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Montana State defeats South Dakota 31-17 in FCS semifinals to advance to Frisco

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Montana State defeats South Dakota 31-17 in FCS semifinals to advance to Frisco


11:34 pm, December 21, 2024

Montana State defeated South Dakota, 31-17, to advance to the national title game.

The Bobcat defense stepped up big in the second half, holding South Dakota to only three points. In the fourth quarter, Montana State came up with two fourth down stops and a key fumble recovery on the final defensive possession.

Quarterback Tommy Mellot led the way offensively with 134 passing yards and a touchdown plus 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns. 

It’s the first title appearance for Montana State since 2021. Fittingly enough, Montana State played — and lost to — North Dakota State in the title game that year, the first for head coach Brent Vigen and quarterback Tommy Mellott. The Bobcats and Bison will meet in Frisco, Texas to play in the FCS National Championship Game on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET.

Click or tap here for stats from the game

11:26 pm, December 21, 2024

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11:19 pm, December 21, 2024

After Montana State stopped South Dakota in the redzone on fourth down, the Coyote defense forced a punt to get the ball back. South Dakota will get the ball down 31-17 with 4:46 remaining and two timeouts.

11:00 pm, December 21, 2024

One quarter remains until we find out who the second FCS title game participant is. Montana State has a 14-point lead over South Dakota, 31-17 entering the fourth quarter. The Coyotes added a field goal with 2:11 to play in the third quarter to cut the deficit.

When play resumes, South Dakota will have the ball facing second-and-three at its own 40-yard line.

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See stats through three quarters below

stats

10:31 pm, December 21, 2024

Tommy Mellott showed off why he’s one of the most electrifying players in the FCS. Mellott dropped the snap, made a defender miss, hurdled another defender and darted 41 yards into the endzone. Montana State leads 31-14

9:57 pm, December 21, 2024

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A field goal lat in the second quarter gave Montana State a 10-point lead entering halftime. The score was another addition to an explosive first half.

South Dakota scored two touchdowns of 55 and 45 yards on the ground. However, the pass game hasn’t been as explosive as Aidan Bouman only has 76 yards through the air going 0-2 on third down. 

Montana State’s offense has been powered by Tommy Mellott. He’s 8-15 passing for 134 yards and a touchdown while rushing 13 times for 69 yards and a score. Mellott and the Bobcat offense have run 44 plays to South Dakota’s 16, while possessing the football for 20:28 to 9:24 for the Coyotes.

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When play resumes, South Dakota will receive the second half kickoff.

stats

9:30 pm, December 21, 2024

9:19 pm, December 21, 2024

It took just one play into the second quarter for South Dakota to tie the game up. Running back Charles Pierre Jr. rushed 45 yards to the house on the second big run for the Coyotes today.

9:15 pm, December 21, 2024

It’s been an explosive first quarter as both Montana State and South Dakota are moving the ball with ease for the most part. While both teams punted on their second possession, they scored quickly on their first.

Montana State’s third possession put them in front shortly before the first quarter expired as Tommy Mellott has two touchdowns, passing and rushing, for 90 yards passing and 29 yards rushing.

When play resumes, South Dakota will have the ball facing first-and-10 at the Montana State 45-yard line.

See first quarter stats below

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stats

9:10 pm, December 21, 2024

8:47 pm, December 21, 2024

South Dakota responded to a quick Montana State touchdown on its opening drive with a quick touchdown of its own. The Coyotes found the endzone in just five plays as running back Travis Theis ran 55 yards for a touchdown. 

8:41 pm, December 21, 2024

It took just six plays and a little over three minutes for Montana State to find the endzone in the FCS semifinals. Quarterback Tommy Mellott found wide receiver Taco Dowler for a 34-yard score to put the Bobcats up 7-0. It was the second time the duo connected on the drive as they connected for 20 yards on the first play of the game.

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8:38 pm, December 21, 2024

The second FCS semifinal game is underway as No. 4 South Dakota battles No. 1 Montana State. The Bobcats received the opening kickoff.

8:12 pm, December 15, 2024

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Here’s how to watch the 2024 FCS semifinal game between South Dakota and Montana State:

8:11 pm, December 15, 2024

Here are some of the top storylines and players to watch entering this year’s FCS semifinal game between South Dakota and Montana State.

