FRISCO, Tex. — Easton Stick threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Darrius Shepherd, and North Dakota State took back the Football Championship Subdivision title, beating James Madison, 17-13, on Saturday.
The victory came a year after the Bison’s five-year run atop the F.C.S. ended against the Dukes in the semifinals.
North Dakota State (14-1), whose 33-game winning streak from 2012 to 2014 is an F.C.S. record, ended James Madison’s run at 26, denying the Dukes a second straight title and spoiling what would have been their first season without a loss or a tie.
The championship was the Bison’s sixth, tying them with Georgia Southern for the most F.C.S. titles.
“It’s a legacy,” said linebacker Nick DeLuca, who was injured and missed last year’s 27-17 loss to James Madison. “That’s everything that we work for, and all those workouts, all that extra stuff we do in the off-season, it’s for this moment and for this stage. Just happy to get back here.”
The Dukes (14-1), who trailed by 17-3 late in the first half, had a chance to win after punter Harry O’Kelly ran 24 yards on a fake. But Bryan Schor’s desperation throw to the end zone on fourth-and-16 fell incomplete with 58 seconds left.
Continue reading the main storyThe Dukes made mistakes that put them behind early and were unable to overcome the deficit when the mistakes kept happening.
Schor was intercepted twice, once late in the third quarter at the Bison’s 3-yard line by Marquise Bridges, who was making his first career start. Two possessions later, Terrence Alls dropped a pass while running behind the defense, and Schor was sacked for a fourth time on the next play, forcing a punt.
James Madison Coach Mike Houston said: “They made plays, and we made too many mistakes. That’s what it boils down to. But they deserve to hoist that trophy out there.”
Bruce Anderson ran for a game-high 63 yards and the first touchdown. Shepherd’s first touchdown of the season came when Stick hit him in stride at the 15 for a 14-3 lead in the second quarter.
Marcus Marshall had a 1-yard run for the Dukes’ only touchdown. Ethan Ratke made two field goals but missed an attempt in the first half.
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