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5 Key Storylines to Watch in the 2017 FCS National Championship Game

By Zach Bigalke

Sep 10, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; Youngstown State Penguins cornerback Eric Thompson (1) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass during the first quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; Youngstown State Penguins cornerback Eric Thompson (1) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass during the first quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 17, 2016; Iowa City, IA, USA; North Dakota State Bison place kicker Cam Pedersen (36) reacts after his winning kick during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. North Dakota State won 23-21. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Iowa City, IA, USA; North Dakota State Bison place kicker Cam Pedersen (36) reacts after his winning kick during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. North Dakota State won 23-21. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Neither James Madison Nor Youngstown State is Supposed to Be Here

North Dakota State was the top seed in the 2016 FCS playoffs. Eastern Washington was the second seed behind the Bison. The two teams have split the past six FCS national championships, yet both will be sitting at home on January 7 watching the game on television (ESPN2, 12:00 pm Eastern) instead of playing at Toyota Stadium this year.

The Bison were the first to fall on Friday, Dec. 16, as James Madison came to Fargo and pounded the five-time defending national champs on their home turf. The Dukes were led by senior running back Khalid Abdullah’s 232 all-purpose yards as they pushed around NDSU all day. James Madison scored first and took a 17-7 lead into the locker room at halftime. While North Dakota State scored 17 unanswered points to tie things up in the third quarter, the Dukes held the Bison more than 100 yards below their season average in rushing and racked up nearly 450 yards to upset the top seed 27-17.

The following day, Youngstown State continued its resurgence under former Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini. The Penguins made the most of its first trip to the FCS playoffs since 2006 with a last-second win on the red turf of Eastern Washington. Down 38-34 with less than five minutes remaining, the Penguins killed all but one second from the clock on its game-winning drive to win 40-38. The winning score came on a one-handed catch by redshirt freshman tight end Kevin Rader:

To be fair, James Madison was the fourth seed in the tournament. The two-time defending Colonial Athletic Association champions won their first two games in the FCS playoffs by a combined score of 120-29. Their win over North Dakota State was still surprising, though far less of a shocker than Youngstown State’s takedown of the Eagles. The unseeded Penguins took down Samford, Jacksonville State, and Wofford before the upset over EWU.

The last unseeded team to reach the national championship game was Sam Houston State in 2012. Even though they were unseeded, though, the Bearkats still received an opening-round bye in the bracket. Since the expansion of the FCS playoffs to five rounds of play, no team has won four games to even reach the finals. If Youngstown State wins the title this year, they will become the first team to win five playoff games to take the crown.

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