For a fifth straight season, the North Dakota State Bison are the FCS national champions.
Boosted by the return of star senior quarterback Carson Wentz, the Bison blew out No. 1 Jacksonville State, 37-10, in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota’s State’s five consecutive national titles is a record for any level of college football.
Wentz, a top NFL draft prospect, missed the previous eight games with a wrist injury, but came back strong on Saturday, throwing for 197 yards and a score while adding 79 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
A Wentz touchdown pass and 11-yard TD run helped the Bison storm out to a 24-0 halftime lead.
Jacksonville State briefly made things interesting by scoring 10 straight points in the third, but that comeback effort would be short-lived.
NDSU responded with another Wentz touchdown run and two Cam Pedersen’s second and third field goals of the game to put things out of reach.
And while the return of Wentz was a big storyline, NDSU’s defense was the key to victory. JSU came into the game averaging 529.2 yards per game, but managed only 204 yards of offense against the Bison. NDSU limited Gamecocks quarterback Eli Jenkins to only 57 yards passing and 88 yards rushing while also forcing four turnovers on the afternoon. On top of that, the Bison completely dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for over 40 minutes.
North Dakota State started the year 4-2, but reeled off nine straight wins to finish 13-2. Redshirt freshman Easton Stick started at quarterback for the injured Wentz for much of that streak, so the Bison are in good hands moving forward as Wentz transitions to the NFL.
Jacksonville State also finishes with a 13-2 record, with its only other loss being an overtime decision at Auburn back in September.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
