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.
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 [ edit ] 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 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.
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]
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]
^ 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.
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
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