2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game

This article is about the FCS (Division I-AA) championship game. For the FBS (Division I-A) championship game, see 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship.

2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship
FCS National Championship Game
North Dakota State Bison Illinois State Redbirds
(14–1) (13–1)
MVFC MVFC
29 27
Head coach: 
Chris Klieman		 Head coach: 
Brock Spack
TSNSeed
22
TSNSeed
75
1234 Total
North Dakota State 37109 29
Illinois State 70713 27
DateJanuary 10, 2015
Season2014
StadiumToyota Stadium[1]
LocationFrisco, Texas
MVPCarson Wentz (QB, North Dakota State)[2]
FavoriteNorth Dakota State by 6.5[3]
RefereeEddy Shelton (Southland)[1]
Attendance20,918[1]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2[4]
AnnouncersAnish Shroff (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (color), Cara Capuano (sideline)[5]
NCAA Division I Football Championship
 < 2014 2016 > 

The 2015 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 2014 season. It was played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on January 10, 2015, with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. EST, and was the culminating game of the 2014 FCS Playoffs. With sponsorship by Northwestern Mutual, the game was officially known as the NCAA FCS Championship presented by Northwestern Mutual.[5]

Teams

The participants of the 2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2014 FCS Playoffs, which began with a 24-team bracket. No. 2 seed North Dakota State and No. 5 seed Illinois State qualified for the final by winning their semifinal games.

North Dakota State Bison

Main article: 2014 North Dakota State Bison football team

Led by first-year head coach Chris Klieman, the Bison finished the regular season 11–1, 7–1 in MVFC play, to earn a conference co-championship (shared with Illinois State) and the No. 2 seed in the FCS Playoffs. North Dakota State defeated unseeded South Dakota State, No. 7 seed Coastal Carolina, and unseeded Sam Houston State to reach the final. The Bison entered the Championship game with a 3–0 record in previous FCS Championships, having won the last three straight.

Illinois State Redbirds

Main article: 2014 Illinois State Redbirds football team

Led by sixth-year head coach Brock Spack, the Redbirds finished the regular season 10–1, 7–1 in MVFC play, to earn a conference co-championship (shared with North Dakota State) and the No. 5 seed in the FCS Playoffs. Illinois State defeated unseeded Northern Iowa, No. 4 seed Eastern Washington, and No. 1 seed New Hampshire to reach their first-ever final.

Game summary

Scoring summary

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP NDSU ILST
1 5:28 5 38 2:33 ILST Jon-Marc Anderson 13-yard touchdown reception from Tre Roberson, Nick Aussieker kick good 0 7
1 1:06 8 42 4:22 NDSU 41-yard field goal by Adam Keller 3 7
2 8:43 11 84 5:30 NDSU Luke Albers 6-yard touchdown reception from Carson Wentz, Adam Keller kick good 10 7
3 12:55 4 –5 2:05 NDSU 41-yard field goal by Adam Keller 13 7
3 7:28 8 76 3:48 NDSU John Crockett 7-yard touchdown run, Adam Keller kick good 20 7
3 2:11 8 66 5:17 ILST James O'Shaughnessy 41-yard touchdown reception from Tre Roberson, Nick Aussieker kick good 20 14
4 11:20 12 62 5:51 NDSU 24-yard field goal by Adam Keller 23 14
4 8:05 6 84 3:15 ILST James O'Shaughnessy 3-yard touchdown reception from Tre Roberson, Nick Aussieker kick good 23 21
4 1:38 5 80 0:44 ILST Tre Roberson 58-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed 23 27
4 0:37 6 78 1:01 NDSU Carson Wentz 5-yard touchdown run, Adam Keller kick blocked 29 27
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 29 27

Game statistics

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 2 Bison 3 7 10 9 29
No. 5 Redbirds 7 0 7 13 27
North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz
Statistics NDSU ILST
First downs 22 16
Plays–yards 72–452 50–424
Rushes–yards 50–215 27–267
Passing yards 237 157
Passing: comp–att–int 15–22–0 11–23–1
Time of possession 37:15 22:45
Team Category Player Statistics
North Dakota State Passing Carson Wentz 15/22, 237 yds, 1 TD
Rushing Carson Wentz 16 car, 87 yds, 1 TD
Receiving R. J. Urzendowski 5 rec, 100 yds
Illinois State Passing Tre Roberson 11/23, 157 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Tre Roberson 11 car, 161 yds, 1 TD
Receiving James O'Shaughnessy 2 rec, 44 yds, 2 TD

References

  1. ^ a b c "North Dakota State University Athletics - Boxscore for Football vs Illinois State on 1/10/2015". gobison.com. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  2. ^ "Outstanding players of FCS championship game". ESPN. AP. January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  3. ^ "Illinois State Redbirds @ North Dakota State Bison". vegasinsider.com. January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  4. ^ "On The Air". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. January 10, 2015. p. C2. Retrieved January 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "2014 FCS Championship North Dakota State vs Illinois State". January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2019 – via YouTube.