This was the first rematch of the Division I title game since 1995 and ’96 when Marshall and Montana split two title appearances in Huntington, W.Va. It’s the fourth rematch since 1978 in NCAA Division I title skirmishes. The Bison and Bearkats are just the seventh and eighth programs to play in back-to-back gridiron championships.

 

The attendance for today’s game was 21,411 (largest crowd ever for an American football event at FC Dallas Stadium). The NCAA Division I record is 32,106 for in 1995 for Montana’s 22-20 win over Marshall in Huntington.

 

The 2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship set a tournament record for fan attendance with 256,384 while the 2012 Championship had the second-highest tally with 210,998, including today’s turnout in Frisco. 

 

Richmond in 2008, Villanova in 2009, Eastern Washington in 2010, and North Dakota State in 2011 all were first-time Division I football champions. Appalachian State was a three-peat performer from 2005-07. NDSU becomes the first repeat winner since ASU in 2006-07 as the four-year trend of initial winners ended.

 

NDSU became the 21st different to win a NCAA Division I National Championship last season since NCAA Division play began in 1978. These teams represent seven different conferences – Big Sky, Colonial Athletic, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Missouri Valley (ND State), Ohio Valley, Southern, Southland, and Division I independents. The Bison became the second MVC team to take all the marbles in 2011 and ’12 after Southern Illinois in 1983.

 

The Bison move into fourth place behind Georgia Southern with six, Youngstown State with four and Appalachian State with three championships in DI football since 1978.

 

NDSU now leads the four-game series between the teams 3-1 since they first met in 2007.

 

The Bison won their eighth football national championship either in NCAA Division II or Small College Division (wire service polls). It also was the Bison’s 22nd 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 on any level was a shared NAIA football championship with Concordia, Minn., in 1964.

 

There never has been an overtime contest in the 35-season history of the Division I football championship.

 

The Most Outstanding Player in the 2012 Division I Championship was North Dakota State QB Brock Jensen with eight carries for 44 yards and a career-most three rushing TDs along with 9-of-16 passing for 115 yards and no interceptions.

 

Bison head coach Craig Bohl now stands 89-32 after his 10th season as a college head coach – all at NDSU. He has been an assistant or head coach in the college ranks for 30 seasons, is a former defensive coordinator at Rice from 1989-93, He is 10-1 as head coach for three seasons of the Bison’s FCS postseason showings and 6-3 over the last seven seasons against NCAA FBS opponents.

 

NDSU now leads FCS and FBS with 14 wins (14-1 record) just ahead of several 12-victory teams, including Alabama and Notre Dame prior to Monday night’s Bowl Championship Series tussle in Miami. The coach also is 24-8 vs. nationally ranked FCS teams since 2006, including 8-0 last season and 8-0 in 2012. The school also is 12-0 in road games since 2011.

 

The Bison are 10-1 in NCAA Division I football playoff history and completed their third year of FCS appearances in ’12. State has outscored SHSU 56-19 in the last two title contests.

 

North Dakota State runs to 641-365-34 (.633 winning percentage) over 116 seasons and 1,040 games.

 

NDSU has scored 495 points while surrendering 173 in 15 encounters. The Bison led FCS in team stats in scoring defense (11.4 avg/now 11.5), total defense (223.4 avg/,now 234.5) pass defense (131 avg yards/now 140.6) and first downs allowed (11.9 avg/now 12.7),

 

North Dakota State did not have a takeaway in the 2011 opener against Lafayette and then had one in each of the last 14 contests in ‘11. The Bison also now have had 33 interceptions over the last two outings (20 in 2011) and recovered 16 fumbles (32 caused) this season for 29 turnovers gained in ’12. NDSU had nine interceptions in the first four games and four picks today.

 

In the first quarter, RB John Crocket broke the 1,000-yard rushing barrier with a career-long 57-yard junket after entering the contest with 956 net yards. Bison RB Sam Ojuri also entered the contest 45 yards short of the four-figure mark and broke 1,000 yards in the fourth quarter. This is the second time in succession and second time in NDSU season annals with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers. In 2011 D.J. McNorton and Ojuri both broke that infantry barrier.

 

QB Brock Jensen rushed for a career-high three touchdowns in today’s championship effort.

 

CB Marcus Williams now has six interceptions for the season and a school-record 17 for his career after his second quarter pickoff. The last two-point conversion before today by NDSU was a pass to D.J. McNorton from Brock Jensen in the 2011 DI semifinals against Georgia Southern, WR Ryan Smith carried a career-high five times on end-arounds and inside handoffs this afternoon.

 

DB Andre Martin had his first career interception at NDSU and eighth total, including seven in two seasons at UNI before starting his career with the Bison in 2011.

 

All-America LB Grant Olson had a school-record 29 tackles in the team’s 14-7 win over Wofford in the 2011 quarterfinals It was the highest total in NCAA football (all divisions) this season and the third-most tackles ever by a FCS gridman. Olson has five double-digit tackle contests for the campaign and his 148 tackles this season is the highest total at NDSU since LB Jim Dick had a school-season-most 167 in 1985.

 

Punter Ben LeCompte has taken up where Matt Voigtlander (had a season-best 66-yard punt in the 2011 championship contest) and averaged 43.3 yards on 51 punts with a long boot of 65 yards entering today’s outing. LeCompte had a long kick of 50 yards in the opening half.