Storylines

  • How they got here
    • South Dakota ended the regular season with plenty of momentum after knocking off North Dakota State in a top-five matchup. Once the postseason started, the Coyotes rallied past Tarleton State in an explosive second-round win before beating UC Davis without ever trailing in the quarterfinals.
    • Montana State has dominated the competition all season long as the only undefeated team remaining in the FCS. The Bobcats haven’t played a close game in the playoffs after averaging 50.5 points scored and a 32.5 margin of victory in two games.
  • Past matchups
    • Montana State and South Dakota have only met once in the two program’s histories. The Bobcats won the lone matchup in 2008, 37-18.
  • Coaching
    • Two Coaches of the Year will meet in the semifinals. Big Sky Coach of the Year Brent Vigen will face MVFC Coach of the Year Bob Nielson. Vigen was also named the Eddie Robinson Award winner as the FCS coach of the year.
  • What’s at stake
    • South Dakota is in uncharted territory making its first-ever semifinal appearance. It’s only the fourth FCS playoff season in Coyote history. Meanwhile, Montana State is still chasing its 1984 FCS championship. The Bobcats have only made one return to the title game since (2021), the first year of the Brent Vigen-Tommy Mellott era.

Players to Watch

Here are some players to watch from South Dakota

  • MVFC Offensive Player of the Year: DL Mi’Quise Grace

South Dakota All-MVFC Players

  • 1st Team | RB Charles Pierre Jr.
  • 1st Team | FB Travis Theis
  • 1st Team | OL Joey Lombard
  • 1st Team | TE JJ Galbreath
  • 1st Team | DL Nick Gaes
  • 1st Team | DL Mi’Quise Grace
  • 1st Team | DB Dennis Shorter
  • 2nd Team | OL Joe Cotton
  • 2nd Team | OL Bryce Henderson
  • 2nd Team | DL Blake Holden
  • 2nd Team | LB Gary Bryant III
  • 2nd Team | DB Mike Reid

Here are some players to watch from Montana State

  • Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year: QB Tommy Mellott
  • Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year: DL Brody Grebe
  • Big Sky Freshman of the Year: RB Adam Jones

Montana State All-Big Sky Players

  • 1st Team | QB Tommy Mellott
  • 1st Team | RB Scottre Humphrey
  • 1st Team | FB Rohan Jones
  • 1st Team | OL Marcus Wehr (unanimous)
  • 1st Team | OL Conner Moore
  • 1st Team | DL Brody Grebe (unanimous)
  • 1st Team | LB McCade O’Reilly
  • 1st Team | DB Rylan Ortt
  • 1st Team | PR Taco Dowler
  • 2nd Team | OL Titan Fleischmann
  • 2nd Team | OL Cole Sain
  • 2nd Team | DL Paul Brott
  • 2nd Team | LB Danny Uluilakep
  • 2nd Team | DB Andrew Powdrell
  • 2nd Team | P Brendan Hall





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North Dakota

Faber: 5 takeaways from UND’s 70-62 Summit League tournament championship loss to North Dakota State

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8 hours ago

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March 9, 2026

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Faber: 5 takeaways from UND’s 70-62 Summit League tournament championship loss to North Dakota State


SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — North Dakota State proved why it was the best team in the Summit League Sunday evening at the Denny Sanford Premier Center.

The Bison beat UND 70-62 in the conference tournament championship. The Fighting Hawks hung around in the second half, but couldn’t put together enough consecutive shots to retake the lead.

It was the Hawks’ first Summit League championship appearance since 2020, capping off a resurgent season for a program ravaged by the transfer portal.

Despite losing top-end talent like Treysen Eaglestaff and Mier Panoam, UND reloaded through key transfer portal additions, the emergence of redshirt freshman guard Greyson Uelmen and the return of senior guard Eli King.

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The Hawks finished the 2025-26 season with an 18-17 overall record.

Here are five takeaways from the loss.

King ends collegiate career on a high note

King left it all on the court in his final three games as a Hawk.

He logged 40 minutes against NDSU. King was only off the court for two minutes against St. Thomas and four minutes against Denver.

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King lived up to his billing as the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year throughout the postseason. He also averaged 15.3 points per game in the tournament.

“We were so fortunate to get him at North Dakota,” head coach Paul Sather said. “The daily example that guy brings as far as how you treat people, how you go about your work, how you show up — he’s usually the first on the floor every day. He plays the most minutes for us. … He just smiles at adversity.

“He’s a special young guy. I’m going to think of him when I’m 75 years old, thinking about all the young people you get a chance to be a part of and coach, and I’m going to see a guy that’s probably doing really well in life, and I’m going to just be so grateful I got a chance to spend some time coaching. Eli’s going to be alright.”

Here’s what an emotional King had to say after Sunday’s loss.

“The last three years have been a blast,” King said. “Built a bunch of relationships that will last forever. Coaching staff, all the players, all the great teammates I’ve had, community support from Grand Forks. It’s been awesome. The last three years, basketball-wise, I enjoyed every second of it, had a lot of ups and downs.”

