North Dakota at No. 13 seed Tennessee Tech
Cookeville, Tenn. (Tucker Stadium)
Series: Series tied 0-0
Kickoff: 12 p.m.
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Fighting Hawks Radio Network
Weekly Presser: Coach Schmidt, Coach Fruechte, Jerry Kaminski, Jy Martin

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - No. 19/23 North Dakota will visit No. 6/7 Tennessee Tech in the first round of the FCS playoffs this Saturday. Kickoff between the Fighting Hawks and Golden Eagles is slated for Noon (CT) at Tucker Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. It will also be carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network with a pregame show starting at 11 a.m.

North Dakota comes into the game at 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the MVFC after stumbling against No. 22/22 South Dakota State, 34-31, in overtime at the Alerus Center last weekend. The Fighting Hawks led 20-7 late in the third quarter and had to claw their way back to even the score up at 28-28 to force overtime. Kenten Laughman went a career-best 3-for-3 kicking, including a career-long 40-yarder in overtime, but it was not enough as the Jacks scored on a 23-yard touchdown pass on their overtime possession to escape with the victory.

Tennessee Tech is the No. 13 seed in the playoffs and has an overall record of 11-1 and went a perfect 8-0 in the OVC-Big South to earn the conference title for the second year straight. The Golden Eagles defeated the Skyhawks of UT Martin in Cookeville, 20-17, last Saturday to earn the conference title. TTU found itself down 10 early in the second quarter but mounted a comeback, which was capped by a 35-yard game-winner from the leg of Dom LeBlanc with 11 seconds left to earn the victory. This year's Golden Eagles are the first squad in program history to win 11 games and go undefeated in conference play.

This will be the first all-time meeting between UND and TTU on the gridiron in history. North Dakota returns to the postseason after missing the field last season. Most recently, UND qualified for the postseason in 2023 and fell, 42-35, at the Alerus Center to Sacramento State in the opening round. This is the second time in history Tennessee Tech has made the FCS postseason. In its one previous appearance, TTU hosted Central Arkansas in 2011 and fell by a score of 34-14.

FULL GAME NOTES ARE HERE.