Game of the Week (link)
2023 NJCAA National Championship
#2 Iowa Western vs. #4 East Mississippi
Date: Wednesday, December 13, 2023
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. CT
Location:
War Memorial Stadium
1 Stadium Dr.
Little Rock, AR 72205
Google Map Link
Streaming & Stats:
Watch Live on ESPNU or ESPN+
Live Stats
Charlotte, NC – The 2023 NJCAA Division I Football Championship, presented by Zurich Insurance, will feature No. 2 Iowa Western and No. 4 East Mississippi in Little Rock, Arkansas at War Memorial Stadium, on Wednesday, December 13 at 7:00 PM CT. The championship matchup will be televised nationally by ESPNU, making the game's sixth consecutive primetime airing and the second on ESPN. This is the fourth consecutive NJCAA Football Championship held at the historic War Memorial Stadium.
Tickets for the championship can be purchased by visiting njcaa.org/tickets and are available through HomeTown Ticketing, the NJCAA's Exclusive Online Ticketing Provider. General admission tickets by session are available to purchase for $15 and club-level tickets are $45 each. Club-level seats include heated box seating with access to premium concessions, beverages, and private restrooms.
On Saturday, December 2, and Sunday, December 3, NJCAA held its third-ever Division I Football Playoff Semifinal games, where No. 1 Hutchinson hosted No. 4 East Mississippi and No. 3 Kilgore traveled to face No. 2 Iowa Western for a place in the championship.
No. 4 East Mississippi defeated the Blue Dragons 27-23. Hutchinson took the lead early with a 39-yard field goal but East Mississippi quickly gained traction with a touchdown and ended the first quarter with a 14-10 lead. The Blue Dragons took the lead in the third quarter when quarterback Samari Collier threw a 60-yard pass to Oran Singleton. Hutchinson held the lead until the fourth quarter when the Lions came from behind in the last minute when wide receiver Cam Wright received an eight-yard pass from quarterback Ty Keyes to lead East Mississippi to the 27-23 victory. The Blue Dragons, holding the top rank in the NJCAA Division I Football polls since the first week of the regular season, received their first loss Saturday and finished the season with a 10-1 record. This year marked East Mississippi's first NJCAA DI Playoff appearance since the NJCAA went to the playoff system in 2021. East Mississippi last advanced to the national title game in 2018 when the Lions claimed the championship in Pittsburg, KS by defeating Garden City (KS) 10-9.
After defeating No. 3 Kilgore 47-7 on the Reivers' home field, second-seeded Iowa Western advances to the NJCAA DI Football Championship in Little Rock for the third consecutive year. In the first quarter, the Reivers jumped out to an early 28-0 lead over Kilgore with Jonathan Humpal having a 95-yard run. Iowa Western held the lead the remainder of the game only giving up one touchdown in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Hunter Watson threw for 176 yards and three touchdowns. One of Watson's passing TDs was a 40-yard reception to Jordan Johnson who posted 59 yards receiving in the contest. Iowa Western improved to 11-1 Sunday and will prepare to face East Mississippi for the first time since the 2014 national title game. The program's last championship title came in 2022 over Hutchinson (KS).