Championship Final Facts
1/6/2012 8:48:00 PM | Football
2012 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game
January 7, 2012
Pizza Hut Park
- Frisco, Texas
ESPN2: Dave Neal, David Diaz-Infante and Allison Williams
Westwood One: John Tautges and Terry Donahue
FRISCO, Texas - Sam Houston State is the Southland Conference's seventh entry into the Division I Football Championship Game following playoff wins over Stony Brook in the second round, Montana State in the quarterfinals and Montana in the semifinals. The Bearkats, who had a first-round bye, have won 16 consecutive games dating back to the 2010 season, which is the best win streak in either Division I subdivision. Sam Houston State, which is making its first title game appearance, boasts a 14-0 record this season and finished 7-0 to win an outright conference championship. Sam Houston is trying to become the first undefeated champion in the Football Championship Subdivision since Marshall finished 15-0 in 1996.
The Bearkats will oppose North Dakota State, which like Sam Houston State is making its first championship appearance at the FCS level. After a first-round bye, the Bison beat James Madison in the second round, Leigh in the quarterfinals and Georgia Southern in the semifinals to get to championship game. NDSU started the season with a nine-game win streak before a home loss to Youngstown State. It enters the game on a four-game win streak. The Bison are 13-1 overall and shared the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship with Northern Iowa, though earned the league's automatic playoff berth by virtue of claiming the head-to-head matchup with the Panthers.
Sam Houston State and North Dakota State will meet in the championship game on Saturday, Jan. 7 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. The game will kick off at 12:05 p.m. and be televised on ESPN2 HD and ESPN3.com. Dave Neal and Andre Ware will be in the booth with Allison Williams working the sidelines. There will also be a national radio broadcast on Westwood One. John Tautges and Terry Donahue will call the action.
First-Time Champion
For the fourth consecutive season, the winner of the NCAA Division I Football Championship will be a first-time champion. After Appalachian State won three consecutive championships between 2005 and 2007, Richmond began a four-year run of first-time winners, including Richmond in 2008, Villanova in 2009 and Eastern Washington last year. Neither Sam Houston State, nor North Dakota State has won a championship at the FCS level.
Southland is Host of Championship Game
The Southland Conference, in conjunction with the City of Frisco and Hunt Sports Group, is the host of the 2012 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game, which is being played at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. This year's game will be the second of three title games that will be played at the venue. In last year's game, Eastern Washington came from behind to score three times in the final 17 minutes to beat Delaware, 20-19, to win the school's first national championship. The Southland Conference office has called Frisco its home since 2006.
Southland History in Division I Playoffs
The Southland Conference schools own a 48-51 all-time record in the Division I playoffs, highlighted by McNeese State's 14 all-time appearances. The eight teams currently in the Southland account for 29 wins in the playoffs. Sam Houston State, which is making its first appearance in the championship game, becomes the seventh Southland Conference squad to reach the title game. The Southland had not played in the championship game since 2002 when McNeese State played Western Kentucky in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Sam Houston Makes Southland's Seventh Trip to Title Game
The Southland Conference has made six previous appearances in the Division I Football Championship Game beginning with Louisiana Tech in 1984. Former Southland members Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe reached the title game in 1986 and 1987, respectively. ULM won the 1987 title against Marshall in Pocatello, Idaha. Stephen F. Austin played in the 1989 game. McNeese State made appearances in both 1997 and 2002.
Southland Conference Title Game Appearances
1984 Montana State 19, La. Tech* 6 (Charleston, S.C.)
1986 Ga. Southern 48, Arkansas St.* 21 (Tacoma, Wash.)
1987 Louisiana-Monroe* 43, Marshall 42 (Pocatello, Idaho)
1989 Ga. Southern 37, Stephen F. Austin 34 (Statesboro, Ga.)
1997 Youngstown St. 10, McNeese St. 9 (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
2002 Western Kentucky 34, McNeese St. 14 (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
2011 Sam Houston St. vs. North Dakota St. (Frisco, Texas)
* indicates former Southland Conference team
Louisiana-Monroe, Southland Won 1987 National Title
Led by first team All-America Stan Humphries, the 1987 Indians, playing then as Northeast Louisiana, completed the regular season with an overall record of 9-2. The losses came against Lamar and Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette), a member of Division I-A. The Indians finished conference play 6-0 to capture their first outright league championship. On its way to the championship game, Louisiana-Monroe defeated North Texas, Eastern Kentucky and Northern Iowa. The Indians faced off against Marshall in the Minidome in Pocatello, Idaho for the I-AA National Championship. Marshall held a 42-28 fourth-quarter lead only to have Humphries lead the Indians to a pair of late touchdowns to capture the championship with a 43-42 victory.
Bearkats in the Playoffs
This is Sam Houston State's fifth trip to the NCAA Division I Football playoffs. The Bearkats lost in the first round in 1986 and 1991. They reached the quarterfinals in 2001, the semifinals in 2004 and the title game this year. Sam Houston is 6-4 all time in the Division I playoffs, including a 5-0 record at home.
Sam Houston vs. North Dakota State
This will be the third meeting between Sam Houston State and North Dakota State. Each team has won once previously. The Bison claimed the first meeting 41-38 in 2007 at the Fargodome in the final seconds and then the Bearkats returned the favor in 2009 when they kicked a field goal to win 48-45 in Huntsville. Sam Houston State is 7-6-1 against the current membership of the Missouri Valley Football Conference: 5-4-1 against Western Illinois and 1-1 against Missouri State and North Dakota State. The Bearkats opened this season with a 20-6 win over the Leathernecks, while the Bison finished the regular season with a 37-21 win at Western Illinois. North Dakota State is 7-1 against current members of the Southland Conference: 2-0 vs. Nicholls State, Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin and 1-1 vs. Sam Houston State.
