North Dakota State staved off a second half comeback by Montana State to end the Bobcats’ undefeated season and earn the 10th FCS title in NDSU history on Monday night with a 35-32 win.

After Montana State QB Tommy Mellott — the 2024 Walter Payton Award winner for the best player at the FCS level — cut North Dakota State’s lead to 28-25 on a 44-yard TD run with 11:25 to go, the Bison (14-2) put the game away with a nine-play scoring drive later in the quarter.

The two teams exchanged punts after Mellott’s TD run before CharMar Brown scored on a 3-yard run with 2:41 to go to give NDSU a two-score lead again.

Montana State (15-1) cut the lead to three with 1:09 to go on a fourth-down TD pass from Mellott to Taco Dowler, but the Bison recovered Montana State’s onside kick attempt and the clock expired as an NDSU punt was slowly rolling down the field.

The Bison led 21-3 at halftime after taking up over 10 minutes of the first quarter on two touchdown drives. NDSU opened the game with a 12-play drive that took just over seven minutes, and then QB Cam Miller ran for a 64-yard TD on the team’s second drive after Montana State simply didn’t have anyone in the middle of the field.

The Bobcats responded with a drive that took 11:13 and lasted a remarkable 17 plays. However, NDSU held firm near the end zone and forced Montana State into a field goal.

Montana State had a chance to cut NDSU’s lead to a possession right before halftime, but the Bobcats were stopped on fourth down at the NDSU 44 yard-line with 59 seconds to go. That gave NDSU a chance to extend the lead, and the Bison covered 56 yards and ran 10 plays in just 47 seconds when Miller hit Bryce Lance, the brother of NFL QB and former NDSU star Trey Lance, for a 1-yard TD.

The catch was Lance’s 17th TD grab of the season, and he finished the game with nine catches for 108 yards.

Miller totaled four touchdowns as he threw for two and ran for two. He also tossed just three incompletions all night as he was 19-of-22 passing for 199 yards while also rushing for 121 yards.

Montana State was looking for first title since 1984

The Bobcats’ undefeated season included a season-opening win over New Mexico, an FBS team. The Bobcats beat each of its three previous playoff opponents by multiple scores and Mellott entered the game with 43 total touchdowns.

Mellott also finished the game with 135 yards rushing as he became the third Montana State player, along with running backs Scottre Humphrey and Adam Jones, to cross the 1,000-yard mark this season.

It was, by far, the best chance Montana State had to win its first national title since 1984, a season that came after a 1-10 campaign in 1983 and before a 2-9 season in 1985. But the FCS dynasty that is North Dakota State got too far out in front as Montana State had just three drives in the first half before getting the ball back with four seconds to go in the second quarter.

The win gives NDSU a remarkable 10-1 record in FCS title games. The school won its first FCS title in 2011 and the 2019 team is the only FCS team to go 16-0. Montana State would have been the second with a win Monday night.

NDSU coach Tim Polasek is also a national champion in his first season as the team’s head coach. Polasek replaced Matt Entz, who led the team to national titles in 2019 and 2021. Entz left for an assistant coaching job at USC after the 2023 season and was recently hired as Fresno State’s head coach. Polasek is the fourth coach to lead NDSU to a national title along with Entz, current Kansas State coach Chris Klieman and former Wyoming coach Craig Bohl.