BOZEMAN, Mont. — FINAL: Montana State 31, South Dakota 17

The Bobcats won the FCS semifinal game against South Dakota at Bobcat Stadium this afternoon, advancing Montana State to the FCS championship game scheduled for Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas.

At halftime there is a slugfest between the Bobcats and the Coyotes in the FCS semifinals.

South Dakota responded to each of MSU’s first two touchdowns with scores of their own. After a 34-yard touchdown connection between senior quarterback Tommy Mellott and redshirt-sophomore wide receiver Taco Dowler, running back Travis Theis tied the game for the Coyotes with a 55-yard touchdown run.

Then, after a 5-yard touchdown run by Mellott, running back Charles Pierre Jr. opened the second quarter with a 45-yard touchdown run to take things up a notch.

The Bobcats jumped back into the lead for the third time, 21-14. Mellott made his way to the 1-yard line before sophomore running back Scottre Humphrey scored six times.

Then the defense got the Bobcat Stadium crowd pumped up. A sack by Bozeman junior defensive back Kenneth Eiden IV pressured South Dakota and forced a punt.

The Bobcats ran out the clock and reached the redzone, but had to settle for a 28-yard field goal with eight seconds left to take a 24-14 halftime lead.

Montana State had 269 total yards in the first half, compared to South Dakota’s 183 total yards. The Bobcats are 5 of 8 on third down while the Coyotes are 0 of 2.

The number one seed Montana State University Bobcats host their final home game of the 2024 season, while the undefeated Bobcats host fourth seed South Dakota in the FCS semifinals.

The winner will qualify for the FCS National Championship game on Monday, January 6th in Frisco, TX.

It is the fourth time MSU has reached the semifinals in the last five seasons and the third time under head coach Brent Vigen. The Coyotes are also the third Missouri Valley Football Conference opponent the Bobcats have faced during that time.

Montana State has been 1-2 in the FCS semifinals each of the last five seasons. The Bobcats lost on the road at North Dakota State in 2019 and South Dakota State in 2022, but defeated the Jackrabbits at home the season before in 2021 and made their first appearance in the FCS since 1984, when MSU won the title -National Championship.

Montana State and South Dakota will face each other for the first time since 2009 and for the first time in the postseason. This is the furthest the Coyotes have reached the FCS playoffs in program history, and they will need an upset for their first win at Bobcat Stadium to advance to their first-ever FCS National Championship game.

The Bobcats are 30-1 at home against Vigen as the MSU fan base takes the team to new levels at Bobcat Stadium.

In 2024, Montana State has outscored its opponents by an average margin of 31.9 points in eight games, including a margin of 24.6 at halftime.

When MSU has the ball, the focus will be back on the trenches. The Bobcats rush for 307.1 yards per game, good for second in the FCS, and face a South Dakota defensive front that allows just 107.9 rushing yards per game, good for tenth in the FCS.

With the strength of the offensive line, the Bobcat rushing attack is led by the trio of running backs Scottre Humphrey and Adam Jones and senior quarterback Tommy Mellott.

Sophomore Humphrey has 1,325 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns this season, while redshirt freshman Jones has 1,068 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns so far this season. The Sentinel graduate’s rushing yards and touchdowns are MSU records for a freshman.

While Mellott is more efficient with his arm this season, completing 70.3% of his passes for 2,430 yards, 28 touchdowns and two interceptions, his legs are as good as ever, especially in the postseason.

After Mellott posted a career-high 300 passing yards and four touchdowns in the second round against UT Martin, the Butte product posted a team-high 131 rushing yards and a touchdown in the quarterfinals against Idaho. Mellott has added 790 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns this season.

South Dakota needs to stop its defense if it wants to keep up with the Bobcats.

Although the Coyotes average 37.2 points and 441.9 yards per game, Montana State is No. 1 in the FCS in scoring and total offense, averaging 42.1 points and 493.7 yards per game. The Bobcats are also the only team in the FCS to score at least 30 points in every game this season.

When South Dakota has the ball, the line of scrimmage will once again be crucial. MSU holds its opponents to 114.4 rushing yards per game, while the Coyotes rank sixth in the FCS with an average of 222.2 rushing yards per game.

South Dakota’s backfield is led by the duo of Charles Pierre Jr. and Travis Theis. Pierre Jr. has more yards on the ground in fewer attempts, 1,201 to 1,084 for Theis, although Theis found the end zone for 22 touchdowns to Pierre Jr. for 14 touchdowns.

Coyote quarterback Aidan Bouman may not be as mobile as Mellott, but he is efficient with his arm. Bouman has completed 68.6% of his passes for 2,723 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions.

The Bobcat secondary needs to be sharp as the defense gave up a 78-yard touchdown pass against UT Martin and a 55-yard touchdown pass against Idaho.

Injury update: Vigen said in Monday’s press conference that he “liked where we’re at” with Humphrey and junior tight end Rohan Jones. Humphrey was a game-time decision before sitting out against Idaho, while Jones last played in the Brawl of the Wild against Montana on Nov. 23 but was upgraded from doubtful to questionable before the Idaho game.

Kick-off is at 1:30 p.m