2022 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 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship.

2022 NCAA Division I Football Championship
FCS National Championship Game
Montana State Bobcats North Dakota State Bison
(12–2) (13–1)
Big Sky Missouri Valley
10 38
Head coach: 
Brent Vigen		 Head coach: 
Matt Entz
STATSSeed
78
STATSSeed
32
1234 Total
Montana State 0037 10
North Dakota State 721100 38
DateJanuary 8, 2022
Season2021
StadiumToyota Stadium
LocationFrisco, Texas
MVPHunter Luepke (FB, North Dakota State)[1]
FavoriteNorth Dakota State by 7[2]
RefereeNolan Dumas (Southland)[3]
Attendance18,942
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2
AnnouncersDave Flemming (play-by-play), Jay Walker (analyst), Stormy Buonantony (sideline)
International TV coverage
NetworkCanada: TSN2
Brazil: ESPN Brazil
AnnouncersMatheus Pinheiro (play-by-play) and Weinny Eirado (analyst)
NCAA Division I Football Championship
 < 2021 2023 > 

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.

Teams

The participants of the 2022 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2021 FCS Playoffs.

North Dakota State Bison

Main article: 2021 North Dakota State Bison football team

North 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.

Further information: NCAA Division I Football Championship § Champions

Montana State Bobcats

Main article: 2021 Montana State Bobcats football team

Montana 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

Montana 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]

2022 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 8 Montana State 0 0 3710
No. 2 North Dakota State 7 21 10038

at Toyota Stadium • Frisco, Texas

  • Date: January 8, 2022
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST (11:00 a.m. CST)
  • Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 48 °F (9 °C) • Wind: SE 9 mph (14 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 18,942
  • Referee: Nolan Dumas
  • TV: ESPN2
  • Box score
Game information
First quarter
  • 6:48 NDSU – Hunter Luepke 8-yard rush, Jake Reinholz kick good. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:01. NDSU 7–0
Second quarter
  • 14:56 NDSU – Hunter Luepke 11-yard rush, Jake Reinholz kick good. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:22. NDSU 14–0
  • 10:50 NDSU – Kobe Johnson 76-yard rush, Jake Reinholz kick good. Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:50. NDSU 21–0
  • 0:32 NDSU – Hunter Luepke 6-yard rush, Jake Reinholz kick good. Drive: 14 plays, 85 yards, 4:54. NDSU 28–0
Third quarter
  • 12:34 NDSU – Josh Babicz 35-yard pass from Cam Miller, Jake Reinholz kick good. Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 2:26. NDSU 35–0
  • 7:43 MTST – Blake Glessner 26-yard field goal. Drive: 12 plays, 67 yards, 4:51. NDSU 35–3
  • 0:38 NDSU – Jake Reinholz 37-yard field goal. Drive: 7 plays, 29 yards, 3:35. NDSU 38–3
Fourth quarter
  • 5:08 MTST – Lance McCutcheon 28-yard pass from Tucker Rovig, Blake Glessner kick good. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 4:43. NDSU 38–10

Statistics

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

  1. ^ @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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ @footballzebras (January 8, 2022). "FCS Championship Game Officials from the Southland Conference" (Tweet). Retrieved January 8, 2022 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ "FCS Football championship: Tickets, schedule". NCAA.com. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Connelly, Bill (January 7, 2022). "FCS national championship game: Breaking down Montana State-North Dakota State". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  6. ^ 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.