No. 2 seed North Dakota State defeated No. 8 seed Montana State 38-10 in the FCS championship game. The Bison win their ninth FCS title since 2011.
Check out the highlights below.
NDSU drew first blood after a defensive stop, going 11 plays and 80 yards to go up 7-0 with a Hunter Luepke 8-yard TD run.
MSU starting QB Tommy Mellott suffered a lower-leg injury on the opening drive, and Tucker Rovig entered the game on the ensuing Bobcats drive. MSU had a promising drive, but Blake Glessner’s 43-yard FG was no good.
NDSU extended its lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter with a Luepke 11-yard TD run. The Bison went 75 yards on seven plays.
The Bison scored quickly again, this time on a 76-yard TD run by Kobe Johnson.
The Bison scored right before halftime on Luepke’s third rushing TD of the game. NDSU gained 268 yards rushing on 28 carries in the first half. MSU was limited to 149 total yards in the opening half compared to NDSU’s 344. The Bobcats rushed for just 16 yards.
NDSU opened up the second half with a five-play, 65-yard drive that ended in a Cam Miller 35-yard TD pass to Josh Babicz.
The Bison added a Jake Reinholz 37-yard field goal late in the third quarter after a Glessner 26-yard yard FG for MSU’s first points. MSU got its first TD of the game when Tucker Rovig hit Lance McCutcheon on a 28-yard TD pass.
NDSU out-gained MSU 506 total yards to 335 and had a 380-156 advantage in rushing yards.
