FRISCO, Texas (AP) — A matchup of undefeated Montana State and perennial champion North Dakota State in the Football Championship Subdivision title game is no real surprise.
What is unique is that both quarterbacks, Montana native Tommy Mellott for the Bobcats and Cam Miller for NDSU, were also the starters when the two teams played in the championship game three years ago.
In the era with a transfer portal and lucrative NIL deals — only one of the four remaining College Football Playoff quarterbacks is with his original school — Mellott and Miller remained in place and will close out their college careers by going against each other for a national championship Monday night.
“It is poetic that they both led their teams to this game,” Montana State coach Brent Vigen said.
“I think it speaks to both of our characters,” said Miller, who will make his 54th consecutive start for North Dakota State. “It speaks to the programs that we both play at.”
Montana State (15-0) is looking for its first national title since 1940. North Dakota State (13-2) has won nine championships in its previous 10 trips from Fargo to Frisco. The last for the Bison was a 38-10 victory three years ago when Mellott, then a freshman who became the Bobcats’ starting quarterback in those playoffs, got hurt early in the title game.
“When I walked off the field, it was just a feeling of are we ever going to be able to back here,” Mellott said. “Ever since, it’s really just been motivation to earn the right to go back and play in a championship game, and I do think it’s fitting we get to play North Dakota State again.”
The player known as “Touchdown Tommy” won the Walter Payton Award as the FCS top offensive player, in a very close vote over Miller. Mellott has 33 wins as a starter and is the only active FCS player with at least 3,000 yards passing and 3,000 yards rushing. He has thrown for 2,684 yards and 29 touchdowns with only two interceptions this season, and has run for another 915 yards and 15 more scores.
Miller has a 44-11 record starting and is North Dakota State’s career record holder with 740 completions, 9,522 yards passing and 11,678 total yards. He has thrown for 3,052 yards with 31 touchdowns and rushed for 510 yards and 10 TDs this season.
“We all know what opportunities are out there for players, for coaches, and it’s hard to dig in and to believe in the big picture,” first-year Bison head coach Tim Polasek said. “What I hope comes out of this for everybody watching this game …. they see two guys that are leaders of their clubs, that have had the opportunity to reach their potential and now have mastered a system.”
Running freshmen
Behind both senior quarterbacks are freshman running backs with 14 rushing touchdowns.
Montana State’s Adam Jones has 1,134 yards, becoming the school’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Bruce Anderson in 2017. CharMar Brown’s 1,104 yards make him the first over 1,000 yards for North Dakota State since dual-threat quarterback Trey Lance in 2019.
Familiar foes
This will be the 39th meeting between the two schools. Montana State has an overall 21-17 series lead, but North Dakota State has won the last five meetings — all in playoff games since the 2010 season.
The Bison won second-round games in 2010 and 2018 and a semifinal matchup in 2019. They also played last season, when Montana State lost 35-34 in overtime at home after a blocked extra point.
Another Lance
North Dakota State junior receiver Bryce Lance, the younger brother of Trey, is the FCS leader with a school-record 16 touchdown catches. He had three in the 28-21 national semifinal win over South Dakota State, including the game winner on a spectacular one-handed catch with 4:02 left.
Coaching connections
Vigen, whose first season as Montana State’s coach culminated in the last title game, played at North Dakota State from 1993-97, and stayed there coaching through 2013 as part of three FCS titles before leaving with head coach Craig Bohl to be offensive coordinator at Wyoming.
Polasek also was on the Bison staff from 2006-12 and 2014-16. He became the OC at Wyoming in 2021, after Vigen took the Bobcats job.
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