2016 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game

Last updated

2016 NCAA Division I Football Championship
FCS National Championship Game
1234Total
Jacksonville State0010010
North Dakota State32131037
DateJanuary 9, 2016
Season 2015
Stadium Toyota Stadium
Location Frisco, Texas
MVP Carson Wentz (QB, North Dakota State) [1]
Favorite North Dakota State by 2.5 [2]
Referee Tony Marcella (CAA) [3]
Attendance21,836
United States TV coverage
Network ESPN2 [4]
Announcers Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Ahmad D. Brooks (color), Quint Kessenich (sideline) [4]
NCAA Division I Football Championship
 < 2015 2017 > 

The 2016 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision for the 2015 season. It was played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on January 9, 2016, with kickoff at 12:00 noon EST, and was the culminating game of the 2015 FCS Playoffs. With sponsorship from Northwestern Mutual, the game was officially known as the NCAA FCS Football Championship Presented by Northwestern Mutual. [4]

Contents

Teams

The participants of the 2016 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2015 FCS Playoffs, which began with a 24-team bracket. No. 1 seed Jacksonville State and No. 3 seed North Dakota State qualified for the final by winning their semifinal games.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks

The Gamecocks, led by second-year head coach John Grass, finished the regular season 10–1, 8–0 in OVC play, to earn a conference championship and the No. 1 seed in the FCS Playoffs. Jacksonville State defeated unseeded Chattanooga, No. 8 seed Charleston Southern, and unseeded Sam Houston State to reach their first ever final.

North Dakota State Bison

The Bison, led by second-year head coach Chris Klieman, finished the regular season 8–2, 7–1 in MVFC play, to earn a conference co-championship (shared with Illinois State) and the No. 3 seed in the FCS Playoffs. North Dakota State defeated unseeded Montana, unseeded Northern Iowa, and No. 7 seed Richmond to reach the final. The Bison entered the Championship game with a 4–0 record in previous FCS Championships, having won the last four straight.

Game summary

Scoring summary

Scoring summary
QuarterTime Drive TeamScoring informationScore
Plays Yards TOP JVSTNDSU
18:3615636:24NDSU29-yard field goal by Cam Pedersen03
212:3912806:55NDSU Andrew Bonnet 8-yard touchdown reception from Carson Wentz, Cam Pedersen kick good010
211:134281:15NDSUCarson Wentz 11-yard touchdown run, Cam Pedersen kick good017
26:126482:56NDSUKing Frazier 1-yard touchdown run, Cam Pedersen kick good024
311:048733:56JVST Eli Jenkins 6-yard touchdown run, Connor Rouleau kick good724
33:41441:30JVST26-yard field goal by Connor Rouleau1024
30:208603:21NDSU31-yard field goal by Cam Pedersen1027
47:458284:22NDSUCarson Wentz 1-yard touchdown run, Cam Pedersen kick good1034
44:22422:19NDSU38-yard field goal by Cam Pedersen1037
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.1037

Game statistics

1234Total
No. 1 Gamecocks0010010
No. 3 Bison32131037
Toyota Stadium during the championship game between North Dakota State and Jacksonville State Toyotastadiumfcs.jpg
Toyota Stadium during the championship game between North Dakota State and Jacksonville State
StatisticsJVSTNDSU
First downs924
Plays–yards51–20482–379
Rushes–yards31–14751–182
Passing yards57197
Passing: compattint7–20–216–31–3
Time of possession19:0940:51
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Jacksonville StatePassing Eli Jenkins 7/20, 57 yds, 2 INT
RushingEli Jenkins15 car, 88 yds, 1 TD
ReceivingJosh Barge2 rec, 32 yds
North Dakota StatePassing Carson Wentz 16/29, 197 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
RushingCarson Wentz9 car, 79 yds, 2 TD
ReceivingDarrius Shepherd4 rec, 71 yds

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References

  1. "Outstanding players of FCS championship game". ESPN . AP. January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  2. "Jacksonville State Gamecocks @ North Dakota State Bison". vegasinsider.com. January 9, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  3. "North Dakota State University Athletics - Boxscore for Football vs Jacksonville State on 1/9/2016". gobison.com. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 "2016 FCS Championship Jacksonville State vs North Dakota State". January 10, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2019 via YouTube.

Further reading