Postseason college football game
College football game
2009 NCAA Division I Football ChampionshipFCS National Championship Game 1 2 3 4 Total Montana 7 7 0 7 21 Villanova 3 6 7 7 23
Date December 18, 2009 Season 2009 Stadium Finley Stadium Location Chattanooga, Tennessee MVP Matt Szczur (WR, Villanova)[ 1] Favorite Villanova by 2[ 2] Referee Matt Young (OVC)[ 3] Attendance 14,328[ 3] United States TV coverage Network ESPN2
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.
Teams The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2009 FCS Playoffs , which began with a 16-team bracket.
Montana Grizzlies 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 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
Scoring summary 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 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: comp –att –int 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 ^ "Outstanding players of FCS championship game". ESPN . AP . January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019 . ^ "Villanova Wildcats @ Montana Grizzlies". vegasinsider.com . December 18, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2019 . ^ a b c "Montana vs Villanova (box score)". villanova.com . December 18, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2019 – via sidearmsports.com. ^ "Montana vs. Villanova - Play-By-Play". ESPN . December 18, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2019 . ^ "Montana vs. Villanova - Game Summary". ESPN . December 18, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2019 .
Further reading " 'Nova ends Montana's perfect season, 23-21". gogriz.com . December 18, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2019 . "VILLANOVA FOOTBALL CAPTURES 2009 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP". villanova.com . December 18, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2019 .
External links Box score at ESPN 12/18/2009 Villanova vs Montana Football Highlights via YouTube Games through 2009 were played in December. Subsequent games have been played in January (*) or May (†).
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture and lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
2009–10 NCAA Division I championships
† Not an officially sanctioned NCAA championship