2001 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

Postseason college football game between the Montana Grizzlies and the Furman Paladins the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game the Division I-A (now FBS) championship game 2001 Orange Bowl August 2023 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship I-AA National Championship Game 2001 NCAA Division I-AA 2001 December 21 Furman University Furman Paladins 12–2 SoCon Bobby Johnson 4 3 0 0 0 6 University of Montana Montana Grizzlies 14–1 Big Sky Joe Glenn 1 1 0 10 0 3 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, Tennessee Ross Smith (Southland) 12,698 ESPNhttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/28078857/in_the_spotlight/ In The Spotlight Pittsburgh Post-Gazette B-5 December 21, 2001 February 5, 2019 newspapers.com Ron Franklin (play-by-play), Mike Gottfried (color)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGJUc73t5aY #23 - Montana Wins the 2001 National Championship—Big Sky 50 Greatest Moments December 5, 2013 Big Sky Conference YouTube February 5, 2019 2000 2002 The 2001 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Montana Grizzlies and the Furman Paladins. The game was played on December 21, 2001, at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The culminating game of the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Montana, 13–6.https://www.upi.com/Archives/2001/12/21/I-AA-Championship-Montana-13-Furman-6/9321008910800/ I-AA Championship: Montana 13, Furman 6 UPI upi.com December 21, 2001 February 5, 2019 Teams The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2001 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket. In a change from recent postseasons, the NCAA seeded only the top four seeds, while placing other teams in the bracket based on geographical considerations in order to minimize travel.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27957303/ncaa_changes_format_for_playoff_pairings/ NCAA changes format for playoff pairings Jon Kasper Missoulian Missoula, Montana D1 November 12, 2001 February 2, 2019 newspapers.com Montana Grizzlies 2001 Montana Grizzlies football team Montana finished their regular season with an 11–1 record (7–0 in conference); their only loss was to Hawaii of Division I-A. Seeded first in the playoffs, the Grizzlies defeated Northwestern State, Sam Houston State, and Northern Iowa to reach the final. This was the fourth appearance for Montana in a Division I-AA championship game, having won in 1995, and having lost in 1996 and 2000. Furman Paladins 2001 Furman Paladins football team Furman finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (7–1 in conference); one of their losses was to Wyoming of Division I-A. The Paladins, seeded third, defeated Western Kentucky, Lehigh, and second-seed Georgia Southern to reach the final. This was the third appearance for Furman in a Division I-AA championship game, having won in 1988 and having lost in 1985. Game summary Scoring summary FUR MONT 2 6:27 MONT 16 99 6:49 RushTD Yohance Humphery 2 good Chris Snyder 0 7 2 0:53 MONT FG 35 Snyder 0 10 4 6:12 MONT 6:14 FG 30 Snyder 0 13 4 0:00 FUR RecTD James Thomas Billy Napier 54 none 6 13 6 13 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28078614/grizzlies_13_furman_6_box_score/ Grizzlies 13, Furman 6 (box score) Great Falls Tribune Great Falls, Montana 4S December 22, 2001 February 5, 2019 newspapers.comhttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/28082591/defense_frustrates_furman/ Defense: Frustrates Furman George Geise Great Falls Tribune Great Falls, Montana 5S December 22, 2001 February 5, 2019 newspapers.com When there is no time left on the clock at the end of the fourth quarter, NCAA rules only allow for a conversion attempt if it could affect the outcome of the game. Game statistics No. 3 Paladins 0 0 0 6 No. 1 Grizzlies 0 10 0 3 thumb|right|upright|Furman quarterback Billy Napier, seen here in 2018 Furman Paladins FUR Montana Grizzlies MONT 14 65–293 39–121 172 10–26–2 28:09 16 71–297 43–173 124 18–28–0 31:51 Furman Paladins Furman Montana Grizzlies Montana Billy Napier 10–26, 172 yds 1 TD, 2 INT Eric Emerson 7 car, 34 yds James Thomas 4 rec, 75 yds, 1 TD John Edwards 18–28, 124 yds Yohance Humphery 30 car, 142 yds, 1 TD Etu Molden 10 rec, 74 yds References Further reading https://gogriz.com/news/2001/12/21/Grizzlies_Win_Second_National_Title.aspx Grizzlies Win Second National Title gogriz.com December 21, 2001 February 5, 2019 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28080774/division_iaa_poll/ Division I-AA Poll AP The Sports Network Arizona Daily Sun Flagstaff, Arizona B3 November 27, 2001 February 5, 2019 newspapers.com External links #23 - Montana Wins the 2001 National Championship | Big Sky 50 Greatest Moments via YouTube Championship Game Category:21st century in Chattanooga, Tennessee Category:NCAA Division I Football Championship Games Category:Furman Paladins football games Category:Montana Grizzlies football games Category:College football in Tennessee Category:American football competitions in Chattanooga, Tennessee NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game