Dec. 6, 2008

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Carroll (Mont.) and Sioux Falls (S.D.) will meet in a rematch of the 2007 NAIA Football National Championship as both undefeated programs won today (Dec. 6) in their respective Football Championship Series (FCS) Semifinal. Carroll (13-0) held on against Lindenwood (Mo.) 38-37 to win its 28^th straight overall game. Sioux Falls (13-0) returns to its third straight National Championship after taking out undefeated St. Francis (Ind.) 24-6. The Saints of Carroll won their fifth national title by a 17-9 count last year in Savannah, Tenn.

Carroll hung on against a Lindenwood (11-1) team making its first ever Semifinal appearance. The Lions of LU drove 99 yards on 18 plays and got to within one point with :38 seconds left in the game. On the point-after-attempt, LU decided to go for the win but quarterback Ben Kisner’s pass attempt to Rudy Fleming fell incomplete. Carroll held a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter before the thrilling ending. The Saints have won five of the last six national titles and are 60-2 in their last 62 games.

Sioux Falls nearly picked up its eighth shut-out of the season, which would have tied the national single-season record, however St. Francis scored in the fourth quarter. St. Francis (12-1) managed just 115 yards of total offense including  five rushing yards. The home defense forced St. Francis into seven punts and limited the Cougars to just 10 first downs. On the other side, Sioux Falls posted 323 yards of offense including 109 on the ground by Erik Cimpl and 85 from quarterback Lorenzo Brown.

The 53rd Annual Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship will take place from Rome, Ga., with kick-off scheduled for 12 p.m. EST on Dec. 20. For more information of the title game, click here.

For complete Championship history and records, click here.
For more information on the 2008 National Championship, click here.