The 1984 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Montana State Bobcats and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. The game was played on December 15, 1984, at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. The culminating game of the 1984 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Montana State, 19–6.[2]
The championship game was televised on the Satellite Program Network (SPN),[3] as the NCAA paid SPN to broadcast some playoff contests following a Supreme Court ruling (NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma) that halted the NCAA's practice of negotiating television contracts for its members.[4]
Teams
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1984 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 12-team bracket.[5]
Montana State Bobcats
Montana State finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (6–1 in conference); two wins came over Division II opponents (Mesa State and Portland State) and one win came over a Division I-A program (Fresno State).[6] Tied for second in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[7] and seeded third in the tournament, the Bobcats received a first-round bye then defeated Arkansas State and second-seed Rhode Island to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Montana State in a Division I-AA championship game.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Louisiana Tech finished their regular season with a 7–4 record (5–1 in conference); three of their losses were to Division I-A programs (Southwestern Louisiana, Southern Miss, and Ole Miss).[8] Ranked ninth in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[7] and unseeded in the tournament, the Bulldogs defeated Mississippi Valley State, top-seed Alcorn State, and Middle Tennessee State to reach the final. This was also the first appearance for Louisiana Tech in a Division I-AA championship game.
Game summary
Scoring summary
Scoring summary
|
Quarter
|
Time
|
Drive
|
Team
|
Scoring information
|
Score
|
Plays
|
Yards
|
TOP
|
La. Tech
|
MSU
|
1
|
11:59
|
6
|
15
|
1:01
|
MSU
|
33-yard field goal by Mark Carter
|
0
|
3
|
1
|
|
4
|
31
|
0:41
|
MSU
|
Joe Bignell 17-yard touchdown reception from Kelly Bradley, Carter kick no good (wide left)
|
0
|
9
|
2
|
4:54
|
5
|
80
|
2:10
|
MSU
|
Bignell 33-yard touchdown reception from Bradley, Carter kick good
|
0
|
16
|
2
|
0:06
|
|
|
|
MSU
|
48-yard field goal by Carter
|
0
|
19
|
4
|
0:48
|
|
|
|
La. Tech
|
Michael Sherman 10-yard touchdown reception from Kyle Gandy, 2-point pass incomplete
|
6
|
19
|
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.
|
6
|
19
|
|
[9][1]
Game statistics
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Bulldogs
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
6 |
6 |
Bobcats
|
9
|
10
|
0
|
0 |
19 |
Statistics
|
La. Tech
|
MSU
|
First downs |
19 |
20
|
Plays–yards |
74–262 |
82–340
|
Rushes–yards |
36–(-25) |
25–6
|
Passing yards |
287 |
334
|
Passing: comp–att–int |
24–38–4 |
32–57–1
|
Time of possession |
29:51 |
30:08
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Louisiana Tech
|
Passing |
Kyle Gandy |
24–38, 287 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT
|
Rushing |
Gerry Jones |
4 car, 16 yds
|
Receiving |
Michael Sherman |
4 rec, 77 yds, 1 TD
|
Montana State
|
Passing |
Kelly Bradley |
32–57, 334 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
|
Rushing |
Jesse Jones |
4 car, 13 yds
|
Receiving |
Joe Bignell |
10 rec, 130 yds, 2 TD
|
[9]
References
- ^ a b c "1984 I-AA National Championship". October 16, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2019 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b Smith, Bruce M. (December 16, 1984). "Montana State wins I-AA title". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. AP. p. D3. Retrieved May 5, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Geise, George (December 15, 1984). "Bobcats ready for I-AA championship shootout". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. p. 1-B. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Nance, Roscoe (December 1, 1984). "I-AA playoffs spell trouble M-O-N-E-Y". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. p. 2D. Retrieved April 22, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "ISU gets first round bye". Palladium-Item. Richmond, Indiana. AP. November 19, 1984. p. A7. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Montana State Bobcats 1984 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ^ a b "NCAA Division I-AA Final Poll". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. November 19, 1984. p. D2. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 1984 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^ a b "NCAA Div. I-AA Playoffs". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. December 16, 1984. p. B4. Retrieved May 6, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
Further reading
External links
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Games through 2009 were played in December. Subsequent games have been played in January (*) or May (†). |
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National championship seasons in bold |
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Culture & lore |
- Spirit of the West Marching Band
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National championship seasons in bold |
1984–85 NCAA Division I championships |
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† Inaugural championship – ‡ Inaugural co-ed championship |