FARGO, N.D. — Bryce Lance caught three touchdown passes from Cam Miller, including a one-handed game winner, to give North Dakota State a 28-21 win over two-time defending national champion South Dakota State on Saturday and a berth in the FCS title game.

The second-seeded Bison (13-2) will take on the winner of top-seeded Montana State and No. 4 seed South Dakota, played later Saturday, for the championship on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas. NDSU, winner of nine FCS titles with its last coming in 2021, won its 20th straight home playoff game and beat the Jackrabbits for the second time this season. Those two teams and South Dakota tied for the Missouri Valley Football Conference title.

After the third-seeded Jackrabbits (12-3) tied the game at 21-all, the Bison drove 75 yards and scored with 4:18 remaining when Lance snagged a pass with his right hand and managed to get control and a foot down in the right corner of the end zone. The play was initially ruled as incomplete but overturned on review.

On South Dakota State’s final possession, Mark Gronowski was sacked on fourth-and-17 at the Jackrabbits’ 31.

The teams traded touchdowns in each of the first two quarters before both punting three times in the third quarter.

Miller found Lance deep for a 47-yard score early in the fourth and the Jackrabbits tied it midway through the period on Gronowski’s 14-yard pass to Grahm Goering.

Lance, brother of NFL quarterback Trey Lance, made six catches for 125 yards, his other TD coming on a 21-yarder. Miller was 13-of-19 for 179 yards and also rushed for 93 yards and a TD.

Gronowski was 14-of-25 passing for 204 yards and he also ran for a score. Amar Johnson rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown.

No. 4 South Dakota travels to No. 1 Montana State in the semifinals of the 2024 FCS Playoffs. Kickoff is scheduled for Dec. 21 at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

The winner will advance to the FCS National Championship game, where they will face the winner of No. 3 South Dakota State at No. 2 North Dakota State.

2024 FCS Playoff Bracket

2024 Prediction Record: 174-45
2022-23 Record: 207-75

Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. CT (ABC)
Line: Montana State (-8)
Series History: Montana State leads 2-0

Key Players: Montana State

Tommy Mellott (QB): 182-for-259 (70.3%), 2,430 Passing Yards, 28 Passing TDs, 2 INTs, 790 Rushing Yards, 12 Rushing TDs

Scottre Humphrey (RB): 177 Carries, 1,325 Rushing Yards, 7.5 YPC, 14 Rushing TDs

Adam Jones (RB): 155 Carries, 1,068 Rushing Yards, 6.9 YPC, 14 Rushing TDs

Brody Grebe (DL): 34 Total Tackles, 9 TFLs, 7.5 Sacks, 5 PBUs, 8 QBHs, 1 FF

McCade O’Reilly (LB): 64 Total Tackles, 8.5 TFLs, 3 Sacks, 3 PBUs, 6 QBHs, 1 FF

Key Players: South Dakota

Aidan Bouman (QB): 194-for-283 (68.5%), 2,723 Passing Yards, 19 Passing TDs, 4 INTs

Charles Pierre Jr. (RB): 163 Carries, 1,187 Rushing Yards, 7.3 YPC, 15 Rushing TDs

Travis Theis (RB): 173 Carries, 1,062 Rushing Yards, 6.1 YPC, 18 Rushing TDs, 305 Receiving Yards

Mi’Quise Grace (DL): 59 Total Tackles, 18 TFLs, 9.5 Sacks, 9 QBHs, 2 FFs, 2 FRs

Gary Bryant III (LB): 101 Total Tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 INTs, 3 PBUs, 1 FF

After exceeding expectations all season, South Dakota has a chance to shake up the national title race with an upset over Montana State, who enters the game as the only undefeated FCS program in the nation. The Coyotes are looking to make their first national title appearance at the FCS level, while the Bobcats have not won the title since 1984.

Everything starts with South Dakota’s ability to limit explosive plays from a dangerous Montana State offense. The Bobcats lead the nation in total offense and yards per play, averaging almost 500 yards per game this season. South Dakota has done an excellent job against the run, ranking No. 10 nationally in rushing defense. However, the Coyotes have not seen a rushing attack this talented. The Bobcats average over 300 yards per game, led by Scottre Humphrey with 1,325 yards and Adam Jones with 1,068 yards.

The Coyotes have held their first two postseason opponents under 100 rushing yards. Mi’Quise Grace and Nick Gaes can create havoc off the edge, combining for 29 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks. Montana State’s offensive line has been dominant this season, featuring three players that earned All-American honors. The Bobcats allow a negative play on only 4.2% of all offensive snaps and have the lowest pressure rate in the postseason. The Coyotes will have to create some chaos at the line of scrimmage, which no other team has been able to do this season against the Bobcats.

Montana State’s offense may start with the rushing attack, but quarterback Tommy Mellott remains the biggest x-factor this weekend. He’s having the best season of his career, completing over 70% of his passes for 2,430 passing yards, 790 rushing yards, and 40 total touchdowns. South Dakota’s linebackers are extremely athletic and must contain Mellott in this game. Linebackers Gary Bryant III and Nate Ewell have combined for 175 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and one sack.

South Dakota will also lean on an explosive rushing attack, which ranks third nationally in yards per carry. Charles Pierre Jr. and Travis Theis have combined for over 2,220 rushing yards and 33 rushing touchdowns. Montana State has held its past five opponents under 150 rushing yards, which should make this an interesting matchup in Saturday’s game. South Dakota’s offensive line is one of the best in the nation and has the size to challenge Montana State’s front seven.

