakota passing stats

Player	Completions	Attempts	Yards	Passing TDs
Cam Miller	13	19	179	3

North Dakota rushing and receiving stats

Player	Rushes	Yards	Rush TDs	Rec	Yards	Rec TDs
Cam Miller	15	93	1	0	0	0
CharMar Brown	11	23	0	0	0	0
Barika Kpeenu	6	28	0	2	11	0
TK Marshall	2	-2	0	1	20	0
Jackson Williams	1	12	0	0	0	0
Bryce Lance	0	0	0	6	125	3
Truman Werremeyer	0	0	0	1	-1	0
Chris Harris	0	0	0	1	17	0
RaJa Nelson	0	0	0	2	7	0

North Dakota kicking stats

Player	Extra Point Made/Attempted	Field Goal Made/Attempted	Long
Griffin Crosa	4 for 4	0 for 0	0

South Dakota State vs North Dakota State game summary

South Dakota State vs North Dakota State started with the Jackrabbits as small favorites, but it was still projected to be a close game. The game started off strong for the Bison as their defense sent the Jackrabbits off the field after three plays. Their offense then capitalized by going down the field 80 yards to score and open the scoring.

However, South Dakota State would not stay down for long as they capitalized on their next drive, tying the game. Then after stopping the Bison after three plays, the Jackrabbits scored another TD on their next drive to take a 14-7 lead.

Looking to get back into the game, the Bison forced a fumble after two plays on the Jackrabbits next drive. The Bison then got the ball back 23 yards away from the endzone and capitalized. They scored to tie the game at 14. That would prove to be the final scoring drive of the first half.

Heading into the second half tied, the third quarter was a defensive affair as both teams failed to put points on the board. However, there was an offensive explosion in the fourth quarter. The Bison took the lead 2 minutes into the quarter off of a 47-yard pass by Cam Miller.

However, the Jackrabbits answered back, tying the game with eight minutes remaining. Then the Bison took the lead back with a TD with four minutes left in the game. That proved to be the last scoring drive of the game, and as a result, the Bison upset the Jackrabbits 28-21.