Montana
FCS championship live score: NDSU vs. Montana State updates, results, highlights from 2025 football title game | Sporting News
Two of FCS’s greatest prizefighters are set to lock horns on Monday night. The reward? One of college sport’s grandest honors — a national championship.
North Dakota State (13-2) meets Montana State (15-0) in the 2025 FCS Championship. The showdown, slated to be held at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, is a rematch of the Bison and Bobcats’ 2021 championship duel. That matchup ended in a 38-10 NDSU victory, although the game turned on its head when Montana State’s star QB, Tommy Mellott, exited after the first series due to an ankle injury.
The Bison are FCS’s most preeminent powerhouse, winners of nine of the past 13 FCS titles. They’ve been held without a trophy for each of the past two seasons, losing in the championship to rival South Dakota State two years ago and in the semifinals to Montana last year. But with Cam Miller leading the line on offense, Tim Polasek’s side looks as capable as ever to take home some more hardware.
STREAM: Watch NDSU vs. Montana State live with Fubo (free trial)
To do so, it’ll have to down Mellott and the Bobcats. Montana State is seeking its first title since 1984 and the second 16-0 campaign in FCS history. Mellott leads the charge, having bested Miller and Southern Utah’s Targhee Lambson to take home the Walter Payton Award as FCS’s best offensive player. A quick glance at his stat line reveals why he garnered such praise: Mellott accounted for just over 3,500 yards of total offense and 43 touchdowns (29 passing, 14 rushing). He also tallied just two interceptions in his first 15 games.
The Sporting News is tracking live updates from NDSU and Montana State’s duel in the 2025 FCS Championship. Follow below for highlights, live results, and more as two of FCS’s best sides ready for their close-up.
SN’s PLAYOFF HQ: Live CFP scores | Updated CFP bracket | Full CFP schedule
North Dakota State vs. Montana State score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| North Dakota State | 14 | 0 | x | x | x |
| Montana State | 0 | 3 | x | x | x |
North Dakota State vs. Montana State live updates, results, highlights from 2025 FCS Championship
(All times Eastern)
8:11 p.m.: Now, it’s the Bison’s turn to work their way down the field methodically. Miller is using his legs and arm to great effect in the game’s opening two frames. This drive is no exception; after connecting with Bryce Lance and RaJa Nelson on three straight plays, NDSU is just outside the red zone. 30 seconds left in the second quarter. The Bison have one timeout left.
8:05 p.m.: TURNOVER ON DOWNS! Mellott and Co. are stuffed on fourth-and-five. NDSU gets the ball back with about a minute left and 30 or so yards from field goal range.
8:02 p.m.: Mellott and Montana State are starting to find their form. Mellott continues to jab at NDSU’s defense with short- and intermediate-length runs. The Bobcats are on the brink of Bison territory.
7:57 p.m.: The Bobcats finally stifled Miller, spilling into the pocket to crowd him out. NDSU is forced to punt it back to the Bobcats after falling short of the first down marker after three plays.
7:49 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Montana State breaks the seal with a three-point try from short distance.
NDSU 14, Montana State 3
7:45 p.m.: Montana State’s second drive of the day has gone about as good as one can hope. NDSU is limiting the Bobcats’ ability to string together big plays. But Montana State is employing a “death by a thousand paper cuts” approach to the drive, moving down the field at an onerous pace. Up to 14 plays thus far.
End of first quarter: NDSU 14, Montana State 0
7:30 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Miller does it again! This time, he opted for both the marathon and the sprint, dashing beyond the Bobcats surveillance after splitting the defensive line. 67 yard house call for the senior standout. The Bison are rolling early.
CAM MILLER TAKES IT 64 YARDS! pic.twitter.com/FwoELRAw7M
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) January 7, 2025
NDSU 14, Montana State 0
7:20 p.m.: Montana State’s drive fell to bits after breeching NDSU territory. The ball is headed back to the Bison via punt.
7:18 p.m.: Mellott danced down the sideline, collecting 19 yards on third down to keep the Bobcats’ offense churning.
7:12 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Miller bursts through the seams, leaps and crosses the plane of the end zone while his helmet flies off his head. Wondrous start for the Bison, who collect 75 yards and more than seven minutes en route to the game’s opening score.
NDSU STRIKES FIRST pic.twitter.com/zQtaDUbDit
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) January 7, 2025
NDSU 7, Montana State 0
7:08 p.m.: Miller and Co. are moving down the field with relative ease. Miller’s already up to 44 yards on 3-of-3 passing. He’s added an additional 12 yards on the ground. NDSU is inside Montana State’s 10-yard line five minutes into the contest.
7:04 p.m.: And we’re off! NDSU’s offense is trotting onto the field, led by its star hurler, Miller. Here we go!
