Bobcats Couldn’t Finish in Frisco

A slow start for MSU.

Things were rough for the Bobcats early, with NDSU jumping ahead 14-0 in the first half on the back of Cam Miller’s 167-yard, 10-minute scoring drives. Montana State had the ball just once in the first quarter, where they gained 30 yards before punting it back to the Bison and putting an icy chill over Cats fans around the globe.

The Bobcats got the ball back with 1:51 left in the first, and Mellott methodically drove them down the field for a field goal with only 5:38 left in the second. With the score 14-3, the Cats had it on NDSU’s 44 with 4th and 5 to go with 1:05 left on the clock and the Cats getting the ball at halftime.

In possibly the most pivotal decision of the game, coach Brent Vigen decided to go for it. The play call resulted in an incomplete pass and a turnover on downs with: 59 left in the half. With great field possession, Cam Miller led the Bison on a 10-play, 56-yard touchdown drive before halftime to give the Bison a 21-3 lead.

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Things started to turn around in the second half.

Starting with the ball at the half, Mellott led the Cats to paydirt for the first time of the evening on a 7-minute touchdown drive, putting life back into the Bobcats and the traveling fans who had Toyota Stadium shaking.

Looking like a different team out of halftime, the Cats held NDSU to just 6 plays on their next drive, getting the ball back with just under 5:00 in the third. In just 2 plays the Cats had once again cut the lead, with Mellott completing a 53-yard pass before putting it in the endzone through the air and completing the 2-point conversion.

After another Bison touchdown, the Cats were down 28-18 at the start of their first fourth-quarter drive. After a pair of first downs, Touchdown Tommy ran 44 yards for a touchdown, bringing the Bobcats to within 3.

Not enough time for a comeback.

Finally, within reach of the lead, the Cat's defense made a stand, forcing just the 3rd Bison punt of the game. Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t do much with it, punting the ball back to NDSU after their own 3-and-out.

With 7:30 left in the game, the Bison were able to milk 5 minutes off the clock on their next drive, a 66-yarder for another touchdown, and the figurative nail in the coffin. Down two possessions with less than 3 minutes on the clock, the Bobcats were able to score and bring it to within 3, but with no timeouts left after NDSU’s second down, the Bison were able to punt it away with 10 seconds left for their 10th FCS title in program history.