The 2008 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Richmond Spiders and the Montana Grizzlies. It was played on December 19, 2008, at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The culminating game of the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season, it was won by Richmond, 24–7.
Teams
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2008 FCS Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.
Richmond Spiders
Richmond finished their regular season with a 9–3 record (6–2 in conference), after starting their season 4–3 through their first seven games. The Spiders defeated Eastern Kentucky, second-seeded Appalachian State, and third-seeded Northern Iowa to reach the final. This was Richmond's first appearance in an FCS/Division I-AA championship game.
Montana Grizzlies
Montana finished their regular season with an 11–1 record (7–1 in conference). As the fourth-seed in the tournament, the Grizzlies defeated Texas State, Weber State (who had given Montana their only defeat during the regular season), and top-seeded James Madison to reach the final. This was Montana's sixth appearance in an FCS/Division I-AA championship game, having previously won in 1995 and 2001, and having lost in 1996, 2000, and 2004.
Game summary
Scoring summary
| Scoring summary
|
| Quarter
|
Time
|
Drive
|
Team
|
Scoring information
|
Score
|
| Plays
|
Yards
|
TOP
|
MONT
|
RICH
|
| 1
|
9:02
|
11
|
66
|
5:58
|
RICH
|
Eric Ward 23-yard touchdown reception from John Crone, Andrew Howard kick good
|
0
|
7
|
| 2
|
11:29
|
3
|
34
|
1:14
|
RICH
|
Josh Vaughan 5-yard touchdown run, Howard kick good
|
0
|
14
|
| 2
|
2:13
|
12
|
75
|
6:52
|
RICH
|
Garrett Wilkins 13-yard touchdown reception from Ward, Howard kick good
|
0
|
21
|
| 4
|
11:56
|
13
|
69
|
4:28
|
MONT
|
Chase Reynolds 4-yard touchdown run, Brody McKnight kick good
|
7
|
21
|
| 4
|
6:54
|
4
|
-1
|
1:32
|
RICH
|
39-yard field goal by Brian Radford
|
7
|
24
|
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.
|
7
|
24
|
|
[4]
Game statistics
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| No. 4 Grizzlies
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
7 |
7 |
| Spiders
|
7
|
14
|
0
|
3 |
24 |
| Statistics
|
MONT
|
RICH
|
| First downs |
15 |
16
|
| Plays–yards |
63–306 |
58–327
|
| Rushes–yards |
25–39 |
39–208
|
| Passing yards |
267 |
119
|
| Passing: comp–att–int |
19–38–1 |
13–19–0
|
| Time of possession |
28:59 |
31:01
|
| Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
| Montana
|
Passing |
Cole Bergquist |
19–36, 267 yds, 1 INT
|
| Rushing |
Chase Reynolds |
12 car, 47 yds, 1 TD
|
| Receiving |
Marc Mariani |
7 rec, 172 yds
|
| Richmond
|
Passing |
Eric Ward |
12–18, 96 yds, 1 TD
|
| Rushing |
Josh Vaughan |
23 car, 162 yds, 1 TD
|
| Receiving |
Tre Gray |
6 rec, 44 yds
|
[5][6]
References
- ^ "Richmond Spiders @ Montana Grizzlies". vegasinsider.com. December 19, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
- ^ a b "Montana vs Richmond". caasports.com. December 19, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ "On The Air". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. December 19, 2008. p. D2. Retrieved January 7, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Montana vs. Richmond - Play-By-Play". ESPN. December 19, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ "Montana vs. Richmond - Game Summary". ESPN. December 19, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ "Richmond vs. Montana (box score)". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. December 20, 2008. p. 20. Retrieved January 7, 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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National championship seasons in bold |
2008–09 NCAA Division I championships |
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- † Not an officially sanctioned NCAA championship
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