NCAAF

Tennessee State Tigers at Montana Grizzlies

· FCS Championship - First Round
Final
27 - 41
9-4, 6-2 Home

Bergen returns 2 punts for TDs, Montana beats Tennessee State 41-27 in FCS playoffs

No. 14 seed Montana (9-4), which extended its record by making its 28th playoff appearance, plays at third-seeded South Dakota State in the second round.

Bergen now has eight career punt returns for touchdowns, tying the FCS record set by Florida A&M’s LeRoy Vann (2006–09).

Ty Morrison opened the scoring when he kicked a 39-yard field goal about 5 minutes into the game and added kicks of 31, 50 and 30 yards, the last of which made it 19-6 with 3:08 remaining in the third quarter.

After a sack by Noah Kaschmitter on third-and-16 backed up the Tigers to their own 8, Junior Bergen caught a punt at the 48, exploded up field before bending toward the left sideline and then cut back to evade a defender on his way to then end zone to make it 27-6 when Logan Fife ran untouched for the 2-point conversion less than 2 minutes later.

Craig Cunnigham returned the ensuing kickoff 63 yards to set up Karate Brenson's 3-yard TD catch from Ellis to make it a 14-point game. Chris Walker's strip-sack of Fife was returned 27 yards by Sanders Ellis to the Montana 11 and, on the next play, Ellis ran for a touchdown to make it 27-20 with 14:41 to play.

Bergen raced down the right sideline for 54-yard return that made it 34-20 and Eli Gillman, who ran for a 7-yard touchdown in the second quarter, capped the scoring with a 59-yard run.

Tennessee State (9-4) made its first playoff appearance since 2013.

How To Watch

How can I watch Tennessee State Tigers vs. Montana Grizzlies?
  • TV Channel: Tigers at Grizzlies 2021 College Football, week 14, is broadcasted on ESPN2.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Scoring Summary

MONT FG 1st Period 9:34 Ty Morrison 39 Yd Field Goal
TNST FG 1st Period 0:03 James Lowery 37 Yd Field Goal
MONT TD 2nd Period 4:35 Eli Gillman 7 Yd Run (Ty Morrison Kick)
MONT FG 2nd Period 0:10 Ty Morrison 31 Yd Field Goal
MONT FG 2nd Period 0:00 Ty Morrison 50 Yd Field Goal
TNST FG 3rd Period 6:44 James Lowery 26 Yd Field Goal
MONT FG 3rd Period 3:08 Ty Morrison 30 Yd Field Goal
MONT TD 3rd Period 1:28 Junior Bergen 52 Yd Punt Return (Logan Fife Run for Two-Point Conversion)
TNST TD 3rd Period 1:02 Karate Brenson 3 Yd pass from Draylen Ellis (James Lowery Kick)
TNST TD 4th Period 14:41 Draylen Ellis 11 Yd Run (James Lowery Kick)
MONT TD 4th Period 6:21 Junior Bergen 54 Yd Punt Return (Ty Morrison Kick)
TNST TD 4th Period 3:03 Karate Brenson 15 Yd pass from Draylen Ellis (James Lowery Kick)
MONT TD 4th Period 1:58 Eli Gillman 59 Yd Run (Ty Morrison Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2634.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originTNST https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/149.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originMONT
18 1st Downs 19
3-14 3rd down efficiency 3-12
1-1 4th down efficiency 2-2
277 Total Yards 369
296 Passing 115
29/39 Comp/Att 12/23
7.6 Yards per pass 5.0
-19 Rushing 254
21 Rushing Attempts 42
-0.9 Yards per rush 6.0
8-45 Penalties 4-34
1 Turnovers 3
0 Fumbles lost 3
1 Interceptions thrown 0
29:48 Possession 30:12

Game Information

Washington-Grizzly Stadium

Location: Missoula, MT
Attendance: 12,479 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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