The second-round FCS playoff matchups for Montana and Montana State are set.
No. 2-seeded MSU (10-2) will host Yale in Bozeman while the No. 3 Grizzlies (11-1) will entertain South Dakota State in Missoula. Both games are scheduled to kick off at noon next Saturday.
Unseeded Yale, in its first FCS playoff appearance, came back from 28 points down to stun No. 15 Youngstown 43-42 on the road. The Bulldogs of the Ivy League trailed 35-7 at halftime and were down 42-14 midway through the third quarter but reeled off 29 unanswered to prevail.
Yale running back Josh Pitsenberger rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Dante Reno threw three second-half touchdowns and overcame a pair of earlier interceptions.
The Bulldogs improved to 9-2 with the victory. Youngstown State, despite a six-touchdown performance by QB and Walter Payton Award candidate Beau Brungard, lost and finished its season 8-5.
YSU's Brungard threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns — all to Max Tomczak — and rushed for 90 yards and three scores. But it wasn't enough for the Penguins to advance.
Next week's game will be the first-ever matchup between Montana State and Yale. This is the first year the Ivy League is participating in the FCS postseason.
Meanwhile, 14th-seeded South Dakota State hammered visiting New Hampshire 41-3 in their first-round matchup Saturday — boosted by the return of quarterback Chase Mason.
Playing in his first game since suffering an injury at Murray State on Oct. 18, Mason completed 16 of 20 passes for 230 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Mason's third TD pass early in the fourth quarter gave SDSU a 33-3 advantage.
Julius Loughridge carried the ball 16 times for 100 yards and one touchdown for SDSU. Josiah Johnson also scored a rushing TD for the Jacks.
South Dakota State limited New Hampshire to 260 total yards of offense and 23 first downs. The Wildcats mustered only 48 passing yards.
The Jackrabbits, perennially a national title contender, improved their record to 9-4 and won for the second straight week. They had previously lost four of five games without Mason, which threatened their playoff hopes.
New Hampshire finished its season with an 8-5 record.
Next week's game in Missoula will mark the 11th all-time meeting between Montana and SDSU. The Grizzlies have won eight of the past 10.
It will be the third year in a row the teams meet in the playoffs. SDSU defeated the Grizzlies 23-3 in the national title game in Frisco, Texas in January 2024 and defeated UM 35-15 in Brookings, S.D. in the quarterfinals this past January.
Other first-round scores
Saturday
No. 9 Rhode Island 27, Central Connecticut State 19
No. 10 Abilene Christian 38, Lamar 20
No. 11 South Dakota 38, Drake 17
No. 12 Villanova 52, Harvard 7
North Dakota 31, No. 13 Tennessee Tech 6
Illinois State 21, No. 16 SE Louisiana 3
Second-round matchups
(All times Mountain)
Illinois State at No. 1 North Dakota State, 11 a.m.
Yale at No. 2 Montana State, 12 p.m.
No. 14 South Dakota State at No. 3 Montana, 12 p.m.
North Dakota at No. 4 Tarleton State, 11 a.m.
No. 12 Villanova at No. 5 Lehigh, 10 a.m.
No. 11 South Dakota at No. 6 Mercer, 10 a.m.
No. 10 Abilene Christian at No. 7 Stephen F. Austin, 11 a.m.
No. 9 Rhode Island at No. 8 UC Davis, 1 p.m.
