2014 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game

The 2014 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the North Dakota State Bison and the Towson Tigers. It was played on January 4, 2014, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The culminating game of the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season, it was won by North Dakota State, 35–7.

2014 NCAA Division I Football Championship
FCS National Championship Game
1234 Total
Towson 7000 7
North Dakota State 71477 35
DateJanuary 4, 2014
Season2013
StadiumToyota Stadium[1]
LocationFrisco, Texas
MVPBrock Jensen (QB, North Dakota State)[2]
FavoriteNorth Dakota State by 16.5[3]
RefereeJeff Flanagan (Big South)[1]
Attendance19,802[1]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2[4]
AnnouncersAnish Shroff (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (color), Cara Capuano (sideline)[5]
NCAA Division I Football Championship
 < 2013 2015

With sponsorship by Northwestern Mutual, the game was officially known as the NCAA FCS Championship presented by Northwestern Mutual.[5] This was the third consecutive championship for North Dakota State.

Teams edit

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2013 FCS Playoffs, which began with a 24-team bracket. This was the first tournament with 24 teams in the field; it had been 20 teams for the prior three postseasons.

North Dakota State Bison edit

North Dakota State finished their regular season with an 11–0 record (8–0 in conference), including a season-opening win over Kansas State of the FBS. As the first-seed in the tournament, the Bison defeated Furman, Coastal Carolina, and New Hampshire to reach the final. This was North Dakota State's third appearance in an FCS/Division I-AA title game, having won the prior two title games. This was the final game for Craig Bohl as head coach of the Bison, as he had accepted on offer to take the same role with Wyoming.[6]

Towson Tigers edit

Towson finished their regular season with a 10–2 record (6–2 in conference), including a season-opening win over Connecticut of the FBS. As the seventh-seed in the tournament, the Tigers defeated Fordham, second-seed Eastern Illinois, and third-seed Eastern Washington to reach the final. This was Towson's first appearance in an FCS/Division I-AA championship game.

Game summary edit

The teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Bison returned a blocked field goal 59 yards, then scored on the next play to go ahead, 14–7. The Tigers were held scoreless for the remainder of the game, as the Bison won by a 35–7 final score. The Bison became the second team in FCS/Division I-AA history to win three consecutive titles, joining Appalachian State (2005–2007).[6]

Scoring summary edit

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP TOWS NDSU
1 5:34 5 54 2:49 NDSU John Crockett 2-yard touchdown run, Adam Keller kick good 0 7
1 0:00 12 77 5:34 TOWS Terrance West 2-yard touchdown run, Drew Evangelista kick good 7 7
2 4:43 1 5 0:05 NDSU Ryan Smith 5-yard touchdown run, Keller kick good 7 14
2 1:05 5 43 1:30 NDSU Zach Vraa 12-yard touchdown reception from Brock Jensen, Keller kick good 7 21
3 9:09 8 88 4:08 NDSU Jensen 9-yard touchdown run, Keller kick good 7 28
4 13:09 7 31 3:04 NDSU Sam Ojuri 1-yard touchdown run, Keller kick good 7 35
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 7 35

[7]

Game statistics edit

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 7 Tigers 7 0 0 0 7
No. 1 Bison 7 14 7 7 35
 
Towson running back Terrance West
Statistics TOWS NDSU
First downs 21 15
Plays–yards 79–373 48–345
Rushes–yards 35–106 30–210
Passing yards 28–44–1 13–18–1
Passing: comp–att–int 267 135
Time of possession 33:38 26:22
Team Category Player Statistics
Towson Passing Peter Athens 28–44, 267 yds, 1 INT
Rushing Terrance West 22 car, 99 yds, 1 TD
Receiving Derrick Joseph 5 rec, 61 yds
North Dakota State Passing Brock Jensen 13–18, 135 yds, 1 TD
Rushing John Crockett 9 car, 86 yds, 1 TD
Receiving Zach Vraa 3 rec, 51 yds, 1 TD

[8]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Boxscore for Football vs Towson". gobison.com. January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  2. ^ "Outstanding players of FCS championship game". ESPN. AP. January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  3. ^ "Towson Tigers @ North Dakota State Bison". vegasinsider.com. January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  4. ^ "On The Air". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. January 4, 2014. p. C2. Retrieved January 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "2013 FCS National Championship: North Dakota State vs Towson". January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2019 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ a b "North Dakota State still reigns in FCS". The Boston Globe. AP. January 5, 2014. p. C15. Retrieved January 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Towson vs. North Dakota State - Play-By-Play". ESPN. January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  8. ^ "Towson vs. North Dakota State - Game Summary". ESPN. January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2019.

Further reading edit

External links edit