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.
Teams
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
Game summary
2023 Stagg Bowl
at Salem Football Stadium • Salem, Virginia
- Date: Friday, December 15, 2023
- Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 45 °F (7 °C) • Wind: E 0 mph
- Game attendance: 3,381
- Referee: Justin Ackley
- TV: 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 | |
Statistics
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 | | | |
References
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| Seasons | |
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| Playoffs | |
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| Championship games | |
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| Records & statistics | |
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Games through 2023 were played in December. Subsequent games have been played in January (*) |