This is a match-up of EASILY the best two teams in the FCS. I'm going to copy and paste 3 different articles on the game for everyone. If you can't find the info you need in one of these articles then you probable don't need it. Then at the end I'll give my personal feelings on the game.
Coming off a 51-16 victory over South Dakota State in the FCS semifinals, JMU (14-0, 9-0 CAA) will face off against North Dakota State (13-1, 7-1 MVFC) in the FCS National Championship in Frisco, Texas, on Saturday. Bison head coach Chris Klieman and his staff blew out Sam Houston State 55-13 in their semifinal win. Sports editors Sammy Criscitello and Kevin Haswell, as well as Bennett Conlin, a former sports editor of The Breeze, discuss JMU football and the game ahead.
Still, while the Bison maintain the advantage on the ground, teams have come up short all season against the Dukes’ defense. JMU’s 2.57 yards allowed per rush rank sixth best in the FCS. The Dukes have allowed opponents to cross the endzone via the rush just six times this season, and have allowed 1,123 rushing yards — 26 fewer yards than the Bison have allowed in 40 more opportunities. Not only are the Dukes poised to contain the Bison’s running game, but JMU’s running backs could quite possibly outperform NDSU’s.
On the other side, JMU hasn’t allowed a team to rush for more than 144 yards all season, and an opponent hasn’t recorded 200 rushing yards against JMU since Elon racked up 205 on Nov. 19, 2016. Last season, North Dakota State tallied just 132 rushing yards against the Dukes. With as much talent as NDSU has, I expect the Bison to surpass 100 rushing yards Saturday, but not by much.
No. 1 James Madison will get a shot at its second straight FCS Championship on Saturday after rolling to a 14-0 start to 2017-18. Now there's just one hurdle left: North Dakota State.
Interactive bracket | GameCenter | Get to know North Dakota State
Get to know the defending champs ahead of their title matchup with the Bison at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas:
School/program history
Main campus: Harrisonburg, Virginia
Year founded: 1908
Team nickname: Dukes
Mascot: Duke Dog
Colors: Purple and gold
Conference: Colonial Athletic Association
Home stadium (Capacity): Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field (24,877)
National championship years: 2004, 2016
Notable football alumni: Gary Clark, Arthur Moats, Scott Norwood, Josh Wells, Charles Haley
Road to Frisco
Coach: Mike Houston (28-1 in two years at James Madison)
Houston left The Citadel for JMU in 2016 and immediately delivered, leading the Dukes to their first FCS title since 2004 in his first season at the helm. Houston is 71-20 overall as a collegiate head coach, including stops at JMU, The Citadel (2014-15) and Lenoir-Rhyne (2011-13). The 46-year-old Mars Hill grad signed a 10-year contract extension on Dec. 12 that will keep him in Harrisonburg for a long time.
"There's a lot more to it than just the football. There is a lot. The community here [at James Madison]," Houston told reporters in a Dec. 28 teleconference. "There's a lot to the institution, there's a lot to the people that work at the institution, the way they treat you and the way you can go about your daily life here. So I think there's just a lot of intangibles there that make this a pretty special place that will be tough to ever leave."
Record: 14-0 (8-0 CAA)
Notable regular season wins: at East Carolina (FBS) (Sept. 2); Villanova (Oct. 14); New Hampshire (Oct. 28); at Elon (Nov. 18)
Postseason results: Seeded No. 1 with first round bye; Defeated Stony Brook in second round 26-7; Defeated Weber State in quarterfinals 31-28; Defeated No. 5 South Dakota State in semifinals 51-16
Best win: James Madison clinched a trip back to Frisco with a dominating 51-16 semifinals win over South Dakota State on Dec. 16. The Dukes outscored the Jackrabbits 30-0 in the third quarter and forced a program-record 10 turnovers on the day. South Dakota State entered the matchup on a seven-game winning streak, including a 33-21 November win over the same North Dakota State Bison that will clash with JMU on Saturday.
Stats
Scoring offense: 35.9 points per game (eighth in the nation)
Scoring defense: 10.7 points allowed per game (first)
Passing offense: 230.2 yards per game (41st)
Rushing offense: 201.5 yards per game (19th)
Turnover margin: +24 (first)
Players to watch
ON OFFENSE...
Bryan Schor, QB: Schor will leave JMU as the program's all-time leader in touchdown passes (62), passing yards (6,930) and completions (545). In seven career playoff starts, Schor's touchdown:interception ratio is an astounding 21:4. "He has the ability to make plays when the stakes are the highest," Houston said about Schor in the teleconference. "He has the ability to make the accurate throws when there's tight coverage or when there's a lot of pressure around him. He has the ability to extend plays and does a pretty good job of ball security."
