| Year Game Played: | 2023 |
| Football Season: | 2023 |
| Game Name: | NCAA Division III Football Championship |
| Subheader: | Stagg Bowl L |
| Visitor Name Short: | Cortland |
| Visitor Nickname: | Red Dragons |
| Visitor School: | State University of New York at Cortland |
| Home Name Short: | North Central |
| Home Nickname: | Cardinals |
| Home School: | North Central College |
| Visitor Record: | 13–1 |
| Home Record: | 14–0 |
| Visitor Conference: | Empire 8 |
| Home Conference: | CCIW |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 3 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 14 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 21 |
| Home 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 2Q: | 7 |
| Home 3Q: | 10 |
| Home 4Q: | 20 |
| Visitor Coach: | Curt Fitzpatrick |
| Home Coach: | Brad Spencer |
| Date Game Played: | December 15 |
| Stadium: | Salem Football Stadium |
| City: | Salem, Virginia |
| Attendance: | 3,381 |
| Us Network: | ESPNU |
| Different Previous: | 2022 |
| Different Next: | 2024 |
The 2023 NCAA Division III Football Championship Game, more commonly referred to as the 2023 Stagg Bowl or Stagg Bowl L, was a postseason college football game scheduled played on December 15, 2023, at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. It determined a national champion in NCAA Division III for the 2023 season. The game began at 7:00 p.m. EST, and aired on ESPNU. The game featured the two finalists of the 32-team single elimination playoff bracket, Cortland and North Central; Cortland won 38–37 to claim their first national championship.
The participants of the 2023 NCAA Division III Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2023 Division III Playoffs, a 32-team single elimination brackets tournament which began on November 18. The winners of each of the four 8-team regions qualified for the national semifinals.[1]
| Statistic | Cortland | North Central | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First downs | 28 | 21 | |
| First downs rushing | 18 | 7 | |
| First downs passing | 9 | 14 | |
| First downs penalty | 1 | 0 | |
| Third down efficiency | 6–12 | 6–10 | |
| Fourth down efficiency | 2–3 | 0–2 | |
| Total plays–net yards | 71–503 | 58–583 | |
| Rushing attempts–net yards | 37–154 | 41–404 | |
| Yards per rush | 4.2 | 9.9 | |
| Yards passing | 349 | 179 | |
| Pass completions–attempts | 26–34 | 8–17 | |
| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 0 | |
| Punt returns–total yards | 0–0 | 0–0 | |
| Kickoff returns–total yards | 5–105 | 6–136 | |
| Punts–average yardage | 2–27.5 | 1–47 | |
| Fumbles–lost | 0–0 | 1–1 | |
| Penalties–yards | 2–10 | 6–64 | |
| Time of possession | 32:43 | 27:17 |
| Red Dragons passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zac Boyes | 26–34 | 349 | 5–0 | ||
| Red Dragons rushing | |||||
| Zac Boyes | 16 | 123 | 0 | ||
| Ashton Capone | 5 | 28 | 0 | ||
| Jaden AlfanoStJohn | 13 | 26 | 0 | ||
| TEAM | 3 | –15 | 0 | ||
| Red Dragons receiving | |||||
| Cole Burgess | 11 | 134 | 2 | ||
| Joe Iadevaio | 8 | 95 | 2 | ||
| JJ Laap | 2 | 75 | 1 | ||
| Omari Kendrick | 3 | 26 | 0 | ||
| Jaden AlfanoStJohn | 2 | 19 | 0 | ||
| Cardinals passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Lehnen | 8–17 | 179 | 2–0 | ||
| Cardinals rushing | |||||
| Joe Sacco | 14 | 157 | 1 | ||
| Luke Lehnen | 11 | 115 | 2 | ||
| Charles Coleman | 10 | 94 | 0 | ||
| Sean Allen | 5 | 38 | 0 | ||
| DeAngelo Hardy | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Cardinals receiving | |||||
| DeAngelo Hardy | 5 | 146 | 1 | ||
| Joe Sacco | 1 | 14 | 0 | ||
| Jack Rummell | 1 | 12 | 0 | ||
| Charles Coleman | 1 | 7 | 1 | ||