North Dakota State Wins NCAA Div 1 Championship
Defense wins championships. The old adage was never more true than in the NCAA FCS Championship, where North Dakota State University shut down the potent Sam Houston State University offense. North Dakota State’s Bisons took the 2011-12 title 17-6 at the FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco.
Sam Houston State came into the game ranked No. 1 with a 14-0 record. The Bearkats previous fewest total offense yards in a game was 313 yards in the opener against Western Illinois. The Bearkats ended the tussle with 210 total offense yards today and a longest play from scrimmage of 36 yards on a Brian Bell to Richard Sincere pass and catch.
The North Dakota State offense was also held in check, garnering just 235 yards and only 9 first downs. Quarterback Brock Jenson completed 10 of 20 passes for 120 yards. The NDSU running game accounted for 115 yards amongst 6 players.
This is NDSU’s ninth football national championship either in NCAA Division II or Small College Division (wire service polls). It also is the Bison’s 21st overall NCAA team title and first in DI after capturing Division II championships in football (eight), women’s basketball (five) and wrestling (four), and one each in men’s cross country, softball and women’s indoor track and field. Sam Houston State’s first national crown was a shared NAIA football championship with Concordia, Minn., in 1964.
LB Chris Beck of NDSU was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2011 championship after returning an interception 63 yards to set up the icing touchdown, making seven total tackles (four unassisted) and 1.5 tackles for losses.
Punters Matt Voigtlander of NDSU and SHSU’s Matt Foster combined for 17 punts and a 45.9 average as unyielding defenses limited the offenses to 5-of-31 composite third down conversions (16 percent).
The key play of the game came in the 3rd quarter when Voigtlander ran a fake punt 29 yards to set up the Bison’s first touchdown of the game and putting North Dakota out front for good.
LB Chris Beck of NDSU was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2011 championship after returning an interception 63 yards to set up the icing touchdown, making seven total tackles (four unassisted) and 1.5 tackles for losses.
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