No. 10/10 Stephen F. Austin at No. 2/2 Montana St. 

When: Friday, 7 p.m. TV — ESPN. Web — ESPN+; Radio — Bobcat Radio Network. Where: Bobcat Stadium (17,777, FieldTurf). Records: SFA is 11-2; MSU is 11-2. 

When the Lumberjacks have the ball: Former Griz Sam Vidlak is the Southland offensive player of year, and has thrown for 2,447 yards and 21 touchdowns with six interceptions.  Kylon Harris (75 catches, 983 yards, 10 TDs) and Clayton Wayland (38-499, 4) are his top targets; Derrick Bohler and isaiah Davis have five TDs each. Jerrell Wimbley’s 940 yards and 9 TDs lead a talented stable of running backs.  

When the Bobcats have the ball: Justin Lamson was sub-par last week by comparison to the rest of his excellent junior campaign, which includes 2,437 yards and 20 TDs passing against just two INTs. Taco Dowler (61 catches, 751 yards) and TE Rocky Lencioni have 5 TD catches each. Julius Davis has rushed for 948 yards, Adam Jones 802 and Lamson 645; Davis has 8 TDs rushing while Jones and Lamson have 11 apiece.  

Notable: Vidlak threw for 556 yards and three TDs for the 2023 Grizzlies but didn’t play against the Bobcats that season. ... Each team started 0-2 and has won 11 straight. ... Gavin Rutherford started twice at QB during the Jacks’ streak. ... SFA jumped out of the Southland Conference in 2021 and came back in 2024. ...  SFA’s “Pine Curtain Defense,” has allowed 266 yards a game. ... This is the Jacks’ third postseason trip to Montana, having lost at UM in 1995 (70-14 in the semifinals) and 2009 (second round). ... Bugs Martinez has 537 punt return yards this season, an SFA record. ... Lumberjack LB Jaydon Southard averages 9.5 tackles a game. ... MSU is 17-4 in playoff games at Bobcat Stadium. ... Bobcat S Caden Dowler has picked off 5 passes in his last four games.  

The Pick: Cats, 40-17. 

No. 12/20 South Dakota at No. 3/4 Montana 

When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m. TV — ABC. Web — ESPN+; Radio — Grizzly Radio Network. Where: Washington-Grizzly Stadium (25,217 FieldTurf). Records: USD is 10-4; UM is 12-1. 

When the Coyotes have the ball: Quarterback Aidan Bouman became USD’s career passing leader last week and now has 9,047 yards — 2,645 of them this fall, with 24 TDs. Larenzo Fenner has 15 TDs and averages 22.9 yards on 43 catches. L.J. Phillips, Jr., has an FCS-best 1,847 rushing yards; in two playoff wins he rushed for 132 and 159 yards, setting and re-setting the program’s postseason record. 

When the Grizzlies have the ball: Keali’i Ah Yat is completing just shy of 70 percent of his passes for 3,514 yards and 29 touchdowns, with 8 interceptions. Michael Wortham has 68 receptions and is 62 yards from becoming UM’s 15th 1,000-yard receiver. Brooks Davis has 52 catches for 680 yards and 5 TDs. Eli Gillman has 1,396 yards and 19 TDs rushing, and his 3,533 yards rank fourth on UM’s career rushing list.  

Notable: This is USD’s third straight trip to the quarterfinals. ... In their two playoff wins, both on the road, the Coyotes have allowed 330 and 277 yards, both FCS program records. ... The Coyotes are 6-4 all-time in FCS playoff games ... USD was founded in 1862, 27 years before South Dakota became a state. ... UM allows 263.6 passing yards a game, 115th out of 126 FCS teams. ... The Grizzlies score 41.5 points a game. ... Phillips has 17 “explosive” runs of 20 yards or more. ... Iowa transfer Caden Crawford has 10.5 TFLs at DE for the Coyotes. ... Gillman has 21 total TDs for the Griz this season; Wortham has 14. ... UM is 37-7 in the playoffs at Wa-Griz. ... Three players – nickel Diezel Wilkinson, S TJ Rausch and LB Elijawah Tolbert – have 65 tackles for UM, and LB Peyton Wing has 62.  

The Pick: Griz 34-24.