RELATED: How Bryan Schor overcame adversity to become national champ at JMU
Riley Stapleton, WR: Stapleton registered 19 catches and two touchdowns in his nine regular season appearances as a relative afterthought in the Dukes' offense. But since postseason play kicked off, the redshirt sophomore has emerged as Schor's go-to target. In three playoff games, Stapleton has 16 receptions for five touchdowns. His best outing came against Weber State in the quarterfinals where he made big catch after big catch, racking up 189 yards and a score.
Marcus Marshall, RB: Marshall is another offensive weapon who has broken out in the playoffs. After splitting carries with Trai Sharp in the regular season, Marshall has taken the reins in the postseason, rushing for 331 combined yards and four touchdowns over the past two games. The Georgia Tech transfer also makes an impact on special teams as the Dukes' top kickoff returner (22.5 yards per kickoff).
ON DEFENSE...
Andrew Ankrah, DL: Ankrah is one of three first-team AP All-Americans on the Dukes' roster. The 6-4, 248-pounder has 54 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks this season. In last year's semifinal win over North Dakota State, Ankrah finished with three tackles. He'll look to be more involved in the Bison backfield this time around.
Jimmy Moreland, CB: Moreland was responsible for nearly one-third of the 10 takeaways the JMU defense had against South Dakota State in the semifinals, picking off Taryn Christion three times. The redshirt junior has eight picks on the year — second in the nation — and is a sound tackler (61 tackles, 2.5 for loss). NDSU quarterback Easton Stick must be very careful when throwing in Moreland's direction.
Jordan Brown, S: Who's the one player in the country that Moreland trails in the interceptions department? That'd be his own teammate, the redshirt senior Brown (nine). Brown had two picks against SDSU and has registered 74 tackles on the season. Brown joined Ankrah and offensive lineman Aaron Stinnie as first-team All-Americans.
More stats to know: The Dukes have won 26 straight games ranging back to a loss to FBS foe North Carolina last season on Sept. 17. That marks the longest current win streak in all three divisions of NCAA football ... JMU's 43 defensive takeaways on the year sets an FCS single-season record. The previous high-mark was 35 ... JMU is 1-1 all-time vs. North Dakota State, including last year's 27-17 semifinal win. Both of the previous matchups were road games in Fargo, North Dakota.
FCS Championship: Everything you need to know about the North Dakota State Bison
Anthony Chiusano | NCAA.com
Last Updated - Jan 3, 2018 14:44 EST
After a one-year hiatus, North Dakota State is back in Frisco with a chance at reclaiming the FCS Championship. Standing in the Bison's way is James Madison, who ended NDSU's remarkable five-year title run in last year's semifinals.
Interactive bracket | GameCenter | Get to know JMU
Get to know the Bison as they go for their sixth FCS national title in program history:
School/program history
Main campus: Fargo, North Dakota
Year founded: 1890
Team nickname: Bison
Mascot: Thundar
Colors: Yellow and green
Conference: Missouri Valley
Home stadium (Capacity): Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (19,000)
National championship years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Notable football alumni: Kyle Emanuel, Carson Wentz, Marcus Williams
Road to Frisco
Coach: Chris Klieman (53-6 in four seasons at North Dakota State)
Klieman has had some role in each of the Bison's five national championships. He was head coach of the 2014 and 2015 title squads, defensive coordinator in 2012-13 and was a defensive backs coach for the team that started the win streak in 2011. Klieman was previously head coach at Loras for one season in 2005. Under him, the Bison are 13-1 in four FCS playoff appearances, with the only loss coming last season against James Madison.
"We have a great culture here. Our guys understand how to win," Klieman said in a Dec. 29 teleconference. "They know how to win close games. They believe in the system. They believe in each other. We've had a lot of former guys that have come back and talked to the guys about doing it for the guy next to you and doing it for the guys that have put the jersey on before you. That's hard to find in college football these days, is sustained success for that long a period of time."
Record: 13-1 (7-1 MVFC)
Notable regular season wins: at Eastern Washington (Sept. 9); at Youngstown State (Oct. 14); Northern Iowa (Oct. 28); South Dakota (Nov. 11)
Postseason results: Seeded No. 2 with first round bye; Defeated San Diego in second round 38-3; Defeated No. 7 Wofford in quarterfinals 42-10; Defeated No. 6 Sam Houston State in semifinals 55-13.
Best win: Holding the No. 1 scoring offense to 13 points is no easy task. But that's what the Bison did in this year's semifinal blowout against Sam Houston State. NDSU held the nation's leading passer and reigning Walter Payton Award winner Jeremiah Briscoe to under 300 yards passing, a single touchdown and three interceptions. But the story of the game was the Bison's lethal rushing attack, which stampeded to 471 yards and four touchdowns. Two rushers tallied more than 180 yards while quarterback Easton Stick still found a way to put up four touchdowns through the air.
