McKINNEY, Texas — The first NCAA Division II national championship game at McKinney ISD Stadium was a Texas-sized shootout.

In a game that featured one tie and seven lead changes, the Valdosta State Blazers defeated the Ferris State Bulldogs 49-47 Saturday, winning their fourth national championship.

The Bulldogs cut the VSU lead to 49-47 on a 5-yard TD run by Sy Barnett with 40 seconds left in the game.

Clinging to the two-point lead, the Blazers needed a stop as the Bulldogs went for the two-point conversion to force overtime.

The Bulldogs pulled off a double-reverse, looking for Jayru Campbell, but the pass sailed incomplete. The Blazers recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock to seal the victory.

After finishing runner-up to Campbell for the coveted Harlon Hill Trophy, VSU quarterback Rogan Wells came through with the greatest game of his young career.

Wells tied an NCAA Division II national championship record with five touchdown passes. Overall, Wells completed 19 of 31 passes for 349 yards.

However, it was Wells’ impact as a receiver that gave the Blazers a much-needed cushion.

The Blazers cooked up a variation of the famed Philadelphia Eagles’ trick play, Philly Special.

Backup quarterback Ivory Durham took a handoff from Wells after going in motion and then threw it back to Wells, finding him near the left pylon for a touchdown to put the Blazers up 49-38 with 11:45 remaining.

“(Durham) came in and that was a play we drew up in practice this week,” Wells said. “I was supposed to go out there, jog and then go by but the dude was on me so I didn’t think H.J. was gonna throw it but he threw it and I just went and got it.”

The Blazers finished with 496 yards of total offense compared to 449 for the Bulldogs. More importantly, the Blazers’ defense came up with a key takeaway in the third quarter. 

Trailing 35-31, Ferris State looked to Campbell on third-and-11 from its own 31. Campbell dropped back to pass, but Alex Brown picked him off and nearly went for a touchdown.

The play set up quick strike for the Blazers as Wells fired to tight end Travis Taylor alone in the end zone to put the Blazers up 42-31 — the first double-digit lead in the game.

“We thought our receivers and our throw game were gonna be the difference, Bell said. “I said early on, we’re gonna put it in (Wells’) hands and be aggressive. That was the game plan and Rogan had to come up big for us in the biggest game of the year.”

A 2-yard rushing touchdown by the Bulldogs’ Marvin Campbell gave Ferris State a 31-28 lead with 9:49 left in the third quarter.

The first half was a seesaw affair that saw the Blazers go ahead on a 1-yard TD run by Seth McGill to put VSU ahead 28-24 to end the half.

The Blazers tallied 335 yards of total offense in the first half, recording 17 first downs on 42 plays.

Wells completed 11-of-17 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns, including a 66-yard strike to Lio’undre Gallimore to give the Blazers a 21-17 lead with 10:06 to go in the half.

Gallimore caught four passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns Saturday.

Defensively, the Blazers were led by senior Raymond Palmer. Playing with a heavy heart after the death of his father on Dec. 5, Palmer tied for the team lead with seven tackles in the game — two for loss.