Sam Houston quarterback Eric Schmid tossed the game-winning 10-yard touchdown to wide receiver Ife Adeyi with 16 seconds left to take the lead back and ultimately beat South Dakota State 23-21 on Sunday for the Bearkats' first FCS championship in program history.
The 16-play, 65-yard final drive came after South Dakota State running back Isaiah Davis ran for an 85-yard fourth-quarter touchdown to give the Jackrabbits a four-point lead with 5:41 left to play. Both teams were competing for their first FCS title.
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Top-seeded South Dakota State got ahead early with a one-yard touchdown run before lightning in the area caused a 74-minute weather delay. Sam Houston's big-play wide receiver Jequez Ezzard answered with two second-quarter touchdown catches from Schmid for 35 and 15 yards, respectively.
Ezzard led the second-seeded Bearkats in scoring with 108 receiving yards and two receiving TDs, while Schmid finished the game with 209 passing yards and three touchdowns. Davis ran for 178 yards and three TDs for the Jackrabbits.
Sam Houston rallied from a 21-point deficit, scoring 28 points in just over five minutes, to beat James Madison 38-35 last Saturday in the FCS semifinals, while South Dakota State routed Delaware 33-3 earlier that day to advance to the title game.
The Football Champion Subdivision (FCS), known previously as Division I-AA, is the other division of NCAA football alongside the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Three-time defending champions North Dakota State lost in the quarterfinals to Sam Houston State.
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Sam Houston beat South Dakota State to win the FCS national title through blood, guts and a dramatic late drive
What was the key to the final drive?
Chris Vannini, college football staff writer: Schmid put together one of the gutsiest quarterback performances I've seen in a long time. He was knocked around all game long, spitting up blood at one point in the first quarter. Sometimes, he would take a hit and go to the ground. Sometimes, he fell down on his own, with barely enough energy to stand.
Facing third-and-7 in the final seconds, he dove forward to pick up 4 yards, then completed a fourth-down pass to extend the drive. He capped off the effort with the championship-winning touchdown pass to Adeyi.
What effect will a championship have on Sam Houston?
Vannini: The Bearkats' first national title comes right as they're departing the Southland Conference for the Western Athletic Conference with several other Texas teams, part of some realignment at the FCS level.
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Coach KC Keeler has said he'd rather this program compete for FCS national championships than move up to FBS and play for minor bowl games. But many believe the WAC may look to move up to FBS at some point.
Who enters the fall season as FCS favorite?
Vannini: The top teams at the FCS level will be so once again. There's no upcoming NFL Draft to leave for, but it'll be interesting to see how many FCS stars transfer up to FBS after receiving a spotlight with the spring season. Every player has received another year of eligibility from the NCAA due to the pandemic.
Expect North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Weber State and James Madison to be among the subdivision's best, along with, of course, defending champion Sam Houston.
(Photo: Matthew Pearce / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)