The 2024 FCS championship game was back to prime time – not just with the kickoff. North Dakota State was that as well, adding its name again to the list of all-time national champions.
It wasn’t quite a perfect 10, but it would have been hard to convince the North Dakota State Bison of anything otherwise.
NDSU ended Montana State’s perfect season with a 35-32 victory in the 2024 FCS championship game Monday night at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, marking the Bison’s 10th national title in the last 14 seasons.
Senior quarterback Cam Miller fueled second-seeded NDSU (14-2), accounting for 320 yards of total offense and four touchdowns while claiming the Most Outstanding Player award. Tim Polasek became the ninth head coach to guide the FCS champion in his first season.
The Bison, whose two losses this season were close – 31-26 at Colorado and 29-28 at South Dakota – frustrated Montana State (15-1) yet again. Since 2010, the Bison are 6-0 against the Bobcats in FCS playoff matchups and 51-5 overall, with their 10 titles four more than Georgia Southern’s next-highest total of six.
2024 FCS Championship Game
No. 2 seed North Dakota State (14-2) 35, No. 1 seed Montana State (15-1) 32
How It Happened – The Bison never trailed in the game and built a 21-3 halftime lead, but they had to fend off Montana State’s second-half comeback attempt (three different times within three points). Miller, the Walter Payton Award runner-up, controlled the first half with three of his TDs before MSU’s Tommy Mellott, the recipient, accounted for three scores and 261 of his 330 total yards in the second half.
Game Ball – Miller went untouched up the middle for a 64-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter – the highlight play of his 45th career win as a starter. Maybe “perfect” was warranted with NDSU after all as Miller basically had the perfect first quarter, carrying the ball seven times for 84 yards and two TDs and going 4 of 4 for 51 yards. He finished with 199 passing yards and two TDs, and 121 rushing yards and two TDs.
Key Stat – Montana State led in time of possession, but NDSU finished with 202 rushing yards – nine above its pregame average – and held the FCS’ No. 2-ranked rushing attack to 198 yards – 103 below its pregame average.
The Takeaway – Polasek excitedly claimed “the Bison are back” during a TV interview right after the thriller against South Dakota State in a national semifinal. Their FCS dynasty ended with a runner-up finish in 2022 and a semifinal-round defeat last season, but they really didn’t stray too far away.
Upcoming – NDSU will claim the No. 1 ranking in the final Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll on Tuesday. Both teams will open the 2025 season on the road (Aug. 30): NDSU against The Citadel and Montana State against Oregon. If either or both teams return to the championship game, they’ll be playing in Nashville next January.
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