South Dakota Coyotes at Montana State Bobcats
· FCS Championship - Semifinals
Mellott leads Montana State over South Dakota 31-17 to reach 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.
How To Watch
How can I watch South Dakota Coyotes vs. Montana State Bobcats?
- TV Channel: Coyotes at Bobcats 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on ABC.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Scoring Summary
 |
TD | 1st Period 11:56 | Taco Dowler 34 Yd pass from Tommy Mellott (Myles Sansted Kick) |
 |
TD | 1st Period 8:52 | Travis Theis 55 Yd Run (Will Leyland Kick) |
|
TD | 1st Period 1:04 | Tommy Mellott 5 Yd Run (Myles Sansted Kick) |
|
TD | 2nd Period 14:51 | Charles Pierre Jr. 45 Yd Run (Will Leyland Kick) |
|
TD | 2nd Period 8:24 | Scottre Humphrey 1 Yd Run (Myles Sansted Kick) |
|
FG | 2nd Period 0:08 | Myles Sansted 28 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 3rd Period 10:30 | Tommy Mellott 41 Yd Run (Myles Sansted Kick) |
|
FG | 3rd Period 2:55 | Will Leyland 46 Yd Field Goal |
Statistics
 SDAK |
 MTST |
|
|---|---|---|
| 16 | 1st Downs | 20 |
| 3-10 | 3rd down efficiency | 7-15 |
| 0-2 | 4th down efficiency | 0-0 |
| 371 | Total Yards | 356 |
| 236 | Passing | 134 |
| 20/29 | Comp/Att | 8/17 |
| 8.1 | Yards per pass | 7.9 |
| 135 | Rushing | 222 |
| 24 | Rushing Attempts | 50 |
| 5.6 | Yards per rush | 4.4 |
| 5-21 | Penalties | 2-5 |
| 1 | Turnovers | 0 |
| 1 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
| 0 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
| 27:56 | Possession | 32:04 |
Game Information
Location: Bozeman, MT
Attendance: 20,557 · Capacity:
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