FRISCO, Texas (Stats Perform) - There's so much talent on North Dakota State's roster that quarterback Trey Lance didn't have to put the team on his shoulders this season.

Still, there's something to be said about carrying the load.

A play in the first half of North Dakota State's 28-20 win over James Madison in the FCS championship game on Saturday helped define why he received the most outstanding player award.

It was Mike 52, where Lance bulldozed up the middle and suddenly was in the middle of a moving scrum that basically involved everybody on the field. That kind of grit and ability to keep adding yards led to him setting career highs with 30 carries and 166 rushing yards. He scored on a 44-yard touchdown to open the fourth quarter.

"He has the ability to gain valuable yards," first-year coach Matt Entz said.

As North Dakota State (16-0) won its record eighth FCS title since 2011, Lance joined Brock Jensen, Carson Wentz and Easton Stick as Bison starting quarterbacks to be named the championship game's outstanding player. The first freshman to win the Stats Perform FCS Walter Payton Award as the national offensive player of the year, he had 3,886 yards of total offense and 42 total touchdowns in his remarkable season, which went without an interception in 287 pass attempts.

"I think it's a huge testament to the guys around me," Lance said, "whether it's the offensive line keeping me clean, the receivers, the running backs, the tight ends catching the ball, and also the coaching staff. Got to give all the credit to them. They put me in position to be successful."