2021 NCAA FCS Championship Semifinal - South Dakota State vs Montana State

maddie it is a winter wonderland in beautiful bozeman montana for this fcs semi-final between montana state and south dakota state right on in to bobcat stadium the winner gets to go to frisco to play north dakota state [Music] here comes montana state the lowest seed to ever host an fcs semifinal the bison beat james madison last night they await today's winner south dakota state was in that game just seven months ago trying to get back there with the college football hall of famer matt stinchkomb i'm taylor zarzer alyssa lang is on that field you'll see her in just a second we have breaking news isaiah afonzi montana state's great running back is not playing today due to an accumulation of knee pain that he sustained throughout the season so that means montana state's true freshman quarterback tommy malott it's all yours and you knock about the fact that he doesn't have a ton of experience he's only started since the playoffs have begun but because of the injury that running back that they've just incurred one of the top rushers in the fcs and ifonzi you've got a guy that accounted for five of the six touchdowns last versus sam houston state and tommy malott now he's going to have to carry an even heavier load as a runner we've seen him throw for touchdowns catch a touchdown last week rushed for two of them now he's going to have to get even more carries in a very run heavy offense about 65 percent of the play calls for the montana state offense stays on the ground number 16 is going to have to play a very prominent role he's been gashing them in the playoffs the jackrabbits of south dakota state are at full strength no health issues for their team coming into this game they got to the championship game seven months ago but they've had some bumps in the road since then stench yeah you could tell obviously all season long didn't always have a healthy stable of backs they do today though isaiah davis pierre strong an excellent one-two punch strong strong runner outside a perimeter type space player davis more downhill more physical they want to impose that rushing offense on one of the best rush defenses in montana state here today how did they get back to frisco for more on that let's go to the field and alyssa no shortage of motivation for south dakota state today guys as you mentioned playing in a championship game just eight months ago they fell in that game 23-21 the final a score still imprinted in their minds but that's not the only place coach stigg had these t-shirts made up that he gave his players after that game with the score listed on them reminding them that every day every practice every workout can get you back to that moment they've embraced that but that's not the only source of motivation coming in chris oladokin the quarterback told me they assumed they'd be unseated knowing they lost three regular season games but once it happened once they knew they were going to have to go on the road throughout the playoffs it motivated them even more they do feel like they're the best team in the country when they're playing their best football now one win away from going back to that championship game alyssa his team has won the toss they have deferred montana state will receive this is the 16th meeting between these two schools dating back to 1956 when they played three hours north of here in great falls montana bobcats lead the series 10-5 but the jacks have won the last three and like stench told you montana state coming out there on the field with the true freshman quarterback tommy malott last week against the number one seed in the playoffs sam houston he did it all you can see the numbers obviously as a passer they're going to want to get him going on the ground a little bit different role for him in this game knowing that the inside runner in a fonzie not available mulatt was more of the pull read get the ball on the perimeter now he is going to be more between the tackles type running something that's different for the bobcat offense with the fonzay out elijah elliott is in and he takes the first hand off of the game and another freshman he gets three on first down and logan bacchus will call his name a lot today makes the tackle second and seven for the bobcats that is a big blow to your offense matt to not have a fonze who has been sensational this year you look at the amount of production that he's provided for this offense nearly 120 yards on the ground and as much as the bobcats like to keep it in the run game you're going to have to do it by committee outside of their quarterback and tommy mallott lance mccutchen leads the backfield he's to the near side milot throws two in first down up near the 40-yard line [Music] coming into this game tommy malott had attempted 35 passes that's it and yet when you go with the football in the air it's often times towards lance mccutchen that's key in this game let that defense see the passing offense and especially to get an early completion for your young quarterback again mccutcheon leaves the backfield right before my lot snaps the football and in that empty backfield malat running keeps it and he's ahead past the 45 for six more stench you said they have to have the threat of throwing the football today to keep that jack's defense honest well you can see now twice they motion to an empty backfield pulls the defender out of that defensive box so because it lightens up the number of defenders if there's nothing downfield that you like take off and run and you see the play distribution heavy heavy run 66 percent of the time they're trying to keep it on the ground already here today a completion and another attempted pass with the scramble you saw brent vegan the head coach just a moment ago wanting to keep that defense on us here's the design run call and it's a first down well it's right at the sticks yes they give him enough into jack's territory first down montana state and in this game you can tell look there's not a ton of wear and tear on tommy mallott true freshman seen spot duty really the idaho game is where he came on started to really click in this offense a guy that they knew probably in the back end of the season they were going to go with him but he's a new face they didn't play in the spring season and so they had to introduce him into this offense he was blocking he was tackling playing other roles now here today we've seen him as a passer and a runner already early in this offensive possession this fake to elliott milot keeps it mistake made and it's a loss back to the 48. adam bach the terrific sophomore linebacker with the tackle for loss [Music] great job of getting in the offensive backfield quickly box one of those guys as is isaiah stallberg the quick trigger guys bach is incredibly active in the middle of the defense for the jack rabbits came into the game with 119 total tackles that time malott had a third option it looked like to swing it out wide instead he ended up eating the football malat throws on the run it's a good ball the mccutcheon and it's another first down though they say incomplete didn't hold on to it through the process of falling to