FCS Playoffs 2016: Date, Schedule for James Madison vs. Youngstown State
James Madison and Youngstown State will meet in the Football Championship Subdivision championship game January 7 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
James Madison (13-1) earned its way into the title game as a result of a 27-17 victory Friday night over North Dakota State (12-2). Youngstown State (12-3) rallied late to beat Eastern Washington (12-2) in its semifinal by a 40-38 margin Saturday night.
James Madison and Youngstown State were both able to gain their semifinal victories on the road, making their achievements in reaching the FCS title game even more impressive.
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| James Madison (13-1) | Youngstown State (12-3) | January 7 | Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas | Noon (ET) |
The Dukes ended the Bison's 22-game winning streak, and they have a chance to earn the school's second FCS championship. James Madison also won the title in 2004.
James Madison's most important players came through with big games. Quarterback Bryan Schor threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Khalid Abdullah gained 180 yards on 23 carries. Abdullah used his speed and cutting ability to gash North Dakota State.
On the defensive side, Dimitri Holloway had a huge game with 16 tackles and helped limit the Bison rushing attack. That unit was held to 132 yards on the ground and never was able to dominate, something that has been a regular occurrence during their winning streak.
The Dukes took charge of the game in the fourth quarter, as they broke the 17-17 tie on a 45-yard field goal by Tyler Gray. Schor pushed the advantage to 10 points when the quarterback connected with wideout John Miller on a 25-yard TD reception.
"I came in and I've got a bunch of kids that bought in to what we were teaching and believed in the culture we were trying to create, and I've got a great coaching staff," James Madison coach Mike Houston told STATS (h/t ESPN).
"It's play as hard as you can every snap, doing things right, it's really a special bunch in there. I could not be more proud of the effort."
Quarterback Hunter Wells of Youngstown State connected with Kevin Rader on a five-yard touchdown pass as time expired to give the Penguins their narrow win over Eastern Washington.
"I knew if he (Wells) threw me the ball, I had to come down with it," Rader told STATS (h/t ESPN).
Youngstown State was trailing 31-20 after three quarters, but the Penguins outscored the Eagles 20-7 in the final quarter. Wells, who threw for 244 yards in the game, threw both of his TD passes in the fourth quarter.
Youngstown State overcame a strong performance from Eastern Washington quarterback Gage Gubrud, who threw for 353 yards and three scores. Cooper Kupp caught 10 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles.
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