Postseason college football game between the James Madison Dukes and the Montana Grizzlies
This article is about the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game. For the Division I-A (now FBS) championship game, see
2004 Sugar Bowl .
College football game
The 2004 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the James Madison Dukes and the Montana Grizzlies . The game was played on December 17, 2004, at Finley Stadium , home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga . The culminating game of the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA football season , it was won by James Madison, 31–21.
Teams
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2004 I-AA Playoffs , which began with a 16-team bracket .
James Madison Dukes
James Madison finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (7–1 in conference). One of their losses was to West Virginia of Division I-A. The Dukes, unseeded in the tournament, defeated Lehigh , second-seed Furman , and third-seed William & Mary to reach the final. This was the first appearance for James Madison in a Division I-AA championship game.
Montana Grizzlies
Montana finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (6–1 in conference). The Grizzlies, also unseeded in the tournament, defeated Northwestern State , New Hampshire , and Sam Houston State to reach the final. This was the fifth appearance for Montana in a Division I-AA championship game; they had won in 1995 and 2001, and lost in 1996 and 2000.
Game summary
Scoring summary
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
JMU
MONT
1
10:08
11
71
4:52
MONT
Jefferson Heidelberger 3-yard touchdown reception from Craig Ochs , Dan Carpenter kick good
0
7
2
8:54
14
74
6:27
JMU
28-yard field goal by David Rabil
3
7
2
0:16
13
71
5:05
JMU
Maurice Fenner 1-yard touchdown run, Rabil kick good
10
7
3
11:58
6
80
3:02
JMU
Justin Rascati 11-yard touchdown run, Rabil kick good
17
7
3
8:51
9
75
3:01
MONT
Levander Segars 17-yard touchdown reception from Ochs, Carpenter kick good
17
14
3
7:29
3
29
0:24
MONT
Willie Walden 8-yard touchdown reception from Ochs, Carpenter kick good
17
21
3
3:25
9
72
3:57
JMU
Fenner 1-yard touchdown run, Rabil kick good
24
21
4
8:00
16
80
7:05
JMU
Rascati 6-yard touchdown run, Rabil kick good
31
21
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
31
21
[1] [2] [3] [4]
Game statistics
1
2
3
4
Total
Dukes
0
10
14
7
31
Grizzlies
7
0
14
0
21
Montana running back Lex Hilliard
Statistics
JMU
MONT
First downs
32
21
Plays–yards
79–446
61–415
Rushes–yards
61–314
23–44
Passing yards
132
371
Passing: comp–att–int
13–18–0
29–38–1
Time of possession
36:13
23:47
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
James Madison
Passing
Justin Rascati
13–18, 132 yds
Rushing
Maurice Fenner
29 car, 164 yds, 2 TD
Receiving
Tom Ridley
3 rec, 32 yds
Montana
Passing
Craig Ochs
29–38, 371 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Lex Hilliard
12 car, 26 yds
Receiving
Jon Talmage
6 rec, 84 yds
[1] [2]
References
^ a b c "James Madison vs Montana" . ncaa.org . December 17, 2004. Retrieved February 1, 2019 .
^ a b c "Dukes 31, Grizzlies 21 (box score)" . Great Falls Tribune . Great Falls, Montana . December 18, 2004. p. 7S. Retrieved January 31, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^ Hartlaub, Ron (December 18, 2004). "Dukes" . The News Leader . Staunton, Virginia . p. B5. Retrieved February 1, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^ Geise, George (December 18, 2004). "Griz: Penalties hurt Montana" . Great Falls Tribune . Great Falls, Montana . p. 6S. Retrieved February 1, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
Further reading
External links
Games through 2009 were played in December. Subsequent games have been played in January (*) or May (†).
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture and lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
2004–05 NCAA Division I championships
† Not an officially sanctioned NCAA championship