the ground third and 13. heavy play fake you get malot on the run [Music] and you see it rolling to his throwing arm side that's a well placed football mccutcheon could have come up with this catch well defended don gardner came in there breaking late it was just enough to keep mccutcheon from coming up with a big catch on the boundary montana state 41 on third down this season [Music] a lot pumps and he's ahead but just past the 45 yard line down to the 44. it'll be about fourth and five here we'll see if coach vegan elects to keep the offense on the field this is this he's gonna kick it away but it's interesting on that scramble drill taylor a little bit stagnant in the secondary those receivers you need to work back to your quarterback that time a lot scrambling to his left you have to mirror your quarterback if you're deep you come shallow if you're shallow you run deep instead nowhere to go with the football no wind at the moment here in bozeman there's a threat of some snow in the second half bryce leighton's punt is fair caught by jackson yonke at the 11 yard nine what a beautiful scene this is in bozeman with the championship looming [Music] including this one bison was up but very late in the game an interception how about this dustin talbert with the one-handed grab to preserve the victory they did have one last hail mary chance couldn't even get the ball out the bison are headed back to frisco after beating jmu last night 12 straight playoff appearance seeking their ninth championship in the last 11 years if you've gone to play in texas you better bring the bison to frisco isaiah davis and pierre strong are both in the backfield and there's already a motion issue for the jackrabbits [Applause] and that goes against the defense there with drew myers today's referee with the call there that's against one of the best pass rushers in the fcs daniel hardy [Music] it's just a simple motion right daniel hardy obviously you can tell is wound tight one of the better sackmasters at the fcs level with 14 coming into this game and two of the best tailbacks in the country in the backfield ola dokkan throws and on the run it's jaden yankee with the catch he is past the 30 yard line up to the 32 it is a pickup of 15 yards so both of these run oriented offenses get the ball in the air early a guy that hasn't been asked to do a ton he can obviously pass better than what they had at qb in their spring season they like what he's brought to the passing game but they do not lean heavily on the passing attack it's 84 degrees where ole dokin's from in tampa florida was near zero this morning and pierre strong on the handoff gets two up to the 34-yard line rylan ott on the tackle and rylan orton excuse me is going to play a big role in this game ty okada from montana state unable to play today so oh so ort the redshirt freshman is in there taking his spot and the goal for south dakota state is to see if they can't motion to where they can get callahan o'reilly number 47 usually a box player to be that space player as he is right here oh lodokin throws near side nice catch made and it's a first down by yankee again and again jaden and brother jackson we'll see them catch a lot of balls today the twins from madison south dakota two of the best at this level how about the passing game early now for the jackrabbits offense you get oledokan going early you see some of the trades and motions that they're doing pre-snap see if they can't get the alignment that they want but right now olodokin starting off with a nice rhythm in the passing game fix the handoff over the middle wide open is a big tight end tucker craft craft is inside the 30 down to the 29 it's a pickup for 25 for one of the best tight ends playing fcs football tucker craft he fits in at any level of football especially collegiately you're looking at this guy he looks the part he plays the part physical at the point of attack an excellent receiver in the secondary and this is a program that had dallas goddard who he's further along than goddard was through his first two season looks like he's a bit banged up may work on his left arm a bit separated shoulder maybe if he fell on the point of that left shoulder ollidoken turns and hands to strong there's a big hole piers inside the 20 and he's down near the 15-yard line the senior from little rock arkansas the all-american for 13 more nice push up front they're able to climb up to the second level did a good job there at the line of scrimmage this is an offensive front at south dakota state offensive coordinator and play caller jason hack also the o-line coach they take pride in how they play up front will challenge the montana state bobcat defensive front all game long especially in their rushing attack [Applause] michael morgan going in motion strong tries to follow him but right there is callahan o'reilly to make the tackle the bobcats defense has been stingy once the opponents have gotten inside the red zone only allowing one red zone touchdown the last four games just phenomenal in this area of the field a condensed space but the challenge is of course you're facing an offense that's very proficient in the ground game despite the passes that we've already seen early that time callahan o'reilly did a great job identifying quickly to make that tackle isaiah davis joins pierre strong in the backfield ole dokin in between them he'll throw again he escapes the pressure and he slides down inside the 10. he'll be marked down at the nine that's where he gave himself up it'll be third and short from there the pressure if it doesn't get there he had jaden yankee breaking right in the middle of the end zone just behind the linebacker level we've already seen excellent job oledoka that time using his legs to extend to play now you're facing one of the best rush defenses in the country in montana state but right now that offensive front's done a great job of generating push and right now you look at it only two receivers out wide davis behind olodokin he gets the carry and he's right near the marker trey webb on the tackle but i think davis's extra effort might have been enough it's going to be close they're going to stay short by maybe the length of the football thought maybe davis's extra effort might have gotten him the spot it did not coach stiglemeyer keeps the offense on the field you can see he tried to bounce that run to the backside met almost right away and now testing the metal of the bobcat defensive front can they hold up it's olodokin giving to davis and he is stoned troy anderson on the tackle and one of the best players in bobcats history gives the football back to the offense we talked about the red zone defense but defense for the bobcats starts and stops with troy anderson he does it all and he couldn't have come up bigger in that moment a huge red zone stop for montana state [Applause] going back to that big stop by the bobcat defense and what they did was they had three banks the inside lineman you see that three defensive lineman guard to guard are all covered up that allows anderson to play free you see the edge defenders they play inside gaps 15 at linebacker watch him scrape over the top that's what