2017 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 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship.

2017 NCAA Division I Football Championship
FCS National Championship Game
Youngstown State Penguins James Madison Dukes
(12–3) (13–1)
MVFC CAA
14 28
Head coach: 
Bo Pelini		 Head coach: 
Mike Houston
STATSSeed
13—
STATSSeed
54
1234 Total
Youngstown State 0707 14
James Madison 14770 28
DateJanuary 7, 2017
Season2016
StadiumToyota Stadium
LocationFrisco, Texas
MVPKhalid Abdullah (RB, James Madison)[1][a]
FavoriteJames Madison by 9[3]
RefereeMarshall Lewis (Sun Belt)[4]
Attendance14,423
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2
AnnouncersAnish Shroff (play-by-play), Ahmad D. Brooks (color), Quint Kessenich (sideline)[5]
NCAA Division I Football Championship
 < 2016 2018 > 

The 2017 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 2016 season. It was played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on January 7, 2017, with kickoff at 12:00 noon EST, and was the culminating game of the 2016 FCS Playoffs. With sponsorship from Northwestern Mutual, the game was officially known as the NCAA FCS Football Championship Presented by Northwestern Mutual.

Teams

The participants of the 2017 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2016 FCS Playoffs, which began with a 24-team bracket. No. 4 seed James Madison and unseeded Youngstown State qualified for the final by winning their semifinal games. James Madison was the designated home team for the final game.

Youngstown State Penguins

Main article: 2016 Youngstown State Penguins football team

Youngstown State finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (6–2 in conference). In the FCS playoffs, they defeated Samford, Jacksonville State, Wofford, and second-seeded Eastern Washington to reach the finals. The Penguins entered the championship game with a 4–2 record in prior FCS/Division I-AA finals, contested during the 1991 through 1999 seasons.

James Madison Dukes

Main article: 2016 James Madison Dukes football team

James Madison finished their regular season with a 10–1 record (8–0 in conference). Their only loss was to North Carolina of the FBS, 56–28. In the FCS playoffs, they defeated New Hampshire, Sam Houston State, and top-seeded North Dakota State to reach the finals. The Dukes entered the championship game with a 1–0 record in prior FCS/Division I-AA finals, having defeated Montana for the 2004 season title.

Game summary

Scoring summary

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP YSU JMU
1 12:10 2 18 0:33 JMU Jonathan Kloosterman 14-yard touchdown reception from Bryan Schor, Tyler Gray kick good 0 7
1 9:37 4 50 1:12 JMU Rashard Davis 18-yard touchdown reception from Schor, Gray kick good 0 14
2 8:17 8 87 3:26 JMU Khalid Abdullah 1-yard touchdown run, Gray kick good 0 21
2 3:35 3 29 1:06 YSU Shane Kuhn 17-yard touchdown reception from Hunter Wells, Zak Kennedy kick good 7 21
3 10:10 6 47 2:53 JMU Abdullah 2-yard touchdown run, Gray kick good 7 28
4 0:10 12 87 2:37 YSU Jermiah Braswell 7-yard touchdown reception from Wells, Kennedy kick good 14 28
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 14 28

[6]

Game statistics

1 2 3 4 Total
Penguins 0 7 0 7 14
No. 4 Dukes 14 7 7 0 28
Statistics YSU JMU
First downs 23 15
Plays–yards 79–292 57–253
Rushes–yards 31–21 45–141
Passing yards 271 112
Passing: comp–att–int 28–48–1 7–12–0
Time of possession 31:25 28:35
Team Category Player Statistics
Youngstown State Passing Hunter Wells 28–47, 271 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Jody Webb 17 car, 41 yds
Receiving Alvin Bailey 7 rec, 68 yds
James Madison Passing Bryan Schor 7–12, 112 yds, 2 TD
Rushing Khalid Abdullah 26 car, 101 yds, 2 TD
Receiving Rashard Davis 3 rec, 52 yds, 1 TD

[7]

Notes

  1. ^ Other sources list JMU's quarterback, Bryan Schor, as MVP.[2]

References

  1. ^ "JMU wins FCS title, beats Youngstown St". The Rock Island Argus. East Moline, Illinois. Associated Press. January 8, 2017. p. 16. Retrieved October 26, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Outstanding players of FCS championship game". ESPN. AP. January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  3. ^ "Youngstown State Penguins @ James Madison Dukes". vegasinsider.com. January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  4. ^ "Football vs. #13 Youngstown State". jmusports.com. January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  5. ^ Full game video on YouTube
  6. ^ "Youngstown State vs. James Madison - Play-By-Play". ESPN. January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  7. ^ "Youngstown State vs. James Madison - Game Summary". ESPN. January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2019.