Cam Miller scored two touchdowns by running and threw two more passes in his 54th consecutive game as North Dakota State’s quarterback. This helped the Bison win their 10th Football Championship Subdivision title, beating the top-seeded, undefeated Montana State 35-32 on Monday night.
North Dakota State (14-2) made the trip from Fargo to Frisco for the 11th time in 14 seasons. Their last title win there was three years ago, in a game where both Miller and Montana State’s Tommy Mellott were the starting quarterbacks.
Miller completed 19 out of 22 passes for 199 yards and ran 18 times for 121 yards. This victory marked his 45th win (out of 56 starts) and his second national championship.
“Cam Miller was the best quarterback on the football field today. There was no doubt about it,” said first-year NDSU coach Tim Polasek, who was an assistant coach during the Bison’s first two titles in Frisco at the end of the 2011 and 2012 seasons. “Tommy’s a good football player, there’s no question about that either. But all year long, these guys have answered the bell with complimentary football.”
Montana native Mellott ran 44 yards for a touchdown to bring the Bobcats (15-1) within 28-25 early in the fourth quarter. Mellott won the Walter Payton Award this season as the FCS’ top offensive player in a tight vote over Miller.
Mellott rushed for 135 yards on 14 carries and completed 13 of 24 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. He threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Taco Dowler with 1:09 left before an unsuccessful onside kick attempt.
“Our offense was a little bit stagnant there in the first half unfortunately and we came up short because of it,” Mellott said. “Guys kept fighting, it’s very easy 21-3 to quit… and we came back out there and we had a group of guys that fought for this team, fought for the seniors.”
The Bison never trailed after Miller finished the game’s opening drive, which lasted more than seven minutes, with a 2-yard touchdown run. On their second possession, with no one in the backfield, Miller received the snap and ran 64 yards untouched up the middle for another touchdown.
“It was a draw play with an option to pass as well… they played the perfect front and the perfect coverage for it for us. It just parted,” Miller said. “It didn’t feel real honestly. Usually when we run draws, you’ve got to make a few guys miss. And there was nobody there.”
Miller threw a 1-yard touchdown to Bryce Lance just before halftime, giving the Bison a 21-3 lead. Lance’s FCS-best 17th touchdown came one play after a catch near the front pylon. He was ruled out of bounds inside the 1-yard line after a replay review.
Lance, the younger brother of former NDSU quarterback Trey Lance, who made his first start for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, finished with nine catches for 107 yards.
Lance made a diving 38-yard reception on the final play of the third quarter to set up Miller’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Joe Stoffel, restoring the Bison’s 10-point lead.
“The way the game played out, they played better than us and, you know, put ourselves in a big hole,” said Montana State coach Brent Vigen, a former NDSU player and assistant coach. “Obviously this is a low point… having 15 victories and you can’t finish it off.”
The key point
North Dakota State remains the only team in modern college football to have a perfect 16-0 season, which they achieved five years ago while also winning the national title. The Bison’s only loss in a title game in Frisco was two years ago to South Dakota State.
Montana State has not won a national title in 40 years. While the Bobcats hold a 21-18 lead in their series against North Dakota State, they have lost the last six matchups, all in the FCS playoffs since 2010. Last season, they were defeated 35-34 in the second round after a blocked extra point in overtime.