forced davis to have to bounce that run he wants to get downhill and instead he has to force it outside right into the waiting arms of troy anderson gives the football back to the offense and malott one hops it to mccutchen it'll be second down and to your point about anderson i mean this guy was one of the best offensive players in school history he was 10th in school history and rushing with over 2 200 yards and now he's had nearly 200 tackles in two seasons since switching from the offense to the defenses 25 and a half tackles for loss in just two years doesn't matter where you put him stinch he makes a difference he makes an impact on either side of the ball in fact they're even speculating if we'd see him on offense and may still in goal line scenarios hands off to elijah elliott and elliott gets ahead to the 12 again if you're just joining us isaiah fonzie the top tailback for montana state who has a set the single season rushing record last week rushing for over 1500 yards this season is unavailable due to chronic knee pain and that means a stable of backs will have to try to replace him today malat in trouble gets out of there this is what he does best first down montana state and much more [Applause] [Music] [Applause] that could be so disheartening to a defense you're sitting there right coverage nowhere to go with this football downfield but because the defenders backs are turned to the line of scrimmage milot does a great job of escaping in the pocket and picking up a huge gainer to get off his own goal line false start offense number 80. five yard penalty remains first down treyton pickering tight in moving early that was a 21 21-yard gain from a lot there's brent vegan head coach 45 years old in his first season best first season in school history at 11-2 came over from wyoming in january when jeff choate left to work for steve sarkisian at texas mulatte again and he lost the football and he got it back it bounced right back to him what a huge break for the bobcats there down near the 35. even after it bounced right back on top of him it looked like maybe don gardner for south dakota state was going to be able to come up with this football what a fortuitous bounce from a lot because this ball is out see it get hatching it out and it bounces right back to him in fact peanut as he's rolling over kind of corralled that football with his left arm it's probably laying on the turf i mean that's like when i hit a tree left of the green and it bounces right on the green 10 feet away easy birdie yeah you do that on purpose i mean that was the ultimate fortuitous break can melt make the defense pay he throws over the head of a wide open mccutchen third down you see the play action in the backfield pretty good job of holding up in protection but you can also see that you look this is a guy true freshman spent a lot of time running the football and also back-to-back carries he also wanted to come back throwing that football did that have an impact on that throw with just fatigue now on third and seven milot lofts one one-on-one it's caught by nate stewart stewart's off to the races it's a touchdown 64 yards [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] nate stewart the graduate from bethlehem pennsylvania transfer player from akron i think he might have gotten a break here the extra point by glesner is good it is seven nothing with 3 28 to go in real time stinch it looked like stewart might have been shoved out of bounds we'll talk about this in just a second is left foot we'll take a look at that in just a moment bobcats on top [Music] it is beautiful here at bobcat stadium as it is a raucous crowd it's warmed up but overnight it was below zero a lot of snow in the last couple of days and if you're not used to driving a car in this weather you can get it stuck i'm talking to you kevin maloney so i had to come to the rescue and put this thing in reverse look at alyssa lange and russ and kevin maloney stitch you're just directing offensive linemen your playing days are over evidently yeah you kidding me i'm retired if you don't want to push the car go ahead i don't know why you're pushing a car that's rolling on its own yankee from the goal line he's got space arm tackle to no avail back to the 44 yard line now stinch in real time nate stewart you could see it he went out of bounds but it's okay because he was shoved out exactly malik lofton in coverage he forces him out of bounds see it's left foot right there on the boundary side judge drops his hat but you're allowed to do that now if he leaves the field to play willingly not being illegal touching instead he was forced out of bounds because of the defender therefore makes him a legal catch and a huge play you scramble after a little goal line you get a big red zone stop and the bobcats able to capitalize on that momentum jack rabbits got inside the ten turned it over on downs on a fourth and one nine plays 79 yards no points ole dokken turns hands to strong pierre is past midfield to the 49 to the field in alyssa you can tell that these two running backs pierre strong and isaiah davis have so much love for each other they said they'd call them thunder and lightning though they didn't seem too hot on that nickname tbd if they could come up with something else we asked them what some of the keys were offensively for them to get this win pierre strong emphasized no turnovers we have to have good ball security because this deep in the playoffs the margin for error is so small typically the team with less turnovers is going to win the football game well there's no doubt about it you count that red zone stop as a turnover right now and it's strong who's got the first down to the 45-yard line troy anderson makes the tackle not but not before strong who got dinged up last week in the first drive of the game was able to get the first down he did clear concussion protocol passed every test we visited with coach stiglemeyer before the game and he said that pierre could carry the football as much as he ever could coming into this yeah he felt really good about his running back room and you can rest assured number 20 and number 22 for south dakota state let's see plenty of number 15 of montana state olodokin dumps it off nice catch made by morgan but all world linebacker troy anderson is everywhere he's just such a smart football player he started out his career as we mentioned quarterback he's even punted as a bobcat but in this game they wanted him to focus his linebacking duties and already he has definitely paid dividends one of the best defenders in all the fcs second and nine [Applause] it's a handoff to strong and strong makes a man miss and he's got daylight pierre strong touchdown 44 yards [Music] that is his 40th career touchdown a great blocking on the edge to get him to pass the line of scrimmage but what a move he throws on trey webb trying to come up and run support see number two from montana state lose his footing pierre strong cuts inside takes it to the house gold frams extra point ties it up and after south dakota state is unable to score inside the 10 takes a punch on defense they punch right back with their all-american the fcs leading