Postseason college football game
College football game
The 2009 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Villanova Wildcats and the Montana Grizzlies . It was played on December 18, 2009, at Finley Stadium , home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga . The culminating game of the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season , it was won by Villanova, 23–21.
Teams The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2009 FCS Playoffs , which began with a 16-team bracket .
Montana Grizzlies Montana finished their regular season with an 11–0 record (8–0 in conference). As the first-seed in the tournament, the Grizzlies defeated South Dakota State , Stephen F. Austin , and Appalachian State to reach the final. This was Montana's second consecutive and seventh overall appearance in an FCS/Division I-AA championship game, having previously won in 1995 and 2001, and having lost in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008.
Villanova Wildcats Villanova finished their regular season with a 10–1 record (7–1 in conference). As the second-seed in the tournament, the Wildcats defeated Holy Cross , New Hampshire (who had given Villanova their only loss during the regular season), and William & Mary to reach the final. This was Villanova's first appearance in an FCS/Division I-AA championship game.
Game summary
Scoring summary
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
MONT
NOVA
1
5:12
5
79
3:55
NOVA
23-yard field goal by Nick Yako
0
3
1
3:15
5
69
1:57
MONT
Marc Mariani 24-yard touchdown reception from Andrew Selle, Brody McKnight kick good
7
3
2
6:48
9
80
4:13
MONT
Jabin Sambrano 4-yard touchdown reception from Selle, McKnight kick good
14
3
2
3:34
7
66
3:14
NOVA
Matt Szczur 5-yard touchdown run, Yako kick no good
14
9
3
5:27
13
81
7:28
NOVA
Chris Farmer 3-yard touchdown reception from Chris Whitney, Yako kick good
14
16
4
11:04
10
95
4:47
NOVA
Szczur 3-yard touchdown run, Yako kick good
14
23
4
1:07
5
93
1:10
MONT
Sambrano 53-yard touchdown reception from Selle, McKnight kick good
21
23
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
21
23
[ 4]
Game statistics
1
2
3
4
Total
No. 1 Grizzlies
7
7
0
7
21
No. 2 Wildcats
3
6
7
7
23
Montana wide receiver Marc Mariani
Statistics
MONT
NOVA
First downs
18
22
Plays–yards
56–425
64–493
Rushes–yards
19–60
51–351
Passing yards
365
142
Passing: comp –att –int
28–37–0
10–13–1
Time of possession
26:33
33:27
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Montana
Passing
Andrew Selle
27–35, 351 yds, 3 TD
Rushing
Chase Reynolds 15 car, 64 yds
Receiving
Marc Mariani 9 rec, 178 yds, 1 TD
Villanova
Passing
Chris Whitney
10–13, 142 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Matt Szczur 14 car, 159 yds, 2 TD
Receiving
Matt Szczur 4 rec, 68 yds
[ 5] [ 3]
References
^ "Outstanding players of FCS championship game" . ESPN AP . January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019 .^ "Villanova Wildcats @ Montana Grizzlies" . vegasinsider.com . December 18, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2019 .^ a b c "Montana vs Villanova (box score)" . villanova.com . December 18, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2019 – via sidearmsports.com.^ "Montana vs. Villanova - Play-By-Play" . ESPN . Retrieved January 9, 2019 .^ "Montana vs. Villanova - Game Summary" . ESPN . Retrieved January 9, 2019 .
Further reading
External links
Games through 2009 were played in December. Subsequent games have been played in January (*) or May (†).
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture and lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
2009–10 NCAA Division I championships
† Not an officially sanctioned NCAA championship
