The best game you (probably) didn’t see on Saturday went down in McKinney, Texas, where Valdosta State (Ga.) took down Ferris State (Mich.) in a thrilling Division II National Championship.
In a back-and-forth game that saw the lead change hands seven times in the second and third quarters, Valdosta State seemingly seized control when Rogan Wells hit Travis Taylor for a 1-yard touchdown toss, handing the Blazers a 42-31 lead with 4:25 left in the third quarter.
Ferris State pulled back within 42-38 by the end of the third quarter, though, through this acrobatic touchdown grab by Keyondre Craig.
THIS JUST HAPPENED. OH MY...KEYONDRE CRAIG. 😱#D2FB / #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/2Rpuw8AKdA
— NCAA Division II (@NCAADII) December 15, 2018
Wells’ fifth touchdown pass of the game put Valdosta State in front 49-38 with 11:36 to play, but a Ferris State field goal cut the lead back to single digits, and then a turnover on downs at the Ferris State 34 gave the Bulldogs a chance to send the game to overtime. A 5-play, 66-yard drive gave Ferris State the touchdown it needed with 40 seconds left, but the requisite 2-point try was no good.
“When I saw the ball high and wide, that was a great feeling,” Valdosta head coach Kerwin Bell told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“This was the first one we pulled out (this season) — 0-for-1,” Ferris State head coach Tony Annese told the Detroit Free Press afterward. “In the end, I told them it was my fault we lost because we probably should have had a better two-point conversion play.”
Valdosta State’s defense held, and the 49-47 win gave the program its fourth Division II national championship.
Valdosta State forces an incompletion on a potential game-tying two-point conversion. 40 seconds left!
— NCAA Division II (@NCAADII) December 16, 2018
📖: https://t.co/KWWkVAbdxX
📺: ESPNU
💻: https://t.co/Sal24n8szs#D2FB pic.twitter.com/nc3S5llHzd
Wells earned MVP honors for Valdosta State, hitting 19-of-31 passes for 349 yards and five touchdowns. Ferris State’s Jayru Campbell -- winner of the Harlon Hill Trophy, Division II’s Heisman Trophy equivalent -- completed 10-of-18 passes for 99 yards with a touchdown and an interception while posting a game-high 22 carries for 122 yards and a score.
Valdosta State, picked fifth in the Gulf South Conference in preseason, completed the first undefeated season in school history at 14-0. The national title is Valdosta’s first since 2012; the Blazers also won national titles in 2004 and 2007.