The 2021 college football season is nearly over, but first, we have the FCS National Championship on Saturday, followed by the FBS counterpart on Monday. Here is how to watch the NDSU vs. Montana State FCS title bout, featuring the channel, start time, and live stream options.
What channel is the NDSU vs. Montana State game on?
- Channel: ESPN2
- Where: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
- Start time: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 8
- Live streams:
- NDSU All Access (Audio only)
- Watch ESPN
- fuboTV
- Hulu + live TV
- Sling TV
- Youtube TV
No. 2 North Dakota State enters the contest 13-1, while No. 8 Montana State sports a 12-2 record. These two are not postseason strangers, having faced off three times in the playoffs over the last decade. However, the Bison trounced the Bobcats in each matchup — 2010 second round (42-17), 2018 second round (52-10), and 2019 semifinal (42-14).
NDSU is looking for their eighth national championship in 10 years and fourth in the last five. On the other side, Montana State is aiming for just their second title in program history — the first coming in 1984.
Which program will come out on top this time around? History, rankings, and stats lead to the Bison being the pick, but you can never count out an “underdog” in a championship match.
NDSU’s national championship run
North Dakota State earned a first-round bye and the second overall seed after going 10-1 in the regular season. Junior RB TaMerik Williams kicked off their postseason with a 2-TD outing in a 38-7 win over Southern Illinois in Round 2. The program then trampled East Tennessee State 27-3 in the quarterfinals with another 2-score performance from Williams. In the semifinals, the Bison knocked off James Madison 20-14 in a tightly contested battle.
Williams, QB Cam Miller, and FB Hunter Luepke have powered the play-action and run-heavy offense all year. Nevertheless, NDSU’s offense has usually taken a backseat to the defense — outside of Trey Lance’s historic 2019 campaign — and that remains the case in 2021. Speaking of historic, the defense has allowed the fewest points per game since the Bison joined the FCS ranks in 2004 (11.2, No. 1 this season).
Montana State’s national championship run
If NDSU is No. 1 in points allowed per game, who is No. 2? You guessed it, Montana State (13.4). The Bobcats also earned a first-round bye after going 9-2 in the regular season. They began their own title run in the second round with a 26-7 win over Tennessee-Martin. Freshman QB Tommy Mellott led the way with an impressive 181 yards and 2 scores on the ground.
Next up was a 42-19 steamrolling of Sam Houston State in the quarterfinals. The Bobcats didn’t slow down there, dropping South Dakota 31-17 in the semis. Matthew McKay was Montana State’s QB1 in the regular season but entered the transfer portal just before the playoffs started. As a result, Mellott took over, throwing for 500 yards and 4 TDs while rushing for 410 yards and 6 more scores in three games.
Other key contributors include junior RB Isaiah Ifanse (262-1,539-10 rushing line) and senior WR Lance McCutcheon (53-1,015-7 receiving line). Also, don’t forget about DL Daniel Hardy (16 sacks, 23 tackles for loss) and LB Troy Andersen (137 total tackles, 4 INTs, 7 PBUs), who headline a stellar defensive unit.