The 2019 NAIA football national championship was a four-round, sixteen team tournament played between November 23 and December 21, 2019. The tournament concluded with a single game, played as the 64th Annual NAIA Football National Championship.
The championship game was played at Eddie Robinson Stadium in Grambling, Louisiana, between the undefeated No. 2 Marian Knights, representing Marian University from Indianapolis, Indiana, and the undefeated No. 1 Morningside Mustangs, representing Morningside College from Sioux City, Iowa. This was the first time the championship game was played at this venue after the prior five games had been played at Municipal Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida. The game was played on December 21, 2019, with kickoff at 7:00 p.m. EST (6:00 p.m. local CST) on ESPN3.
Teams Marian The Marian Knights, led by 7th-year head coach Mark Henninger, entered the national championship game as the #2 seed. They were seeking to win their third national championship, having won in 2012 and 2015. They entered the game 12–0, 8–0 in MSFA play. 2019 Marian FootballSep. 14Saint AmbroseW 49–14Sep. 21at Trinity InternationalW 55–0Sep. 28Robert Morris (IL)W 49–7Oct. 5No. 3 Saint Francis (IN)*W 28–10Oct. 19No. 10 Concordia (MI)*W 28–13Oct. 26Lawrence Tech*W 46–0Nov. 2at Taylor*W 41–3Nov. 9at No. 25 Indiana Wesleyan*W 33–21Nov. 16at No. 18 Siena Heights*W 21–7NAIA Playoffs (No. 2 seed)Nov. 23No. 13 ReinhardtW 17–7Nov. 30No. 10 Cumberlands (KY)W 30–0Dec. 7No. 6 Lindsey WilsonW 34–24
Morningside The Morningside Mustangs, led by 19th-year head coach Steve Ryan, entered the national championship game as the #1 seed and the defending champions, having won their first national championship the year prior. They entered the game 13–0, 9–0 in GPAC play. 2019 Morningside FootballAug. 31St. Francis (IL)W 80–0Sep. 14No. 24 Dordt*W 56–14Sep. 21Midland*W 51–29Oct. 5at Hastings*W 69–13Oct. 12at Briar Cliff*W 49–14Oct. 19Jamestown*W 61–0Oct. 26at Dakota Wesleyan*W 69–0Nov. 2at Doane*W 42–10Nov. 9Concordia (NE)*W 52–7Nov. 16at No. 5 Northwestern (IA)*W 37–27NAIA Playoffs (No. 1 seed)Nov. 23No. 17 Dickinson StateW 57–14Nov. 30No. 9 Saint XavierW 51–0Dec. 7No. 4 Grand ViewW 21–16
Series history
Game summary
Statistics Statistics MAR MORN First downs 21 29 Total yards 414 528 Rushes–yards 31–123 43–224 Passing yards 291 304 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 19–43–1 30–44–1 Time of possession 26:01 33:59 Team Category Player StatisticsMarian Passing Ethan Darter 19/43, 291 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT Rushing Charles Salary 26 carries, 111 yards Receiving Johnny William 10 receptions, 161 yards, 4 TDMorningside Passing Joe Dolincheck 30/44, 304 yards, 6 TD, 1 INT Rushing Arnijae Ponder 30 carries, 130 yards Receiving Reid Jurgensmeier 7 receptions, 102 yards, 2 TD
Postseason playoffs A total of sixteen teams were selected to participate in the single-elimination tournament from across the country, with invitations that were revealed on Sunday, November 17, 2019. The field included twelve conference champions who received automatic bids. The field was then filled with at-large selections that were awarded to the highest ranked teams that were not conference champions. First-round seedings were based on the final regular-season edition of the 2019 NAIA Coaches' Poll, with certain minor modifications given based on travel and geographic considerations. Each subsequent round also saw minor modifications based on travel and the geography of the remaining teams.
Quarterfinal pairings were announced by the NAIA on November 23, after the first round results were known.
Semifinal pairings were announced by the NAIA on November 30, soon after completion of the day's quarterfinal games.
References