2018 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game

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.

This article is about the FCS (Division I-AA) championship game. For the FBS (Division I-A) championship game, see 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship.
2018 NCAA Division I Football Championship
FCS National Championship Game
North Dakota State Bison James Madison Dukes
(13–1) (14–0)
MVFC CAA
17 13
Head coach: 
Chris Klieman		 Head coach: 
Mike Houston
STATSSeed
42
STATSSeed
11
1234 Total
North Dakota State 71000 17
James Madison 3370 13
DateJanuary 6, 2018
Season2017
StadiumToyota Stadium
LocationFrisco, Texas
MVPEaston Stick (QB, North Dakota State)[1]
FavoriteNorth Dakota State by 3
RefereeMichael VanderVelde (Southland)[2]
Attendance19,090
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2
AnnouncersDave Neal (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Quint Kessenich (sideline)[3]

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
Main article: 2017 North Dakota State Bison football team

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
Main article: 2017 James Madison Dukes football team

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
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP NDSU JMU
1 6:40 11 66 6:30 NDSU Bruce Anderson 3-yard touchdown run, Cam Pedersen kick good 7 0
1 3:48 4 0 0:15 JMU 31-yard field goal by Ethan Ratke 7 3
2 4:14 5 56 3:16 NDSU Darrius Shepherd 50-yard touchdown reception from Easton Stick, Pedersen kick good 14 3
2 0:39 7 26 1:32 NDSU 32-yard field goal by Pedersen 17 3
2 0:03 4 69 0:39 JMU 21-yard field goal by Ratke 17 6
3 9:26 8 33 2:41 JMU Marcus Marshall 1-yard touchdown run, Ratke kick good 17 13
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 17 13

[4]

Game statistics
1 2 3 4 Total
No. 2 Bison 7 10 0 0 17
No. 1 Dukes 3 3 7 0 13
StatisticsNDSUJMU
First downs1615
Plays–yards70–26462–241
Rushes–yards48–13430–93
Passing yards130148
Passing: Comp–Att–Int13–22–014–32–2
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". 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
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