The 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a college football game played on January 8, 2023, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The game determined the national champion of NCAA Division I FCS for the 2022 season, featuring the finalists of the 24-team playoff bracket, which began on November 26, 2022.
Top-ranked South Dakota State defeated conference rival North Dakota State 45–21 to gain their first national championship. Played on Sunday for the first time, the game began at 1:04 p.m. CST and was broadcast on ABC and ESPN+, opposite NFL regular season finales (week 18).
Teams
The participants were rivals North Dakota State and South Dakota State of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Both teams advanced through the FCS playoff bracket to reach the championship game.
Entering the game, North Dakota State led the all-time series , although South Dakota State had won their last three meetings, lasting back to the 2021 spring season. North Dakota State was 4–0 against South Dakota State in prior FCS playoff games; this was their first meeting in the FCS title game.
North Dakota State
North Dakota State played to a 9–2 regular-season record, suffering losses to Arizona (an FBS program) and South Dakota State. Seeded No. 3 in the FCS playoffs, the Bison received a first-round bye, then defeated Montana, Samford, and Incarnate Word to advance to the championship game.
South Dakota State
South Dakota State played to a 10–1 regular-season record; their only loss was to Iowa (an FBS program). Seeded No. 1 in the FCS playoffs, the Jackrabbits received a first-round bye, then defeated Delaware, Holy Cross, and Montana State to advance to the championship game.
Game summary
Statistics
+Team statistical comparisonStatisticNorth Dakota StateSouth Dakota StateFirst downs 21 22First downs rushing 11 10First downs passing 10 12First downs penalty 0 0Third down efficiency 5–12 9–14Fourth down efficiency 1–3 0–0Total plays–net yards 66–420 60–522Rushing attempts–net yards 37–160 39–299Yards per rush 4.3 7.7Yards passing 260 223Pass completions–attempts(percent) 18–29(62%) 14–21(67%)Interceptions thrown 2 0Punt returns–total yards 1–(-3) 1–0Kickoff returns–total yards 2–55 2–26Punts–average yardage 4–45.0 4–53.3Fumbles–lost 1–1 0–0Penalties–yards 2–25 3–20Time of possession 28:00 32:00
+North Dakota State statisticsBison passing Cam Miller 18–29 260 2–2Bison rushing Cam Miller 11 64 0 Kobe Johnson 11 63 1 TaMerik Williams 7 23 0 TK Marshall 4 13 0 Cole Payton 1 6 0 Eli Green 1 -9 0Bison receiving Zach Mathis 7 123 0 Eli Green 1 44 1 Joe Stoffel 3 41 1 Jake Lippe 2 26 0 TaMerik Williams 2 11 0 TK Marshall 2 11 0 Kobe Johnson 1 4 0
+South Dakota State statisticsJackrabbits passing Mark Gronowski 14–21 223 3–0Jackrabbits rushing Amar Johnson 9 126 1 Isaiah Davis 22 103 1 Mark Gronowski 5 57 1 Team 1 -1 0 Angel Johnson 1 -2 0Jackrabbits receiving Jadon Janke 5 61 0 Jaxon Janke 3 60 2 Michael Morgan 1 44 1 Tucker Kraft 2 30 0 Isaiah Davis 2 28 0 Amar Johnson 1 0 0
References