6:58 p.m.: We’re mere moments away from kickoff. As a reminder, here’s a look at how NDSU-Montana State matchup ended. It’s safe to say that the Bobcats will want some revenge.
#NDSUSeasonOpenerCountdown: #76: The biggest play of the 2023 Bison football season came from number 76, Hunter Poncius.
Poncius blocked Montana State’s game-tying extra point in overtime, securing a 35-34 NDSU win in the 2nd round of the FCS Playoffs. pic.twitter.com/QLyfYsJJTJ
— Dom Izzo (@DomIzzoWDAY) June 14, 2024
6:10 p.m.: Here come the senior gunslingers! It’s NDSU’s Cam Miller vs. Montana State’s Tommy Mellott in a rematch of the 2021 FCS Championship. Both hurlers were among the best at their position in 2024. Let’s see if that translates into a barnstorming performance tonight.
Mellott vs. Miller pic.twitter.com/UeFbrmC37b
— Sam Herder (@SamHerderFCS) January 6, 2025
5:45 p.m.: Here’s another view of the raptures taking place outside of the Toyota Stadium concourses.
The scene outside Toyota Stadium ahead of the #FCSChampionship pic.twitter.com/GkiiXAwbnI
— Sam Herder (@SamHerderFCS) January 6, 2025
5:30 p.m.: There are plenty of eyes on tonight’s contest, with the Toyota Stadium backdrop sharing an eery resemblance to both the Fargodome and Bobcat Stadium, depending on your vantage point.
NDSU has arrived pic.twitter.com/Gd6JHJrROl
— Sam Herder (@SamHerderFCS) January 6, 2025
Montana State has arrived pic.twitter.com/Bfo3wMQjxv
— Sam Herder (@SamHerderFCS) January 6, 2025
North Dakota State vs. Montana State start time
- Date: Monday, Jan. 6
- Time: 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. local)
North Dakota State and Montana State will lock horns in the 2025 FCS Championship. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. local time) from Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
What channel is North Dakota State vs. Montana State on today?
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo
ESPN will carry coverage of North Dakota State and Montana State’s matchup in the 2025 FCS Championship. Dave Flemming will lead the broadcast, serving as the game’s play-by-play announcer. He’ll be joined by Brock Osweiler (analyst) in the booth. Stormy Buonantony will serve as the game’s sideline reporter.
Cord-cutters can find the action on ESPN+ or Fubo, which offers a free trial.
College-educated ag producers can apply for up to five years of student loan assistance
HELENA, Mont. – The Montana Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Student Loan Assistance Program is now accepting applications. Established during the 2019 legislative session, this program provides student loan assistance to Montana’s college-educated youth pursuing careers in farming or ranching.
“The Student Loan Assistance Program seeks to help relieve some of the financial stressors that our young farmers and ranchers often face,” said MDA Director Jillien Streit. “When we can encourage or help bring a kid back to the farm, that’s a win for Montana agriculture.”
Qualified farmers and ranchers are eligible for student loan assistance through the program for up to five years. Applicants must be a Montana resident designated as the primary owner, heir, successor or assignee of a farm or ranch in Montana that obtained their associated or baccalaureate degree(s) from a Montana college or university and have agreed to operate their farm or ranch for at least five years.
Applications are due May 18, 2026, and can be submitted through WebGrants. Full program guidelines are available on the department’s website at agr.mt.gov/Student-Loan-Assistance-Program.
The Montana Department of Agriculture is serving Montana Agriculture and growing prosperity under the Big Sky. For more information on department programs and services, visit agr.mt.gov.
–Montana Department of Agriculture
WATCH: Big Sky beats buzzer to top Hellgate at AA tourney
WATCH: Big Sky beats buzzer to top Hellgate at AA tourney
The Great Falls High and C.M. Russell High girls’ track and field teams are set to host the Optimist Club Invitational on Saturday, April 25, at Memorial Stadium.
The annual meet serves as a midseason state-meet preview of sorts as the top athletes from across Class AA all come together to see how the field is stacking up head-to-head.
The meet begins at 11:15 a.m. with pole vault, long jump, javelin and shot put, while the 100-meter hurdles kick off the running events at noon. For a full schedule, visit the Optimist Meet page at athletic.net.
Here’s a look at the top competitors in each event heading into the Optimist, as well as where Great Falls athletes stack up.
Montana Class AA Girls Track and Field Leaders (as of April 23)
*Numbers in parentheses next to the event indicate AA automatic state-qualifying marks
100 (13.00)
1. Emery Peel, Billings Senior, 12.18; 2. Quinlyn Simmons, Helena High, 12.37; 3. Carleigh Mahn, Billings West, 12.47; 4. Nora Allen, Billings West, 12.61; 5. Isabella Donaghey, Gallatin, 12.62.