Sam Houston State is First 14-Game Winner in Southland History
With the win over Montana in the semifinals, Sam Houston State became the first Southland Conference team to win 14 games in a season. McNeese State finished 13-1 in 1995, 13-2 in 1997 and 13-2 in 2002 though only the 1995 team won its first 13 games before losing to Marshall in the semifinals of the playoffs that season.
Bearkats Have Unblemished Record
Sam Houston State is the only team in the FCS that has not lost a game this fall. It joins LSU as the only undefeated teams in Division I. In the 96-year history of the school's football program, the 2011 team is the first to go through the regular season with a perfect 11-0 record. Sam Houston's 1956 team rolled through the regular season with a 9-0 record and won the Refrigerator Bowl in Evanston, Ind., to finish 10-0. In the 48-year history of the Southland, the Bearkats are the eighth squad to get through the regular season unscathed. The previous teams were Arkansas State in 1970 (10-0) and 1975 (11-0), Louisiana Tech in 1972 (11-0) and 1974 (10-0) and McNeese State in 1979 (11-0), 1995 (11-0) and 2007 (11-0). Sam Houston's 16-game win streak is the longest stretch in both Division I subdivisions. The Bearkats' streak is also the longest in school history, surpassing the 12-game streak in 1955-56.
Sam Houston Punches Ticket vs. Montana
Running back Tim Flanders rushed 26 times for 287 yards to lead Sam Houston State into its first appearance in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game as the Bearkats defeated Montana 31-28 in front 12,367 fans in a semifinal Dec. 16 at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas. Flanders broke McNeil Moore's Sam Houston single game rushing record of 286 yards against Lamar in 1951. Quarterback Brian Bell completed 10 of 14 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Montana quarterback Jordan Johnson rallied the Grizzles from 21 points down to cut the margin to three points. Johnson completed 21 of 33 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown. Sam Houston clinched the victory by running out the final six minutes of the game with an 11 play, 52-yard drive.
Southland's Semifinals History
Including Sam Houston State this year, the Southland has reached the semifinals round 14 times, but Sam Houston State home game against Montana on Dec. 16 marked the league's first trip to the semifinals since back-to-back appearances by Sam Houston State in 2004 and former member Texas State in 2005. Southland teams have also reached the semifinals in 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2002. McNeese State and Stephen F. Austin both reached the semifinal round in 1995. Of the league's 14 appearances in the semifinals, seven teams have reached the championship game.
Bearkats Over Bobcats in Quarterfinal
Led by wide receivers Richard Sincere and Torrance Williams and quarterback Brian Bell, Sam Houston State defeated Montana State, 49-13, Dec. 10 to advance to the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Football Championship. The Bearkats scored 14 points in the second quarter and 21 in the third quarter as Sam Houston rolled up 428 yards rushing and 501 total yards. The Bearkats' defense limited Montana State to 77 yards rushing, recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass and blocked a field goal as the Bobcats totaled 349 yards offense. Sincere rushed 11 times for 160 yards including a long run of 52 yards. He also caught two passes for 43 yards, including a 40-yard scoring pass from Bell, who completed 5 of 12 passes for 73 yards.
Bearkats Run Over Montana State
Sam Houston State's 428 rushing yards in the 49-13 quarterfinal victory over Montana State marked the third highest single-game rushing total in Bearkat history. The school record is 501 yards against Tarleton State in 1974. It had 443 yards against East Texas the same year.
Sam Houston Tested by Stony Brook in Second Round
Sam Houston State running back Tim Flanders completed a 10-play 83-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown for the winning score with 1:01 remaining in the game as the Bearkats defeated Stony Brook 34-27 last Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship. Flanders finished the game with 21 runs for 102 yards. Quarterback Brian Bell completed 11 of 20 passes for 161 yards including an 80-yard touchdown pass to Trey Diller that gave the Bearkats a 27-20 lead with 8:45 to play. The Seawolves' defense limited Sam Houston to its third lowest offensive output of the season as the Bearkats rushed for 182 yards and passed for 161 for a total of 343 yards in 63 plays.
Bearkats Were 9-0 at Home
Sam Houston State was 9-0 at home this year and is 97-42-1 all-time in the stadium, which opened in 1986. The Bearkats have posted unbeaten records at home five times previously - 1986 (6-0), 1987 (4-0), 1990 (4-0), 2001 (6-0) and 2004 (8-0). Sam Houston State is 5-0 at home in NCAA Division I playoff games.
Third Quarter Bearkats
Sam Houston State has completely dominated the third quarter this season, outscoring opponents 180-31. In the semifinals against Montana and for just the second time this season the Bearkats were outscored in the third quarter. The Grizzlies won the third quarter 7-3. Texas State also outscored Sam Houston by the same score in the regular season finale. Against Montana State in the quarterfinals, the Bearkats third-quarter margin was 21-7. It was 14-0 against Stony Brook. After Central Arkansas scored seven points in the third quarter of the second game of the year, Sam Houston did not allow a score in the period again until Northwestern State managed a field goal in the 10th game of the season. Of the 31 points allowed in the fourth quarter, 24 points have been scored in four of the last five games. In the playoffs, Sam Houston has a 38-14 third-quarter edge.
