Chattanooga, Tenn. ? Jason Hunter returned a fumble for a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Appalachian State won its first I-AA national championship by beating Northern Iowa, 21-16, on Friday night.

The Mountaineers (12-3) trailed most of the game and struggled offensively with starting quarterback Richie Williams, the Southern Conference offensive player of the year, playing despite an injury.

Kansas University beat Appy State, 36-8, on Sept. 10 at Memorial Stadium.

Both teams were in the title game for the first time, and Northern Iowa (11-4) appeared to be en route to the trophy until the fourth quarter.

The Panthers were ahead 16-14 when Appy State’s Marques Murrell sacked Eric Sanders and forced a fumble at the 15. Hunter picked it up and ran in for a touchdown — his third defensive score of the season — to give the Mountaineers the lead with 9:14 remaining.

Neither team could score afterward, and the Mountaineers sealed it with a first down with 1:36 remaining. Their fans clad in black and gold mobbed the field as time ran out.

Appy State kept the game close despite having two turnovers in the first half, but the Mountaineers’ defense held Northern Iowa to a field goal after a fumble and two other field goals on early drives.

Trey Elder started in place of Williams as expected and played all of the first half except the final play when Williams came in to throw a long pass that was broken up in front of the goal line.

The game drew the largest crowd since it has been held in Chattanooga starting in 1997. Attendance was 20,236, about 430 fans short of a sellout.