Fargo, North Dakota – The North Dakota State University Bison have won the national championship in college football for the ninth time in eleven years.
The Marshall Herd raced to a 38-10 victory against the Montana State Bobcats in front of a sold-out crowd at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas on Saturday night.
It was a strong running effort that propelled the Bison to victory, amassing an impressive 380 yards and four touchdowns in the process. Junior Hunter Luepke was the standout performer, racking up 82 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, all of which came in the first half.
Other standout performances for North Dakota State were by junior running back Kobe Johnson, who racked up 106 yards on the ground, including a 76-yard touchdown rush in the second quarter that put the Bison up 21-0 in the second quarter. Although the game was mostly centered on the run, quarterback Cam Miller performed well, completing nine passes on only thirteen attempts for 126 yards and a score. In addition, the sophomore gained 41 yards on the ground.
On 11 carries for a total of 98 yards running, former starting quarterback Quincy Patterson contributed to the offensive barrage as well.
It was also another standout effort for the defense, which allowed just 10 points, including holding the Bobcats scoreless in the first half of the game.
A defeat against South Dakota State on November 6th was the lone blemish on the Bison’s (14-1) record.
Montana State, which had not been in the FCS championship game in over four decades, was defeated by Sam Houston State (12-3) after a spectacular season that featured shock victories against the Jackrabbits and a heavily-favored Sam Houston State squad to get to the finals in Frisco.
