For the first time in seven years Japan has a new college football champion.
In a thrilling back-and-forth shootout at Koshien Stadium on Sunday, Ritsumeikan University Panthers finally overcame dogged resistance from Hosei University Orange to claim the school’s ninth overall national championship, and its first since 2015.
With both teams combining for 941 yards of offense and 80 points (Panthers won 45-35), fans at Japan’s most venerated ballpark certainly got their money’s worth.