McKINNEY, Texas – Ferris State's hopes for taking the Division II football national championship game into overtime came down to the two-point conversion.
Sy Barnett scored on a 5-yard run with 40 seconds left to pull Ferris State to 49-47. Momentum looked to be on Ferris' side, and Harlon Hill Trophy winner Jayru Campbell was on a roll.
But Jevon Shaw's pass off an end-around was beyond the reach of Keyondre Craig in the back of the end zone, and Valdosta (Ga.) State recovered the onside kick to preserve its fourth national championship.
Ferris State (15-1) was hoping to win football and basketball Division-II titles in the same calendar year.
The game was not without controversy in the closing minutes.
Valdosta sophomore quarterback Rogan Wells' pass to Joe Fortson with 2:28 left looked like interference and a flag was thrown. But the officials conferred and picked up the flag.
That brought up fourth down, and Rogan's slant pass to Fortson was broken up and nearly intercepted by Ferris State's John Higgins.
Ferris State drove 66 yards in five plays and scored on Barnett's run to set up closing drama.
For most of the game, it appeared the winner would be whichever team would break serve.
Valdosta (Ga.) and Ferris State marched up and down the McKinney ISD Stadium turf, taking turns scoring, like a tennis match. The teams combined for 945 yards and 53 first downs.
But Valdosta (14-0) did break serve, getting a game-turning interception by Alex Brown to help the Bulldogs open the game's first two-score edge.
That was enough for Valdosta to emerge a 49-47 winner and dash Ferris State's debut in the D-II title game.
The teams neatly traded scores in the first half and their first series of the second half. But after Wells' 16-yard scoring pass to Fortson, Campbell threw what turned out to be a costly interception on the Bulldogs' next possession.
Campbell threw directly to Brown, who returned the ball to the Ferris State 3. Travis Taylor's 1-yard dive with 4:25 left in the third gave Valdosta a 42-31 lead.
Wells finished runner-up to Campbell for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the best player in D-II, but he got the last laugh.
Before a crowd of 4,306 in a high-end high school stadium at this Dallas suburb, Wells found enough space in Ferris State's secondary to pass for five touchdowns and catch one himself. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 349 yards and five touchdowns.
Campbell, of Detroit Cass Tech, was 10-for-18 passing for 99 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
He ran for 122 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries. Keyondre Craig caught two touchdown passes, including an 80-yard pass.
Campbell's touchdown pass came on a wacky deflection, off of a Valdosta State defender who was falling out of bounds, and to Craig for 13 yards.
Craig's other TD catch was on a trick play and an 80-yard connection from Shaw.
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