FCS Championship Game: Mighty North Dakota State Wins First D-I Title, 17-6

The North Dakota State Bison have won their first-ever Division I championship, downing Sam Houston State, 17-6, in the 2012 FCS Championship. It’s the ninth claimed national title in program history, with their most recent coming in the 1990 Division II playoffs.

NDSU’s defense, which entered the day ranked No. 24, has now shut down two of the top four rushing offenses in the country in back-to-back games.

The 2012 FCS Championship Game got a shot in the arm early in the second half, when Brock Jensen hit D.J. McNorton for a 39-yard catch-and-run touchdown, the first non-field goal score of the day. It’s now 10-6, Bison.

SI.com: Live FCS championship score

Have we here a preview of the other Division I college football championship game? The score at the half in Frisco, Texas is 6-3 in favor of Sam Houston State over North Dakota State, which is something of a surprise considering these two explosive offenses, both of which are tricky and difficult to prepare for.

SI.com: Live FCS championship score

FCS Championship Game road warriors North Dakota State have taken the first lead of college football’s premier actual championship game, with Ryan Jastram knocking in a field goal. Sam Houston State didn’t make it easy, coming up with a goal line stand when Will Henry stoned Sam Ojuri to force the kick.

SI.com: Live FCS championship score

For the fourth straight season, the FCS will have a first-time champion. After Appalachian State’s run of three straight championships from 2005-07, Richmond (2008), Villanova (2009) and Eastern Washington (2010) have hoisted the first championship trophy in program history. This year, relative FCS newcomer North Dakota State or undefeated Sam Houston State will continue the trend.

Sam Houston State, which is looking to become the first undefeated champion since Marshall did so in 1996, is riding a 16-game winning streak, dating back to last season. A team led by sophomore talent, the Bearkats are one of the quickest teams in the nation, on offense and defense, a fair reflection of their pursuit of perfection.

There are a few different ways to grow an FCS power, and perhaps the two most notable are on display in tomorrow afternoon’s FCS title game in Frisco. (And yes, that’s Frisco, Texas, not an abbreviation of San Francsico.)

North Dakota State built a foundation around a quarterback from Small Town, Wisconsin, a boatload of players from North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, and a few overlooked skill position players from Texas, and after knocking on the door in previous seasons (they have made noise by defeating four FBS teams in six years, and they made the FCS quarterfinals last year), the Bison now find themselves one game away from an FCS title in just their eighth season at the FCS level.

North Dakota State will play Sam Houston State in the FCS Championship Game after beating Georgia Southern 35-7 in their FCS Playoffs Semifinal match-up on Saturday.

The Bison rolled by clamping down on Georgia State’s normally super-productive running game — Eagles averaged more than 330 rushing yards per game this season, but managed just 186 yards on 48 carries on Saturday — and scoring the game’s final 28 points after a Georgia Southern touchdown in the second quarter tied up the affair at 7-7.

The 2011 FCS Championship Game, set for 1 p.m. ET on Jan. 7, 2012 in Frisco, Texas, will match unbeaten Sam Houston State against North Dakota State. The Bison rocked Georgia Southern, 35-7, in the rowdy Fargodome on Saturday, and SHSU advanced by holding off a Montana comeback Friday night, winning 31-28.

It’s the FCS title game’s second year in a row at Pizza Hut Park after a long run in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Last year, Eastern Washington defeated Delaware, 20-19.

After battling through the FCS playoff bracket, Sam Houston State has three weeks to rest and get healthy before taking the field one last time this season. The Bearkats remained perfect on the year with a 31-28 win over Montana on Friday night in the FCS semifinals, and will face the winner of Saturday’s matchup between Georgia Southern and North Dakota State.

The FCS Championship is a ways off, though. It will be played at a neutral site, in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 7, giving both teams three weeks to prepare. The championship game is a bit of a curveball, as the rest of the playoff rounds were played one week after another, all the way through the semifinals.

By the end of the first quarter, Sam Houston State led its FCS semifinal matchup with Montana by a 21-0 margin, and it appeared we were headed for a rout. The Grizzlies looked hapless and helpless as Sam Houston State scored at will, leading one to believe it was going to be a long night.

But as the second quarter began to wind down, Montana came to life, returning an interception for a touchdown and cutting the Bearkats lead to 14 at the break. After trailing by 21 for most of the half, the Grizzlies had life, if only a flicker of it.