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NCAA | December 16, 2023

Harding makes program history, wins the 2023 DII football championship

Slippery Rock vs. Kutztown: 2023 DII football championship quarterfinals | FULL REPLAY

The Harding Bisons are the 2023 DII football national champions for the first time in program history. They ran away with their second-straight lopsided victory, this time defeating Colorado School of Mines, 38-7.

After three-straight thrilling DII football championship games, the last three have been put away quite early. The Orediggers and Bisons played even in the first quarter, but from there on out, it was pretty much all Harding.

Harding went ahead 14-7 on the exact kind of drive that made the Bisons seemingly unbeatable this season. The Bisons ran a 17-play drive, which lasted more than 10 minutes and took up most of the second quarter that was capped off by a Braden Jay 10-yard touchdown run. In typical Harding flexbone fashion, six different players contributed a rush to the 74-yard scoring drive. It appeared the Orediggers were going to respond quickly after a Landon Walker 52-yard run got them in the red zone, but back-to-back tackles third and fourth-and-short by Bisons’ leading tackler Clark Griffin ended the threat.

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL:

Blake Delacruz had a big first half, rushing for over 100 yards in the first 30 minutes. Jay was right behind him with an 80-yard first half, but a 73-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the second half gave Harding two 100-yard backs with more than 27 minutes of football left. In the preview, it was said the way to beat Harding was to take them out of the flexbone, and Delacruz and Jay simply didn’t allow that to happen.

Harding’s early scoring drive in the fourth quarter was highlighted by a 60-yard Delacruz run. It was one of three 60-plus-yard runs by the Bisons, one be Delacruz, one by Jay, and one by Omar Sinclair. That put Harding over 6,000 yards rushing on the season — the first college football program at any level to accomplish the feat, proving the Harding flexbone triple-option undoubtedly works. The 38 points the rushing attack scored on the Orediggers’ top-3 defense was the most Colorado School of Mines allowed all season by a wide margin. In fact, the Orediggers allowed just 31 points in their three tournament games prior to Saturday’s defeat.

We mentioned in the preview that entering the game, both the Orediggers and Bisons were among the top-3 offenses and defenses in DII football. The Harding front was atop its game, limiting an Orediggers’ team that averaged 214.2 yards rushing to just 71 — most of which came on Walker’s 52-yard scamper. Matocha had been sacked just 26 times all season, but the Bisons got to him six times as Nathaniel Wallace led the way with two of his own. They kept the All-American in check, holding Matocha to 270 yards passing, just one touchdown, and one interception of the hands of star receiver Max McLeod.

In the end, the Bisons ended the season a perfect 15-0 and national champions for the first time in program history. Scroll down to see every result and a history of champions.

2023 NCAA DII football tournament schedule, scores

COMPLETE SEMIFINALS RECAP: Harding, Colorado School of Mines set to battle for 2023 DII football championship


*Host institution

2023 NCAA DII football tournament bracket

Interactive bracket View as a PDF

2023 DII football championship bracket

Championship history

Harding is the latest to add its names to the annals of DII football lore. Here is a list of every DII national champion since its start in 1973.

