North Dakota
FCS National Championship: Montana State vs. North Dakota State Offensive Spotlight
No. 1 Montana State (15-0) will face No. 2 North Dakota State (13-2) in the FCS National Championship at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. CT on ABC.
As we prepare for the FCS national championship game on Jan. 6, we will look at how the talent on the field will stack up. We will combine the rosters from Montana State and North Dakota State and look at the starting lineup with players from each team at our disposal. We selected the best player at each position entering the FCS National Championship.
QB: Tommy Mellott (Montana State)
RB: Scottre Humphrey (Montana State)
WR: Bryce Lance (North Dakota State)
WR: Taco Dowler (Montana State)
WR: RaJa Nelson (North Dakota State)
TE: Rohan Jones (Montana State)
OT: Grey Zabel (North Dakota State)
OG: Griffin Empey (North Dakota State)
C: Cole Sain (Montana State)
OG: Marcus Wehr (Montana State)
OT: Titan Fleischmann (Montana State)
The most challenging position to analyze in this exercise is quarterback. Tommy Mellott and Cam Miller are projected favorites for the Walter Payton Award and have been the best quarterbacks at the FCS level all season. By choosing one, we will be leaving off an incredible player.
If I had to have one quarterback for an entire season, I would most likely select Cam Miller. He is the best overall pocket passer and decision-maker when pushing the ball downfield. But if I need to win just one game, I will take the most dangerous weapon on the field.
Tommy Mellott has the home run capability that no other player on the field in Frisco will have. In a highly competitive game, I want a player who can generate an explosive play on any given snap. Mellott has improved as a passer this season, completing 69% of his throws for 2,564 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. However, he is still dangerous with his legs, rushing for over 900 yards and 14 touchdowns on only 109 carries.
This game will have plenty of talent at the running back position. Both teams are led by Jerry Rice Award finalists, headlined by the Jerry Rice Award winner CharMar Brown. Highlighting the depth of both units, there is a chance neither player leads their team in carries in Frisco. North Dakota State’s Barika Kpeenu has started to see more action over the past few weeks, showing flashes in key moments against South Dakota State.
Despite all the talent mentioned above, I will still lean toward Montana State’s Scottre Humphrey. Humphrey possesses a level of breakaway speed and explosion that the North Dakota State running back room does not have. Humphrey has recorded 1,369 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns, averaging over 7.0 yards per carry. Despite being limited due to injury, Humphrey should be in peak condition in Frisco with two weeks off.
Both teams utilize 11-personnel for most of their snaps, so I selected three wide receivers and one tight end for this exercise. It all starts with North Dakota State’s Bryce Lance, who dominated a talented South Dakota State secondary last week with three touchdowns. Lance leads the receivers in this game by a large margin, posting 964 receiving yards and 16 receiving touchdowns.
I selected a dynamic slot option for the second spot in Montana State’s Taco Dowler. Dowler is an explosive weapon, leading all wide receivers in yards per reception (15.6). He thrives in the play-action scheme that Montana State utilizes.
The final spot was a tough decision between RaJa Nelson and Ty McCullough. Nelson gets the edge here despite his lack of overall numbers, which was limited due to injuries this season. He still has one of the most important plays of the season, hauling in the game-winning touchdown against South Dakota State earlier this season. Nelson is a versatile weapon, posting over 300 rushing yards last season.
There may be better blocking tight ends in this game, but no other tight end offers the upside that Montana State’s Rohan Jones brings. He is the most explosive, dynamic athlete at the tight end spot in this game. At 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, Jones is solid in size and possesses the skills of an outside wide receiver. He is a matchup nightmare, posting 451 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns, averaging over 16 yards per completion.
Outside of the quarterback position, this will be the most important unit on the field in Frisco. These have been the two best offensive line units in the nation all season, but they have achieved this differently. Montana State has dominated the line of scrimmage in the rushing game, moving together and creating wide lanes in the zone run game. North Dakota State’s unit has excelled in pass protection, which has allowed Cam Miller to have his All-American season. The Bison have allowed the least pressure of any team in the FCS.
The two most obvious choices are North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel and Montana State’s Marcus Wehr. Both players are consensus All-Americans and will likely be selected in the upcoming NFL Draft. The other tackle spot was a difficult decision, but I leaned toward Titan Fleischmann over Mason Miller. Fleischmann is one of the most underrated players in the FCS, giving up only one sack and six pressures this season.
I selected Montana State’s Cole Sain at center, who has done an excellent job replacing All-American Justus Perkins. Montana State has rotated multiple players at left guard, which led to the selection of North Dakota State’s Griffin Empey. Empey had a Freshman All-American season, allowing only three sacks and 12 pressures.
