1984 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game
College football 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]
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
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
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
Statistics
La. Tech
MSU
First downs
19
20
Plays–yards
74–262
82–340
Rushes–yards
36–(-25)
25–6
Passing yards
287
334
Passing: comp –att –int
24–38–4
32–57–1
Time of possession
29:51
30:08
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Louisiana Tech
Passing
Kyle Gandy
24–38, 287 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT
Rushing
Gerry Jones
4 car, 16 yds
Receiving
Michael Sherman
4 rec, 77 yds, 1 TD
Montana State
Passing
Kelly Bradley
32–57, 334 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Jesse Jones
4 car, 13 yds
Receiving
Joe Bignell
10 rec, 130 yds, 2 TD
[ 9]
References
^ a b c "1984 I-AA National Championship" . Retrieved May 6, 2019 – via YouTube .
^ a b 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.
^ a b 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.
^ 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.
^ "ISU gets first round bye" . Palladium-Item . Richmond, Indiana . AP . November 19, 1984. p. A7. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^ "Montana State Bobcats 1984 Schedule" . cfbinfo.com . Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019 .
^ a b "NCAA Division I-AA Final Poll" . The Courier-Journal . Louisville, Kentucky . November 19, 1984. p. D2. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^ "Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 1984 Schedule" . cfbinfo.com . Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019 .
^ a b "NCAA Div. I-AA Playoffs" . Daily Press . Newport News, Virginia . December 16, 1984. p. B4. Retrieved May 6, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
Further reading
External links
Games through 2009 were played in December. Subsequent games have been played in January (*) or May (†).
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
1984–85 NCAA Division I championships
† Inaugural championship – ‡ Inaugural co-ed championship