2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game

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2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship
FCS National Championship Game
1234 Total
Delaware 6670 19
Eastern Washington 00614 20
DateJanuary 7, 2011
Season2010
StadiumPizza Hut Park
LocationFrisco, Texas
MVPBo Levi Mitchell (QB, Eastern Washington)[1]
FavoriteDelaware by 8.5[2]
RefereeRodney Burnette (SoCon)[3]
Attendance13,027[3]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2
NCAA Division I Football Championship
 < 2009 2012

The 2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens and the Eastern Washington Eagles. It was played on January 7, 2011, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. The culminating game of the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season, it was won by Eastern Washington, 20–19.

This was the first FCS (formerly Division I-AA) title game played in Frisco, after the prior 13 editions had been contested at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. With the tournament field expanded from 16 to 20 teams, this was also the first time for the title game to be contested in January, several weeks after the semifinals. Played on a Friday night with a kickoff shortly after 6:00 p.m. CST, it was broadcast on ESPN2.

Teams[edit]

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2010 FCS Playoffs, which began with a 20-team bracket. This was the first season of 20 teams in the tournament field; it had been 16 teams since 1986.

Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens[edit]

Delaware finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (6–2 in conference). As the third-seed in the tournament, the Fightin' Blue Hens defeated Lehigh, New Hampshire, and Georgia Southern to reach the final. This was Delaware's fourth appearance in an FCS/Division I-AA title game, having previously won in 2003, and having lost in 1982 and 2007.

Eastern Washington Eagles[edit]

Eastern Washington finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (7–1 in conference), with one of their losses coming to Nevada of the FBS. As the fifth-seed in the tournament, the Eagles defeated Southeast Missouri State, North Dakota State, and Villanova to reach the final. This was Eastern Washington's first appearance in an FCS/Division I-AA championship game.

Game summary[edit]

Delaware held a 12–0 lead at halftime and had extended their lead to 19–0 with under five minutes remaining in the third quarter, only to see Eastern Washington score three touchdowns in the remainder of the game to win the title, 20–19.

Scoring summary[edit]

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP DEL EWU
1 5:14 14 80 6:09 DEL Andrew Pierce 3-yard touchdown run, Mike Perry kick blocked 6 0
2 12:29 13 76 5:16 DEL 21-yard field goal by Perry 9 0
2 6:46 10 49 3:27 DEL 33-yard field goal by Perry 12 0
3 7:12 10 60 4:43 DEL David Hayes 1-yard touchdown run, Perry kick good 19 0
3 3:15 5 80 1:30 EWU Brandon Kaufman 22-yard touchdown reception from Bo Levi Mitchell, 2-point pass incomplete 19 6
4 3:15 14 89 4:47 EWU Nicholas Edwards 9-yard touchdown reception from Mitchell, Jarrett kick good 19 13
4 2:47 8 63 3:25 EWU Kaufman 11-yard touchdown reception from Mitchell, Jarrett kick good 19 20
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 19 20

[4][5][6]

Game statistics[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 3 Fightin' Blue Hens 6 6 7 0 19
No. 5 Eagles 0 0 6 14 20
Delaware quarterback Pat Devlin
Statistics DEL EWU
First downs 26 20
Plays–yards 80–417 64–327
Rushes–yards 46–197 21–25
Passing yards 220 302
Passing: comp–att–int 22–34–1 29–43–1
Time of possession 33:41 26:19
Team Category Player Statistics
Delaware Passing Pat Devlin 22–34, 220 yds, 1 INT
Rushing Andrew Pierce 28 car, 142 yds, 1 TD
Receiving Nihja White 5 rec, 73 yds
Eastern Washington Passing Bo Levi Mitchell 29–43, 302 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Mario Brown 13 car, 23 yds
Receiving Nicholas Edwards 6 rec, 74 yds, 1 TD

[7][8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Outstanding players of FCS championship game". ESPN. AP. January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  2. ^ "Eastern Washington Eagles @ Delaware Blue Hens". vegasinsider.com. January 7, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Delaware vs Eastern Washington". caasports.com. January 7, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  4. ^ "Delaware vs. Eastern Washington - Play-By-Play". ESPN. January 7, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  5. ^ Tresolini, Kevin (January 8, 2011). "As Hens' 19-point lead crumbles, title hopes buried". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. p. C1. Retrieved January 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Tresolini, Kevin (January 8, 2011). "Hens: Missed extra point, early field goals haunt UD". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. p. C2. Retrieved January 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Delaware vs. Eastern Washington - Game Summary". ESPN. January 7, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  8. ^ "Championship (box score)". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. January 8, 2011. p. 18. Retrieved January 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.

External links[edit]