One half of the FCS semifinals is now set, as the No. 4 seed Montana Grizzlies destroyed the No. 5 seed Northern Iowa Panthers 48-10 on Friday night. After the Panthers opened scoring in the game with a touchdown to pull out to an early 7-0, the Grizzlies responded with a 48-3 run highlighted by three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown from Montana quarterback Jordan Johnson. The other quarterfinal game will be played on Saturday, when the Montana State Bobcats visit the No. 1 Sam Houston State Bearkats.
The Bobcats are coming off a wild 26-25 comeback against the New Hampshire Wildcats last Saturday. In fact, the Wildcats scored a touchdown with only six second left in the game, but the Bobcats blocked the extra point attempt to secure a one-point victory and a spot in the quarterfinals. Make no mistake though, the Bobcats are a quality team capable of beating Sam Houston State. In fact, they held the No. 1 rank in the country before losing to the Montana Grizzlies during the final week of the regular season. If the Bobcats had one that single game, they would have entered the FCS playoffs with the Big Sky's automatic bid and the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Bobcats will no doubt be looking to reassert their dominance on Saturday, and keep you eyes on playmakers like quarterback DeNarius McGhee and running back Cody Kirk to lead the way.
As for the real No. 1 seed, Sam Houston State, they had to rally from a 10-3 deficit against the Stony Brooks Seawolves last Saturday. It was a close game late into the fourth quarter, as the Bearkats scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:01 left in the game on a Tim Flanders seven-yard touchdown run.
Here is some information to help you find the game on Saturday morning.
Game time/date: 11:00 a.m. CST, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011
Location: Elliott T. Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, TX.
TV/Streaming: ESPN/ESPN3
Series record: Tied, 2-2
For more on the tournament, visit SB Nation's 2011 FCS Playoffs StoryStream for additional coverage.