The 2024 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a college football game played on January 7, 2024, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The game determined the national champion of NCAA Division I FCS for the 2023 season and featured the two finalists of the 24-team playoff bracket, which began on November 25, 2023. The Sunday game began at approximately 1:00 p.m. CST and was broadcast on ABC and ESPN+.
Defending champion South Dakota State repeated as FCS champions by defeating Montana, 23–3. It was the Jackrabbits' 29th consecutive victory.
Teams
South Dakota State
South Dakota State played to an 11–0 regular-season record; their narrowest victory was a 20–16 win over Montana State on September 9. Seeded No. 1 in the FCS playoffs, the Jackrabbits received a first-round bye, then defeated Mercer, Villanova, and Albany, by a combined score of 123–12, to advance to the championship game.
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
Montana played to a 10–1 regular-season record; their only loss was to Northern Arizona in September. Seeded No. 2 in the FCS playoffs, the Grizzlies received a first-round bye, then defeated Delaware, Furman, and North Dakota State to advance to the championship game. Their latter two wins both went into overtime.
Montana previously appeared in seven FCS championship games, winning two and losing five; their most recent appearance was in 2009 (December), and they last won in 2001.
Game summary
Statistics +Team statistical comparisonStatisticMontanaSouth Dakota StateFirst downs 17 17First downs rushing 6 8First downs passing 10 8First downs penalty 1 1Third down efficiency 4/16 4/11Fourth down efficiency 2/5 0/0Total plays–net yards 76–259 55–363Rushing attempts–net yards 30–47 34–188Yards per rush 1.6 5.5Yards passing 212 175Pass completions–attempts(percent) 28–46(61%) 13–21(62%)Interceptions thrown 1 1Punt returns–total yards 1–6 1–0Kickoff returns–total yards 5–114 1–23Punts–average yardage 6–40.7 6–38.7Fumbles–lost 2 1Penalties–yards 6–34 6–35Time of possession 29:50 30:10 Source:
References
External links Game statistics at statbroadcast.com