| 2024 NCAA Division I Football Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| FCS National Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 7, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Toyota Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Frisco, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Mark Gronowski (QB, South Dakota State)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | South Dakota State by 12.5[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Gary Leeper | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 19,512 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC,ESPN+ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Roy Philpott (play-by-play),Roddy Jones (analyst), and Taylor McGregor (sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Canada:TSN+ | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The2024 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was acollege football game played on January 7, 2024, atToyota Stadium inFrisco, Texas. The game determined thenational champion ofNCAA Division I FCS for the2023 season and featured the two finalists of the 24-team playoffbracket, which began on November 25, 2023.[3] The Sunday game began at approximately 1:00 p.m.CST and was broadcast onABC andESPN+.[4]
Defending championSouth Dakota State repeated as FCS champions by defeatingMontana, 23–3.[5] It was the Jackrabbits' 29th consecutive victory.[5]
South Dakota State played to an 11–0 regular-season record; their narrowest victory was a 20–16 win overMontana State on September 9. Seeded No. 1 in the FCS playoffs, the Jackrabbits received a first-round bye, then defeatedMercer,Villanova, andAlbany, by a combined score of 123–12, to advance to the championship game.[6]
South Dakota State previously appeared in two FCS championship games—they were champions of the 2022 season (2023 game) and runners-up of the 2020 season (2021 game).
Montana played to a 10–1 regular-season record; their only loss was toNorthern Arizona in September. Seeded No. 2 in the FCS playoffs, the Grizzlies received a first-round bye, then defeatedDelaware,Furman, andNorth Dakota State to advance to the championship game. Their latter two wins both went into overtime.[7]
Montana previously appeared in seven FCS championship games, winning two and losing five; their most recent appearance was in2009 (December), and they last won in2001.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Montana | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 1 South Dakota State | 7 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 23 |
| Statistic | Montana | South Dakota State |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 17 | 17 |
| First downs rushing | 6 | 8 |
| First downs passing | 10 | 8 |
| First downs penalty | 1 | 1 |
| Third down efficiency | 4/16 | 4/11 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 2/5 | 0/0 |
| Total plays–net yards | 76–259 | 55–363 |
| Rushing attempts–net yards | 30–47 | 34–188 |
| Yards per rush | 1.6 | 5.5 |
| Yards passing | 212 | 175 |
| Pass completions–attempts (percent) | 28–46 (61%) | 13–21 (62%) |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Punt returns–total yards | 1–6 | 1–0 |
| Kickoff returns–total yards | 5–114 | 1–23 |
| Punts–average yardage | 6–40.7 | 6–38.7 |
| Fumbles–lost | 2 | 1 |
| Penalties–yards | 6–34 | 6–35 |
| Time of possession | 29:50 | 30:10 |