(STATS) -- Playing in its first-ever FCS playoff game Saturday, North Dakota might have gotten ahead of itself when it held a 17-point lead on Richmond late in the third quarter.

Surely, Richmond's playoff experience was reflected in its composure.

The Spiders scored the final 20 points, capped by Griffin Trau's 18-yard field goal as time expired, and the CAA Football squad stunned the No. 7-seeded Fighting Hawks 27-24 in a second-round game at Alerus Center in Grand Forks.

Richmond (10-3) will head across the country once again next Saturday to face a second straight Big Sky Conference co-champion, No. 2 seed Eastern Washington (11-1), in the quarterfinals.

"I can't be more proud of this football team," Richmond coach Danny Rocco said. :The toughness they put on display tonight was phenomenal. I can't say enough about them."

The Spiders are appearing in the playoffs for the third straight season under coach Rocco and the 12th time overall. They faced a desperate situation after Keaton Studsrud's two touchdown passes to Demun Mercer helped North Dakota to a 24-7 lead.

But Spiders quarterback Kevin Johnson scored on a 9-yard run with 23 seconds left in the third quarter as they began to chip away.

Trau kicked a 37-yard field goal with 10:25 left in the fourth quarter, closing the deficit to 24-17. Johnson then connected with Garrett Hudson for an 8-yard touchdown to tie the game at the 5:24 mark.

But Johnson's biggest pass came on the game's final drive. The sophomore stepped up from pressure in the pocket to throw a 54-yard bomb that Tyler Wilkins caught as he fell onto his back at the UND 20 inside two minutes. The Spiders ran the ball three more times before Trau kicked his FCS-leading 23rd field goal of the season.

Johnson, making his second career start since standout Kyle Lauletta became the eighth Richmond starter to be lost to a season-ending injury, had 282 yards of total offense and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).

Senior wide receiver Brian Brown caught six passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. He went over 4,000 career receiving yards, pushing the total to 4,135.

While North Dakota made its first appearance in the FCS playoffs, it has a long history of Division II postseason experience, including a national championship season in 2001 and a runner-up finish two years later. The Fighting Hawks saw their nine-game winning streak end.