Sports > Schools
Same old story: North Dakota State routs Sam Houston State in title rematch
BY CHRIS O'DELL, codell@starlocalnews.com
FRISCO -- For North Dakota State, Saturday's NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was much of the same from last year's showdown.
The Bison dominated the second half after entering the locker room in a 10-10 tie and steamrolled Sam Houston State for a 39-13 victory in front of a sold-out crowd of 21,411 at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco.
"It wasn't their day, it was our day," said Marcus Williams, North Dakota State cornerback.
The victory allowed the Bison to become just the sixth team and the first in six years to repeat as the national champion.
"I felt coming into the game that Sam Houston was a better team than they were last year," said Craig Bohl, North Dakota State head coach. "They certainly had more weapons."
Falling in the national championship game for the second consecutive season was tough to swallow for the Sam Houston senior class, which included Mesquite graduates Darius Taylor and Darnell Taylor.
That duo was a big reason why the Bearkats were able to return to the title game.
Darnell Taylor, a defensive back, led the team this season with 102 tackles, while adding two interceptions and seven pass breakups.
Darius Taylor, a linebacker, had a team-high 11 tackles in the championship game. He was third on the team with 83 tackles on the year, while leading Sam Houston with 16 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
Poteet graduate and Bearkats freshman Steven Hicks and Sachse graduate and current freshman Shane Weeks were also part of the national runner-up team.
Quarterback Brock Jensen led the charge for the Bison, scoring three rushing touchdowns while running back Sam Ojuri added two more on the ground in the second half.
"It's got to be the hardest thing to do in sports to repeat a championship," Jensen said. "Go back to back, especially National Championship. It's hard enough to repeat a conference championship."
With more than 10,000 Bison fans decked out in green and gold, a stampede of fans stormed the field after the final seconds ticked off the clock in the fourth quarter, clinching North Dakota State's second straight title.
The Bison dominated the second half after entering the locker room in a 10-10 tie and steamrolled Sam Houston State for a 39-13 victory in front of a sold-out crowd of 21,411 at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco.
"It wasn't their day, it was our day," said Marcus Williams, North Dakota State cornerback.
The victory allowed the Bison to become just the sixth team and the first in six years to repeat as the national champion.
"I felt coming into the game that Sam Houston was a better team than they were last year," said Craig Bohl, North Dakota State head coach. "They certainly had more weapons."
Falling in the national championship game for the second consecutive season was tough to swallow for the Sam Houston senior class, which included Mesquite graduates Darius Taylor and Darnell Taylor.
That duo was a big reason why the Bearkats were able to return to the title game.
Darnell Taylor, a defensive back, led the team this season with 102 tackles, while adding two interceptions and seven pass breakups.
Darius Taylor, a linebacker, had a team-high 11 tackles in the championship game. He was third on the team with 83 tackles on the year, while leading Sam Houston with 16 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
Poteet graduate and Bearkats freshman Steven Hicks and Sachse graduate and current freshman Shane Weeks were also part of the national runner-up team.
Quarterback Brock Jensen led the charge for the Bison, scoring three rushing touchdowns while running back Sam Ojuri added two more on the ground in the second half.
"It's got to be the hardest thing to do in sports to repeat a championship," Jensen said. "Go back to back, especially National Championship. It's hard enough to repeat a conference championship."
With more than 10,000 Bison fans decked out in green and gold, a stampede of fans stormed the field after the final seconds ticked off the clock in the fourth quarter, clinching North Dakota State's second straight title.
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