NCAA FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

FCS playoffs

South Dakota St. 39, Montana St. 18

Mark Gronowski threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third and top-seeded South Dakota State dominated fourth-seeded Montana State on a frozen field Saturday in the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals.

The Jackrabbits (13-1), who have won 13 straight, head to Texas next month for a Missouri Valley Football Conference showdown with third-seeded North Dakota State (12-2). SDSU beat the defending national champion Bison 23-21 on Oct. 15.

Gronowski led South Dakota State to touchdowns on its first five drives with a balanced offense that had 281 yards rushing and 192 passing.

North Dakota St. 35, Incarnate Word 32

Kobe Johnson broke free for a 31-yard touchdown run midway through the final quarter, Dawson Weber came up with a clutch interception with just over a minute left and North Dakota State came back twice to beat Incarnate Word in a FCS semifinal Friday night.

The win sends the defending national champions to their 10th championship game in program history. The Bison will take on No. 1-seed South Dakota State on January 8 in Frisco, Texas.

Incarnate Word, playing in the semifinals for the first time, took a 16-0 first-quarter.

Division II championship

Ferris State 41, Colorado Mines 14

Carson Gulker scored on three short runs, Sidney McCloud had a pick-6 and Ferris State rolled past Colorado School of Mines to successfully defend its NCAA Division II national championship.

Ferris (14-1) was in its third national title game in four years, winning its first title last year to complete a 14-0 season.

Gulker scored on a 2-yard run to complete a seven-play, 79yard drive for a first-quarter score then the Bulldogs followed with a 20-point second quarter on Eddie Jewett's field goals of 33 and 22 yards, CJ Jefferson's 19-yard run to finish an eight-play, 75-yard drive, and McCloud's 31-yard return in the final minute of the half for a 27-0 lead.

Division III championship

North Central 28, Mount Union 21

Ethan Greenfield, Luke Lehnen and DeAngelo Hardy delivered the big plays and North Central (Ill.) beat Mount Union on Friday night at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to win the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl and claim the NCAA Division III championship.

The Cardinals (15-0) finished off a perfect season for rookie coach Brad Spencer. It was North Central's third trip to the title game. The Cardinals won it in 2019 and lost last season to Mary Hardin-Baylor — after beating Mount Union 26-13 in the semifinals.