FARGO — For North Dakota State defensive end Jake Kava, playoff mode started late in the regular season after a 17-point road loss against No. 1-ranked South Dakota State.
“If we lose another game, there’s no guarantee that we’re going to get into the playoffs," Kava said, recalling the mindset after that defeat to the rival Jackrabbits.
The Bison haven't lost since, winning the final two games of the regular season and two playoff games. That four-game winning streak has NDSU (10-3) set to play No. 3-seeded South Dakota (10-2) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the NCAA Division I FCS quarterfinals at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, South Dakota. The game is being aired on ABC, including WDAY-TV locally.
“The love we have for each other," said Kava, a senior. "We kind of took that mantra, we’re not done yet. ... I think we’ve done a good job of turning it around and starting to play better football.”
Kava's numbers have spiked over those past four games with 8.5 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks. He has at least one sack in each of the past four games. The Fargo Shanley graduate leads the team with seven sacks through 13 games. Senior defensive end Dylan Hendricks has 6.5 sacks.
“I definitely think I’m playing a lot better," Kava said. “Sometimes you get sacks, sometimes you don’t.”
The 6-foot-1, 247-pound Kava had a key sack late in the fourth quarter against Montana State last weekend. That stalled an MSU drive in a game the Bison won 35-34 in overtime on a blocked extra point. Kava relished playing in Bobcat Stadium before a sellout crowd of 17,247 fans.
“It was awesome," Kava said. “I love our fans and playing home games is unreal. We’ve been blessed with a lot of playoff home games with crazy environments, but there is something special with going on the road. Our travel squad is smaller, 64 guys.”
The Bison have to win on the road again to extend their season. The Coyotes earned a 24-19 victory against NDSU on Sept. 30 in the Fargodome. In that game, USD built a 21-3 halftime lead.
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“We’ve got to start fast," Kava said. "We started extremely slow against them a couple months ago. We can’t let that happen again.”
In that first game, Coyotes quarterback Aidan Bouman completed 10 of 12 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. South Dakota rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 26 attempts.
“They’re a ball possession, ball control football team, they’re going to try to dominate time of possession," Kava said. "That’s one thing we really didn’t do well the first time we played them, we couldn’t get them off the field.”
Poncius Bowl, Part 2
NDSU senior offensive lineman Hunter Poncius and his younger brother Gerrit Poncius will have their teams face off for the second time this season . Gerrit is a No. 2 left tackle for the Coyotes, while Hunter is the No. 2 left tackle for the Bison.
Hunter — who is 6-foot-8, 315 pounds — said his parents Erik and Tonia are prepared for the FCS quarterfinals showdown. Gerrit is a 6-foot-7, 295-pound sophomore.
“They’ve got sweatshirts that have half NDSU, half USD, so they’re kind of split down the middle," said Hunter, from Buffalo, Minnesota. "They will be wearing those.”
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Hunter said he also expects to his have grandparents at Saturday's game at the DakotaDome.
“Now, it’s more of, it’s just another game," Hunter said. "He’s my brother, no matter the outcome of the game.”
Tonia expressed her excitement for her sons on social media earlier this week.
"So proud of both of our boys and their teams!!!!" Tonia wrote. "What an incredible day!!!! Memories made that’s for sure … again — couldn’t be more proud or excited for all that’s to come!!! Let’s go Offense!!!"
Hunter Poncius played hero against Montana State last weekend as his blocked extra point lifted the Bison to a 35-34 overtime victory. Hunter said he's now focused on NDSU's rematch with the Coyotes.
“I think it’s an awesome opportunity for us," Hunter said. "It’s something we’re all excited about.”
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Etc. Etc. Etc.
- NDSU has a 7-1 record in playoff rematches against opponents from the regular season. The Bison played South Dakota earlier this fall, a game the Coyotes won 24-19 on Sept. 30 at the Fargodome.
- The Bison are alone atop the FCS playoffs all-time wins list with 46 after last weekend's win at Montana State. Georgia Southern is second with 45 and Montana is third with 36. NDSU has a .920 winning percentage (46-4) in the FCS playoffs.
- The Bison have a 58-27-2 series edge against South Dakota, including a 10-2 mark as Division I opponents. The teams last met in the postseason for the NCAA Division II national championship in 1986, a game that NDSU won 27-7 in Florence, Alabama.
- Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Roddy White (analyst) and Lauren Sisler (sideline) are handling the call for Saturday's nationally televised game at the DakotaDome. The game is also available to stream on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
- For the Coyotes, this is their first 10-win season at the FCS level, their first time as a top-8 seed and the first time they have reached the FCS quarterfinals.
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Click to view the bracket
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