James Madison halts NDSU dynasty, reaches FCS final

(STATS) -- North Dakota State's FCS dynasty wasn't halted Friday night because of a fluke play, an official's mistake or anything that could have people questioning the outcome.

No, the top-seeded Bison won't be adding to their record run of five straight FCS national championships simply because fourth-seeded James Madison earned its 27-17 victory in the national semifinals at the Fargodome.

What made the Dukes (13-1) better was they basically had to win the game twice. The CAA Football champion built a 17-0 lead in the first half and gave it all away, then overcame North Dakota State's momentum in the second half to win going away at the usually invincible Fargodome.

In ending NDSU's 22-game playoff win streak, James Madison advanced to the national championship game Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas, against the winner of Saturday's semifinal between Youngstown State (11-3) and No. 2 seed Eastern Washington (12-1).

James Madison captured the 2004 FCS title in its only other appearance in the final.

Entering the game, NDSU was 83-6 since the beginning of the 2011 national championship season. Yet, while the Dukes' win over the Bison (12-2) was an upset, it wasn't a shocker. First-year coach Mike Houston's team hasn't lost to an FCS opponent and is on an 11-game winning streak.

Junior quarterback Bryan Schor threw for 242 yards and a touchdown to three different receivers. One went to senior Khalid Abdullah, who looked like an NFL running back while gashing a formidable Bison defense with speed and elusive cuts for 180 yards on 23 carries.

Defensively, linebackers Dimitri Holloway and Gage Steele were all over the field with 16 and 11 tackles, respectively.

James Madison took the lead for good 20-17 on Tyler Gray's career-long, 45-yard field goal with 11:46 to play, and Schor extended the lead on their next possession by connecting with wide receiver John Miller for a 25-yard touchdown.

Gray's go-ahead kick nearly didn't happen. Bison defensive lineman Brad Ambrosius jumped offside when Schor was trying a pooch punt on 4th-and-19 at the Bison 33. The penalty moved the ball to the 28, and the Dukes let Gray try the field goal even though he had never kicked one longer than 33 yards.

When James Madison took a 17-0 lead in the first half, North Dakota State faced the largest deficit in its FCS playoff history -- all this decade.

Where most teams have failed, the Dukes' offense proved in the first quarter it could handle NDSU's vaunted defense. Gray hit the left upright to miss on a 42-yard field goal attempt midway through the quarter, but the Dukes needed only four plays on their next possession to go 87 yards and take a 7-0 lead. Abdullah had 29- and 28-yard carries before Schor connected with tight end Jonathan Kloosterman up the middle for a 14-yard touchdown at the 1:18 mark.

On JMU's first drive of the second quarter, Schor's 34-yard pass to Ishmael Hyman to the NDSU 5 set up Gray for a 24-yard field goal, which increased the Dukes' lead to 10-0.

After Cam Pedersen missed a 45-yard field goal attempt to end NDSU's next drive, JMU went 72 yards in six plays, making it 17-0 on Abdullah's 10-yard touchdown catch from Schor with 6:51 left in the first half.

It was the second straight week that North Dakota State erased a double-digit deficit, having scored the final 36 points of a 36-10 win over South Dakota State in the quarterfinals last Saturday.

NDSU got a much-needed touchdown just before the game reached halftime. Fullback Chase Morlock capped an 11-play drive with a 3-yard run, which pulled the Bison within 17-7 with 1:36 left.

They got the ball to start the second half and Pedersen ended the possession with a 45-yard field goal. King Frazier later rushed for a 16-yard touchdown on their second possession, tying the game 17-17.