rusher pierre strong well that's the lightning you know they said they don't like it thunder and lightning whatever the lightning came in handy right there a streak down the sideline and compliments to the big guys up front and the edge the perimeter blocking was outstanding to get him up field one of the most experienced runners in the game the ncaa fcs champion will be crowned january 8th in frisco texas on espn2 at 12 eastern for more information visit ncaa.com the home for all 90 ncaa championships that'll be fun three weeks from today on this very network going on at this very same time remember the jackrabbits are the only team to beat the bison this season and of course brent vegan the head coach at montana state it's one of the best viking players and assistant coaches in program history so they'll be great story lines no matter who wins this one elliott from the two tackled at the 15 yard line they say he was down and whistled at the 16. so elijah all this running is for naught my friend you know you're right the whistle was blown bobcats of course did not play in the spring becoming the head coach losing to the team he used to be with in the season opener in a great game a nine-game winning streak then they lost to their arch rival the grizz in the final regular season game they make the quarterback change going from matt mckay to tommy malott and the offense has gone off in the playoffs speeding in the number one seed sam houston last saturday night in texas shahari martin the fake to him malott wants to load up one on one for mccutchen [Applause] [Music] we asked brett vegan in the pre-game we could see some shots early in this game you gotta wonder if the defense is expecting just heavy run the whole time it's the 50-50 balls that south dakota state was concerned about they hit big ones versus sam houston state and now a big one early to mccutcheon for 40 yards beat don gardner to get the ball into south dakota state territory design run from a lot and look at the lateral quickness there by gardner and logan bacchus you got to give gardner a lot of credit gets beat on a deep ball and immediately tackles my lot at the line of scrimmage on the next play comes right back makes a nice play bacchus really made that play possible did a good job of forcing a lot to bubble his run and gardner who was in position on that ball he just got boxed out by mccutcheon who's got that big body at six three 200 pounds after one corner surprised at the amount of passing we've seen right now the bobcats driving on the arm of tommy malott frozen bozeman montana we are tied at the end of one in one of the biggest home games ever at bobcat stadium come on back for the second quarter [Music] beautiful day to run down the mountain the bridgers in the background yeah there you go come on pup right up to the camera 7-7 in snowy bozeman as we get ready for the second quarter in this fcs semi-final montana state the home team has it just past midfield on the second down and their true freshman quarterback tommy malott is stopped in the backfield by rhys for a loss of one it'll be third and long i gotta tell you stench there are great backdrops all over college football you think about the rose bowl you go up to berkeley with that beautiful backdrop in the bay area the enormity of sec stadiums with the bridgers in the background these mountains i mean bobcat stadium it's got to be on your list the most stunning backdrops in college football fantastic setting and a packed house here tonight more than capacity we've got to bring in seating for this ball game on third and tim a lot throws short and it's caught at the 40-yard line the flag comes in as the ball is caught by nate stewart it could be a roughing penalty on the quarterback a late hit roughly defense number 91 15-yard pounding xavier ward with the late hit here and mulatt is still moving around slowly he got hit pretty good on the touchdown throw to nate stewart earlier watch at the end of this play c91 xavier warden yeah thinks the shot went up high tommy malott and you have to know the head referee the white hat he's responsible for that quarterback especially after that ball's out of his hands you're going to draw a penalty on that mulatt stays in but moved rather slowly the last 30 seconds he's got elijah elliott and jahari martin to each of him each side and it's elliot following blockers great lateral closing speed by bacas it'll be second down after a pickup of three when talking with jimmy rogers defensive coordinator he's talking about bacchus and watch how quickly he covers ground right here diagnosis quickly look at that lateral quickness and speed for him to close this was a well blocked play on the perimeter he was the backside linebacker to make that play in space that ankle that he's been playing on that was dinged up early in the year seems like it's healthy here today over 300 career tackles for him elliott makes one man miss runs into people down near the 18 yard line it'll be third down montana state gets back into the red zone against south dakota state and again the big story coming into the game isaiah fonzie terrific tailback for montana state not playing today due to chronic knee pain possibly could be back in three weeks for the national championship game elliott martin hosey and the quarterback mulatt carrying the mail today and it's the quarterback here who goes right near the first down marker where he's tackled at the 16-yard line looks like he is just short taylor with that play call you have to think he was already thinking four downs right there he went heavy formation to the right they are right back now he's under center on this snap watch the snake [Applause] he clings in the guys and he does get to the 15-yard line [Applause] sweet for the white hat there it is jack rabbit defense was ready they saw you know they were quick to the ball and under center for tommy malott but the jack rabbits are ready so look they're all covered up adam bach is right there and he's stuffed initially it was that second effort i don't know it might have been a favorable spot i'm not sure he got to the line to gain that ball his back was to the line of scrimmage free play they blow it dead false start offense wide receiver number 10 remains first down that's why it was blown dead and it wasn't a free play nate stewart moving too early you know when do you see a wide receiver jump off sides is when he's expecting the ball i can promise you it's never because they're getting ready to block so see him at the bottom of the screen watch stewart a little bit early [Applause] looked like there was movement inside yeah yeah by south dakota state on the line but they get stuart outside i'm a lot a little rattled by that jackrabbit front at the moment now first and fifteen on the zone read he gets back near the original line of scrimmage where michael griffin the all-world safety makes the tackle second and ten you see him a lot we talked about it earlier he's going to have to be the central part of this thing a guy that didn't get a start until the postseason obviously a buy in the first round because of that eighth seed able to just get back to that original line of