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Photo by Darla S Tamulitis La Vita Loca Photogrjaphy Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved |
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved
FRISCO, TEXAS (January 10, 2020) For the second time in three years, the No. 1 North Dakota State Bison and the No. 2 James Madison Dukes will take to the field inside Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas in the NCAA Division I Football Championship game. The Bison (15-0, 8-0 MVFC) go into the game with a 36-game winning streak and are looking for their eighth FCS crown.
The Dukes (14-1, 8-0 CAA) are making their fourth appearance in the national championship game, seeking their third title. They defeated Montana 31-21 in the 2004 championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee and won its second crown in 2016 with a 28-14 triumph against Youngstown State in Frisco.
James Madison head coach Curt Cignetti talked with the press on Friday, stating;
"This is a great football team, with a lot of guys that have played a lot of football, a lot of really good players, exceptional players at their position. Good personalities. Good leadership. There's a great culture at JMU with the tradition and the success of the past.
It's been talked about, they got off track maybe just a little bit last year with their focus. They realize that. I think I was lucky and fortunate really to be able to coach this team. But we had a plan and we knew what we wanted and improved the team without question.
But this team kind of got it after a while, kind of what I was looking for, which are those crisp, short practices, focused in, locked in, this play is over, tear off the rear view mirror, never too high, never too low.
Practice is kind of like a game, really fast (snapping fingers). You got to have six seconds a play. The play is going to have a history of its own. Focused in on the right things. Played consistently throughout the season. Practiced that way also. Handled business that way also.
We had no off-the-field problems at all with this team. These guys have played a lot of ball together. So here we are ready to go."
North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz also spoke with the press.
"I think the first thing we always talk about, we always address early in the season, is we treat every year as a different year. There is no carryover. I'm going to go back to a couple years ago. I had a young man by the name of MJ Stumpf, he had won a national championship as a backup. We asked him, MJ, you won a national championship. His comment was, Coach, I haven't won one yet. You only win them when you're a starter at NDSU.
That's part of the desire of every kid wants to live up to the expectations that our tradition has shown. We treat every year differently. This is the last game that the 2019 football team is ever going to play. We're going to look different next year. We look different than we did a year ago. Each team has their own nuances, characteristics.
This is a pretty good football team we have right now. I think that's part of the way we avoid complacency, is we continue to challenge them who they are, to be the best they can be in that moment right then."
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CST with the game being televised on ABC and ESPN3.
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