Live at noon and 1 p.m.: St. John's, Bemidji State in NCAA football playoffs

Watch or listen to today's game between St. John's and Linfield in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. The game starts at noon, with live audio beginning with the pregame show at 10 a.m.

Links to video, audio and game statistics are here

NCAA Division III playoff bracket

Bemidji State plays Colorado School of Mines in the second round of the Division II playoffs. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. and you can follow the game with these links: Live video | Audio (12:30 p.m. pregame | in-game statistics

NCAA Division II playoff bracket

A lot has changed for St. John's quarterback Chris Backes in the past month.

The senior from St. Cloud has gone from having never started a game during his four seasons with the Johnnies to being elevated to the starter after a season-ending injury to Aaron Syverson.

"As a backup, you prepare every week for the possibility that you might play," Backes said. "So not much has changed. Everyone around me has stepped up their performance to help me. We do a great job in practice during the week to get ready."

In four starts, Backes has directed the Johnnies to four victories — one over Bethel in the MIAC championship game and another over Lake Forest last Saturday in the first round of the Division III playoffs.

Backes, who appeared in all 27 of the Johnnies' games during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, completed 14 of 16 passes and threw four touchdown passes in his first career start — against St. Scholastica on Oct. 30.

In the 41-14 playoff victory over Lake Forest, he also threw four touchdown passes. In his four starts, he has completed 60.7% of his passes and thrown 11 touchdown passes.

"We have a lot of great receivers on the outside ... Ravi Alston is great," Backes said, "and we have great running backs like Devin Vouk and Henry Trost for me to be able to hand the ball off to."

The Johnnies and Linfield are meeting for the first time since 2003. The Johnnies have won all three meetings — all in the postseason — between the two.

Linfield defeated Redlands 44-10 last Saturday at home in McMinnville, Ore., to advance.

Linfield quarterback Wyatt Smith, the two-time Northwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year, has completed 69.8% of his passes for 3,002 yards and 37 touchdowns this season. He has thrown just four interceptions in 351 attempts.

The Wildcats are averaging 51.9 points per game — third in D-III.

"It's challenging to prepare for a team that you haven't seen," said Backes. "You have to study a lot of film to look for tendencies and trust what you see."

DIVISION II PLAYOFFS

SECOND ROUND