James Madison Wins The 2017 FCS National Championship, Defeats Youngstown State 28-14

The Youngstown State Penguins and James Madison Dukes took the field in Frisco, Texas for the FCS National Championship Game. The Penguins came in at 12-3 on the year, while JMU held a record of 13-1. Both teams were riding winning streaks: YSU with six in a row and the Dukes winning eleven straight. James Madison would play a complete game and win the FCS National Championship by a score of 28-14.

The game started off unideal for the Penguins, as they had a first quarter full of mistakes. When YSU was forced to punt on their first offensive drive, the punt was blocked and recovered inside YSU’s 30-yard line. JMU’s Quarterback Bryan Schor capitalized off of the short field and threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Kloosterman on a pass that only his tight end could catch. YSU’s tough first quarter only got worse. They were forced to punt on their next drive and shanked the kick, giving JMU very favorable field position. Schor found Rashard Davis on an 18-yard reception for his second touchdown of the game, putting JMU up 14-0. YSU found themselves in a position to score three with a field goal, but the snap-to-hold transition was bobbled to cost the Penguins a chance at points. At the end of the first quarter, the Penguins trailed 14-0.

In the second quarter, James Madison extended their lead to 21-0 on a drive that seemed all but stalled. JMU was backed up inside their own 20-yard line until Schor launched passes to Rashard Davis and Domo Taylor to get inside YSU territory. The Dukes marched into the endzone with a Khalid Abdullah touchdown run from the goalline. YSU was able to find some sort of positive in the first half, as they were able to trap JMU inside their own territory and block their punt. The blocked punt set up a three-play touchdown pass from Hunter Wells to Shane Kuhn. The Penguins walked into halftime trailing 21-7.

The second half started just like most of the first half, as the Dukes forced a turnover with an interception off of the foot of Wide Receiver Curtis Oliver. The turnover led to a James Madison touchdown drive that completed with a Khalid Abdullah plunge, increasing the lead to 28-7. The game would stay that way for most of the second half, as JMU shut down anything YSU tried to do offensively.

The Penguins marched down late in the game to score a touchdown with ten seconds left. Hunter Wells’ touchdown pass would make the final score 28-14.

The James Madison Dukes are the FCS National Champions for the first time since 2004, finishing the year with a record of 14-1.