North Dakota Earns FCS Playoff Bid After Tense Weekend, Turns Focus to Tennessee Tech

GRAND FORKS (KVRR)— Inside the Alerus Center on Saturday afternoon, emotions bounced between frustration and uncertainty for North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks had just dropped their regular-season finale to rival South Dakota State, and with a 7-5 record, they were left to wonder whether their name would be called on Selection Sunday.

It was — and the mood changed instantly.

“It’s a terrible feeling losing that game knowing you left it into the committee’s decision,” quarterback Jerry Kaminski said. “Especially for the seniors who have bought into this program and put so much into it. You want it for everyone on the team, but those guys especially. So, I’m really grateful for the opportunity… to go get another chance to prove ourselves.”

UND’s selection marks a fresh start for a team that believes it can still make noise in the postseason. Senior safety Jy Martin echoed that sentiment.

“We feel like we’ve been given another opportunity to prove to everybody what we can do,” Martin said. “Pretty grateful, and we feel like we owe it to the fans. I was relieved to know that we get another chance to go out there and prove who we are as a football team.”

North Dakota enters the bracket as the lone five-loss team in the 24-team field, but their résumé includes the nation’s toughest strength of schedule by multiple metrics. Their five losses came by a combined 17 points, each decided by a single score — a storyline that has both haunted and motivated the Hawks.

Closing games, Kaminski admitted, has been the gap.

“We have opportunities in the red zone, we have to capitalize,” he said. “We’ve got to finish in the end zone, not settle for field goals. And then at the end of the game, when we have chances, we’ve got to finish — and that’s something that we’re going to be better at.”

Head coach Eric Schmidt pointed to both the frustration and growth he saw against South Dakota State.

“All season long, I’ve really thought our best players have been our best players,” Schmidt said. “And our best players, especially on defense, didn’t play to the standard on Saturday. That’s something we challenge those guys on.”

But Schmidt also highlighted UND’s late-game drive to tie the score 28-28 — a situation they had yet to successfully execute this season.

“There’s some confidence that we’ve improved in that aspect, Schmidt said. “Now, on defense, we’ve got to do a better job of being able to shut the door once we get those opportunities.”

That door now leads to an 11-1 Tennessee Tech team awaiting UND on Saturday.

Schmidt praised the Golden Eagles’ offensive threats.

“They’re able to threaten you,” Schmidt said. “A dynamic quarterback — number one — that’s really competitive and has played there all year. For us, once again, it’s lock the door, limit the noise, and focus on our internal processes and our standard. It’s time to disappear into the work and get prepared to play our best football.

Kickoff is set for noon on Saturday in Tennessee.

As for injuries, wide receiver BJ Fleming – who left the SDSU game early — is “better than 50 percent to play” this weekend, according to Schmidt.