UND will host Missouri State in the first round of the FCS playoffs

Tom Miller, Grand Forks Herald
·3 min read

Apr. 18—The UND football program will host Missouri State in the first round of the FCS playoffs at 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Alerus Center.

UND was previously scheduled to host Missouri State this season on April 3. UND, however, had to cancel the matchup because of COVID-19 issues within the Fighting Hawks' program.

The Hawks have played Missouri State twice in the Division I era, winning 34-0 in the Alerus in 2017 and losing 38-0 in Springfield, Mo., in 2014.

The winner of UND/Missouri State will play the winner of James Madison and VMI.

Missouri State, which will play in the FCS playoffs for the first time since 1990, was 5-1 this spring after going 0-3 during the fall (one loss to Oklahoma, two losses to Central Arkansas). The Bears won spring matchups against Western Illinois, South Dakota, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois and Youngstown State. Missouri State's lone spring loss was a 25-0 loss to North Dakota State.

The No. 6 Fighting Hawks went 4-1 this spring, with wins over South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, South Dakota and Western Illinois.

THE BRACKET #FCSPlayoffs https://t.co/0CXs30yPG4 pic.twitter.com/Ho5ZuMDRQx

— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) April 18, 2021

UND hasn't played since March 20, when the Fighting Hawks lost to North Dakota State. UND hasn't played a game since the Bison matchup due to COVID-19 issues within the Hawks' program, as well as opponents opting out of the spring.

The Hawks have played in the FCS playoffs twice (2016 and 2019) and are still searching for their first win.

In 2016, UND's nine-game winning streak was snapped when Richmond scored 20 unanswered points to pull out a 27-24 win in the Alerus Center.

In 2019, UND was outrushed 316-44 in a first-round loss to Nicholls State in Thibodaux, La.

The Missouri Valley Football Conference landed five teams in the 16-team bracket, with South Dakota State receiving the automatic qualifier, followed by at-large bids to UND, North Dakota State, Southern Illinois and Missouri State.

The Jackrabbits were the No. 1 overall seed. SDSU's only loss was to UND in the Alerus Center.

Attendance limits for NCAA Championships is 25 percent of capacity. The Alerus has a capacity of about 12,000, meaning approximately 3,000 tickets will be available in total.

Season ticket holders who chose the option to retain their football tickets for the spring 2021 season will have the option to purchase the same seats for the playoffs.

Season ticket holders have until noon Tuesday to purchase those tickets. Season tickets that go unclaimed will be made available to the general public.

There are limited tickets specifically reserved for students. UND students can begin to purchase tickets only at the UND/REA Box office at 10 a.m. on Thursday. These tickets will be in pods of two as has been the case for the regular season and each student may purchase one pod. Student tickets are $5.