YEAR CHAMPION COACH SCORE RUNNER-UP SITE
2023 Harding Paul Simmons 38-7 Colorado School of Mines McKinney, Texas
2022 Ferris State Tony Annese 41-14 Colorado School of Mines McKinney, Texas
2021 Ferris State Tony Annese 58-17 Valdosta State McKinney, Texas
2020 Canceled due to Covid-19 -- -- -- --
2019 West Florida Pete Shinnick 48-40 Minnesota State McKinney, Texas
2018 Valdosta State Kerwin Bell 49-47 Ferris State McKinney, Texas
2017 Texas A&M-Commerce Colby Carthel 37-27 West Florida Kansas City, Kan.
2016 Northwest Missouri State Adam Dorrel 29-3 North Alabama Kansas City, Kan.
2015 Northwest Missouri State Adam Dorrel 34-7 Shepherd Kansas City, Kan.
2014 Colorado State-Pueblo John Wristen 13-0 Minnesota State-Mankato Kansas City, Kan.
2013 Northwest Missouri State Adam Dorrel 43-28 Lenoir-Rhyne Florence, Ala.
2012 Valdosta State David Dean 35-7 Winston-Salem State Florence, Ala.
2011 Pittsburg State Tim Beck 35-21 Wayne State (Mich.) Florence, Ala.
2010 Minnesota-Duluth Bob Nielson 20-17 Delta State Florence, Ala.
2009 Northwest Missouri State Mel Tjeersdma 30-23 Grand Valley State Florence, Ala.
2008 Minnesota-Duluth Bob Nielson 21-14 Northwest Missouri State Florence, Ala.
2007 Valdosta State David Dean 25-20 Northwest Missouri State Florence, Ala.
2006 Grand Valley State Chuck Martin 17-14 Northwest Missouri State Florence, Ala.
2005 Grand Valley State Chuck Martin 21-17 Northwest Missouri State Florence, Ala.
2004 Valdosta State Christ Hatcher 36-31 Pittsburg State Florence, Ala.
2003 Grand Valley State Brian Kelly 10-3 North Dakota Florence, Ala.
2002 Grand Valley State Brian Kelly 31-24 Valdosta State Florence, Ala.
2001 North Dakota Dale Lennon 17-14 Grand Valley State Florence, Ala.
2000 Delta State Steve Campbell 63-34 Bloomsburg Florence, Ala.
1999 Northwest Missouri State Mel Tjeersdma 58-52 (4ot) Carson-Newman Florence, Ala.
1998 Northwest Missouri State Mel Tjeersdma 24-6 Carson-Newman Florence, Ala.
1997 Northern Colorado Joe Glenn 51-0 New Haven Florence, Ala.
1996 Northern Colorado Joe Glenn 23-14 Carson-Newman Florence, Ala.
1995 North Alabama Bobby Wallace 27-7 Pittsburg State Florence, Ala.
1994 North Alabama Bobby Wallace 16-10 Texas A&M-Kingsville Florence, Ala.
1993 North Alabama Bobby Wallace 41-34 Indiana (Pa.) Florence, Ala.
1992 Jacksonville State Bill Burgess 17-13 Pittsburg State Florence, Ala.
1991 Pittsburg State Chuck Broyles 23-6 Jacksonville State Florence, Ala.
1990 North Dakota State Rocky Hager 51-11 Indiana (Pa.) Florence, Ala.
1989 *Mississippi College John Williams 3-0 Jacksonville State Florence, Ala.
1988 North Dakota State Rocky Hager 35-21 Portland State Florence, Ala.
1987 Troy Rick Rhoades 31-17 Portland State Florence, Ala.
1986 North Dakota State Earle Solomonson 27-7 South Dakota Florence, Ala.
1985 North Dakota State Earle Solomonson 35-7 North Alabama McAllen, Texas
1984 Troy Chan Gailey 18-17 North Dakota State McAllen, Texas
1983 North Dakota State Don Morton 41-21 Central State (Ohio) McAllen, Texas
1982 Texas State Jim Wacker 34-9 UC Davis McAllen, Texas
1981 Texas State Jim Wacker 42-13 North Dakota State McAllen, Texas
1980 Cal Poly Joe Harper 21-13 Eastern Illinois Albuquerque, N.M.
1979 Delaware Tubby Raymond 38-21 Youngstown State Albuquerque, N.M.
1978 Eastern Illinois Darrell Mudra 10-9 Delaware Longview, Texas
1977 Lehigh John Whitehead 33-0 Jacksonville State Wichita Falls, Texas
1976 Montana State Sonny Holland 24-13 Akron Wichita Falls, Texas
1975 Northern Michigan Gil Krueger 16-14 Western Kentucky Sacramento, Calif.
1974 Central Michigan Roy Kramer 54-14 Delaware Sacramento, Calif.
1973 Louisiana Tech Maxie Lambright 34-0 Western Kentucky Sacramento, Calif.

*Mississippi College's participation in the 1989 Division II championship vacated by the krikya18.committee on Infractions 

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