Cole Bergquist threw three touchdown passes and Montana knocked player-of-the-year contender Rodney Landers out before halftime and beat James Madison, 35-27, Friday night to advance to the Division I Football Championship final December 19.

Chase Reynolds scored three times for the Grizzlies (14-1), who forced four turnovers and twice turned Dukes fumbles on kickoffs into short touchdown drives.

The Dukes (12-2), who rose to No. 1 in the nation after beating three-time defending champion Appalachian State in September, lost Walter Payton Award finalist Landers to an apparent ankle sprain late in the second quarter while trailing, 14-10. James Madison never recovered.

In the other semifinal, Eric Ward threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Joe Stewart with 14 seconds left to give Richmond a 21-20 victory over Northern Iowa.

Richmond (12-3) started the winning drive at its own 38 with 1:44 remaining and no timeouts left. Ward calmly passed the Spiders down the field and hit Stewart, his tight end, in the end zone to tie it at 20. Andrew Howard kicked the extra point and, after Northern Iowa’s final play went nowhere, the Spiders celebrated while the stunned Panthers looked on in silence.

Richmond reached the final for the first time. The 12 victories are a school record for the Spiders, who had been in the semifinals for only the second time.

Semifinals: Montana 35, James Madison 27; Richmond 21, Northern Iowa 20.

Championship (December 19 at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee): Montana (14-1) vs. Richmond (12-3).