FARGO - The Colgate Raiders took on an NCAA Division I FCS power last weekend and flexed their muscle.

Colgate forced five turnovers in a 23-20 home victory against James Madison, which played in the previous two FCS national title games and won the FCS championship two seasons ago.

The No. 8-seeded Raiders wanted a shot at the Dukes, even if some around the Colgate program thought it was a difficult second-round draw.

"The players inside the locker room, we wanted JMU," said Colgate quarterback Grant Breneman said. "They were probably the best non-seeded team."

Colgate (10-1) now gets a chance at the top-seeded team in the field. Defending national champion North Dakota State (12-0) hosts the Raiders at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, in the FCS quarterfinals at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.

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"It's obviously going to be an unbelievable atmosphere," Breneman said. "Your goal is to play the best team in the best venue."

Breneman leads a Colgate offense that averages nearly 30 points and 200 rushing yards per game. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound sophomore has completed 117 of 183 passes for 1,537 yards and six touchdowns with three interceptions. Running back James Holland Jr. has rushed for 1,173 yards and 12 touchdowns on 196 attempts, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

"It's clicked very well," Colgate head coach Dan Hunt said. "They haven't been putting up these crazy national stats like our defense has put up. At the end of the day, we're averaging 30 points a game. We're able to adopt a style that fits our defense."

Colgate leads the FCS in scoring defense, allowing 7.0 points per game. The Raiders last played in the FCS quarterfinals in 2015. That season they also defeated James Madison in the second round before losing to Sam Houston State in the final eight.

Colgate hasn't lost to an FCS opponent this season and has three victories against Colonial Athletic Association teams. The Raiders lone loss was a 28-14 setback against Army, an FBS opponent, to close out the regular season.

"One of the defining moments for us was being able to compete and go toe-to-toe with Army," Holland said. "That is definitely encouraging."

Holland said he's excited to play in the Fargodome in what he expects to be an electric atmosphere.

"I've been told that it's one of the loudest stadiums we will play in all year," Holland said. "Going and playing in front of fans like that is something you dream about as a little kid. ... When you get on the field, all of that stuff goes away."

The Bison are ranked second in the FCS in scoring defense, allowing 12.0 points per game. Breneman said the NDSU defense is similar to James Madison in terms of personnel.

"We've noticed how hard they play," Breneman said of the Bison defense. "I really haven't seen a defense that plays as hard as they do. ... We always say we want to play harder, longer against every team we play. Obviously, NDSU has that same mentality."

Holland has rushed for 3,115 yards during his career with the Raiders, ranking him No. 8 in program history. Over his past six games, the 5-foot-9, 210-pound senior has rushed for 770 yards, good for 183. yards per game.

"Once we knew we were playing defense the way were have, we said, all right, let's really focus on ball control, controlling the clock and limiting possessions," Hunt said. "James has been just phenomenal with that type of offense. He grinds out yards and hits big plays."