2023 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game

Not to be confused with 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game or 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship.

2023 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Harding Bisons Colorado Mines Orediggers (15–0) (15–0) GAC RMAC 38 7 Head coach:  Paul Simmons Head coach:  Pete Sterbick Seed 3 Seed 1
1 2 3 4 Total Harding 7 14 10 7 38 Colorado Mines 7 0 0 0 7
Date	December 16, 2023
Season	2023
Stadium	McKinney ISD Stadium
Location	McKinney, Texas
Attendance	12,552
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPNU
NCAA Division II Football Championship  ← 2022 2024 →

The 2023 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a college football game played on December 16, 2023, at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas. The game determined the national champion of NCAA Division II for the 2023 season. The game was scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. CST and was broadcast by ESPNU.

The game featured the two finalists of the 28-team playoff bracket, which began on November 18, 2022. The three-seed Harding Bisons from the Great American Conference (GAC) defeated the top-seeded Colorado Mines Orediggers from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), 38–7. The win gave the Harding football program its first national championship. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Teams

The participants of the 2023 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2023 Division II Playoffs, which began on November 18 with four 7-team brackets to determine super region champions, who then qualified for the national semifinals. ^[4]

National semifinals

Super region champions were reseeded 1 to 4 for the national semifinals.

	Semifinals December 9, 2023 Hosted by higher seeded team					Championship December 16, 2023 McKinney, Texas
	1	Colorado Mines	35
	4	Kutztown	7
						1	Colorado Mines	7
						2	Harding	38
	3	Lenoir–Rhyne	14
	2	Harding	55

Game summary

2023 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 3 Harding	7	14	10	7	38
No. 1 Colorado Mines	7	0	0	0	7

at McKinney ISD Stadium • McKinney, Texas

• Date: Saturday, December 16, 2022
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Sunny, 53 °F (12 °C)
• Game attendance: 12,552
• Referee: Bryan Earl
• TV: ESPNU
• Box score, Recap

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Harding Colorado Mines 1 9:06 11 75 5:54 Colorado Mines Noah Roper 2-yard touchdown reception from John Matocha, Jacob Click kick good 0 7 1 3:49 9 75 5:14 Harding Jhalen Spicer 10-yard touchdown run, Grant Ennis kick good 7 7 2 4:30 17 74 10:23 Harding Braden Jay 10-yard touchdown run, Grant Ennis kick good 14 7 2 0:33 6 90 2:05 Harding Braden Jay 9-yard touchdown run, Grant Ennis kick good 21 7 3 12:58 4 87 1:59 Harding Braden Jay 73-yard touchdown run, Grant Ennis kick good 28 7 3 4:11 10 57 6:07 Harding 32-yard field goal by Grant Ennis 31 7 4 11:58 7 83 4:17 Harding Braden Jay 73-yard touchdown run, Cole Keylon kick good 38 7 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 38 7

Statistics

Team statistical comparison Statistic Harding Colorado Mines First downs 21 18 First downs rushing 20 5 First downs passing 1 12 First downs penalty 0 1 Third down efficiency 7–11 7–12 Fourth down efficiency 2–2 0–3 Total plays–net yards 60–563 54–344 Rushing attempts–net yards 58–502 21–71 Yards per rush 8.7 3.4 Yards passing 46 270 Pass completions–attempts 2–2 33–24 Interceptions thrown 0 1 Punt returns–total yards 0–0 0–0 Kickoff returns–total yards 2–17 1–3 Punts–average yardage 1–36.0 2–41.5 Fumbles–lost 0–0 1–0 Penalties–yards 2–17 2–20 Time of possession 36:10 23:50

Harding statistics Bisons passing C–A Yds TD–INT Cole Keylon 2–2 46 0–0 Team 2–2 46 0–0 Bisons rushing Car Yds TD Blake Delacruz 27 212 0 Braden Jay 11 161 3 Omar Sinclair 6 74 0 Jhalen Spicer 3 23 1 Cole Keylon 7 20 1 Chauncey Martin 3 14 0 Team 58 502 5 Bisons receiving Rec Yds TD Roland Wallace 2 46 0 Team 2 46 0

Colorado Mines statistics Orediggers passing C–A Yds TD–INT John Matocha 24–33 270 1–1 Team 24–33 270 1–1 Orediggers rushing Car Yds TD Landon Walker 6 56 0 Noah Roper 3 9 0 John Matocha 11 5 0 Levi Johnson 1 1 0 Team 21 71 0 Orediggers receiving Rec Yds TD Max McLeod 14 153 0 Flynn Schiele 2 58 0 Zach Hoffman 2 25 0 Nick Stone 2 12 0 Konnor Michelsen 1 10 0 Billy Pospisil III 1 5 0 Blake Smotherman 1 5 0 Noah Roper 1 2 1 Team 24 270 1

References

1. Kyle Newman (December 16, 2023). "Mines blasted in Division II national title for second straight year, as Harding runs over Orediggers". The Denver Post.
2. "Harding cruises to NCAA Division II football national championship, 38-7". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. December 16, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
3. Tryggestad, Erik (December 21, 2023). "'Great cloud of witnesses' helped propel Harding football to national title". The Christian Chronicle. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
4. "2023 Division II Football Official Bracket". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved August 1, 2024.