scrimmage on that last run sixth ever quarterback to play for the bobcats that's from butte montana one on one to the end zone mccutchen is out of bounds [Applause] the cam the cannons go off but it's incomplete the heck of a catch just not a reception in this one comes up with it working against don gardner again and he's going to be a mismatch because of his length at 6-3 you can understand why they repeatedly try on those 50-50 throws to the boundary when he's man up in coverage 10th play upcoming here got to get near the 5-yard line mulatt pumps pumps again gets the edge and he's down at the 10. before the spin and the dive it'll be fourth and goal from there and here comes the kicking team key stop big stop by the jack rabbits kate tervir able to retrace great job see him right at the boundary number 94 great hustle to keep him from getting the line to gain right there he's out of bounds and right foot right before he initiated that spin move blake glessner to give montana state the lead back from 27 yards right through there [Applause] [Music] the winner gets the bison in three weeks in frisco brent vegan would love to play his alma mater graduation was yesterday here in bozeman you know what we've seen some incredible grads play for these two teams through the years kicking footballs you could argue the two greatest kickers ever stinch i mean at any level adam vinatieri south dakota state and john stenerood for montana state both went on to be hall of famers well vina terry will be in a few years because he kicked till he's almost 50 years old this ball kicked into the end zone and south dakota state will get at the 25 coming up at 7 30 eastern 4 30 pacific over on abc quarterback logan bonner and wide receiver devin tompkins lead utah state against oregon state in the jimmy kimmel la bowl presented by steeple it is truly the most wonderful time of the year it certainly feels like that here a week away from christmas all the snow everywhere the eye can see what a backdrop to decide who gets to go play for the national championship you said it earlier winter wonderland we saw a shot earlier i think santa's in the stands not sure who he's pulling for [Applause] you know griff our director he thinks he's the real deal like he this is the real santa this is him definitely looks the part there's no doubt i'm glad that you know he wore his usual outfit yeah i think that's him it's hard to tell who he's pulled for though right although looks like a bobcat fan that he's hanging out with what is the north pole about 10 minutes north of here that's right yeah it's just one exit up bobcat fans have packed this place overflow crowd oledokin fakes plenty of time and rifles one in there past the 40. what a good ball that was for a first down up to the 42-yard line for 17 yards canyon baller with just his ninth catch of the season just excellent protection up front and really olodokin has had his time there hasn't been a lot of pressure not a ton of passing although more than we would have anticipated coming into this game his fifth attempt he's now five of five four different receivers for the jackrabbit offense [Applause] yeah they do alyssa and uh yankee unable to make the catch there these guys are studs alyssa yeah pierre strong said they're the hardest working people you'll ever be around chris oludokan said every single snap they play with an extra chip on their shoulder keeping them clean him and the backs he said if they get tackled even one time all five of them are running over to pick us up and make sure we're good to go and are ready for blood on the very next play so you can tell they love running behind these guys you love hearing that stench i give credit where credit's due and i love the fact that they're doing it yeah they're both they're booking tackles excellent you see the shift now a direct snap direct snap to davis and isaiah is past the 45 right at the 45 it'll be third down from there trey webb on the tackle all the coaches the coordinators the head coaches all said it comes down to montana state's defensive front against south dakota state's offensive line on a third and seven here let's watch daniel hardy for montana state he'll be at the top of your screen on the line trying to get to olodokin this is the down and distance the jackrabbits want to stay out of dump off what a catch by kraft in traffic and look at the big man go inside the 20 first down jack rabbits what a perfect play call you're anticipating pressure we talked about it on the call offensive coordinator x said look we know they get exotic on third and long how about a middle screen to your quote-unquote freak at tight end in tucker craft and boy did he show it how about the speed demonstrated by big number 85 after the catch to not only run away from defenders but to get separation running down the sideline what a huge conversion 38 yards you can see why he's an all-american three catches for 63 yards rudy voss is in a quarterback with michael morgan blocking in front of him and vos on a design run playing the malot roll gets down to the 13-yard line rudy has run it 12 times for 91 yards on the season and a touchdown boss staying in the game now so two out of the last three plays where you see someone else getting the snap from center well it was a wildcat look and now boss in there at quarterback as a runner on that previous snap freshman from lakefield minnesota staying on the field on a second and six he fakes the run throws over the head of craft man he had him too you can see why they don't ask him to throw the football much he's one for four passing and they had him you're right craft had snuck just past the line of scrimmage they're trying to sell that quarterback power just not enough seem how he turned crap around if that ball is over his inside shoulder where he was looking at six and instead kraft had to spin all the way around the ball was thrown outside would have been a sure touchdown put the passer back in chris oludokan on a third and six [Applause] oledokan nice ball and it's caught by yankee diving to the end zone touchdown touchdown jackrabbits the jackrabbits take the lead with one of the yonki twins this is jaden 13 yards and once again nice protection by the jackrabbit offensive front yawkey starts on the right side of the formation he's got time to come all the way across the football ball's a little bit behind him and jeffrey manning again coming up from his safety position a couple of missed tackles in this game had a chance to stop him short instead with the extra point 14-10 lynn lead what a drive by the jackrabbits coach sticks team wants to get back to frisco they're in a good one with montana state in bozeman today [Music] melissa lang does not believe this but the temperature's actually gone up a bit it was near zero the last couple of days stench drove all over this area of the country time to slide down the hill look at the ball control we have seen this has been a battle in the trenches to be expected a game that certainly could go 60 minutes before we decide a winner yeah as good as these teams can run the football on the ground we've seen some explosive plays in the passing game none bigger