Mellott leads Montana State over South Dakota 31-17 to reach FCS championship game

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Tommy Mellott rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another to lead Montana State to a 31-17 victory over South Dakota on Saturday and a berth in the FCS championship game.

The top-seeded Bobcats (15-0) will play No. 2 seed North Dakota State in the title game Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas. The Bison beat South Dakota State 28-21 earlier Saturday. NDSU defeated Montana State 38-10 for the 2021 championship. The Bobcats' only FCS title came in 1984 when they beat Louisiana Tech 19-6.

Mellott fumbled a bad shotgun snap but the ball bounced back into his hands and he went up the middle, hurdling a defender for a 41-yard TD run and a 31-14 lead early in the third quarter.

A field goal cut the lead to 14 then South Dakota (11-3) drove to the Montana State 11 midway through the fourth quarter but came up short on a fourth-down pass to the 2. The Coyotes again drove deep into Montana State territory but a bad snap cost yardage and a down before a fourth-down pass to the end zone was broken up. A final possession ended on the first play with a fumble.

The Bobcats went in front 24-14 at halftime on Scottre Humphrey’s 1-yard run to finish a long drive midway through the second quarter and Myles Sansted’s 28-yard field goal.

In the first quarter, Mellott hit Taco Dowler with a 34-yard TD pass and scored on a 5-yard run. South Dakota's Travis Theis scored on a 55-yard run in the first quarter and Charles Pierre Jr. went 45 yards to tie at 14-all early in the second.

Mellott rushed for 125 yards and passed for 134.

South Dakota's Aidan Bouman passed for 236 yards and Theis rushed for 110.

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