Tennessee State Tigers at Montana Grizzlies
· FCS Championship - First Round
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
 |
FG | 1st Period 9:34 | Ty Morrison 39 Yd Field Goal |
 |
FG | 1st Period 0:03 | James Lowery 37 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 2nd Period 4:35 | Eli Gillman 7 Yd Run (Ty Morrison Kick) |
|
FG | 2nd Period 0:10 | Ty Morrison 31 Yd Field Goal |
|
FG | 2nd Period 0:00 | Ty Morrison 50 Yd Field Goal |
|
FG | 3rd Period 6:44 | James Lowery 26 Yd Field Goal |
|
FG | 3rd Period 3:08 | Ty Morrison 30 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 3rd Period 1:28 | Junior Bergen 52 Yd Punt Return (Logan Fife Run for Two-Point Conversion) |
|
TD | 3rd Period 1:02 | Karate Brenson 3 Yd pass from Draylen Ellis (James Lowery Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 14:41 | Draylen Ellis 11 Yd Run (James Lowery Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 6:21 | Junior Bergen 54 Yd Punt Return (Ty Morrison Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 3:03 | Karate Brenson 15 Yd pass from Draylen Ellis (James Lowery Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 1:58 | Eli Gillman 59 Yd Run (Ty Morrison Kick) |
Statistics
 TNST |
 MONT |
|
|---|---|---|
| 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
Location: Missoula, MT
Attendance: 12,479 · Capacity:
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