North Dakota State Wins 7th F.C.S. Title in 8 Years

A perfect ending for North Dakota State coach Chris Klieman and quarterback Easton Stick resulted in yet another championship for the Bison on Saturday.

Stick ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more as the Bison beat Eastern Washington, 38-24, for a record-setting seventh title in the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as N.C.A.A. Division I-AA. The title is the fourth in five years with Klieman as head coach.

“It was a special journey — 15-0, end it with a national championship,” said Klieman, who is 69-6 as head coach of the Bison and will move to Kansas State next season. “That’s something that movies are made out of, dreams are made out of, books are written about.”

North Dakota State (15-0) has now won seven F.C.S. titles over the past eight seasons. For the first three of those, Klieman was the team’s defensive coordinator.

Stick, who succeeded the Philadelphia Eagles’ Carson Wentz as North Dakota State’s quarterback, threw for 198 yards and ran for 121 in his 49th victory, claiming the most wins of any quarterback in F.C.S. history. Stick leaves with school records for total yards (11,216) and passing yards (8,693) and 129 total touchdowns (88 passing, 41 rushing).

“This place is special,” Stick said. “Quarterback’s a unique position. You’re only as good as players you’re surrounded with.”

As a redshirt freshman three years ago, Stick was 8-0 as a starter while Wentz was hurt. That included three playoff games before Wentz returned for the championship game, only a few months before the Eagles made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft.

The second half began with the teams combining for three turnovers and three long touchdowns in less than four and a half minutes. All of the scores, including Stick’s touchdown passes of 23 and 78 yards to Darrius Shepherd, came in a span of four plays over 68 seconds.

“A five-minute frenzy,” Eastern Washington Coach Aaron Best said.

“It was so back and forth. It was pretty crazy,” said running back Sam McPherson, who had a 75-yard touchdown run on Eastern Washington’s only play between Stick’s two touchdown passes. “It was wild for sure. It definitely got us up, got us down.”

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