2004 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

The 2004 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the James Madison Dukes and the Montana Grizzlies. The game was played on December 17, 2004, at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The culminating game of the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by James Madison, 31–21.

This article is about the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game. For the Division I-A (now FBS) championship game, see 2004 Sugar Bowl.
2004 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
I-AA National Championship Game
James Madison Dukes Montana Grizzlies
(12–2) (12–2)
Atlantic 10 Big Sky
31 21
Head coach: 
Mickey Matthews		 Head coach: 
Bobby Hauck
TSNSeed
8—
TSNSeed
7—
1234 Total
James Madison 010147 31
Montana 70140 21
DateDecember 17, 2004
Season2004
StadiumFinley Stadium
LocationChattanooga, Tennessee
RefereeG. Hartleb[1]
Attendance16,771[2]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2

Teams

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2004 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.

James Madison Dukes
Main article: 2004 James Madison Dukes football team

James Madison finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (7–1 in conference). One of their losses was to West Virginia of Division I-A. The Dukes, unseeded in the tournament, defeated Lehigh, second-seed Furman, and third-seed William & Mary to reach the final. This was the first appearance for James Madison in a Division I-AA championship game.

Montana Grizzlies
Main article: 2004 Montana Grizzlies football team

Montana finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (6–1 in conference). The Grizzlies, also unseeded in the tournament, defeated Northwestern State, New Hampshire, and Sam Houston State to reach the final. This was the fifth appearance for Montana in a Division I-AA championship game; they had won in 1995 and 2001, and lost in 1996 and 2000.

Game summary

Scoring summary
Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP JMU MONT
1 10:08 11 71 4:52 MONT Jefferson Heidelberger 3-yard touchdown reception from Craig Ochs, Dan Carpenter kick good 0 7
2 8:54 14 74 6:27 JMU 28-yard field goal by David Rabil 3 7
2 0:16 13 71 5:05 JMU Maurice Fenner 1-yard touchdown run, Rabil kick good 10 7
3 11:58 6 80 3:02 JMU Justin Rascati 11-yard touchdown run, Rabil kick good 17 7
3 8:51 9 75 3:01 MONT Levander Segars 17-yard touchdown reception from Ochs, Carpenter kick good 17 14
3 7:29 3 29 0:24 MONT Willie Walden 8-yard touchdown reception from Ochs, Carpenter kick good 17 21
3 3:25 9 72 3:57 JMU Fenner 1-yard touchdown run, Rabil kick good 24 21
4 8:00 16 80 7:05 JMU Rascati 6-yard touchdown run, Rabil kick good 31 21
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 31 21

[1][2][3][4]

Game statistics
1 2 3 4 Total
Dukes 0 10 14 7 31
Grizzlies 7 0 14 0 21
Montana running back Lex Hilliard
StatisticsJMUMONT
First downs3221
Plays–yards79–44661–415
Rushes–yards61–31423–44
Passing yards132371
Passing: Comp–Att–Int13–18–029–38–1
Time of possession36:1323:47
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
James MadisonPassingJustin Rascati13–18, 132 yds
RushingMaurice Fenner29 car, 164 yds, 2 TD
ReceivingTom Ridley3 rec, 32 yds
MontanaPassingCraig Ochs29–38, 371 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
RushingLex Hilliard12 car, 26 yds
ReceivingJon Talmage6 rec, 84 yds

[1][2]

References
  1. "James Madison vs Montana". ncaa.org. December 17, 2004. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  2. "Dukes 31, Grizzlies 21 (box score)". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. December 18, 2004. p. 7S. Retrieved January 31, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  3. Hartlaub, Ron (December 18, 2004). "Dukes". The News Leader. Staunton, Virginia. p. B5. Retrieved February 1, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  4. Geise, George (December 18, 2004). "Griz: Penalties hurt Montana". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. p. 6S. Retrieved February 1, 2019 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading
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