| Year Game Played: | 2023 |
| Game Name: | NCAA Division II Football Championship |
| Visitor Name Short: | Harding |
| Visitor Nickname: | Bisons |
| Home Nickname: | Orediggers |
| Visitor School: | Harding University |
| Home Name Short: | Colorado Mines |
| Football Season: | 2023 |
| Home School: | Colorado School of Mines |
| Visitor Record: | 15–0 |
| Home Record: | 15–0 |
| Visitor Conference: | GAC |
| Home Conference: | RMAC |
| Visitor 1Q: | 7 |
| Home 1Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 14 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 10 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 7 |
| Home 2Q: | 0 |
| Home 3Q: | 0 |
| Home 4Q: | 0 |
| Visitor Coach: | Paul Simmons |
| Home Coach: | Pete Sterbick |
| Visitor Seed: | 3 |
| Home Seed: | 1 |
| Date Game Played: | December 16 |
| Stadium: | McKinney ISD Stadium |
| City: | McKinney, Texas |
| Attendance: | 12,552 |
| Us Network: | ESPNU |
| Different Previous: | 2022 |
| Different Next: | 2024 |
The 2023 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a college football game played on December 16, 2023, at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas. The game determined the national champion of NCAA Division II for the 2023 season. The game was scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. CST and was broadcast by ESPNU.
The game featured the two finalists of the 28-team playoff bracket, which began on November 18, 2022. The three-seed Harding Bisons from the Great American Conference (GAC) defeated the top-seeded Colorado Mines Orediggers from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), 38–7. The win gave the Harding football program its first national championship.[1] [2] [3]
The participants of the 2023 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2023 Division II Playoffs, which began on November 18 with four 7-team brackets to determine super region champions, who then qualified for the national semifinals.[4]
Super region champions were reseeded 1 to 4 for the national semifinals.
| Statistic | Harding | Colorado Mines | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First downs | 21 | 18 | |
| First downs rushing | 20 | 5 | |
| First downs passing | 1 | 12 | |
| First downs penalty | 0 | 1 | |
| Third down efficiency | 7–11 | 7–12 | |
| Fourth down efficiency | 2–2 | 0–3 | |
| Total plays–net yards | 60–563 | 54–344 | |
| Rushing attempts–net yards | 58–502 | 21–71 | |
| Yards per rush | 8.7 | 3.4 | |
| Yards passing | 46 | 270 | |
| Pass completions–attempts | 2–2 | 33–24 | |
| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 1 | |
| Punt returns–total yards | 0–0 | 0–0 | |
| Kickoff returns–total yards | 2–17 | 1–3 | |
| Punts–average yardage | 1–36.0 | 2–41.5 | |
| Fumbles–lost | 0–0 | 1–0 | |
| Penalties–yards | 2–17 | 2–20 | |
| Time of possession | 36:10 | 23:50 |
| Bisons passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Keylon | 2–2 | 46 | 0–0 | ||
| Team | 2–2 | 46 | 0–0 | ||
| Bisons rushing | |||||
| Blake Delacruz | 27 | 212 | 0 | ||
| Braden Jay | 11 | 161 | 3 | ||
| Omar Sinclair | 6 | 74 | 0 | ||
| Jhalen Spicer | 3 | 23 | 1 | ||
| Cole Keylon | 7 | 20 | 1 | ||
| Chauncey Martin | 3 | 14 | 0 | ||
| Team | 58 | 502 | 5 | ||
| Bisons receiving | |||||
| Roland Wallace | 2 | 46 | 0 | ||
| Team | 2 | 46 | 0 | ||
| Orediggers passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24–33 | 270 | 1–1 | |||
| Team | 24–33 | 270 | 1–1 | ||
| Orediggers rushing | |||||
| Landon Walker | 6 | 56 | 0 | ||
| Noah Roper | 3 | 9 | 0 | ||
| John Matocha | 11 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Levi Johnson | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Team | 21 | 71 | 0 | ||
| Orediggers receiving | |||||
| Max McLeod | 14 | 153 | 0 | ||
| Flynn Schiele | 2 | 58 | 0 | ||
| Zach Hoffman | 2 | 25 | 0 | ||
| Nick Stone | 2 | 12 | 0 | ||
| Konnor Michelsen | 1 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Billy Pospisil III | 1 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Blake Smotherman | 1 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Noah Roper | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Team | 24 | 270 | 1 | ||