It’s a dream matchup, with No. 1 seed Montana State considered a slight favorite over No. 2 seed North Dakota State heading into the 2024 FCS championship game. As they build off rousing semifinal-round wins, we preview what to expect when each finalist has the ball.

If it feels like Montana State and North Dakota State are standing in opposite corners staring across at each other, you have it right.

The 2024 FCS championship game is a heavyweight bout between the top two seeds from an original 24-team field that embarked on the Road to Frisco.

Come the night of the Jan. 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, Montana State (15-0) will have spent over two months as the FCS’ last unbeaten team. But the No. 1-seeded Bobcats’ last defeat occurred against NDSU – a 35-34 overtime thriller in the 2023 playoff second round.

The No. 2-seeded Bison (13-2) are back where most of their recent seasons have gone. They’ve already captured nine FCS championships prior to their 11th appearance in Frisco since the 2011 season – both all-time highs for the Division I subdivision.

A tale of the tape suggests a lot with this season’s FCS championship game. Maybe Michael Buffer should be brought in for pregame introductions.

When Montana State Has the Ball

Incredibly, the Bobcats have scored in 54 of their 60 quarters this season while averaging an FCS-high 41.3 points per game. They want to pound the run – plain and simple.

Coach Brent Vigen’s squad ranks No. 2 in the FCS in rushing yards per game (301.0), with their devasting attack set up by an offensive line whose five starters are all listed as being at least 6-foot-4, 300 pounds (right tackle Marcus Wehr is a two-time first-team All-American).  

North Dakota State rarely surrenders 85 rushing yards to an opposing quarterback, but that’s what Tommy Mellott needs for the Bobcats to gain a third 1,000-yard rusher along with their standout running backs, the physical Scottre Humphrey (1,360 yards, 15 touchdowns) and the big-play Adam Jones (1,134, 14). Mellott has 15 career games of 100+ rushing yards, including in their last two playoff wins.

Ty McCullouch is by far Montana State’s top pass catcher over his two seasons in the program, but fellow wide receiver Taco Dowler has been the go-to target of Mellott (2,564 yards, 29 TDs to just two interceptions) during the playoffs, catching four touchdowns across the three wins.

The NDSU program has long subscribed to the concept that field goals won’t beat it, and the Bison have done well to defend their red zone, allowing touchdowns on just 57.9% of their opponents’ opportunities.

The defense, anchored by tackle Eli Mostaert, allows 119.3 rushing yards per game. The Bobcats, though, have been over 200 rushing yards in each of their playoff wins.

When North Dakota State Has the Ball

NDSU’s offense is different in coach Tim Polasek’s first season from many recent years.

Oh yes, the Bison still flex their muscle with a ground game that’s paved by a huge starting offensive line (it’s a little bigger than Montana State’s, with tackles Grey Zabel and Mason Miller as anchors).

But Bison quarterback Cam Miller, whose 44 career wins as a starter include against the Bobcats in the 2021 FCS championship game, has set career highs in most passing statistics, including completions (239), completion percentage (72.6), passing yards (3,052) and TD passes (31).

NDSU’s 225.9 overall passing yards per game mark their highest average since 2007 and are nearly 26 more per game than in any other season since then. The breakout season of wide receiver Bryce Lance (66 receptions, 964 yards, NDSU-record 16 TD catches) has contributed significantly to it happening.

Make no mistake, the Bison’s 192.7 rushing yards per game are excellent, ranking 20th out of 129 FCS teams. However, in a program that’s been ground and pound over time, it’s the lowest average since the first FCS title season in 2011.

A recent toe injury has slowed top rusher CharMar Brown (1,104 yards, 14 TDs), but Barika Kpeenu has over 1,200 yards the last two seasons and Miller’s been over 500 rushing yards in three straight seasons.

NDSU’s six turnovers are the fewest in the FCS, but Montana State’s defense is disruptive. Half of the Bobcats’ 36 sacks have come in their last five games – defensive ends Brody Grebe and Kenneth Eiden IV have a combined for 16.5 this season – and 12 different players have at least one takeaway.

And Then There’s the FCS National Awards

Montana State and North Dakota State also will see a lot of each other at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet – two nights before the FCS championship game.