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College basketball teams rarely look the same from year to year. That’s just the state of the sport right now, especially at the mid-major level.

UND is going to miss its seniors.

King was the only returning starter from last year and truly seemed to be the heart and soul of the team.

Garrett Anderson averaged 10.3 points per game, and his lengthy frame was pivotal on defense. Reggie Thomas seemed to always give a boost of energy off the bench, providing scrappy defense while averaging 4.8 points per game.

That being said, there are certainly building blocks for the future. That is, if they don’t enter the transfer portal this offseason.

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Uelmen, the former walk-on, averaged 18.6 points per game in a breakout season. Redshirt sophomore Zach Kraft carved out a role in the starting lineup, providing 42.5% shooting from 3-point range and improved defense.

Junior center Josh Jones became an essential piece of the starting lineup, providing physicality, defense and a frame that the Hawks just don’t have anywhere else on the roster.

Junior forward George Natsvlishvili, freshman guard Anthony Smith III and freshman forward Marley Curtis each provided the occasional pop from the bench when needed.

“You hope so, right?” Sather said when asked if this season was something to build on. “That’s the goal. Every year right now, you kind of start with a new team. Just being real — free agency starts. But we’re to the point now where you smile at it and you wish the best for young people that are trying to do things in life that are changed (compared to) what they were 10 years ago, five years ago.

“You really take a year and you start in June, when you get them all on campus, and you try to make the most out of that time. And it’s not perfect, but it’s kind of like speed dating in a way. I don’t know what that’s like, I’ve never done it, but you don’t get to have everybody for four years or three years or even two years sometimes. But the time you have with them, make the most of it. Have the joy with it and love it. And even on the hardest days, because I’m telling you, this was a team that there were some days where we had to really be on these guys. We got some young guys that got to continue to grow and get better, but they just really responded, and their example of it was awesome.”

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Kraft put up his best performance in months against NDSU.

He shot 5-for-9 from the field and finished with 19 points. Only Uelmen scored more, finishing with 24.

It was Kraft’s first double-digit point total since Feb. 19. He nearly reached his previous career high of 22 points.

Kraft scored 13 points in the second half. He nailed a 3-pointer with 3 minutes, 6 seconds to go to kick off a 9-0 run for UND.

Offensive rebounds sting again

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North Dakota State collected 12 offensive rebounds and scored 12 second-chance points in the win over the Hawks.

UND managed to survive against St. Thomas while giving up 14 offensive rebounds in the tournament semifinals.

This time around, it stung.

“A game like that, where you’re not making the shots that we have been or that were just right there, we can’t be giving them extra possessions like that,” Sather said.

What opposing coaches had to say about Sather and the program

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Head coach David Richman had positive words for Sather and his program after the Bison’s championship win.

“Paul Sather did a terrific job this year, terrific job,” Richman said. “You’ve got a guy like Eli King, the competitive spirit, and Greyson, and the tournament that they had. So I know there’s Bison people that don’t want to hear me talk about UND, but I’m glad to talk about a guy and a program that does things the right way. And Paul Sather does a lot of great things.”

Likewise, St. Thomas head coach John Tauer voiced his respect after the Tommies’ loss in the semifinals.

“Credit to North Dakota, they played incredibly,” Tauer said. “They’ve been really good all season. Paul does a tremendous job with his team and those guys.”





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North Dakota

Wheeler-Thomas leads North Dakota State over North Dakota 70-62 in Summit League title game

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20 hours ago

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March 9, 2026

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Wheeler-Thomas leads North Dakota State over North Dakota 70-62 in Summit League title game


SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) Damari Wheeler-Thomas scored 19 points to lead top-seeded North Dakota State to a 70-62 victory over North Dakota on Sunday night, winning the Summit League Championship and earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament for the Bison.



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North Dakota

Grand Forks Man Running For State Attorney General

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1 day ago

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March 8, 2026

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Grand Forks Man Running For State Attorney General


(Photo by Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)

 

 

(North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota Democrats rallied for a turnaround endorsing several candidates for statewide office to take on Republicans in November.

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The Democratic-NPL Party endorsed state Sen. Ryan Braunberger of Fargo for secretary of state, Scot Kelsh of Fargo and John Pederson of Mayville for Public Service Commission and Tim Lamb of Grand Forks for attorney general. The party also issued a letter of support for Tracy Foss of Hatton for superintendent of public instruction.

Democrats have 429 delegates participating, which Party Chair Adam Goldwyn said is the most since 2018. The party has 49 legislative candidates so far, but Goldwyn challenged attendees to field candidates in districts that don’t yet have anyone running.

“The North Dakota Democratic-NPL party has one goal: contest every single election up and down the ballot all across the state,” Goldwyn said.

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