1984 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

The 1984 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Montana State Bobcats and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. The game was played on December 15, 1984, at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. The culminating game of the 1984 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Montana State, 19–6.[2]

This article is about the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game. For the Division I-A (now FBS) champions, see 1984 BYU Cougars football team.
1984 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
I-AA National Championship Game
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Montana State Bobcats
(10–4) (11–2)
Southland Big Sky
6 19
Head coach: 
A. L. Williams		 Head coach: 
Dave Arnold
NCAASeed
9–
NCAASeed
2 (tie)3
1234 Total
Louisiana Tech 0006 6
Montana State 91000 19
DateDecember 15, 1984
Season1984
StadiumJohnson Hagood Stadium
LocationCharleston, South Carolina
RefereeCourtney Mauzy (ACC)[1]
Attendance9,125[2]
United States TV coverage
NetworkSatellite Program Network[3]
AnnouncersBill Flemming (play-by-play), Steve Davis (color)[1]

The championship game was televised on the Satellite Program Network (SPN),[3] as the NCAA paid SPN to broadcast some playoff contests following a Supreme Court ruling (NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma) that halted the NCAA's practice of negotiating television contracts for its members.[4]

Teams

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1984 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 12-team bracket.[5]

Montana State Bobcats
Main article: 1984 Montana State Bobcats football team

Montana State finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (6–1 in conference); two wins came over Division II opponents (Mesa State and Portland State) and one win came over a Division I-A program (Fresno State).[6] Tied for second in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[7] and seeded third in the tournament, the Bobcats received a first-round bye then defeated Arkansas State and second-seed Rhode Island to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Montana State in a Division I-AA championship game.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Main article: 1984 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team

Louisiana Tech finished their regular season with a 7–4 record (5–1 in conference); three of their losses were to Division I-A programs (Southwestern Louisiana, Southern Miss, and Ole Miss).[8] Ranked ninth in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[7] and unseeded in the tournament, the Bulldogs defeated Mississippi Valley State, top-seed Alcorn State, and Middle Tennessee State to reach the final. This was also the first appearance for Louisiana Tech in a Division I-AA championship game.

Game summary

Scoring summary
Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP La. Tech MSU
1 11:59 6 15 1:01 MSU 33-yard field goal by Mark Carter 0 3
1 4 31 0:41 MSU Joe Bignell 17-yard touchdown reception from Kelly Bradley, Carter kick no good (wide left) 0 9
2 4:54 5 80 2:10 MSU Bignell 33-yard touchdown reception from Bradley, Carter kick good 0 16
2 0:06 MSU 48-yard field goal by Carter 0 19
4 0:48 La. Tech Michael Sherman 10-yard touchdown reception from Kyle Gandy, 2-point pass incomplete 6 19
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 6 19

[9][1]

Game statistics
1 2 3 4 Total
Bulldogs 0 0 0 6 6
Bobcats 9 10 0 0 19
Johnson Hagood Stadium, site of the 1984 Division I-AA championship game
StatisticsLa. TechMSU
First downs1920
Plays–yards74–26282–340
Rushes–yards36–(-25)25–6
Passing yards287334
Passing: Comp–Att–Int24–38–432–57–1
Time of possession29:5130:08
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Louisiana TechPassingKyle Gandy24–38, 287 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT
RushingGerry Jones4 car, 16 yds
ReceivingMichael Sherman4 rec, 77 yds, 1 TD
Montana StatePassingKelly Bradley32–57, 334 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
RushingJesse Jones4 car, 13 yds
ReceivingJoe Bignell10 rec, 130 yds, 2 TD

[9]

References
  1. "1984 I-AA National Championship". Retrieved May 6, 2019 – via YouTube.
  2. Smith, Bruce M. (December 16, 1984). "Montana State wins I-AA title". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. AP. p. D3. Retrieved May 5, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  3. Geise, George (December 15, 1984). "Bobcats ready for I-AA championship shootout". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. p. 1-B. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  4. Nance, Roscoe (December 1, 1984). "I-AA playoffs spell trouble M-O-N-E-Y". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. p. 2D. Retrieved April 22, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  5. "ISU gets first round bye". Palladium-Item. Richmond, Indiana. AP. November 19, 1984. p. A7. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  6. "Montana State Bobcats 1984 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  7. "NCAA Division I-AA Final Poll". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. November 19, 1984. p. D2. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  8. "Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 1984 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  9. "NCAA Div. I-AA Playoffs". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. December 16, 1984. p. B4. Retrieved May 6, 2019 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading
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