FRISCO, Texas – North Dakota State had a “Hang Ten” performance Monday night at Toyota Stadium.

Senior quarterback Cam Miller had a masterful performance, leading the Bison to a 35-32 win over Montana State for the NCAA Division I FCS championship in front of 18,005 fans.

“We were tested and we were in those moments,” Bison head coach Tim Polasek said in his postgame interview on ESPN. “It took a lot of cohesion and toughness to finish this game.”

NDSU (14-2) secured an unprecedented 10th FCS national championship since 2011. The Bison are 10-1 in 11 title games during this run.

“To do it with this group is pretty awesome,” Polasek said in his first season as NDSU head coach. “They all stayed.”

Miller also led the Bison to a national title during the 2021 season and appeared in three FCS title games during his NDSU career. Miller had 45 career quarterback victories, ranking fourth in FCS history.

“It means a lot to me,” Miller said. “I want to leave this place better than when I found it, and I found it with a national championship, and we’re going to leave it with a national championship.”

Miller completed 19 of 22 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 18 attempts. The Bison built an 18-point halftime lead and held off a second-half surge by Montana State (15-1).

“He’s played this type of football in big moments all year,” Polasek said.

No. 2 seed NDSU thwarted top-seeded Montana State’s attempt at a perfect season.

“We battled adversity and this team just keeps fighting,” Miller said.

Montana State got on offense after halftime after scoring three points in the first half.

Bobcats running back Scottre Humphrey scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, cutting the Bison lead to 21-10 with 8 minutes, 9 seconds left in the third quarter.

Bobcats tight end Rohan Jones caught a 5-yard TD pass from quarterback Tommy Mellott, cutting the NDSU lead to 21-18 with 4:03 left in the third quarter. Mellott also completed a 53-yard pass to tight end Ryan Lonergan to start the two-play scoring drive.

The Bison countered with a 1-yard touchdown catch by Miller’s Joe Stoffel to take a 28-18 lead with 14:18 left in the fourth quarter.

Mellott responded with a 44-yard TD run that cut the Bison lead to 28-25 with 11:25 left in the fourth quarter. This enabled a 75-yard drive in five plays.

Bison running back Marty Brown scored on a 3-yard TD run to make the lead 35-25 with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter. This 66-yard drive lasted nine plays and proved to be the game-winning drive.

Sophomore receiver Taco Dowler caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Mellott, cutting the Bison lead to 35-32 with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter. NDSU recovered the ensuing onside kick and was able to run out the clock on the final play with a punt on fourth down.

The Bison offense was sharp in the first half.

Miller scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Bison a 7-0 lead with 7:55 left in the first quarter. The 75-yard drive took 12 plays and lasted more than seven minutes. Miller completed three of three passes for 44 yards on the game’s first drive.

Miller added a 64-yard TD run for a 14-0 lead with 1:51 left in the first quarter. Miller’s run capped a 92-yard drive that lasted five plays.

Montana State kicker Myles Sansted hit a 32-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-3 with 5:38 left in the second quarter.

Bison receiver Bryce Lance capped the first half with a 1-yard touchdown catch to secure a 21-3 lead with 12 seconds left in the first half. This allowed for a 56-yard drive in 10 plays.

Lance finished the game with nine catches for 107 yards, including his only touchdown catch.

Miller had a great first half, completing 10 of 11 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 108 yards and two TDs on 11 attempts.

The Bison had 226 yards on 30 plays in the first half. NDSU limited the Bobcats to 108 yards on 30 plays in the first two quarters.

The Bison never trailed and that 18-point halftime lead proved too big for Montana State to overcome.

“I absolutely love this football team,” Polasek said. “We were tested this year. …Never count the heart of a bison.”

Peterson covers college athletics, including Concordia College and Minnesota State Moorhead, for The Forum. He also covers the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks independent baseball team and helps with North Dakota State football coverage. Peterson has worked for the newspaper since 1996.