than the screen pass to craft on that third and long to set up the touchdown with the fair catch montana state coming back on offense with tommy malott at quarterback he's only thrown it seven times he's carried it 12 times for 58 yards asked to do just about everything today remember this guy was a catch-all type of player for brent vegan in his offense throughout the regular season really like a taysom hill he did everything on special teams he played receiver he was in the backfield played some quarterback in a run in a short yardage situation then matthew mckay entered the portal at the end of the regular season after he started every game in the regular season at quarterback and your postseason quarterback is this guy and he finds a wide open pickering into south dakota state territory [Music] how about that play [Applause] south dakota state they get a little creative offensively on their drive how about this one looks like a zone reed instead he got a great knife nice pull read on that one ends up dumping into pickering downfield 33 yards on a nice little pump fake by malot there to get it to the sophomore from sunburst montana now malott takes off and runs and breaks tackles and he says another first down down to the 30 12 more for the true freshman the more q power looks now in this game we were wondering you know how are you going to get malot as the inside runner because typically that's it fonsi the guy that's not available in this game he's using the inside runner that time a lot able to get downhill and the reason they waited until the postseason to make this change is because coach vegan felt an extra week would serve him well almost snapped it and got an offsides call but jackrabbits don't come a across doesn't like what he sees down the field and takes off and gets eight or nine more so hard to bring down but they thought stitch with the fact that they got that by in the playoffs that gave him 10 12 days and a bunch of practices against each other to adjust to having a new starting quarterback yeah and they said they felt as if throughout the season that this was an eventuality this was imminent it was just a timing issue when would he ultimately be the first one to take the snaps interesting that it happened in the playoffs but so far it has paid dividends like it did on that last snap on blocked up front his mobility extends the play to pick up positive yards that's elliott standing next to him a lot and tommy keeps it again they're chanting his name and he's got a first down make it a first and goal inside the 10 mark down to the four alyssa this guy is doing it all yeah and if you're watching montana state for the first time you might be going a freshman quarterback starting for the first time in the postseason a couple of weeks ago we talked to coach vegan about how that changed the play calling he said it really didn't we can even be more creative he's so smart he knows the playbook so well really good at understanding and setting protection as well which allows them to be more free offensively and not to mention of course the speed we've been able to see that on display today no question and good decision making so far from the true freshman great block that time by another true freshman and elijah elliott to get him a lot to the edge moves two tight ends and a running back to the left he follows him wide open for the touchdown shifts the protection and they move to earth in front of him great job by the front and an even more impressive job uh jahari martin but watch the puller set the edge jari martin the lead blocker and malat with the walk-in touchdown quite the answer by the bobcats [Applause] both teams no points on the opening drive they've scored on five straight possessions now it's montana state back on time [Music] on this field against ut martin then last week he goes and beats the defending national champion sam houston throwing running and catching oh okay tom cruise tom brady tom malott i like it it's a natural progression [Applause] yankee from the four with a flag down gets up to the 25. [Music] whistles everywhere flag came in late during the return holding receiving team number 57. jack rabbits will be backed up coming next coming up next over on espn the bold quadruple header rolls on with eastern michigan and liberty in the lending tree bowl in mobile alabama and we kept the day with the 23rd ranked raging cajuns and the marshall thundering herd in the r l carriers new orleans bowl both games are also available on the espn app so you can watch anywhere bobcat fans are not just in the stands they're outside the stadium and all of them are yelling at chris oladokin who hands off the pierre strong and he gets nothing simeon woodard true freshman triggers into that backfield almost immediately coming from the perimeter nice piece of tackle you see him right there there's no way to dig him out he already had inside leverage on jackson yankee couldn't get inside on it that's a free hitter and it was right at the point of attack that was the perfect call into that offensive play again it's strong and strong gets ahead he gets close to eight yards you gotta love john stiglemeyer the head coach at south dakota state great you stopped us on first down guess what i'll do i'll do it again run it right at you never abandons the run believes in his team especially that offensive front and we'll see what coach stigg and offensive coordinator jason eck draw up here on the third and two they got a heavy formation into the boundary and it's a snap that goes to an up back it was tucker craft who picked up the football lined up under center how about that a little trickeration from stig and coach eck to get the first down well they've been dialing it up the creativity even in the last drive so watch craft he comes from the end of the live scrimmage looks like he's got a motion and he kind of caught the bobcats you see both linebackers they're kind of looking to see is he going to reset is he going to trade all the way across the formation and instead quick under center able to get that snap in an easy first down on the snake now more conventionally it's davis and he gets up to the 34-yard line it's important to be objective in life stench but this is a fact john stiglemeyer is one of the best people in college football anybody that's ever met him would certainly agree with that 25th year as the head coach 185 wins he just signed a new contract extension this week he's the definition of being where your feet are oladokin throws and it's caught up at the 44-yard line by zach heinz and that's another first down what do you make of what stick's done with this program you know it's the consistency at which he's been able to put together a championship caliber program and how he's gone about doing it oladokin with the offense moving quickly gets up to the 48. first time in this game where we saw daniel hardy move olodokin off his spot forced him to scramble to talk to that coaching staff at south dakota state all these guys talk about how much they have learned [Applause] from coaching and being on this staff and around the culture that's been built opposite north dakota state you're talking