Montana
How North Dakota State and Montana State reached the FCS national championship game
After a thrilling 2024 season, FCS football will crown a champion when North Dakota State and Montana State battle on a Monday night. As the Bison and Bobcats near the pinnacle of the sport, let’s take a look back at their journeys.
North Dakota State
Regular season
North Dakota State finished the regular season 10-2, losing its first game to Colorado out of the FBS and its final game to South Dakota out of the MVFC. The season-ending loss prevented the Bison from winning the MVFC outright, but it didn’t matter as NDSU still got the No. 2 overall seed in the playoffs.
FCS playoffs
North Dakota State fought off an early scare from Abilene Christian in the second round to win by 20 points. In the quarterfinals, the Bison beat Mercer 31-7 in a game they controlled from start to finish.
SemifinalĀ round
In the semifinals, North Dakota State defeated South Dakota State for the second time this year to advance to the championship game. Click or tap here for more on the thrilling finish.
Bison schedule
| Opponent | Win/Loss | Score | Record | Ranking (AFCA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| at Colorado | L | 31-26 | 0-1 | No. 2 |
| vs. Tennessee State | W | 52-3 | 1-1 | No. 2 |
| at ETSU | W | 38-5 | 2-1 | No. 2 |
| vs. Towson | W | 41-24 | 3-1 | No. 2 |
| at No. 15 Illinois State | W | 42-10 | 4-1 | No. 2 |
| vs. No. 6 North Dakota | W | 41-17 | 5-1 | No. 2 |
| at Southern Illinois | W | 24-3 | 6-1 | No. 2 |
| vs. No. 1 South Dakota State | W | 13-9 | 7-1 | No. 2 |
| at Murray State | W | 59-6 | 8-1 | No. 1 |
| vs. Northern Iowa | W | 42-19 | 9-1 | No. 1 |
| vs. No. 14 Missouri State | W | 59-21 | 10-1 | No. 1 |
| at No. 4 South Dakota | L | 29-28 | 10-2 | No. 1 |
| vs. (15) Abilene Christian | W | 51-31 | 11-2 | No. 4 |
| vs. (7) Mercer | W | 31-7 | 12-2 | No. 4 |
| vs. (3) South Dakota State | W | 28-21 | 13-2 | No. 4 |
Key players this season
- QB Cam Miller
- RB CharMar Brown
- RB TK Marshall
- WR Bryce Lance
- WR Braylon Henderson
- TE Joe Stoffel
- OL Mason Miller
- OL Grey Zabel
- DL Eli Mostaert
- DL Kody Huisman
- DLĀ Loshiaka Roques
- LB Logan Kopp
- DBĀ Darius Givance
- K Griffin Crosa
North Dakota State has a reloaded roster under first-year head coach Tim Polasek. The Bison have the Jerry Rice Award winner CharMar Brown in the backfield along top-three Walter Payton Award finalist Cam Miller. The trenches are stout yet again with NFL prospect Grey Zabel on offense and All-American Eli Mostaert on defense.
Montana State
Regular season
Montana State finished the regular season 12-0 with the longest regular-season win streak in the FCS. Only two Bobcat games ā an FBS win over New Mexico State and a Big Sky win over UC Davis ā were within one possession.
FCS playoffs
Montana State’s dominance continued in the playoffs.Ā The Bobcats didn’t play a close game in the first two rounds, averaging 50.5 points scored and a 32.5 margin of victory.
Semifinal round
In the semifinals, Montana State held off South Dakota to advance to the championship game. Tommy Mellott led the way offensively with 134 passing yards and a touchdown plus 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Click or tap here for more from the game.
Bobcat schedule
| Opponent | Win/Loss | Score | Record | Ranking (AFCA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| at New Mexico | W | 35-31 | 1-0 | No. 4 |
| at Utah Tech | W | 31-7 | 2-0 | No. 3 |
| vs. Maine | W | 41-24 | 3-0 | No. 3 |
| vs. Mercyhurst | W | 52-13 | 4-0 | No. 3 |
| at Idaho State | W | 37-17 | 5-0 | No. 3 |
| vs. Northern Colorado | W | 55-17 | 6-0 | No. 3 |
| vs. No. 8 Idaho | W | 38-7 | 7-0 | No. 3 |
| Portland State | W | 44-14 | 8-0 | No. 3 |
| at Eastern Washington | W | 42-28 | 9-0 | No. 2 |
| vs. Sacramento State | W | 49-7 | 10-0 | No. 2 |
| at No. 4 UC Davis | W | 30-28 | 11-0 | No. 2 |
| vs. No. 10 Montana | W | 34-11 | 12-0 | No. 2 |
| vs. UT Martin | W | 49-17 | 13-0 | No. 1 |
| vs. Idaho | W | 52-19 | 14-0 | No. 1 |
| vs. South Dakota | W | 31-17 | 15-0 | No. 1 |
Key players this season
- QB Tommy Mellott
- RB Scottre Humphrey
- RB Adam Jones
- WR Taco Dowler
- WR Ty McCullouch
- TE Rohan Jones
- OL Marcus Wehr
- OL Conner Moore
- OL Titan Fleischmann
- OL Cole Sain
- DL Brody Grebe
- DL Paul Brott
- LB McCade O’Reilly
- LB Danny Uluilakepa
- DB Andrew Powdrell
- DB Rylan Ortt
- P Brendan Hall
Montana State is an experienced group with a mix of young talent. Adam Jones was the runner-up for the Jerry Rice Award while senior Tommy Mellott is a top-three Walter Payton Award finalist. Brody Grebe leads the defense; he finished ninth in Buck Buchanan Award voting.
