FRISCO, Texas - For Towson and North Dakota State, Saturday's NCAA FCS championship game is a rematch of their 1983 NCAA Division II quarter-final game.

In 1983, the teams were widely considered the two best teams in Division II football. North Dakota State came into the NCAA playoffs with a 9-1 record while the Tigers had a 10-1 record against a difficult schedule thatr included wins over Division I-AA opponents Delaware, Delaware State and James Madison.

The weather conditions that were existent in 1983 were far different than the teams will face in the FCS championship game. In 1983, the teams played at a frigid Dacotah Field in Fargo where the winds and cold temperatures made the conditions very difficult.

The Bison jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter when Jeff Willis and quarterback Jeff Bentrim scored on short touchdown runs. Bentrim's touchdown came as a result of a fumble at the Tigers' 40-yard line.

A 31-yard field goal by Jerome Nolan and a 15-yard touchdown pass from Bret Rogers to Brian O'Neal (below) enabled Towson to narrow the deficit to 14-10 at halftime.

Bentrim's 13-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the Bison a 21-10 lead before a Ken Kubisz kicked a 24-yard field goal, giving the Bison a 24-10 lead in the fourth quarter.

With 1:10 left in the game, the Tigers cut their deficit to 24-17 when Rogers threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Mike Lewns. However, the Bison recovered the onsides kick and went on to win the national championship. North Dakota State beat Cal-Davis (26-17) and Central State (41-21) to win the title.

In the win over Towson, the Bison ran for 304 yards and took advantage of four Towson turnovers.

In his final game, Rogers completed 19 of 39 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Bentrim ran for 69 yards and passed for 68 yards as the Bison won their 22nd straight home game.

O'Neal was the Tigers' top offensive performer as he caught four passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 89 yards on 22 carries.

The 1983 Tigers won the Lambert Award as the top Division II team in the East and finished the season with a 10-2 record. They also led the nation by allowing only 5.8 points per game and posted four shutouts.

Safety Gary Rubeling led the Tiger defense with 13 interceptions, a school record that led the nation. Linebackers Bob Poist and Bubby Hammond also enjoyed outstanding seasons. Poist made 65 tackles with 17 sacks while Hammond had 99 tackles and recovered seven fumbles. Defensive lineman Don Washington added 60 tackles with five fumble recoveries. Sheldon Nelson had nine sacks among his 58 tackles.

Tackle Barry Cohen, center Stan Eisenhooth and guards Mike McCabe and Terrance Brooks led the Tigers' offensive line while Lewns and Sean Murphy were the team's top receivers. Lewns caught 52 passes for 751 yards and five touchdowns while Murphy had 39 receptions for 592 yards and five TD's.

O'Neal was Towson's most productive offensive player. He ran for 326 yards on 123 carries with six touchdowns while catching 35 passes for 380 yards and seven TD's. Brian Kirchoff led the Tigers with 583 yards on 136 carries.

On Saturday, the Tigers get another chance to avenge that loss from 30 years ago.