200 (26.70)
1. Carleigh Mann, Billings West, 25.53; 2. Emery Peel, Billings Senior, 25.63; 3. Cora Carahassen, Billings Senior, 25.95; 4. Quinlyn Simmons, Helena High, 26.01; 5. Nora Allen, Billings West, 26.02.
400 (1:01.00)
1. Aliyah Vogel, Billings West, 58.81; 2. Emery Peel, Billings Senior, 58.94; 3. Leah Roberts, Billings Skyview, 1:00.60; 5. Nya Myers, Missoula Big Sky, 1:00.81.
800 (2:24.00)
1. Hazel Cooper, Gallatin, 2:16.34; 2. Aliyah Vogel, Billings West, 2:18.75; 3. Phoebe Maixner, Bozeman High, 2:19.42; 4. Kylee Neil, Bozeman High, 2:20.71; 5. Dacia Benkelman, 2:22.28.
1600 (5:23.00)
1. Ada Thiel, Glacier, 4:53.63; 2. Phoebe Maixner, Bozeman High, 5:15.62; 3. Lauren Bissen, Glacier, 5:15.98; 4. Dacia Benkelman, Glacier, 5:18.73; 5. Hazel Cooper, Gallatin, 5:19.13.
3200 (11:50.00)
1. Phoebe Maixner, Bozeman High, 10:56.82; 2. Lauren Bissen, Glacier, 10:59.91; 3. Kylee Neil, Bozeman High, 11:16.50; 4. Reed Stromberg, Missoula Hellgate, 11:27.40; 5. Jane Allen, Billings West, 11:40.32.
100 hurdles (16.30)
1. Bristol Lenz, Flathead, 14.95; 2. Anita Black, Gallatin, 15.40; 3. Scarlet Harris, Great Falls High, 15.45; 4. Aizalyn Flaten, Gallatin, 15.66; Paisley Johnson, Missoula Hellgate, 15.71.
-Scarlet Harris, GFH: The junior was second in the event at the state meet last season (15.39) and has a personal best in her career of 15.14, which she ran as a freshman.
300 hurdles (48.50)
1. Aizalyn Flaten, Gallatin, 45.37; 2. Nya Myers, Missoula Big Sky, 45.99; 3. June Lay, Helena Capital, 46.92; 4. Paisley Johnson, Missoula Hellgate, 46.95; 5. Addison Brisendine, Glacier, 47.55.
-Aizalyn Flaten, Gallatin: Flaten, who was an All-State cross-country runner for CMR as a freshman and sophomore and was sixth at state last year in the triple jump while attending Great Falls High, was All-State (third, 46.59) in the event for the Rustlers as a freshman.
-Harris, GFH: Harris just missed the state podium last year in seventh. Her career-best time in the 300 came last year at the Optimist (45.58). She is just off the state-qualifying time this year at 48.62.
4×100 relay (50.60)
1. Billings West, 48.54; 2. Billings Senior, 49.23; 3. Big Sky, 49.33; 4. Helena High, 49.54; 5. Flathead, 49.87.
4×400 (4:12.00)
1. Billings West, 4:03.22; 2. Billings Senior, 4:07.62; 3. Gallatin, 4:09.73; 4. Glacier, 4:10.41; 5. Flathead, 4:14.17.
Shot put (35’3”)
1. Kate Breeding, Gallatin, 43-01; 2. Mena Kamps, Gallatin, 38-00; 3. Fayth Smith, Billings Senior, 37-07; 4. Allie Krueger, Glacier, 37-01; 5. Brittyn Boyce, Billings West, 35-10.
Discus (113’)
1. Brittyn Boyce, Billings West, 131-04; 2. Rylee Bigelow, Glacier, 125-08; 3. Laktynn Johnson, Billings West, 123-08; 4. Lowe LeFeber, Bozeman High, 121-10; 5. Brooklyn Kopp, Hellgate, 121-08.
Javelin (113’)
1. Elsa Johnson, Billings West, 137-08; 2. Kate Breeding, Gallatin, 132-08; 3. Remi Osler, Glacier, 124-02; 4. Kaelyn Saari, Helena Capital, 119-01; 5. Lucy Holloway, Glacier, 118-05.
-Aila Wood, GFH: The senior is ranked seventh in the event this season and has qualified for state (114-09).
High jump (5’2”)
1. Elly Reed, Hellgate, 5-06; 2. Kate Lindsay, Gallatin, 5-04; T3. (All 5-02) Tayah Osier, CMR; Hayden Wiening, Belgrade; Ruby Roscoe, Hellgate, Brooklyn Metcalf, Billings West; Paisley Johnson, Hellgate.
-Osier, CMR: The junior, also a volleyball star for the Rustlers, was a state-qualifier in the event last year and was eighth.
