Having football around since basically August has been amazing. The Fall FBS season was a great one that saw a dominant Alabama team take down Ohio State team to win the 2021 FBS National Championship. Now, the FCS football is drawing closer to a close. This weekend, we have both of the FCS Playoffs Semi-Finals matchups.
In our first matchup we see (1) South Dakota State hosting a Delaware team that knocked off (4) Jacksonville State last weekend, 20-14. The Jackrabbits reached the FCS Playoffs Semi-Finals by beating MVFC rival Southern Illinois, 31-26. In the our second game of the day, we have the more anticipated semi-final matchup, between (3) James Madison and (2) Sam Houston State. The Dukes got to the semi-finals by knocking off North Dakota last weekend in Harrisonburg, 34-21. As for the Bearkats, well they finally avenged their FCS Playoffs demons against North Dakota State, winning 24-20.
Let’s take a deeper dive into the James Madison vs Sam Houston State football matchup.
James Madison vs Sam Houston State | FCS Playoffs
Date: Saturday May 8th, 2021 | Time: 2:30 PM ET
Coverage: ABC
Location: Elliott T. Bowers Stadium — Huntsville, TX
James Madison vs Sam Houston State Betting Odds
Spread: JMU -1 (-110) | SHSU +1 (-110)
Moneyline: Unavalable
Total: 47 — Over (-110) | Under (-110)
After a bit of a controversial regular season, once again the Dukes are back in the FCS Playoffs Semi-Finals. They beat North Dakota in the quarterfinals, 34-21. The rest of the CAA will hope that James Madison and Delaware face off in the National Championship, especially in a season that saw five MVFC teams make the postseason. Now, the Dukes are one of the more complete teams in the FCS. On offense, Walter Payton Award finalist Pierre Agyei-Obese has been a workhorse. Against North Dakota, he had 128 yards rushing and scampered into the end zone twice. If the Dukes want to win, Agyei-Obese needs to have a big game. A man to keep your eye on for the Dukes is freshman wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr. He’s lightning in a bottle and a deep threat. On defense, defensive lineman Mike Greene is a beast. He terrorizes opponents’ quarterbacks.
K.C. Keeler is looking to do something that only a few coaches have done before him, win a national championship at two FCS schools. Keeler led the Delaware Blue Hens to a National Championship in 2003, and now he’d love to win one for Sam Houston State. On offense, senior signal caller Eric Schmid leaves it all on the field. He’s seen the ups and downs of the program during his time there, and he would love to bring the title back to Texas with him. He’s thrown for 16 touchdowns and ran for a another six. However, the key for the Bearkats is their defense. If they can keep Agyei-Obese under 100 yards, they should have a chance at the end.
