Kurtiss Riggs threw for 431 yards and five touchdowns as Sioux Falls beat Western Washington 47-25 Saturday for the NAIA Division II Championship, the Cougars' first national title.
The Cougars (14-0), who played 11 games on the road this year, concluded their best season ever in their first appearance in the NAIA title game just three years after going 2-8.Western Washington (11-2) also was in its first championship game. The Vikings couldn't keep up with Sioux Falls and Riggs, who came in averaging 488 yards a game and scored more than 50 points eight times this year.
Riggs was 25-of-32 for 431 yards as Sioux Falls rolled up 518 yards offense. He finished the season with an NAIA-record 55 TD passes with just three interceptions.
Western Washington held the ball most of the first half and finished with 412 yards on offense.
But the Cougars didn't need much time with Riggs. Sioux Falls' longest possession came in the fourth quarter when the Cougars drove 77 yards in 5:26 for a 47-19 lead.
Western Washington held its only lead 6-0 in the first quarter on a 3-yard run by Ryan Wiggins. Riggs directed a 71-yard drive capped by David Ruter's 9-yard run for a 7-6 lead.
Riggs put the game away with three TD passes in the second quarter.
He kept connecting with 6-foot-3, 240-pound tight end Jeremy Gardner for long gains that set up each one. A 28-yarder to Gardner set up Riggs' first TD toss, an 8-yarder to Mike Nelson.
Michael Johnson fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, and Riggs finished a six-play drive with a 20-yard pass to Ruter for a 20-6 lead.
Riggs needed only one play for his third TD, a 64-yard pass play to Ruter.
The Vikings didn't score again until Darren Erath hit Chris Nicholl with a 12-yard pass just before intermission to pull within 27-13.
Erath also ran for a touchdown and threw for one in the second half, finishing 27-of-41 for 350 yards.