2025 Stagg Bowl

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2025 NCAA Division III Football Championship
Stagg Bowl LI
Mount Union Purple Raiders North Central Cardinals
(13–0) (13–0)
OAC CCIW
25 41
Head coach: 
Geoff Dartt		 Head coach: 
Brad Spencer
1234Total
Mount Union 737825
North Central 7772041
DateJanuary 5, 2025
Season2024
StadiumShell Energy Stadium
LocationHouston, Texas
MVPLuke Lehnen, QB, North Central[1]
RefereeSteven Gorski (LC)
Attendance1,938
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN/ESPN+
International TV coverage
NetworkCanada: TSN+

The 2025 NCAA Division III Football Championship Game, more commonly referred to as the 2025 Stagg Bowl or Stagg Bowl LI, was a postseason college football played on January 5, 2025, at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas. It determined a national champion in NCAA Division III for the 2024 season. The game began at 8:00 p.m. EST, and aired on ESPN and ESPN+. The game featured the two finalists of the 40-team single elimination playoff bracket, Mount Union and North Central; North Central won 41–25 to claim their third national championship.

Teams

The participants of the 2024 NCAA Division III Football Championship Game are the finalists of the 2024 Division III Playoffs, a 40-team single elimination brackets tournament which began on November 16. The winners of each of the four 8-team regions qualified for the national semifinals.[2]

National semifinals

Semifinals
December 21
Asterisk denotes host 		National Championship
January 5, 2025
Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, Texas
      
Susquehanna 0
* North Central 66
North Central 41
Mount Union 25
Johns Hopkins 37
* Mount Union 45

Game summary

2025 Stagg Bowl
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 5 Mount Union 7 3 7825
No. 1 North Central 7 7 72041

at Shell Energy Stadium • Houston, Texas

  • Date: Sunday, January 5, 2025
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny
  • Game attendance: 1,938
  • Referee: Steven Gorski
  • TV: ESPN/ESPN+
  • [3][4]
Game information
First quarter
  • UMU – Tyler Echeverry 24-yard run (Ivan Maric kick), 8:30. Purple Raiders 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 4:19.
  • NCC – Myles Walton 24-yard pass from Luke Lehnen (Sean Ryniec kick), 4:35. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 3:48.

Second quarter

  • NCC – Luke Lehnen 16-yard run (Sean Ryniec kick), 8:09. Cardinals 14–7. Drive: 11 plays, 88 yards, 5:17.
  • UMU – Ivan Maric 30-yard field goal, 3:57. Cardinals 14–10. Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, 4:07.

Third quarter

  • NCC – Jacob Paradee 1-yard pass from Luke Lehnen (Sean Ryniec kick), 5:57. Cardinals 21–10. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 4:01.
  • UMU – Nick Turner 31-yard pass from T. J. Deshields (Ivan Maric kick), 3:17. Cardinals 21–17. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:40.

Fourth quarter

  • NCC – Jack Rummell 6-yard pass from Luke Lehnen (Sean Ryniec kick), 14:18. Cardinals 28–17. Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 3:49.
  • UMU – Jerry Cooper 54-yard pass from T. J. Deshields (T. J. Deshields pass to Drew Sims), 13:37. Cardinals 28–25. Drive: 2 plays, 55 yards, 0:32.
  • NCC – Charles Coleman 66-yard run (kick blocked), 12:41. Cardinals 34–25. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:56.
  • NCC – Jacob Paradee 12-yard pass from Luke Lehnen (Sean Ryniec kick), 2:32. Cardinals 41–25. Drive: 15 plays, 92 yards, 6:54.

Statistics

Statistics UMU NCC
First downs2325
Plays–yards64–42663–495
Rushes–yards28–11237–197
Passing yards314298
Passing: comp–att–int21–36–018–26–0
Time of possession29:3230:28
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Mount Union PassingT. J. Deshields21/36, 314 yards, 2 TD
RushingTyler Echeverry20 rushes, 83 yards, TD
ReceivingNick Turner7 receptions, 104 yards, TD
North Central PassingLuke Lehnen18/26, 298 yards, 4 TD
RushingCharles Coleman2 rushes, 68 yards, TD
ReceivingThomas Skokna3 receptions, 94 yards

References

  1. "North Central wins third title". D3football.com. January 5, 2025. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  2. "2024 Division III Football Official Bracket". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  3. "2024 DIII Football Championship". NCAA. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  4. "DIII Championship". ESPN. Retrieved January 4, 2025.