Montana State has had a championship-level offense for multiple seasons, but the defense has failed to meet those expectations until this season. The Bobcats rank No. 10 nationally in total defense, holding opponents to 293.9 yards per game. This unit does an excellent job of generating pressure and creating negative plays. Brody Grebe and Kenneth Eiden IV are dangerous off the edge, combining for 17.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. This will be the ultimate test for the Bobcats as South Dakota’s offense presents a unique challenge.

Despite not losing an FCS game in regulation, South Dakota has continued to be doubted all season. The Coyotes have the talent to pull off the upset in Bozeman, but I have yet to see any major flaws in this Montana State team. The Bobcats have too many weapons and are led by arguably the most dynamic player in the nation. All this will be too much for the Coyotes to overcome as Montana State advances to Frisco.

Prediction: Montana State (31-21)

Behind The Numbers: 2024 FCS Playoffs Semifinals Preview
2025 FBS-To-FCS Football Transfer Tracker
2025 FCS-To-FCS Football Transfer Tracker
2025 FCS-To-FBS Football Transfer Tracker
2024 FCS Playoffs: Official Bracket, Schedule, Scores

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WAGNER, S.D. — Federal officers used pepper spray and shot and killed a young man with a criminal history moments after he livestreamed himself brushing his teeth in the basement of a tribal housing unit on the Yankton Sioux Reservation.

Zander Zephier, 23, died Nov. 27 just north of this southeast South Dakota town, about 40 minutes after the U.S. Marshals Service arrived to arrest him on outstanding warrants.

What is not clear from the live video feed and additional security footage outside the house is why marshals used force to apprehend Zephier, especially when his wheelchair-bound, 90-year-old great-grandmother was still in the house.

Federal officials haven’t responded to inquiries about the timing of the operation and what circumstances led to Zephier being shot and killed.

A retired chief inspector with the U.S. Marshals Service raised questions about the use of pepper spray and the decision to enter the house without more attempts at negotiation, possibly involving tribal police.

“Tactically, it gives the impression of deputy marshals operating in the wild, wild West,” said Jason Wojdylo, who worked for the Marshals Service for nearly 25 years and now lives in Tampa, Florida.

“If the fugitive is holed up in the house, our procedures were always to back out, set up a perimeter and contain the fugitive in the residence, not just lob munitions into the house.”

The U.S. Marshals Service, an enforcement arm of the federal judiciary, is primarily responsible for locating and arresting federal suspects and carrying out fugitive operations.

Based on text messages from neighbors and interviews with family members, the law enforcement team arrived at the residence at 8:37 a.m. the day before Thanksgiving and began lobbing gas grenades into the basement at 9:11 a.m.

Shots were fired five minutes later, after at least one deputy marshal entered the house. At 9:46 a.m., Zephier was pronounced dead at Community Memorial Hospital in Wagner.

Zephier’s great-grandmother was on the main floor of the residence when the OC (oleoresin capsicum) gas grenades were tossed into the basement to render “an intense respiratory effect to an non-compliant subject,” according to product materials.

The sound of canisters crashing into the basement through windows is heard on a livestreamed video that Zephier made of himself that morning.

Much of the law enforcement activity and conversation outside the house was also captured on motion-activated security footage that was obtained and analyzed, shaping a basic timeline of events.

In the livestreamed video, Zephier brushes his teeth as officers outside call for him to give himself up. The sound of breaking glass is heard, after which Zephier says “Oh s—!” and eventually begins coughing and holding a rag to his nose and mouth.

“Come out with your hands up, Zander!” an officer calls out in the video. “We have all day. I have 10 more of these (gas grenades).”

Minutes later, at least one deputy marshal enters the front door with a protective shield, gas mask and firearm. The remaining officers complain about how long it’s taking the family to get Zephier’s great-grandmother, Conceta, out of the house.

Then one of the deputy marshals in the driveway says, “Shots fired!” to a fellow officer. The other officer replies, “Good guys or bad guys?”

“We’ve got to get him out of there,” an officer says later.

Video footage shows Zephier being wheeled down the driveway on a gurney, shirtless and in jeans with bandages on his chest.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital by Charles Mix County coroner Chad Peters, who told said he transported the body to Sioux Falls for an autopsy to be performed by forensic pathologist and Minnehaha County medical examiner Kenneth Snell.

Zane Zephier, a University of South Dakota employee and Zander’s older brother, said his family wants to see the autopsy report to determine how many times Zander was shot and the location of the bullet wounds.

Officers discussed body cams

The Zephier family does not dispute Zander’s lengthy criminal record and fugitive status.

At the time of his death, he was considered an escaped prisoner from Charles Mix County Jail in Lake Andes because he was granted furlough in July to attend a family funeral and never returned.

Zander was also on the federal sex offender registry after pleading guilty in 2023 to abusive sexual contact with a minor, for which he was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

Despite his checkered past, family members are calling for an independent investigation into the 23-year-old’s death. They said they don’t trust law enforcement to conduct an impartial inquiry, especially when it comes to operations on tribal land.

The security camera footage reviewed by News Watch shows the following:

• A deputy marshal approaches the front door of the house, hears something over his radio and then appears to say, “Shoot him.” Faint shots can be heard from the house in the video.
• A deputy marshal emerges from the house and says “Little spicy down there!” to another officer in the driveway, likely referring to pepper spray. “Who was involved?” the other officer asks, to which the deputy marshal responds, “Me.” “Are you all good?” he is asked. “Yeah, I’m good,” he says.
• Moments later, the deputy marshal involved in the shooting says, “Are you still live?” to another officer in the driveway. He then points to the man’s body camera and repeats the question.

News Watch has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to the Marshals Service through the Department of Justice to obtain body cam footage from the operation.

U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell, the chief federal law enforcement officer in South Dakota, did not respond to an interview request for this story.

— This story first appeared on southdakotanewswatch.org.