about one of the most consistent winning programs at the fcs level i love the beard too it's been growing since the south dakota loss he was so upset he doesn't cuss he just yells holy nutmeg every time he gets mad he was so mad he grew a beard and hadn't cut it since and the jack rabbits haven't lost since olodokin fakes it gets out of the pocket and he gets up near the 50-yard line it's going to be third and a couple from there rylan ort forcing olodokin out of bounds a lot of time leaked off of the clock before that snap now you're under a minute on this third down we've already seen it earlier where they were able to pick up on a third four plus five plus this isn't as long as the last third that they converted on the middle screen to craft but not a comfort zone versus the montana state defense that can get very creative look as you see andre williams at the top it is a first down for ole dokin staying on his feet down to the 35-yard line 16 yards by the one newcomer on this offense this season kim from tampa played at samford he's handling the elements really well andre williams was a spy number three see him missed that tackle right in the middle of the screen they had he and daniel hardy to the same side of the formation williams didn't even rush he was there purely for the scramble and ole dokin able to break that tackle and get the first down see last play written on the back of the helmet that last one gives the jackrabbits new life olodokin off his back foot man he had bower but it looked like eric zambrano may have messed up bauer's vision a bit second and ten there's no doubt he had it but you mentioned it zimbrano just enough see able to elevate that left arm up and disrupt you're looking to try to pick up another big positive you're going for the throat right there see if you can't pick it up tucker craft to that side of the formation as well this time he's to the right side of the line just off the hip with the right tackle and is now motioning into the boundary dumps it off in traffic and that was jackson yankee the intended target but there were bobcats everywhere it's third down back to the screen game had great success with it earlier that time they had hit it to crap this time trying to jam it in there to yankee third and ten last time we saw this was that middle screen to the tight end so far south dakota state's done a great job of protection able to hold up cole frohm can kick it from here they're in his range to kick a field goal on the 11th play of the drive ole dokin gets rid of it and tackled right at the line of scrimmage is davis [Applause] by jeffrey manning jr it's fourth down with 25 seconds left in the half the clock is running let's see if coach stig will wait until there's just a few seconds left and bring fromm onto the field nothing to lose at that point but that time they talked about all week it's the big games the stunts and twists that montana state can employ on a passing down they've done a great job of protection but they did not trade off the stunt that time they moved olodokin off his spot that affected that play and its ability to pick up positive yards make this a more makeable kick or even perhaps convert i can feel alyssa's eye roll as i say this but the elements aren't that much of a factor today the wind is not up the temperatures actually increased to almost 30 degrees so this certainly is within cole from's range he made a 54 yarder earlier this season in fact he's made three from 50 plus see if coach vegan calls one he's got all three of his timeouts he does [Applause] time out montana state i guess it goes from ice to kicker elements aren't doing that for you alyssa how cold is it on the field right now i'm glad you were standing next to me when you said it's not that bad because there were some bad words maybe going through my mind when you said that it's cold down here you guys are behind like three inches of glass the windows are open yes sure yeah there's a net in front of us right there it's like a screen it's cold but the beautiful snow the mountains and a heck of a football game make up for it right now no doubt let's see if cole from the transfer from nebraska can connect from 51 yards [Applause] snow's not melting we haven't gotten above freezing yet fromm's kick has plenty of lag and it is good right where we want it right 17 apiece at the break what a first half that was [Music] from makes his fourth kick from 50 plus and remember the jackrabbits do get the football to start the second half so big three points there for coach stig as they go to halftime and alyssa is on the field coach heck of a half from your young quarterback so far what do you want to see in a second well we just got to get them off the field defensively i know offensively we've been able to move the ball tommy's playing well he's making things happen defensively we got tackle better for sure i think that'd be the top priority what will be the adjustments you make defensively at half i just think we got to challenge our guys you know it's not a bunch of calls it's not those type of things we just got to make some plays that's good state's got good skill players we gotta we got good skill players too he's got to make those plays in open space thanks coach brent vegans had the best first season any montana state coach has ever enjoyed now he's trying to get his team to the national championship game tied with south dakota state at the break [Music] one half to decide who will play the bison of north dakota state in the national championship game in three weeks tied up at 17 apiece and for some reason since we came to montana i've grown a few inches and now i'm taller than the all-american mad sting melissa lang's on the field i'm taylor zarzer these are two of the best defenses in all of college football at the fcs level stench they've gotten pushed around by these offenses well the offensive enjoyed a lot of success in this game outside of two open possessions right when you start the game montana state they punt south dakota state they get into scoring position gets stuffed on a fourth and one otherwise it's been these offenses trading blows pierre strong able to get that rushing game going for south dakota state on the ground something that we anticipated and then they were able to close out the first half with that made field goal to knot things up on the scoreboard and of course the jackrabbits get the ball back first here in the second half but tommy malott who we knew had to play a huge role for the bobcats boy he's answered the bell so far he's been terrific in the last play a four-yard touchdown run there's actually a picture in the stadium of tom brady next to tom tommy malott tommy brady would tell you that the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half is where the game really is won or lost like you said it's a critical moment here for the jackrabbits to take the lead as they'll get the football at the 18. what did coach sting have to tell you alyssa you guys mentioned it both head coaches not super happy with their defense i asked coach stake what his emphasis was at halftime he said i told our defense we have to cut down on those explosive plays our