Frisco, Tx  (ESPN)   Ben DiNucci’s end zone pick ,by  James Hendricks seals FCS Championship of Bison, Saturday.

FRISCO, Texas (STATS) — It’s easy to say North Dakota State winning another FCS national championship was fate, destiny, something supernatural.

But don’t.

To help college football move toward the conclusion of its 150th season, North Dakota State fittingly beat James Madison 28-20 on Saturday while playing the 150th game of one of the greatest decades the sport has ever witnessed.

Quite frankly, the Bison have taken “dynasty” by the horns and not relied on magical powers; they are the power in the FCS and create the magic. To cap the 2019 season under first-year coach Matt Entz, the first FCS program to finish 16-0 made it three straight national titles and eight in the final nine seasons of the decade. Their record was a gaudy 137-13 (.913), including an FCS-record 37-game winning streak since 2017.

Redshirt freshman Trey Lance, fresh off winning the Stats Perform FCS Walter Payton Award Friday night, was named the championship game’s most outstanding player, carrying the ball 30 times for 166 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown scramble to open the fourth quarter, which made it 28-13.

Still, the top-ranked Missouri Valley Conference champ had to hold on against James Madison (14-2) in the closing seconds. The Dukes, who stalked the Bison all season at No. 2, pulled within 28-20 on quarterback Ben DiNucci‘s second 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Riley Stapleton with 6:55 left. They got the ball back with just under three minutes to go and drove to the Bison 3 with eight seconds left, but safety James Hendricks intercepted DiNucci at the goal line to preserve the win.

A raucous Toyota Stadium was electrified by the highly anticipated playoff rubber match in a four-year span. North Dakota State’s only postseason loss since 2011 was to James Madison, but the Bison captured the rematch in the 2017 national championship game.

James Madison, the CAA champ which also had a first-year coach in Curt Cignetti, made quite the game-opening statement with a 17-play, 86-yard touchdown drive, capped by DiNucci’s first touchdown pass. But North Dakota State settled in behind Lance and never trailed after Adam Cofield‘s 1-yard plunge tied the game to end the Bison’s first drive.

The Bison simply made game-winning plays. To open the second quarter, a motioning wide receiver Phoenix Sproles took a handoff and sold James Madison defenders on a faked reverse before scoring from 38 yards out for a 14-7 lead. The Bison then faked a field goal attempt on their next drive and Hendricks — the holder — went untouched around left end for a 20-yard touchdown and a 21-10 advantage.

Field goals aren’t going to beat North Dakota State. Three times, James Madison settled for attempts from FCS field goal leader Ethan Ratke, who made a pair while also misfiring with a doink off the upright.

James Madison, behind DiNucci’s 204 passing yards, outgained North Dakota State 365-353. But the Dukes had allowed only one opponent to surpass 100 rushing yards this season, and North Dakota State finished with 281 yards on 45 carries.

North Dakota State linebackers Jackson Hankey and James Kaczor had 17 and 14 tackles, respective