South Dakota State to take on Villanova in FCS playoffs on Saturday for berth in semifinals

The South Dakota State road playoff tour continues Saturday in Villanova, Penn., where the Jackrabbits take on the 5th-seeded Villanova Wildcats in the FCS quarterfinals at Villanova Stadium, about 20 miles outside of Philadelphia.

Of the eight teams remaining, SDSU is the only unseeded team, having beaten UC-Davis in the first round, then knocked off 4th-seeded Sacramento State last week at Hornet Stadium, a game in which the Jacks built a 24-0 lead and held on for a 24-19 win.

That win improved SDSU’s road record this year, to 5-1, and the one loss, of course, came on a Hail Mary at USD that was later voted the play of the year by Sports Illustrated. The Jacks have not lost an outdoor road game since the 2017 semifinals, when they were hammered by James Madison in Harrisonburg, Va.

For that to continue, the Jacks (10-3) will hope to play like the team that dominated the first half against Sacramento State, and not like the one that looked confused and overwhelmed in the second half of that same game.

They’ll be bringing a running game that is now at full strength with Pierre Strong (the nation’s leading rusher) and Isaiah Davis both averaging more than 100 yards per game, while grad transfer quarterback Chris Oladokun is coming off a game in which he showcased more versatility than he had all season.

They’ll be challenged by a Wildcat defense that has posted two shutouts this season and held opponents to 15.1 points per game. Villanova (10-2) has lost just one game to an FCS opponent this year, and in that 31-18 defeat at home to William & Mary they allowed 258 rushing yards, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a blueprint on how to beat the Wildcats. Turnovers helped William & Mary take a 31-3 lead in that one, which allowed them to stay committed to the running game as they protected the lead. The Tribe needed 60 attempts to get those 258 yards that day, a modest 4.3 average.

The Wildcat defense is led by CAA defensive player of the year, linebacker Forrest Rhyne, while Christian Benford is second in the nation with seven of his team’s 18 interceptions on the season.

On offense, Nova uses a balanced attack with multiple weapons. Justin Covington, Jalen Jackson and DeeWil Barlee each average about 10 carries per game and all have more than 400 yards on the season, led by Covington’s 717. Quarterback Dan Smith has thrown 22 touchdown passes and nine interceptions while also rushing for seven touchdowns. He averages just shy of 200 yards per game and has completed 54 percent of his throws. Rayjoun Pringle and Jaaron Hayek are his top two targets, each with 36 and 37 catches, respectively, for a combined 15 touchdowns.

More: How to watch and what to know about SDSU at Villanova in FCS playoffs

The Wildcats have had a little extra time to prepare — they played on Friday last week, while the Jacks didn’t get back to Brookings from their trip out west until almost 7 a.m. on Sunday. And it’s finals week for many of the SDSU players, too, many of whom had to adjust their schedule around the game.

But at this point the Jacks have embraced the role of road warriors, and relishing the chance to crash the party as an unseeded squad making their run on the road. They just have to find a way to put together a complete 60 minutes, which they know they failed to do last week.

“We had a great first half and we had a way-below-average second half, and the lesson there, the challenge there, is to play a complete game, always,” said coach John Stiegelmeier. “We have to realize going forward if we play like that again we’re probably going to be putting our pads away. I think it became a challenge to our guys to be better every play that you’re on the field.”

South Dakota State (10-3) at Villanova (10-2)

WHEN/WHERE: 1 p.m. Saturday at Villanova Stadium, Villanova, Penn.

TV: ESPN+

RADIO: WNAX-AM 570; Jackrabbit radio affiliates

COACHES: SDSU — John Stiegelmeier (25th year, 184-110); VU — Mark Ferrante (5th year, 31-20)

SERIES: SDSU leads 1-0

LAST TIME: SDSU beat Villanova 10-7 in Brookings in the 2016 playoffs

LAST WEEK: SDSU beat Sacramento State 24-19; Villanova beat Holy Cross 21-16

RANKINGS: Villanova was ranked 7th in the last Top 25 poll of the regular season. SDSU was ranked 11th. The Wildcats are the No. 5 seed in the playoffs. SDSU is unseeded.

More: For road-warrior SDSU football, it's 23 down, how many more to go?: Zimmer

KEY PLAYERS: SDSU — RB Pierre Strong (1,575 yards, 17 TDs), RB Isaiah Davis (514 yards, 4 TDs), QB Chris Oladokun (2,697 yards, 22 TDs passing), WR Jaxon Janke (60 rec., 942 yards, 3 TDs), LB Adam Bock (112 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 INT), CB Don Gardner (15 tackles, 2 INT), DB Dalys Beanum (17 tackles, 4 INT), DE Tolu Ogunrinde (17 tackles, 4.5 sacks) ; VU — QB Daniel Smith (2,296 yards, 22 TDs passing, 226 yards, 7 TDs rushing), RB Justin Covington (717 yards, 6 TDs), RB Jalen Jackson (564 yards, 7 TDs), WR Rayjoun Pringle (36 rec., 724 yards, 7 TDs), WR Jaaron Hayek (37 rec., 606 yards, 8 TDs), LB Forrest Rhyne (131 tackles, 4.5 sacks), LB Amin Black (85 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT), DB Christian Benford (38 tackles, 7 INT)

ETC: SDSU is the only unseeded team still alive in the playoffs....The Jackrabbits won the only prior meeting with Villanova, in the 2016 playoffs, when Chase Vinatieri’s 40-yard field goal in the snow with just over a minute to play broke a 7-7 tie. That was coach Andy Talley’s final game after 32 years as Wildcats coach. He was replaced by Ferrante, who had served as an assistant under Talley for 30 of those seasons. The Wildcats won the 2009 national championship under Talley, one of 12 playoff appearances during his tenure....This season marks Nova’s second playoff berth in Ferrante’s five years. Ferrante is this year's CAA coach of the year....Villanova went 2-2 in the spring season.....The Wildcats are on a four-game winning streak. They’re 5-1 at home this year. Their one home loss came to William & Mary, who went 6-5 this year. Their other loss came to Penn State, 38-17. The Nittany Lions were ranked 6th in FBS at the time....The Wildcats handed No. 2 James Madison its only loss this year....SDSU is 5-1 on the road this season. They haven’t lost an outdoor road game since 2017....Rhyne was named the CAA defensive player of the year.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: FCS playoffs: South Dakota State takes on Villanova in quarterfinals