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Sports
The Associated Press
Frisco, Texas

College football: North Dakota State wins 8th FCS title

North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz raises the trophy
North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz raises the trophy alongside quarterback Trey Lance (5) as they celebrate after beating James Madison 28-20 in the FCS championship game on Saturday in Frisco, Texas.
Sam Hodde | AP

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Redshirt freshman quarterback Trey Lance ran for 166 yards, with a clutch 44-yard touchdown to start the fourth quarter, and North Dakota State held on to claim its eighth FCS national championship with a 28-20 win over James Madison on Saturday.

James Hendricks had an interception at the goal line in the final seconds for the Bison (16-0), who stretched their FCS-record winning streak to 37 in a row and completed the first 16-win undefeated season in any division since Yale in 1894.

After stopping Lance short on a fourth-and-2 at its 36 with 2:51 left, James Madison (14-2) drove to the 3. Hendricks, who earlier had a 20-yard touchdown run on a fake field goal, then picked off the pass by Ben DiNucci.

Lance's 44-yard score came on a third-and-23 play to open the fourth quarter and put the Bison up 28-13.

North Dakota State wide receiver Phoenix Sproles
North Dakota State wide receiver Phoenix Sproles (11) runs the ball in front of his team's bench during the first half of the FCS championship game against James Madison on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, in Frisco, Texas. The Bison won 28-20.
Sam Hodde | AP

Riley Stapleton's 5-yard TD catch with 7 minutes left was his second of the game. He also had two TD catches in the national title game two years ago, when the Dukes lost to North Dakota State. That was a season after they won a semifinal game at the Fargodome and then beat Youngstown State for the title.

The Bison won their eighth FCS championship in nine years, after five NCAA Division II national titles between 1983-90.

While Lance was only 6 of 10 passing for 72 yards, he has now attempted 289 passes for the Bison without ever throwing an interception. He ran a season-high 30 times in the finale.

Lance succeeded Easton Stick, whose 49 wins at NDSU made him the winningest FCS quarterback, while also setting school records for total yards, passing yards and total touchdowns. Stick had followed Carson Wentz.

North Dakota State safety James Hendricks
North Dakota State safety James Hendricks (6) smiles after scoring on a fake field goal attempt during the first half of the FCS championship game against James Madison on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, in Frisco, Texas.
Sam Hodde | AP

Stapleton had a 5-yard TD on the opening drive of the game for James Madison, but the Bison quickly got even on Adam Cofield's 1-yard TD run.

North Dakota State used some trickery to score twice in the second quarter. Receiver Phoenix Sproles swept around and faked a reverse handoff before running 38 yards for a touchdown, and Hendricks lined up for an apparent field goal wen he took the snap, then got up and ran to the end zone.

The only two Division I winning streaks longer than NDSU are Washington (40, from 1908-14) and Oklahoma's record 48 in a row was 1953-57.

Next season, North Dakota State will go for its fourth win over a Power Five team in eight seasons in a Sept 5 season opener at Oregon. The Bison have wins over Kansas State, Iowa State and No. 13 Iowa since 2013.