2018 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game

Last updated

2018 NCAA Division I Football Championship
FCS National Championship Game
2018 FCS National Championship Game logo.png
1234Total
North Dakota State7100017
James Madison337013
DateJanuary 6, 2018
Season 2017
Stadium Toyota Stadium
Location Frisco, Texas
MVP Easton Stick (QB, North Dakota State) [1]
Favorite North Dakota State by 3
Referee Michael VanderVelde (Southland) [2]
Attendance19,090
United States TV coverage
Network ESPN2
Announcers Dave Neal (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Quint Kessenich (sideline) [3]
NCAA Division I Football Championship
  2017 2019  

The 2018 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 2017 season. It was played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on January 6, 2018, with kickoff at 12:00 noon EST, and was the culminating game of the 2017 FCS Playoffs. With sponsorship from Northwestern Mutual, the game was officially known as the NCAA FCS Football Championship Presented by Northwestern Mutual.

Contents

Teams

The participants of the 2018 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2017 FCS Playoffs, which began with a 24-team bracket. No. 1 seed James Madison and No. 2 seed North Dakota State qualified for the final by winning their semifinal games. James Madison was the designated home team for the final game.

North Dakota State Bison

North Dakota State finished their regular season with a 10–1 record (7–1 in conference). Their one loss was to South Dakota State, 33–21. In the FCS playoffs, they defeated San Diego, Wofford, and Sam Houston State to reach the finals. The Bison entered the championship game with a 5–0 record in prior FCS finals, occurring consecutively in the 2011 through 2015 seasons.

James Madison Dukes

James Madison finished their regular season with an 11–0 record (8–0 in conference). In the FCS playoffs, they defeated Stony Brook, Weber State, and South Dakota State to reach the finals. The Dukes entered the championship game with a 2–0 record in prior FCS/Division I-AA finals, having defeated Montana for the 2004 season title, and Youngstown State for the 2016 season title.

Game summary

Scoring summary

Scoring summary
QuarterTime Drive TeamScoring informationScore
Plays Yards TOP NDSUJMU
16:4011666:30NDSUBruce Anderson 3-yard touchdown run, Cam Pedersen kick good70
13:48400:15JMU31-yard field goal by Ethan Ratke73
24:145563:16NDSUDarrius Shepherd 50-yard touchdown reception from Easton Stick, Pedersen kick good143
20:397261:32NDSU32-yard field goal by Pedersen173
20:034690:39JMU21-yard field goal by Ratke176
39:268332:41JMUMarcus Marshall 1-yard touchdown run, Ratke kick good1713
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.1713

[4]

Game statistics

1234Total
No. 2 Bison7100017
No. 1 Dukes337013
StatisticsNDSUJMU
First downs1615
Plays–yards70–26462–241
Rushes–yards48–13430–93
Passing yards130148
Passing: compattint13–22–014–32–2
Time of possession37:4122:19
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
North Dakota StatePassingEaston Stick13–22, 130 yds, 1 TD
RushingBruce Anderson18 car, 63 yds, 1 TD
ReceivingDarrius Shepherd6 rec, 74 yds, 1 TD
James MadisonPassingBryan Schor14–32, 148 yds, 2 INT
RushingMarcus Marshall11 car, 30 yds, 1 TD
ReceivingRiley Stapleton7 rec, 107 yds

[5]

References

  1. Carroll, Charlotte (January 6, 2018). "North Dakota State Beats James Madison University for 6th FCS Title in 7 Years". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  2. "North Dakota State vs James Madison". January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2019 via YouTube.
  3. "Bison Return to FCS Title Game Saturday vs. Defending Champion James Madison". gobison.com. January 1, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  4. "North Dakota State vs. James Madison - Play-By-Play". ESPN . January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  5. "North Dakota State vs. James Madison - Game Summary". ESPN . January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2019.

Further reading