2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game
The 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a college football game played on January 8, 2023, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The game determined the national champion of NCAA Division I FCS for the 2022 season, featuring the finalists of the 24-team playoff bracket, which began on November 26, 2022.
Top-ranked [2022 2022 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team|South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team|South Dakota State] defeated conference rival [2022 2022 North Dakota State Bison football team|North Dakota State Bison football team|North Dakota State] 45–21 to gain their first national championship. Played on Sunday for the first time, the game began at 1:04 p.m. CST and was broadcast on ABC and ESPN+, opposite NFL regular season finales.
Teams
The participants were rivals North Dakota State and South Dakota State of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Both teams advanced through the FCS playoff bracket to reach the championship game.Entering the game, North Dakota State led the all-time series, although South Dakota State had won their last three meetings, lasting back to the 2021 spring season. North Dakota State was 4–0 against South Dakota State in prior FCS playoff games; this was their first meeting in the FCS title game.
North Dakota State
North Dakota State played to a 9–2 regular-season record, suffering losses to Arizona and South Dakota State. Seeded No. 3 in the FCS playoffs, the Bison received a first-round bye, then defeated Montana, Samford, and Incarnate Word to advance to the championship game.South Dakota State
South Dakota State played to a 10–1 regular-season record; their only loss was to Iowa. Seeded No. 1 in the FCS playoffs, the Jackrabbits received a first-round bye, then defeated Delaware, Holy Cross, and Montana State to advance to the championship game.Statistics
| Statistic | North Dakota State | South Dakota State |
| First downs | 21 | 22 |
| First downs rushing | 11 | 10 |
| First downs passing | 10 | 12 |
| First downs penalty | 0 | 0 |
| Third down efficiency | 5–12 | 9–14 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 1–3 | 0–0 |
| Total plays–net yards | 66–420 | 60–522 |
| Rushing attempts–net yards | 37–160 | 39–299 |
| Yards per rush | 4.3 | 7.7 |
| Yards passing | 260 | 223 |
| Pass completions–attempts | 18–29 | 14–21 |
| Interceptions thrown | 2 | 0 |
| Punt returns–total yards | 1– | 1–0 |
| Kickoff returns–total yards | 2–55 | 2–26 |
| Punts–average yardage | 4–45.0 | 4–53.3 |
| Fumbles–lost | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Penalties–yards | 2–25 | 3–20 |
| Time of possession | 28:00 | 32:00 |