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North Dakota
Morton County did not violate North Dakota’s open records law when the County Auditor, within a reasonable time, informed the requester that the requested records were not in the County’s possession.. – North Dakota Attorney General
27 Feb Morton County did not violate North Dakota’s open records law when the County Auditor, within a reasonable time, informed the requester that the requested records were not in the County’s possession..
in Opinions
February 27, 2026
Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210
BISMARCK, ND – Karen Jordan requested an opinion from this office under N.D.C.C. § 44-04-21.1 asking whether Morton County violated N.D.C.C. § 44-04-18 by failing or refusing to provide records.
Conclusion: It is my opinion that Morton County’s response was in compliance with N.D.C.C. § 44-04-18.
Link to opinion 2026-O-06
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BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – The North Dakota Court System threw a reception for a retiring member of the state Supreme Court.
Justice Daniel Cothers is leaving after serving for more than 20 years.
He plans to step down on Feb. 28.
Before Crothers became a judge, he served as a lawyer and as president of the State Bar Association of North Dakota.
Mark Friese is set to replace Crothers starting March 9.
“He knows what is important and what to keep focused on. Justice Friese will be an exceptional replacement to me on the bench,” said Crothers.
Crothers plans to keep up on teaching gigs and spend time at his family’s farm as he steps into retirement.
Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.
By: Michael Achterling
FARGO (North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota ambulance service providers lost nearly $500 on average for every patient transported to a medical facility last year, according to a survey.
The recent survey of three dozen providers in the state, conducted by PWW Advisory Group, was the result of a study created by House Bill 1322 passed during the 2025 legislative session. The group presented the results to the Legislature’s interim Emergency Response Services Committee on Wednesday.
The average revenue generated from an ambulance transport was about $1,100 during 2025, but the expenses were nearly $1,600, said Matt Zavadsky, an EMS and mobile health care consultant with PWW, based in Pennsylvania.
“They are losing money every time they respond to a call,” Zavadsky said during the meeting. “That financial loss has to be made up, typically, by local tax subsidies, fundraisers, bake sales, or all too often, service reductions to try and match expenses with the revenue they can generate.”
He said the problem cannot be fixed by billing reform alone because the revenue generated isn’t enough to fund the cost of readiness, such as personnel, equipment and supplies, among other items.
The survey highlighted 74% of ambulance provider expenses went to personnel costs, but equipment costs have also increased in recent years.
Zavadsky said survey respondents plan to invest about $12.9 million into vehicle and equipment purchases over the next five years, averaging to about $358,000 per provider. However, the cost of a new ambulance has risen to between $275,000 to $480,000 per vehicle. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new ambulance could cost up to $250,000, he said.
There are more than 100 ambulance service providers in North Dakota. The 36 survey respondents represented a diverse group of providers from city and county services to district-owned, hospital-based and private providers, he said. The average patient transport distance is 34 miles, according to the survey.
Zavadsky said the survey respondents reported 53% of their total revenue was generated from fees for service with the remaining 47% coming from local tax subsidies, state grants and other fundraising.
“What you guys are experiencing in North Dakota and what is happening in the local communities … is not the fault of the local communities, not the fault of the state, this is just our new normal,” Zavadsky said.
Rep. Todd Porter, R-Mandan, owner of Metro-Area Ambulance Service which serves Morton and Burleigh counties, said Medicare patients reimburse ambulance providers at a much lower rate than private insurance and Medicaid patients. He added Medicare patients make up about 60% of the call volume in the Bismarck-Mandan area.
“If we’re being underpaid for 60% of our call volume, then we have to make it up some place,” Porter said.
He said some providers can make up that difference in reimbursement with tax dollars, but not all providers have that option.
“We do other contracted work for nursing homes, hospitals, funeral homes in order to make up that difference,” Porter said. “This is a federal government problem. This is a CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) problem that we’ve known about for years.”
Porter also said ambulance services are not reimbursed for responding to a call with a Medicare patient that doesn’t require a transport to a hospital. According to the survey, about 17% of all ambulance calls don’t require transport to a medical facility.
The survey also showed about 2,300 of the nearly 33,600 patient transports billed last year ended up in collections after being more than 90 days delinquent, totalling $2.7 million, Zavadsky said. The average total of a claim sent to collections was about $1,100.
Zavadsky estimated the total of unpaid claims for more than 100 providers across North Dakota was about $5.8 million in 2025. Some providers don’t have procedures to pursue delinquent billing in collections, he said.
Rep. Jim Grueneich, R-Ellendale, chair of the committee, said the committee will take a deeper look at the data presented on Wednesday and may have recommendations, and possible draft legislation, to address the issue in the 2027 legislative session.
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