Mercer and No. 1 South Dakota State will face off at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the second round of the FCS playoffs. The Bears won their playoff debut, beating Gardner-Webb 17-7 to improve to 9-3.
South Dakota State had a bye in the first round, and the Jackrabbits are 11-0. South Dakota State won last year’s national championship, the program’s first title, and has played in the championship game in two of the past three years.
The Bears have won five straight games entering Saturday’s matchup.
Mercer’s Southern Conference rivals, Chattanooga and No. 7 Furman, will meet at 1 p.m. in Greenville, S.C.
Here are the rest of the second-round games. All of the games will be broadcast by ESPN-Plus. (All times ET):
Youngstown State at Villanova, Noon
Richmond at UAlbany, Noon
Mercer at South Dakota State, 2 p.m.
Sacramento State at South Dakota, 2 p.m.
North Dakota State at Montana State, 3 p.m.
Delaware at Montana, 9 p.m.
Southern Illinois at Idaho, 10 p.m.