Vigen will receive the Eddie Robinson Award as the FCS coach of the year and Brown will receive the Jerry Rice Award as the FCS freshman player of the year (Jones was second in the voting). Additionally, the Walter Payton Award for FCS offensive player of the year is down to Mellott, Miller and Southern Utah running back Targhee Lambson.

Top Photo: Montana State vs. NDSU in 2023 FCS playoffs. (Garrett Becker/MSU Athletics)

Follow all of our FCS football coverage, including on X, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

BOZEMAN, Mont. — With eight and a half minutes left in the second quarter, Tommy Mellott — aka Touchdown Tommy, aka The Boy From Butte — ran a quarterback draw straight up the middle, dodging several South Dakota defensive players.

Just a few yards from the end zone, Touchdown Tommy elevated like a Marvel superhero and dove for the goal line. A South Dakota defender upended his legs, flipping Mellott, who landed on the turf just shy of scoring. 

On the next play, Mellot handed off to Scottre Humphrey for the go-ahead score Saturday in the FCS semifinals at Bobcat Stadium, putting the home team up 21-14. The Cats never looked back as they punished the Coyotes with physical play on defense and magical moves by Mr. Mellott.

Mellott went on to lead the undefeated Bobcats to a 15th straight victory 31-17 over South Dakota and a trip to the FCS national championship game Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas. 

Four MSU teammates with Wyoming roots will be with Mellott playing for the title.

Meanwhile on the South Dakota sideline, Garrett Coon of Sheridan wore shorts and a sweatshirt during the unseasonably warm game. He didn’t dress out in Bozeman, but his brother Colson on the opposite MSU sideline did. 

Along with Coon, Montana State boasts three other players who played high school football in Wyoming.

These supporting cast members in the Tommy Mellott show include Dane and Brock Steel, also both from Sheridan, and Jake Vigen, son of MSU Head Coach Brent Vigen, who spent seven years as an assistant coach at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Looks Like An Average Guy

Mellott stands a modest 6 feet tall, weighs 208 pounds and looks like the living cliché of the nice boy next door. 

But on the field, the pride of Butte High School is a cold-blooded offensive assassin.

Now preparing for the final game of his college career, Mellott continues to rack up the accolades. 

He was named Big Sky Conference Offensive MVP and a top three finalist for the Walter Payton Award. Coming into the game against South Dakota, Mellott led the nation in points responsible for (246) and passing efficiency (183.21). 

Mellott has thrown 259 passes, completing 182 for 2,430 yards and 28 touchdowns on just two interceptions. Mellott also has rushed for 790 yards with 14 rushing touchdowns. His 8.6 yards per carry would lead the nation if he qualified for that NCAA stat, according to the American Football Coaches Association. 

He squats as much as an offensive tackle and can outrun some FCS receivers. He’s well-known around Montana, but one of the most under-the-radar football talents now catching the attention of NFL scouts.

“Tommy Mellott, a dual-threat quarterback from Montana State, has emerged as an intriguing prospect for the NFL Draft,” reports nfldraftbuzz.com. “He ranks seventh in Montana State history with 2,474 career rushing yards and is tied for third with 29 rushing touchdowns. His passing ability has also improved, accumulating 3,241 career passing yards, good for 10th in school history. In 2023, Mellott was named Second Team All-Big Sky and won the FedEx Ground Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award, showcasing his academic prowess as a financial engineering major.

“In the 2021 playoffs, he became the first player to catch, throw, and rush for a touchdown in the first 16 minutes of a game against Sam Houston State.”

Mellott’s size could limit his opportunities as an NFL QB, but he might turn heads as a Wes Welker- or Julian Edelman-style slot receiver at the next level. 

On To Frisco

The Bobcats will carry a lot of emotion into the national championship game vs. North Dakota State in Frisco, Texas.

Coach Vigen played for the Bison, then started his coaching career in Fargo. North Dakota State is also Montana State’s biggest rival after the Grizzlies at the University of Montana.

That’s because the Bison have trampled the Bobcats five times, ending their seasons and leaving hoofprints all over their game plans for a national championship. 

But now a former Bison is leading the Cats as Montana State, powered by Mellott, competes for its first title since 1984. 

David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.