2003 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

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2003 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
I-AA National Championship Game
1234 Total
Colgate 0000 0
Delaware 137146 40
DateDecember 19, 2003
Season2003
StadiumFinley Stadium
LocationChattanooga, Tennessee
RefereeMike Purcell (Ohio Valley)[1]
Attendance14,281[2]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2[1]
AnnouncersSean McDonough (play-by-play), Mike Golic (color), Rod Gilmore (color), Rob Stone (sideline)[1]
NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
 < 2002 2004

The 2003 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens and the Colgate Raiders. The game was played on December 19, 2003, at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The culminating game of the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Delaware, 40–0.

Teams[edit]

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2003 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.

Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens[edit]

Delaware finished their regular season with an 11–1 record (8–1 in conference). Their only loss was to Northeastern, while one of their wins was over Navy of Division I-A. The Fightin' Blue Hens, seeded second in the tournament, defeated Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa, and third-seed Wofford to reach the final. This was the second appearance for Delaware in a Division I-AA championship game, having lost in 1982.

Colgate Raiders[edit]

Colgate finished their regular season with a 12–0 record (7–0 in conference).[3] The Raiders, seeded fourth in the tournament, defeated UMass, Western Illinois, and Florida Atlantic to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Colgate in a Division I-AA championship game.

Game summary[edit]

Scoring summary[edit]

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP COLG DEL
1 7:29 8 60 2:37 DEL Antawn Jenkins 3-yard touchdown run, Brad Shushman kick good 0 7
1 2:35 5 34 2:14 DEL Germaine Bennett 1-yard touchdown run, Shushman kick no good (hit left upright) 0 13
2 14:55 5 18 1:56 DEL David Boler 5-yard touchdown reception from Andy Hall, Shushman kick good 0 20
3 7:30 5 28 2:35 DEL Boler 9-yard touchdown reception from Hall, Shushman kick good 0 27
3 2:52 8 62 3:37 DEL Bennett 1-yard touchdown run, Shushman kick good 0 34
4 12:22 7 58 3:40 DEL Jenkins 2-yard touchdown run, Shushman kick no good (wide left) 0 40
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 0 40

[2][4]

Game statistics[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 4 Raiders 0 0 0 0 0
No. 2 Fighting' Blue Hens 13 7 14 6 40
Statistics COLG DEL
First downs 10 20
Plays–yards 54–157 75–348
Rushes–yards 32–46 55–165
Passing yards 111 183
Passing: comp–att–int 10–22–0 12–20–0
Time of possession 23:23 34:40
Team Category Player Statistics
Colgate Passing Chris Brown 9–21, 94 yds
Rushing Jamal Branch 20–55
Receiving Luke Graham 4 rec, 32 yds
Delaware Passing Andy Hall 12–20, 183 yds, 2 TD
Rushing Germaine Bennett 20–60, 2 TD
Receiving David Boler 6 rec, 91 yds, 2 TD

[2][4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Colgate Delaware Football 2003 1st Half 1AA Championship". Retrieved February 2, 2019 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ a b c "Colgate vs DELAWARE". colgate.edu. December 19, 2003. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  3. ^ "Colgate Raiders, 2003 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Game statistics". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. December 20, 2003. p. C8. Retrieved February 2, 2019 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]