Stats
Scoring offense: 40.3 points per game (second in the nation)
Scoring defense: 11.5 points allowed per game (second)
Passing offense: 180.0 yards per game (88th)
Rushing offense: 282.1 (fourth)
Turnover margin: +17 (Tied for fourth)
Players to watch
ON OFFENSE...
Easton Stick, QB: Stick's passing numbers may not jump out like other top signal callers in the FCS, but he's a model of consistency for the Bison with 27 touchdowns to eight interceptions and a 62.4 completion percentage through 14 games this season. He's also a threat on his feet with 12 rushing touchdowns and a 6.4 yards per carry mark. North Dakota State likes to pound the ball on the ground, but Stick's calmness under center is a valuable asset.
Bruce Anderson, RB: Losing Lance Dunn to a torn labrum was one of many injury blows the Bison had to face this year. But the tandem of Anderson and Ty Brooks has been more than sufficient in the backfield. Anderson led the team with 1,153 rushing yards and was second with 11 rushing touchdowns. He has two 100-yard rushing games this postseason, including his 183-yard, three-touchdown outing against the Bearkats.
Austin Kuhnert, OL: One of the players who will be clearing the running lanes for Anderson and Brooks will be the AP All-American first-teamer Kuhnert. The senior has moved around three different positions on the offensive line in his Bison tenure, but he's settled on right guard this season. NDSU ranks fourth nationally in rushing offense and 31st in sacks allowed. Kuhnert and the rest of the offensive line have a big challenge ahead against James Madison's fifth-ranked sacks defense.
ON DEFENSE...
Nick DeLuca, LB: DeLuca has been a key member and leader of the Bison's defense for four seasons now. The senior linebacker rebounded from an injury-shortened 2016 season to record 70 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks this year. The Omaha, Nebraska native has three sacks and an interception this postseason. DeLuca did not play in last year's semifinals loss against James Madison. His presence this time around could be a key factor. "He's a next-level player that is finally 100 percent healthy, which he was through the playoff run, after getting the week off at the end of the regular season," Klieman said in the teleconference.
Jabril Cox, LB: Cox's emergence aside DeLuca as a redshirt freshman has made NDSU's linebackers corps one of the strongest in the nation. Cox became a starter midway through the season and has not disappointed with a team-leading 72 tackles and 12.5 tackles for loss. He made a season-high 13 tackles last time out against Sam Houston State in the semis.
Tre Dempsey, S: With injuries plaguing NDSU's cornerback depth, Dempsey's role in the secondary will be in the spotlight. The free safety leads the team with six interceptions and is second with 10 pass breakups. He had one interception, which he returned 60 yards, against the Bearkats last time out.
More stats to know: NDSU is 5-0 in FCS Championship games and 10-2 in all-time championship games. The only two losses came when the Bison were in Division II (1981, 1984) ... The Bison's current streak of seven straight MVFC titles marks its longest streak of conference titles in program history, previously achieved from 1964-70. They'll have a chance at program and MVFC history next year ... North Dakota State is 1-1 all-time against James Madison, with the loss coming in last year's semifinals. NDSU hosted both previous matchups at the Fargodome.
My Feelings:
Most people that don't follow the FCS have the common misconception that the talent level is much less than the FBS. Nothing could be further from the truth. The majority of your top FCS teams are loaded with FBS transfers. A couple of years ago when Jacksonville St. was in the title game their entire starting defensive line was SEC transfers. 2 from Alabama, 1 from Auburn, and 1 from Kentucky. Carson Wentz (Eagles) played at N. Dakota St., Jimmy Garoppolo (49'ers) played for E. Illinois. Now I'm not saying they're on the same level with the 4 and 5 star recruits of your elite FBS teams but the talent is very good. I expect this game to be just as good if not better than the FBS final. As the article's above said both of these teams are defensive juggernauts. I expect points to be hard to come by. Historically N. Dakota St. has been the best of the FCS but last year JMU knocked them off in the semi-finals in the Fargo Dome. One of the toughest places to play in all of college football. So the Bison have revenge on their minds while the Dukes know they can not only play with but beat the Bison. This line opened at N. Dakota St. -3 with a total of 43. It's now at N. Dakota St. -4 1/2 and 48. I think this one goes right down to the end so give me the points and I also like the under.
3* #368 JAMES MADISON +4 1/2 -110
3* #367 N. DAKOTA ST./ #368 JAMES MADISON U48 -110