Appalachian State finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (6–1 in conference). Two of their losses were to Division I-A teams;
Kansas and
LSU. The Mountaineers were the second-seed in the tournament and defeated
Lafayette,
Southern Illinois, and
Furman to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Appalachian State in a Division I-AA championship game.
Northern Iowa finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (5–2 in conference). One of their losses was to
Iowa of Division I-A. The Panthers were unseeded in the tournament; they defeated
Eastern Washington, first-seed
New Hampshire, and fourth-seed
Texas State to reach the final. This was also the first appearance for Northern Iowa in a Division I-AA championship game.
Game summary
Northern Iowa took a 6–0 lead in the first quarter, from a pair of
field goals. In the second quarter, Appalachian State briefly went ahead, 7–6, on a five-yard
touchdown run by
Kevin Richardson. Northern Iowa then reclaimed the lead on a touchdown of their own, and extended their advantage to 16–7 from another field goal shortly before halftime. In the third quarter, Richardson's second touchdown of the game brought Appalachian State to within two points, 16–14. With just over nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Appalachian State forced a fumble, which was picked up and run in for a touchdown by
Jason Hunter. There would be no further scoring, as Appalachian State won their first title via the 21–16 final.[3]
Appalachian State finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (6–1 in conference). Two of their losses were to Division I-A teams;
Kansas and
LSU. The Mountaineers were the second-seed in the tournament and defeated
Lafayette,
Southern Illinois, and
Furman to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Appalachian State in a Division I-AA championship game.
Northern Iowa finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (5–2 in conference). One of their losses was to
Iowa of Division I-A. The Panthers were unseeded in the tournament; they defeated
Eastern Washington, first-seed
New Hampshire, and fourth-seed
Texas State to reach the final. This was also the first appearance for Northern Iowa in a Division I-AA championship game.
Game summary
Northern Iowa took a 6–0 lead in the first quarter, from a pair of
field goals. In the second quarter, Appalachian State briefly went ahead, 7–6, on a five-yard
touchdown run by
Kevin Richardson. Northern Iowa then reclaimed the lead on a touchdown of their own, and extended their advantage to 16–7 from another field goal shortly before halftime. In the third quarter, Richardson's second touchdown of the game brought Appalachian State to within two points, 16–14. With just over nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Appalachian State forced a fumble, which was picked up and run in for a touchdown by
Jason Hunter. There would be no further scoring, as Appalachian State won their first title via the 21–16 final.[3]