North Dakota State Routs Montana State 38-10 to Claim 9th FCS Championship

While the Bison have boasted some top-flight talent at quarterback over the past several years, including Carson Wentz of the Indianapolis Colts and Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers, Saturday’s win was largely the result of a dominant running game and a suffocating defense.

North Dakota State rushed for 380 yards and four touchdowns on 53 carries as a team against Montana State.

Three players rushed for at least 82 yards in the contest, including Hunter Luepke, who finished with 82 yards and three touchdowns. The Bison also got 106 yards out of Kobe Johnson and 98 yards from Quincy Patterson.

NDSU’s defense performed at an elite level as well, holding the Bobcats to 335 total yards and a 5-of-15 conversion rate on third downs.

One key factor in Montana State’s offensive struggles was the fact that true freshman quarterback Tommy Mellott suffered an apparent leg injury on the first drive of the game and had to be removed.

Mellott didn’t start his first game until the FCS playoffs, but he played a big role in Montana State reaching the title game, as he rushed for 411 yards and six touchdowns in three playoff wins.

With Mellott unable to continue, junior Tucker Rovig replaced him and struggled to the tune of 156 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 13-of-28 passing.

NDSU essentially put the game out of reach in the first half by taking a 28-0 lead and rushing for 270 yards.

Of those four touchdowns, three were scored by Luepke:

North Dakota State also had the most explosive play of the game in the opening half when Johnson took a carry 76 yards for paydirt:

With the Bison blowing the Bobcats out of the water, former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee, ESPN’s Matt Miller and SiriusXM’s Boston Connor all marveled at NDSU’s dominance:

Rather than allowing Montana State to potentially get back in the game during the third quarter, North Dakota State kept its foot on the gas pedal.

Quarterback Cam Miller helped extend the NDSU lead to 35-0 just 2:26 into the third quarter with his first touchdown of the day on a 35-yard pass to tight end Josh Babicz:

Montana State did manage to get into the end zone in the fourth quarter, but it was far too late at that point, as the celebrations had already begun for the Bison.