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Georgia Southern has knocked on the door twice in the last two years, and each time was turned away.
This time Coach Jeff Monken and his team will be looking to kick the barrier standing between them and the elusive seventh FCS championship game off its hinges.
That will not be easy as the door standing in front of them is manned by defending national champion and top-seeded North Dakota State (12-1).
Georgia Southern (10-3) will meet the Bison (12-1) at 8 p.m. on Friday ,in a semifinal game at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
The winner will advance to Frisco, Texas, to meet the winner of Saturday’s Sam Houston State (10-3) at Eastern Washington (12-1) game on Jan. 5, 2013, for the national championship.
This is the Eagles’ third straight trip the semifinals. Two years ago they lost at Delaware, 28,-10, and last year the Bison rolled to a 35-7 win, outscoring Georgia Southern, 21-0, in the second half while holding its powerful ground game to 189 yards.
It is also the school’s 399th game in the modern era, and its 13th trip to the semifinals in 19 playoff bids.
Georgia Southern is coming off a 602-yard rushing game in last Saturday’s 49-35 win at Old Dominion, and ran for 404 yards against Central Arkansas in its second round playoff game.
However, the Eagles, who are averaging a nation leading 409 yards per game can anticipate finding yards hard to come by against NDSU.
Coach Craig Bohl’s Bison are giving up only 78 yards per game, and Bohl is more familiar with the option than most coaches.
The 10th-year Bison coach was a defensive back at Nebraska under Coach Tom Osbourne, and coached at Nebraska for eight years, the last three as defensive coordinator, before taking the North Dakota State job.
Bohl, now 87-32, guided the Bison program from Division II, where it won eight national championships, to the FCS level.
“I’ve got a great deal of respect for that program, and that coach and the way he coaches his team,” Monken said. “They’re tough and physical.”
Going to the Fargodome, an indoor facility where the decibel level goes nearly off the chart when the opposition has the ball, last year gives the Eagles some insight as to what to expect and prepare for this year.
“I don’t know what helps you in that place,” Monken said. “It’s one of the best environments I’ve been in for a college football game. “It’s so loud and energetic. Their crowd does a great job.”
It will be strength against strength: Georgia Southern’s triple option offense against a North Dakota State team has given up only three rushing touchdowns this season.
The Eagles are the last team to score a rushing touchdown in a playoff game against the Bison. Dominique Swope scored on a 23-yard run in the second quarter last year, a span of 14 quarters.
In its lone loss this season, a 17-14 defeat at home against Indiana State, the Sycamores scored both of their touchdowns on interception returns.
The Bison reached the semis by beating Wofford, 14-7, last Saturday and the Terriers got their only touchdown on an interception return. Georgia Southern can draw some inspiration off Wofford’s performance.
Although the Terriers got beat, their option offense had 262 yards rushing, the most the Bison has given up this season, and Eric Breitenstein had 135 yards as he became to the first back to go over 100 yards against NDSU.
The Eagles have six backs who have rushed for more than 400 yards this season headed by quarterback Jerick McKinnon’s 1,646. Swope has 1,169.
Their combined total is 178 yards of the school record for teammates. Adrian Peterson (1,932) and Greg Hill (1,061) combined for 2,993 in 1998.
The final score of last year’s game was somewhat deceiving. The Eagles trailed 14-7 at the half as they had a fake field goal attempt from the three-yard line fail on the final play of the half.
Then Georgia Southern took the second half kickoff and drove to the four only to lose it on a fumble. The Bison drove 96 yards for a touchdown, and that broke the Eagles’ back.
Dec. 13, 2012 07:27p.m. EST
GSU at NDSU - Let's do it again
Statesboro Herald
Georgia Southern has knocked on the door twice in the last two years, and each time was turned away.
This time Coach Jeff Monken and his team will be looking to kick the barrier standing between them and the elusive seventh FCS championship game off its hinges.
That will not be easy as the door standing in front of them is manned by defending national champion and top-seeded North Dakota State (12-1).
Georgia Southern (10-3) will meet the Bison (12-1) at 8 p.m. on Friday ,in a semifinal game at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
The winner will advance to Frisco, Texas, to meet the winner of Saturday’s Sam Houston State (10-3) at Eastern Washington (12-1) game on Jan. 5, 2013, for the national championship.
This is the Eagles’ third straight trip the semifinals. Two years ago they lost at Delaware, 28,-10, and last year the Bison rolled to a 35-7 win, outscoring Georgia Southern, 21-0, in the second half while holding its powerful ground game to 189 yards.
It is also the school’s 399th game in the modern era, and its 13th trip to the semifinals in 19 playoff bids.
Georgia Southern is coming off a 602-yard rushing game in last Saturday’s 49-35 win at Old Dominion, and ran for 404 yards against Central Arkansas in its second round playoff game.
However, the Eagles, who are averaging a nation leading 409 yards per game can anticipate finding yards hard to come by against NDSU.
Coach Craig Bohl’s Bison are giving up only 78 yards per game, and Bohl is more familiar with the option than most coaches.
The 10th-year Bison coach was a defensive back at Nebraska under Coach Tom Osbourne, and coached at Nebraska for eight years, the last three as defensive coordinator, before taking the North Dakota State job.
Bohl, now 87-32, guided the Bison program from Division II, where it won eight national championships, to the FCS level.
“I’ve got a great deal of respect for that program, and that coach and the way he coaches his team,” Monken said. “They’re tough and physical.”
Going to the Fargodome, an indoor facility where the decibel level goes nearly off the chart when the opposition has the ball, last year gives the Eagles some insight as to what to expect and prepare for this year.
“I don’t know what helps you in that place,” Monken said. “It’s one of the best environments I’ve been in for a college football game. “It’s so loud and energetic. Their crowd does a great job.”
It will be strength against strength: Georgia Southern’s triple option offense against a North Dakota State team has given up only three rushing touchdowns this season.
The Eagles are the last team to score a rushing touchdown in a playoff game against the Bison. Dominique Swope scored on a 23-yard run in the second quarter last year, a span of 14 quarters.
In its lone loss this season, a 17-14 defeat at home against Indiana State, the Sycamores scored both of their touchdowns on interception returns.
The Bison reached the semis by beating Wofford, 14-7, last Saturday and the Terriers got their only touchdown on an interception return. Georgia Southern can draw some inspiration off Wofford’s performance.
Although the Terriers got beat, their option offense had 262 yards rushing, the most the Bison has given up this season, and Eric Breitenstein had 135 yards as he became to the first back to go over 100 yards against NDSU.
The Eagles have six backs who have rushed for more than 400 yards this season headed by quarterback Jerick McKinnon’s 1,646. Swope has 1,169.
Their combined total is 178 yards of the school record for teammates. Adrian Peterson (1,932) and Greg Hill (1,061) combined for 2,993 in 1998.
The final score of last year’s game was somewhat deceiving. The Eagles trailed 14-7 at the half as they had a fake field goal attempt from the three-yard line fail on the final play of the half.
Then Georgia Southern took the second half kickoff and drove to the four only to lose it on a fumble. The Bison drove 96 yards for a touchdown, and that broke the Eagles’ back.
Copyright 2011 MorrisMultimedia . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
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