South Dakota State at North Dakota

South Dakota State Jackrabbits vs North Dakota Fighting Hawks prediction and FCS spring football game preview.

South Dakota State at North Dakota Broadcast

Date: Saturday, February 27
Game Time: 1:00 ET
Venue: Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND
Network: ESPN+

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South Dakota State (10-) vs North Dakota (1-0) Game Preview

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Why South Dakota State Will Win

South Dakota State wasn’t always brilliant in the 24-20 win over Northern Iowa, but it was brilliant when it had to be.

Mark Gronowski wasn’t supposed to be the shining star at quarterback, but he was able to lead the way on a terrific final drive and a calm, cool touchdown pass with 19 seconds to play, and the defense held on to get out with the victory.

The D was fantastic throughout – the Panthers couldn’t run a lick – and was brilliant on third downs. The O has to be stronger and more consistent, but if the defense can do that again, it’s about to come away with a great 2-0 start with two nasty tests on the road.

Speaking of defense …

Why North Dakota Will Win

The North Dakota defense wasn’t perfect against Southern Illinois, but it pulled off the slight stunner by coming up with five takeaways in the 44-21 win.

The defensive front didn’t allow much of anything on the ground, forced all of those mistakes, and got enough out of the offense to take advantage of the opportunities to pull away in the third quarter.

Lost a wee bit in the performance was the day from the offensive line that based away for a few big runs, a great day for the ground attack, and gave Tommy Schuster just enough time to not have to worry that much about the good SIU pass rush.

What’s Going To Happen

Is the South Dakota State offense ready to start doing more? Can the North Dakota defense be that good at taking the ball away?

Going on the road isn’t going to be a big deal for the Jackrabbits, and defense travels.

Schuster won’t hit enough big downfield plays, the South Dakota State defensive front will solid against the run, and it’ll be a good defensive fight that – like the Jackrabbit game against Northern Iowa – will come down to the final few minutes.