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After a one-hour, 11-minute lightning extend, Sam Houston Remark completed its ideal 10-0 season because the Bearkats got here away with a 23-21 victory in a rainy FCS nationwide championship sport in Frisco, Texas on Sunday.
Quarterback Eric Schmid stumbled on Ife Adeyi for a 10-yard touchdown lope along with 16 seconds left to play to set the Bearkats’ season and inform the title.
Working wait on Isaiah Davis had a fundamental fourth quarter to set South Dakota Remark, which fell rapid in its first-ever championship sport look.
Significant Performers
Eric Schmid, QB, Sam Houston: 20-for-37 passing, 209 passing yards, 54 speeding yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Jequez Ezzard, WR, Sam Houston: 108 yards, 10-for-14 receiving, 2 TD
Ife Adeyi, WR, Sam Houston: 73 yards, 5-for-9 receiving, sport-winning touchdown
Isaiah Davis, RB, South Dakota Remark: 178 yards, 14 carries, 3 TD
Jequez Ezzard Does It Again
The Bearkats struggled to manufacture things happen from the beginning up. After fumbling their first possession, they looked to punt the ball away after a turnover on downs. But amid the messy instances, Matt McRobert fumbled the ball and fell on it on the Sam Houston 19-yard line, developing solid set up for the Jackrabbits to double their 7-0 advantage.
Fortunately for Sam Houston, South Dakota become the ball over on downs, too.
Sam Houston acquired its chance late within the key quarter when three untrue-beginning up penalties had SDSU punt the ball away. On the return, Jequez Ezzard stumbled on the finish zone, however the Bearkats had been known as for an illegal block within the wait on on the return and the discover used to be erased, setting the stage for a 7-0 South Dakota Remark lead to continue into the 2d quarter.
Ezzard made up for it early within the 2d quarter, inserting Sam Houston on the board with a 35-yard discover.
The discover got here factual earlier than the prolonged weather extend halfway thru the 2d quarter.
Ezzard, who used to be the hero within the Bearkats’ comeback victory against James Madison within the semifinals, scored again to cap a 9-play, 74-yard force that left South Dakota Remark with factual 1: 21 left within the half.
But after 5 performs, Sam Houston acquired the ball wait on on a Quentin Brown interception.
The weather’s affect on the game used to be noticeable, as a Sam Houston team that entered Sunday averaging 450 yards of entire offense per sport used to be cramped to 164 yards within the key half.
After two incomplete passes to Ezzard on the final force of the third, the Bearkats made up our minds to search in different areas and had Seth Morgan nail a 45-yard discipline aim to manufacture it a 10-level lead with 12 minutes to head.
But once South Dakota finally figured him out, Schmid had cramped else to order to, and the Jackrabbits almost ran away with the devour till he stumbled on Ife Adeyi within the finish zone with 16 seconds left.
Isaiah Davis’ Colossal 4th Virtually Saves South Dakota
It did now not long for the Jackrabbits to face trouble. The hero of South Dakota’s story went to the sidelines on the team’s opening force.
Quarterback Designate Gronowski, who used to be the conference’s offensive player of the year and performed 2d in balloting for the Jerry Rice Award because the tip FCS freshman, hobbled off the discipline after an incomplete lope.
Backup quarterback Keaton Heide observed time in 2019 but had thrown factual two passes this season. He took the discipline on their next force and led the team to the finish zone, where Isaiah Davis had a one-yard run to give his team the lead. Cole Frahm’s kick used to be suitable for a 7-0 lead.
Gronowski returned to the sidelines and had a headset on, marking the finish of his day and inserting the ball in Heide’s hands.
South Dakota had the ball coming out of the prolonged weather extend halfway thru the 2d quarter, however the discipline aim are trying that can devour set them up by three used to be no suitable.
After Sam Houston doubled its discover, South Dakota had a chance to conclude the deficit with below two minutes to play within the half. But Heide used to be picked off to total the price.
A combination of weather and losing their supreme passer led the Jackrabbits to factual 119 entire yards of offense within the half, 75 of which got here on the floor.
The South Dakota Remark protection wakened within the third, and Don Gardner’s protection on Ezzard cramped the Bearkats to a discipline aim, making it 17-7 with 37 seconds left within the third quarter.
With that momentum, the Jackrabbits ragged a 5-play force on the beginning up of the fourth, and factual as Ezzard used to be the star for Sam Houston, it used to be Davis again on a 28-yard run that acquired South Dakota wait on in it. With a suitable further level, it become a 3-level sport with 13: 12 to play.
Solid protection from the Jackrabbits acquired them the ball on their very non-public 15-yard line with six minutes left to play, and an 85-yard run from Davis made up the adaptation to ship the Jackrabbits to victory of their first title sport.
After a peaceable first half, he broke out to lead the Jackrabbits to victory.
But it unquestionably wasn’t ample to discontinue a Bearkats price.
What’s Subsequent?
Sam Houston opens the 2021 season on Sept. 2 at Northern Arizona.
South Dakota Remark will visit Colorado Remark on Sept. 4.