Montana
Montana FWP seeking water rights for Rock Creek near Red Lodge
CARBON COUNTY ā Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is working to acquire two senior water rights along the West Fork of Rock Creek near Red Lodge to address critically low water levels that are threatening the fish population.
The creek, which flows around the Red Lodge community, may appear full to casual observers, but wildlife officials say the flow is dangerously low for fish survival.
Watch FWP discuss the need for these water rights for Rock Creek:
Montana FWP seeking water rights for Rock Creek
“To have these water levels, it can have an impact on the fishery over there,” Chrissy Webb with Fish, Wildlife and Parks said. “Over the past few years, we’ve been seeing really low water levels for these trout, which is obviously a huge issue. Fish, of course, need water.”
The proposed solution involves purchasing two senior water rights that were previously used for irrigation and transferring them to remain in the stream for fishery protection.
“This would be water that was once diverted for irrigation. Those water rights would transfer to remain in the stream for the protection of this fishery,” Webb said.
Acquiring water rights is a complex process, but Webb emphasized the urgency of the situation. Without intervention, the fish population could decline quickly.
“We need water levels to be at a certain level for fish to survive. And we need water temperatures to be low enough for these trout to survive. And then, like I said, some places in Rock Creek have even experienced total dewatering of the stream bed,” Webb said.
FWP plans to purchase the water rights for $330,000. The process involves the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
“They’re working with the owner of those water rights to transfer their purpose from irrigation to being in stream flows,” Webb said.
The DNRC will ultimately decide whether FWP has the authority to purchase the water rights. The access to water would come from Giant Springs in Great Falls.
Michael Downey with the DNRC said mid to low elevation areas are particularly lacking adequate stream levels, but is confident they will rise as the year continues.
“If you look at where snowpack is right now, even those places that are below normal, certainly that Rock Creek drainage is probably the one in the area that looks worse than most,” Downey said.
On Feb. 12, the DNRC will decide if the FWP has the authority to purchase those water rights.
Montana
Indiana lands commitment from Montana State transfer cornerback Carson Williams
Indiana football continued its reload in the secondary on Sunday with the commitment of Montana State transfer cornerback Carson Williams.
Standing at 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds, Williams made his commitment to head coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers after a weekend visit to Indiana. Williams has three years of eligibility remaining.
MORE:Ā Transfer Portal ThreadĀ |Ā Indiana football transfer portal trackerĀ |Ā Indiana footballās transfer portal wish list: A position-by-position breakdown of 2026 needs
Williams, who hails from Houston, Texas, amassed 46 total tackles, eight pass breakups and 2.5 tackles for loss in 2025 with the Bobcats. He also forced and recovered a fumble this past season.
The 2025 season was Williamsā second at the college level after he redshirted in 2024 as a true freshman.
Entering this portal cycle, cornerback was a large question mark for the Hoosiers. DāAngelo Ponds could potentially leave early for the NFL Draft and depth corner Amariyun Knighten has already entered the portal, but outside of those two, Indiana returns everyone else at cornerback.
Williams now joins a 2026 cornerback room that features returners Jamari Sharpe, Ryland Gandy and Jaylen Bell, while Pondsā decision on his future is expected to come following Indianaās run in the College Football Playoff.
Williams is rated as the No. 795 overall transfer and the No. 91-ranked cornerback in the portal.
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Montana
Montana Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life results for Jan. 10, 2026
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Hereās a look at Jan. 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 10 drawing
05-19-21-28-64, Powerball: 14, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 10 drawing
17-24-36-38-43, Lucky Ball: 17
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from Jan. 10 drawing
06-15-20-22-25, Star Ball: 10, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Jan. 10 drawing
03-07-20-23, Bonus: 13
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Jan. 10 drawing
10-19-39-47-67, Powerball: 18
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from Jan. 10 drawing
06-12-17-18-25
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past weekās winning numbers.
Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.
Where can you buy lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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