 

Punters Voigtlander of NDSU and SHSU’s Matt Foster combined for 17 punts and a 45.9 average in last year’s 17-6 Bison defensive gem as the two defenses limited the offenses to 5-of-31 composite third down conversions (16 percent).

 

The 2011 and ’12 championship school also has a familiar hand signal in this area. The index and little finger Bison salute is the same as Texas’ “Hook-Em Horns” signal.

 

Bearkats coach Willie Fritz is now 128-57 in his 16th season as a college head coach at Central Missouri (1997-2009, 97-47 with a NCAA Division II playoff appearance in 2002 at CMU and 31-9 in three seasons at SHSU. Fritz has guided the Bearkats to a 6-2 record in the NCAA Division I playoffs and is 17-4 in Southland Conference competition since 2010.

 

SHSU established a season record for victories at 14-1 in 2011 and was ranked No. 1 nationally for much of the season. The previous mark was 11-3 in 2004, and the 2012 Bearkats tied the ’04 entry at 11-4.

 

The Bearkats have managed their best three-year record in school history with 31 wins in 41 contests since August 2010. The two losses in 2012 were to FBS bowl-bound Baylor and Texas A&M with Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. Sam led at Baylor 20-10 at halftime in Waco and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter against the Aggies at College Station.

 

SHSU is 9-6 in 15 all-time FCS postseason contests and has 27 all-time wins over Top 25 FCS opponents at kickoff.

 

Sam Houston State is now 474-447-34 for a .513 winning percentage over 955 games and 97 seasons.

 

The Bearkats were held to season-lows 116 yards rushing by the Bison defense (previous was 153 against Cal Poly) and 13 points (previous was 18 vs. Cal Poly).

 

Bearkats All-America DB Darnell Taylor was sidelined in the second quarter by a leg injury and missed the rest of the of the game while QB Brian Bell played through several ankle/foot dings and finally had to sit out part of fourth quarter activity.

 

SHSU has not led at halftime just two times this year, and the other occasion was at Texas A&M. The Bearkats established a school record with 13 points in its three all-time NCAA and NAIA championship encounters.

 

Sam Houston State closed 2011 with a 5-1 record against nationally ranked FCS teams and is 2-1 against Top 25 teams in 2012 for a two-year mark of 7-2 vs. Top 25 FCS foes. NDSU is the Bearkats’ third consecutive opponent ranked among the Top Four nationally this season.

 

SHSU passed with Old Dominion’s 2012 squad in FCS points scored in 2012 with 600 – the 13th-most season markers in FCS history and eighth among all college divisions’ teams in ‘12. The Bearkats finished in 17th place in all-time FCS team scoring in a season with 548 points in 2011.

 

Sam Houston State ended the ’11 campaign with a school-record 42 turnovers gained – the final two came on a fumble and pass interception vs. North Dakota State in January 2012. The Bearkats picked up 30 turnovers in ’12 with 18 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries.

 

From Intercollegiate Football Researchers Association:

 

792 Mount Union NCAA III 15-0

685 Mary Hardin-Baylor NCAA III 13-1

645 Oregon FBS 12-1

633 Southern Oregon NAIA 9-3

618 Louisiana Tech FBS 9-3

618 Morningside (Iowa) NAIA 13-1

609 Shippensburg NCAA II 11-2

603 Winston-Salem State NCAA II 14-1

600 Sam Houston State FCS 11-4

594 Oklahoma State FBS 8-5

587 Old Dominion FCS 11-2

 

1970 Arkansas State College Division Southland

1973 Louisiana Tech College Division Southland

1974 Louisiana Tech College Division Southland

1987 Northeast Louisiana (Louisiana-Monroe) NCAA IAA Southland

 

1983 Southern Illinois NCAA IAA Missouri Valley

2011 North Dakota State FCS Missouri Valley

 

1978 - Florida A&M 35, Massachusetts 28

1979 - Eastern Kentucky 30, Lehigh 7

1980 - Boise State 31, Eastern Kentucky 29

1981 - Idaho State 34, Eastern Kentucky 23

1983 - Southern Illinois 43, Western Carolina 7

1984 - Montana State 19, Louisiana Tech 6

1985 - Georgia Southern 44, Furman 42

1987 - Louisiana-Monroe 43, Marshall 42

1991 - Youngstown State 25, Marshall 17

1995 – Montana 22, Marshall 20

1998 – Massachusetts 55, Georgia Southern 43

2002 - Western Kentucky 34, McNeese State 14

2004 - James Madison 31, Montana 21

2005 - Appalachian State 21, Northern Iowa 16

2008 – Richmond 24, Montana 7

2009 - Villanova 23, Montana 21

2010 - Eastern Washington 20, Delaware 19

2011 - North Dakota State 17, Sam Houston State 6

 

1982       Eastern Kentucky

1989       Georgia Southern

1994       Youngstown State

2001       Montana

2006       Appalachian State

2010       Eastern Washington

2012 North Dakota State

(Note: Sam Houston State was No. 1 in 2011)

 

1983       North Dakota State              NCAA II

1985       North Dakota State              NCAA II

1986       North Dakota State              NCAA II

1988       North Dakota State              NCAA II

1990       North Dakota State              NCAA II

1965       North Dakota State              College Division

1968       North Dakota State              College Division

1969       North Dakota State              College Division

NDSU now is 8-2 in eight all-time championship appearances on all levels.

 

1964       Sam Houston State             NAIA (tied with Concordia, Minn.)

SHSU is 0-2-1 in three national championship games in NAIA or NCAA DI – the latter two coming in 2011 and ’12.