The 2022 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game played to determine a national champion in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) for the 2021 FCS season. It was contested at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on January 8, 2022,[4] with kickoff at 12:00 p.m. EST (11:00 a.m. locally) and televised on ESPN2.[2] It was the culminating game of the 2021 FCS Playoffs.
| 2022 NCAA Division I Football Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| FCS National Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 8, 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Toyota Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Frisco, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Hunter Luepke (FB, North Dakota State)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | North Dakota State by 7[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Nolan Dumas (Southland)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 18,942 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Jay Walker (analyst), Stormy Buonantony (sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Canada: TSN2 Brazil: ESPN Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Matheus Pinheiro (play-by-play) and Weinny Eirado (analyst) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Teams
editThe participants of the 2022 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2021 FCS Playoffs.
North Dakota State Bison
editNorth Dakota State finished their regular season with a 10–1 record (7–1 in conference), losing only to South Dakota State.[5] The Bison were the second-seed in the tournament and received a first-round bye; they then defeated Southern Illinois, East Tennessee State, and James Madison to reach the championship game.
North Dakota State had previously won the FCS Championship Game eight times, most recently the January 2020 edition following the 2019 season.
Montana State Bobcats
editMontana State finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (7–1 in conference), losing only to Wyoming (an FBS team) and Montana.[5] The Bobcats were the eighth-seed in the tournament and received a first-round bye; they then defeated UT Martin, Sam Houston State, and South Dakota State to reach the championship game.
Montana State had previously played in one FCS Championship Game, winning against Louisiana Tech in the 1984 edition following the 1984 season, when the conference was still known as NCAA Division I-AA and the championship game was played in December.
Game summary
editMontana State's starting quarterback, Tommy Mellott, sustained an ankle injury during the opening drive of the game and was sidelined for the remainder of the contest.[6] North Dakota State scored four unanswered first-half touchdowns, taking a 28–0 lead en route to a 38–10 final and the program's ninth FCS title in 11 seasons.[6] Fullback Hunter Luepke of North Dakota State rushed for three touchdowns and was named most valuable player.[6]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Montana State | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| No. 2 North Dakota State | 7 | 21 | 10 | 0 | 38 |
| Game information |
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Statistics
edit| Statistics | MTST | NDSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 17 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 65–335 | 66–506 |
| Rushes–yards | 34–156 | 53–380 |
| Passing yards | 179 | 126 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 15–31–1 | 9–13–0 |
| Time of possession | 26:12 | 33:48 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| MTST | Passing | Tucker Rovig | 13/28, 156 yards, TD, INT |
| Rushing | Isaiah Ifanse | 18 carries, 84 yards | |
| Receiving | Lance McCutcheon | 5 receptions, 106 yards, TD | |
| NDSU | Passing | Cam Miller | 9/13, 126 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Kobe Johnson | 4 carries, 106 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Christian Watson | 4 receptions, 61 yards |
References
edit- ^ @collegesportsbr (January 8, 2022). "North Dakota State vence Montana St por 38-10 e conquista o seu 9° título da FCS! O FB Hunter Luepke marcou 2 TDs e foi escolhido o MVP da partida" (Tweet) (in Portuguese). Retrieved January 8, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Jeyarajah, Shehan (January 7, 2022). "North Dakota State vs. Montana State: Prediction, pick, FCS championship game odds, live stream, watch online". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ @footballzebras (January 8, 2022). "FCS Championship Game Officials from the Southland Conference" (Tweet). Retrieved January 8, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "FCS Football championship: Tickets, schedule". NCAA.com. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ a b Connelly, Bill (January 7, 2022). "FCS national championship game: Breaking down Montana State-North Dakota State". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ a b c "North Dakota State football continues dominant FCS run, wins ninth championship in 11 seasons". ESPN.com. January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
External links
edit- Game statistics at statbroadcast.com