Pole vault (10’)
1. Addison Smith, Great Falls High, 12-00; 2. Naomi Lee, Sentinel, 11-06; T3. Nevaeh Varner, Billings West; Knoelle Ferguson, Helena Capital, 11-00; T5. Madison Armeding, Big Sky; Clara Randall, Billings West, 10-00.
-Smith, GFH: The senior was second at state last season at 11-03 when competing for CMR and has cleared 12-00 twice this season.
Long jump (16’6”)
1. Calla Sprecher, Bozeman High, 18-04; 2. Kate Lindsay, Gallatin, 17-06.5; 3. Zeila Wagner, Glacier, 17-03; Aizalyn Flaten, Gallatin, 17-02; 5. Tayah Osier, CMR, 17-01.5
Harris and Osier: Harris was All-State in the long last year in sixth at 16-11.25 and has a personal best of 17-04.5. She is ranked ninth this spring at 16-11.5 and has qualified for state. Osier was a state qualifier in the event as a sophomore.
Triple jump (34’)
1. Calla Sprecher, Bozeman High, 36-07.5; 2. Gabby Alec-Rebolledo, Big Sky, 36-06; 3. Aizalyn Flaten, Gallatin, 36-05; 4. Teagan Hegdal, CMR, 34-09.5; 5. Rachel Brannan, Glacier, 34-08.25.
Hegdal, CMR: The sophomore is coming off a freshman year in which she qualified for state in both the long and triple jumps.
The Bridger project is a massive oil pipeline project that would come in from Alberta, Canada, into Montana at Phillips County, then go through nine counties before getting to Wyoming.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are reviewing the project, and it could cut across private, state, and federal land.
Watch Bridger pipeline story here:
Proposed Bridger pipeline would bring crude from Canada through Montana to Wyoming
The 647-mile-long Bridger pipeline would move up to 550,000 barrels of crude oil a day.
“It’s a win for Montana. It’s a win for America,” said Yellowstone County Commissioner Mark Morse.
Morse and the Yellowstone County commissioners are among the many Montana leaders supporting the project.
Just this week, they drafted a letter to the Bureau of Land Management expressing that support.
“The energy security is again, it’s going to be on the North American continent and transporting oil via a pipeline is safer than rail or truck,” Morse said.
Commissioners also say the pipeline would be an economic boost for Yellowstone County, bringing construction jobs, supply contracts, and local spending.
“We’ll be a hub for their construction activities,” Morse said. “Supplying parts and pieces, labor.”
But there are plenty of opponents.
They say the risks are simply too high, pointing to past oil spills, including the 2015 Poplar pipeline rupture that sent 30,000 gallons of crude oil into the Yellowstone River near Glendive and a diesel spill of 45,000 gallons near Sussex, Wyoming.
“If that crossing has spilled into the Missouri River, it eventually would make it to that intake,” said Lance Fourstar, co-director of the American Indian Movement Montana. “Highly carcinogenic tar sand bitumen, so we already know it’s highly carcinogenic.”
Fourstar also has concerns about sacred tribal lands.
“The key point of concern is the sovereignty and treaty rights,” Fourstar said. “This project crosses lands, that with treaty reserved rights, hunting, fishing, and gathering.”
The Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC) says the pipeline would originate in Alberta with what it calls environmentally destructive fuel sources.
“It’s an environmental disaster waiting to happen in a state that gets a lot of revenue from fishing and agriculture. A majority of the route crosses through Montana, putting land and water at risk,” MEIC spokesperson Shannon James said in a telephone interview with MTN News.
But for Yellowstone County leaders like Morse, it’s a win-win, not just for Yellowstone County, but also the country.
“I just see energy independence for America,” Morse said.
MTN News contacted True Companies in Casper, which proposed the Bridger pipeline.
True and BLM were not available for interviews.
-
Denver, CO6 minutes agoWolves Back Up the Big Talk With Blowout Win Over Denver in Game 3
-
Seattle, WA12 minutes ago‘Rare’ Tiny-Home Compound Featuring 3 Adorable Abodes Hits the Market in Seattle for Just $900K
-
San Diego, CA18 minutes agoSan Diego Care Facility Owner Sentenced To House Arrest For Elder Abuse
-
Milwaukee, WI24 minutes agoMilwaukee father sentenced to life in prison in death of his 4-year-old son
-
Atlanta, GA30 minutes agoChina to send giant pandas to Atlanta again
-
Minneapolis, MN36 minutes agoMinneapolis campaigners press Swiss National Bank to dump Palantir investment
-
Indianapolis, IN42 minutes agoSaints lose third in a row in Indianapolis
-
Pittsburg, PA48 minutes agoThe Steelers’ Makai Lemon whiff is sadly emblematic of the state of the franchise