2009 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game

The 2009 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Villanova Wildcats and the Montana Grizzlies. It was played on December 18, 2009, at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The culminating game of the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season, it was won by Villanova, 23–21.

2009 NCAA Division I Football Championship
FCS National Championship Game
1234 Total
Montana 7707 21
Villanova 3677 23
DateDecember 18, 2009
Season2009
StadiumFinley Stadium
LocationChattanooga, Tennessee
MVPMatt Szczur (WR, Villanova)[1]
FavoriteVillanova by 2[2]
RefereeMatt Young (OVC)[3]
Attendance14,328[3]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2
NCAA Division I Football Championship
 < 2008 2011

Teams

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The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2009 FCS Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.

Montana Grizzlies

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Montana finished their regular season with an 11–0 record (8–0 in conference). As the first-seed in the tournament, the Grizzlies defeated South Dakota State, Stephen F. Austin, and Appalachian State to reach the final. This was Montana's second consecutive and seventh overall appearance in an FCS/Division I-AA championship game, having previously won in 1995 and 2001, and having lost in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008.

Villanova Wildcats

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Villanova finished their regular season with a 10–1 record (7–1 in conference). As the second-seed in the tournament, the Wildcats defeated Holy Cross, New Hampshire (who had given Villanova their only loss during the regular season), and William & Mary to reach the final. This was Villanova's first appearance in an FCS/Division I-AA championship game.

Game summary

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Scoring summary

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Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP MONT NOVA
1 5:12 5 79 3:55 NOVA 23-yard field goal by Nick Yako 0 3
1 3:15 5 69 1:57 MONT Marc Mariani 24-yard touchdown reception from Andrew Selle, Brody McKnight kick good 7 3
2 6:48 9 80 4:13 MONT Jabin Sambrano 4-yard touchdown reception from Selle, McKnight kick good 14 3
2 3:34 7 66 3:14 NOVA Matt Szczur 5-yard touchdown run, Yako kick no good 14 9
3 5:27 13 81 7:28 NOVA Chris Farmer 3-yard touchdown reception from Chris Whitney, Yako kick good 14 16
4 11:04 10 95 4:47 NOVA Szczur 3-yard touchdown run, Yako kick good 14 23
4 1:07 5 93 1:10 MONT Sambrano 53-yard touchdown reception from Selle, McKnight kick good 21 23
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 21 23

[4]

Game statistics

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 1 Grizzlies 7 7 0 7 21
No. 2 Wildcats 3 6 7 7 23
 
Montana wide receiver Marc Mariani
Statistics MONT NOVA
First downs 18 22
Plays–yards 56–425 64–493
Rushes–yards 19–60 51–351
Passing yards 365 142
Passing: compattint 28–37–0 10–13–1
Time of possession 26:33 33:27
Team Category Player Statistics
Montana Passing Andrew Selle 27–35, 351 yds, 3 TD
Rushing Chase Reynolds 15 car, 64 yds
Receiving Marc Mariani 9 rec, 178 yds, 1 TD
Villanova Passing Chris Whitney 10–13, 142 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Matt Szczur 14 car, 159 yds, 2 TD
Receiving Matt Szczur 4 rec, 68 yds

[5][3]

References

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  1. ^ "Outstanding players of FCS championship game". ESPN. AP. January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  2. ^ "Villanova Wildcats @ Montana Grizzlies". vegasinsider.com. December 18, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Montana vs Villanova (box score)". villanova.com. December 18, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2019 – via sidearmsports.com.
  4. ^ "Montana vs. Villanova - Play-By-Play". ESPN. December 18, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  5. ^ "Montana vs. Villanova - Game Summary". ESPN. December 18, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2019.

Further reading

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