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The North Dakota State Bison scored a touchdown after a fake punt and another after a long interception return to win the FCS Championship with a 17-6 victory over Sam Houston State.
It was a low-scoring affair except for the key plays by the Bison. North Dakota State took a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter, and Sam Houston State took the lead back at the half on two late-2nd-quarter field goals by kicker Craig Alaniz. The 6-3 halftime score was unusual for both teams, both of whom average in the 30s.
The first Bison touchdown came early in the 2nd half. Punter Matt Voiglander took off and easily converted on a 4th-and-4, running for 20+ yards and setting up the next play, a Brock Jensen to D.J. McNorton touchdown pass that went for 39 yards and a 10-6 Bison lead.
There was no further scoring until the 4th quarter, and that was set up by the Bison defense. With the Bearkats attempting to retake the lead, quarterback Brian Bell threw an interception; Travis Beck returned the pick 63 yards and leapt for the end zone but was ruled down at the one yard line. Jensen scored on the next play.
The Bison capped a 14-1 season. They were the top FCS team in our All-Division Strength ratings after just two games, and in their next game they beat FBS team Minnesota on the road fairly convincingly, so we suspected all along that they'd be the champion even as it took them some time to reach #1 in the FCS coaches' poll.
When they finally did, they suffered their only defeat, to Youngstown State, leaving the door open for Sam Houston State to take the #1 seed in the playoffs. The Bearkats also finished 14-1. In our power rating through Saturday's games, North Dakota State ranks #59 among teams in all divisions, below Auburn and just ahead of Air Force.
North Dakota State had good crowd support despite the location of the game in Texas; according to the AP the crowd was split "fairly evenly" which may have nullified any home field advantage the Bearkats could have had. Our pre-game analysis included home field advantage due to the location, but in the end we discounted it and picked the Bison.
More previews and results: View the complete 2011-2012 bowl game schedule.
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