2016 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game

The 2016 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in NCAA Division II for the 2016 season. It was played at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on December 17, 2016,[1] with kickoff at 4:00 p.m. EST (3:00 p.m. local CST), and television coverage on ESPN2.

2016 NCAA Division II Football Championship
1234 Total
North Alabama 0300 3
Northwest Missouri State 07715 29
DateDecember 17, 2016
Season2016
StadiumChildren's Mercy Park
LocationKansas City, Kansas
RefereeBob Rose
Attendance9,576
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2
NCAA Division II Football Championship
 < 2015 2017

Teams

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The participants of the 2016 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2016 Division II Playoffs, which began with four 7-team brackets to determine super region champions, who then qualified for the national semifinals.[2] The game featured the winners of those national semifinal games: No. 3 seed North Alabama and No. 1 seed Northwest Missouri State. This was the third meeting between the two teams; entering the game, Northwest Missouri State led the series 2–0.[3] This was the Bearcats' tenth championship game appearance, having won 5, while the Lions were making their fifth appearance, having won 3.[4] Additionally, the Bearcats entered the game as the defending national champions and were seeking to extend their streak to having won 3 of the last 4 national titles.

National semifinals

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Super region champions were seeded 1 to 4 for the national semifinals.

Semifinals
December 10
Hosted by higher seeded team
National Championship
December 17
Children's Mercy Park, Kansas City, KS
      
1 Northwest Missouri State 35
4 Ferris State 20
1 Northwest Missouri State 29
3 North Alabama 3
2 Shepherd 13
3 North Alabama 23

Game summary

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2016 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 3 North Alabama 0 3 003
No. 1 Northwest Missouri State 0 7 71529

at Children's Mercy ParkKansas City, Kansas

  • Date: Saturday, December 17, 2016
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST (3:00 p.m. CST)
  • Game weather: Snowy • Temperature: 13 °F (−11 °C) • Wind: NNW 17 mph
  • Game attendance: 9,576
  • Referee: Bob Rose
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analyst), Olivia Harlan (sideline)
  • Sources:[5]
Game information
First Quarter
No scoring
Second Quarter
  • (0:58) NWMS – Randy Schmidt 7 yard pass to Jordan Grove, Simon Mathiesen kick (Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 3:53; Northwest Missouri State 7–0)
  • (0:04) UNA – Kevin Henke 21 yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 0:53; Northwest Missouri State 7–3)
Third Quarter
  • (5:57) NWMS – Phil Jackson 2 yard rush, Simon Mathiesen kick (Drive: 7 plays, 40 yards, 2:44; Northwest Missouri State 14–3)
Fourth Quarter
  • (8:14) NWMS – North Alabama fumbled out of the end zone, safety (Northwest Missouri State 16–3)
  • (6:12) NWMS – Kyle Zimmerman 13 yard pass to Shane Williams, 2-point pass failed (Drive: 4 plays, 41 yards, 1:53; Northwest Missouri State 22–3)
  • (0:57) NWMS – Phil Jackson 10 yard rush, Simon Mathiesen kick (Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards, 3:20; Northwest Missouri State 29–3)

Statistics

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Statistics UNA NWMS
First downs 14 15
Plays–yards 74–201 74–338
Rushes–yards 33–22 40–226
Passing yards 179 112
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 15–41–1 18–34–1
Time of possession 27:05 32:55
Team Category Player Statistics
North Alabama Passing Jacob Tucker 15/41, 179 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Ray Beasley 4 carries, 29 yards
Receiving Julius Jones 4 receptions, 82 yards
Northwest Missouri State Passing Kyle Zimmerman 13/26, 100 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Randy Schmidt 14 carries, 96 yards
Receiving Jordan Grove 6 receptions, 27 yards, 1 TD

References

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  1. ^ "North Ala. vs Northwest Mo. St. DII Football Game Summary - December 17th, 2016 | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  2. ^ "2016 Division II Football Official Bracket | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  3. ^ "Northwest Missouri State University - Football-Record-Book-thru-2019" (PDF). bearcatsports.com. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  4. ^ "DII Football Championship History | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  5. ^ "Northwest Missouri State University - Boxscore for Football vs University of North Alabama on 12/17/2016". bearcatsports.com. Retrieved December 19, 2019.