FRISCO, Texas — North Dakota State football is the FCS national champion for a record eighth time after defeating James Madison 28-20 to close out the 2019-20 season.
The Bison made history in Frisco, becoming the first modern-era DI college football program to go 16-0 in a single season. Only 1894 Yale shares that honor.
North Dakota State led 28-13 following a 44-yard touchdown run by quarterback Trey Lance to open the fourth quarter. But James Madison battled back with a Riley Stapleton touchdown catch (his second of the game) and a final drive to NDSU's 5-yard line.
But NDSU safety James Hendricks clinched the win with an interception on Ben DiNucci's pass to the end zone with seven seconds left. Hendricks finished with eight tackles, an interception and a first-half touchdown run on a fake field goal.
Lance finished the game with 166 rushing yards and a touchdown on 30 attempts. He was only asked to throw 10 times (6-of-10, 72 yards) on a blustery day in Frisco, Texas. Lance, the first freshman to win the Walter Payton Award, finished 2019-20 without a single interception.
Notable Stats
Trey Lance, QB, NDSU: 6-of-10 for 72 YDS; 30 CAR for 166 YDS and 1 TD
Adam Cofield, RB, NDSU: 7 CAR for 24 YDS and 1 TD
Phoenix Sproles, WR, NDSU: 1 CAR for 38 YDS and 1 TD; 1 REC for 13 YDS
Ben DiNucci, QB, JMU: 22-of-33 for 204 YDS, 2 TD and 1 INT
Percy Agyei-Obese, RB, JMU: 18 CAR for 73 YDS
Riley Stapleton, WR, JMU: 10 REC for 100 YDS and 2 TD
Lance Dazzles on National Stage as Bison Win 8th National Title
Despite NDSU's dominance for nearly a decade, James Madison entered Saturday's game as a slight favorite, and it was expected to be a tightly contested affair.
That is primarily because the Bison and Dukes boasted two of the best defenses in FCS this season, per ESPN Stats & Info.
The defensive excellence wasn't on full display in the early going, as JMU bled 7:33 off the clock on its first drive, which lasted 17 plays and 86 yards, and concluded with a five-yard touchdown pass from DiNucci to Riley Stapleton.
James Madison made a big-time statement on that drive, which meant the Bison needed to answer in impressive fashion.
They did precisely that, as Lance orchestrated a 70-yard drive in less than four minutes. After Lance set the Bison up on the 1-yard line with a 13-yard run, Adam Cofield punched it in from one yard out to tie the game.
North Dakota State struck again on its next drive after forcing James Madison to punt, and it didn't take the Bison long to assume the lead.
After a pass interference call and a 14-yard run by Lance set the Bison up in JMU territory, NDSU used some razzle dazzle, as wide receiver Phoenix Sproles scored on a 38-yard reverse that saw him fake the pitch.
James Madison did manage to answer with a field goal to cut the deficit to four, but it was the Bison who entered halftime with momentum on their side.
The Dukes thought they executed a huge third-down stop late in the half, but NDSU outsmarted James Madison again with a fake field goal that saw Hendricks rush for a 20-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 1.
While the total yardage numbers were comparable in the first half and the numbers didn't indicate that North Dakota State should have a two-score lead, first-year head coach Matt Entz's willingness to call some trick plays were the difference.
Lance's ability to do damage with his legs also played a big role in NDSU's early success, including this run, which saw him plow through the entire JMU defense and give his team a ton of energy.
As pointed out by Bob Grebe of WHSV, James Madison didn't have the defensive game plan it needed to keep Lance in check from a running perspective.
That seemingly began to change in the third quarter, as James Madison held North Dakota State scoreless and kicked a field goal to pull to within eight points.
Just when it looked like the Dukes were trending in the right direction, though, Lance made another highlight-reel play on a 44-yard touchdown run in the opening second of the fourth quarter to give NDSU a 15-point advantage.
It would have been easy for James Madison to pack it in against a top-flight defense at that point, but the Dukes continued to fight. They cut the lead back down to eight on another five-yard touchdown pass from DiNucci to Stapleton with 6:55 remaining.
The key play on that drive was conversion by DiNucci on a 4th-and-6 that saw him lower his head and bowl over a defender on a six-yard run.
North Dakota State had a chance to essentially put the game away on the ensuing drive, but the Dukes stopped the Bison on a 4th-and-2 and took control of the ball at their own 37 with 2:40 remaining.
JMU got the ball all the way down to the NDSU 3-yard line, but DiNucci was intercepted by Hendricks, who scored a rushing touchdown earlier in the game, which sealed the win for the Bison.
Lance wasn't asked to do much through the air, but he carries the NDSU offense with his legs and finished the season with no interceptions in 16 games, while the Bison defense came through in the clutch as well.