Reivers Dominate en Route to Second Title

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Iowa Western Reivers (10-2) rolled to a 31-0 win over Hutchinson (Kan.) in the 2022 NJCAA Division I Football National Championship game on Wednesday night.

Aired on ESPNU, the Reivers sought redemption against Huchinson from a loss in their final game of the season in which they blew an 11-point lead in the final eight minutes of the game -- which nearly kept them out of the playoffs.

Iowa Western dashed any doubts last night with the convincing victory to pick up their second National Championship in program history, and first since 2012.

The Reivers came into the game boasting the best defense in the country, allowing the least amount of yards per game -- and the least amount of points. Last night was no different. Iowa Western held the Blue Dragon offense, the highest scoring offense in the country, to just 159 yards of total offense. Bolstered by their dominant defensive line, they allowed just 12 yards rushing and collected six sacks. As a unit the Revier defense forced four fumbles and recovered three of them -- winning the turnover battle 3-1.

On the interior, Quientrail Jamison-Travis wreaked havoc, collecting four tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two recoveries. He earned MVP honors for the game.

In all -- Iowa Western collected 11 tackles for a loss -- nearly one out of every four tackles coming for negative yardage.

As for the offense, the Reivers received a solid performance all around. They ignited their 31-point outburst with a 68 yard swing pass to LJ Fitzpatrick on their opening drive.

By the end of the first quarter they held a 17-0 lead.

Running back Bryant Williams added a pair of rushing touchdowns in the second half to put the game out of reach.

Overall, the Reivers netted over 400 yards of offense, with 288 yards coming on the ground. Quarterback James Graham led all rushers with 102 yards on 17 carries and Williams had 70.

Notably, Iowa Western only completed four passes on the night for 116 yards. Their dominance up front and in the run game was the deciding factor.

The Reivers finished the 2022 season with a record of 10-2 and claimed their second national championship in their fourth appearance in the game. The Reivers had lost their last two appearances in 2021 against New Mexico Military and in 2014 against East Mississippi.