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NCAA Division III college football championship game
College football game
The 2023 NCAA Division III Football Championship Game , more commonly referred to as the 2023 Stagg Bowl or Stagg Bowl L , was a postseason college football game scheduled played on December 15, 2023, at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia . It determined a national champion in NCAA Division III for the 2023 season . The game began at 7:00 p.m. EST , and aired on ESPNU . The game featured the two finalists of the 32-team single elimination playoff bracket, Cortland and North Central ; Cortland won 38–37 to claim their first national championship.
The participants of the 2023 NCAA Division III Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2023 Division III Playoffs , a 32-team single elimination brackets tournament which began on November 18. The winners of each of the four 8-team regions qualified for the national semifinals.[ 1]
National semifinals [ edit ]
2023 Stagg Bowl
Quarter
Total
Cortland 0
3
14 21 38
North Central
0
7
10 20 37
at Salem Football Stadium • Salem, Virginia
Date : Friday, December 15, 2023Game time : 7:00 p.m. EST Game weather : Clear • Temperature : 45 °F (7 °C) • Wind : E 0 mphGame attendance : 3,381Referee : Justin AckleyTV : ESPNU
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
Cortland
North Central
2
0:57
15
92
6:21
North Central
Charles Coleman 7-yard touchdown reception from Luke Lehnen, Sean Ryniec kick good
0
7
2
0:02
7
55
0:55
Cortland
31-yard field goal by Mike Baloga
3
7
3
11:33
7
72
3:27
Cortland
Cole Burgess 9-yard touchdown reception from Zac Boyes, Mike Baloga kick good
10
7
3
6:34
5
47
2:14
North Central
Joe Sacco 4-yard touchdown run, Sean Ryniec kick good
10
14
3
6:21
2
65
0:13
Cortland
JJ Laap 65-yard touchdown reception from Zac Boyes, Mike Baloga kick good
17
14
3
3:16
7
62
3:05
North Central
24-yard field goal by Sean Ryniec
17
17
4
14:56
8
73
3:20
Cortland
Joe Iadevaio 9-yard touchdown reception from Zac Boyes, Mike Baloga kick good
24
17
4
13:39
3
65
1:17
North Central
Luke Lehnen 4-yard touchdown run, Sean Ryniec kick good
24
24
4
8:16
10
63
5:23
Cortland
Joe Iadevaio 10-yard touchdown reception from Zac Boyes, Mike Baloga kick good
31
24
4
7:16
3
71
1:00
North Central
Luke Lehnen 64-yard touchdown run, Sean Ryniec kick good
31
31
4
1:41
10
73
5:35
Cortland
Cole Burgess 21-yard touchdown reception from Zac Boyes, Mike Baloga kick good
38
31
4
1:20
2
72
0:21
North Central
DeAngelo Hardy 60-yard touchdown reception from Luke Lehnen, 2-point run by Luke Lehnen was stopped short of the end zone
38
37
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
38
37
Team statistical comparison[ 2]
Statistic
Cortland
North Central
First downs
28
21
First downs rushing
18
7
First downs passing
9
14
First downs penalty
1
0
Third down efficiency
6–12
6–10
Fourth down efficiency
2–3
0–2
Total plays–net yards
71–503
58–583
Rushing attempts–net yards
37–154
41–404
Yards per rush
4.2
9.9
Yards passing
349
179
Pass completions–attempts
26–34
8–17
Interceptions thrown
0
0
Punt returns–total yards
0–0
0–0
Kickoff returns–total yards
5–105
6–136
Punts–average yardage
2–27.5
1–47
Fumbles–lost
0–0
1–1
Penalties–yards
2–10
6–64
Time of possession
32:43
27:17
Seasons
Playoffs
Championship games
Records & statistics
Games through 2023 were played in December. Subsequent games have been played in January (*)