quarters have to go up and make a play on the football he said offensively we're doing a pretty good job so far but unsurprisingly he said we got to continue to open up those holes to run the football temperatures in the 20s all day we haven't had any snow there is a front north of us and south of us we'll see if we can dodge that in the second half got a bunch of winter weather all week here in the 41st state in the union montana ole dokin on the run moves the pocket nice ball and a great catch made by jaden yonke taking the hit too from eric zambrano first down jack rabbits the yaki twins have paced the passing attack largely for the jackrabbits offense certainly throughout the first half they come out throwing to open up this possession once again able to convert the sticks in the passing game both these teams going into half having gained more yards in the air than on the ground big tight end tucker craft was great in the first half he goes in motion and it's strong following kraft and that right side of the line and he gets about three troy anderson the all-world tac linebacker makes the tackle for montana state strong and davis combining for over a hundred yards rushing so far although isaiah davis has not been very effective today dave is just with 11 yards rushing strong had the long touchdown run of 44 yards and he's on the field here on the second and six olodokin trying to find heinz instead just bounces it into his bench third and six a little chippy there at the end of the play garrett greenfield number 74. daniel hardy having a little discussion how things went on that previous snap nowhere to go with the ball downfield olodokin wisely dumping that football now the question will be we've seen them able to convert screen game a scramble there towards the end of the first half by ole dokin but this is the down where montana state has been able to affect the passer they haven't gotten the outcome that they've wanted four of six on third down so far for the jack rabbits oh lodokin wants to take off finally gets rid of it and craft breaks a tackle and gets the first down zambrano was there craft was maybe the fifth option on the play and by just being as large and physical as he is moves the chains this backyard football you know protection ends up breaking down still nowhere to go with the ball olodoka does a good job of staying alive and kraft was calling for it in the middle of the field zambrano he just bounces off of craft how physical number 85 is we saw the speed earlier on the screen and once again on third down it's the tight end of the jackrabbits that bails out the offense somewhere dallas goddard is watching this game saying yep tight ends jackrabbits of south dakota state pierre strong runs ahead to the midfield where andre williams makes the tackle you know jason eck the offensive coordinator for south dakota state told you that kraft may be further along than goddard was through his first two seasons in college he's talking about just physically from a skill set standpoint where he is right now he felt as if he was set up even better see dallas goddard obviously incredibly talented moved on to the next level eck was talking about how he thinks craft is probably even more gifted maybe not from a football instinct standpoint that'll come isaiah davis back in and davis gets a couple it's gonna be third and two maybe they look for craft again here alyssa yeah one of my favorite one of my favorite moments from our meetings this week was when kojak looked at stench and said where'd you play again and sting said i played at georgia he was like yeah you can drop tucker craft on the field at georgia and no one would know a difference and i can confirm from standing down here also having had done a couple of georgia games this year that you would not notice one bit of a difference when you look at the size on that guy yeah he's big and pretty man and he's really made his presence felt in this game he blew out the formation on this third short there he goes across the formation to the right side and davis follows him and he's not going to get there they blow it dead even though he wasn't down on the ground and it's going to be fourth in a yard and a half maybe two ben seymour printed it with the tackle forward progress was stopped at the 48 yard line seacraft coming across the formation [Applause] they're trying to run it right up the middle and a great job look at that anchor right in the middle of the defense by ben seymour and 98 for the bobcats made that play possible and once again short yardage defense by the bobcats coming up big and isaiah davis who is a physical runner gets denied how cold could hunter dustman be right now the punter for south dakota state makes his first entrance onto the field fair catch by patterson way inside the five yard line that's a mistake montana state is backed up at their own four dusman says i'm warm i'm ready to go what a game this is [Music] now you're gonna go skiing about an hour south here tomorrow this makes me nervous right here oh no stuck the landing though she stopped sliding she's fine look bounce right up i guarantee she went right back up there again yeah you get gotta get back on the uh disc elijah elliot standing in the middle of his end zone next to tommy malott the quarterback for montana state after the bobcats fielded on their own four malat will throw nice ball to lance mccutchen right at the first down marker and a flag comes in at the end of the play [Applause] don gardner who they've been going after repeatedly a couple of 50 50 balls and now this one to get a first down coming out after the play personal foul late hit defense number 21. a 15-yard penalty from the end of the run automatic first down bails out the bobcats after the bad decision on the return mccutcheon clearly in the field of play i don't know i mean it feels like he's just finishing the play i'm kind of with the defender on that one it didn't look egregious like you said though 25 yards on that play with the penalty instead of being at the four now they're at the 29 and the lot wants to throw again but instead we'll tuck it and run and that nice lateral quickness again catches up to him as he is run out of bounds by jack rabbits it'll be second down once again though montana state doing a great job of managing poor field position able to get out of the shadows of their own goal post so they can get into their regular field offense so you're not in that coming out offense where you're just trying to gain breathing room graham spaulding showing off the speed there for the jacks on defense to limit the play to four milot on a design keeper banging into more jacks he gets about five where kale reader makes the tackle to be third and a long one really well blocked by montana state you know they didn't make a living in these type of calls this is a function of the injury to a fonzie at running back spinning a lot more in the quarterback power game getting pullers around and allowing a lot running inside did he get that molot keeping it himself but it didn't get a lot of movement into the end of the line we'll see where this is marked it's fourth down you're right it wasn't a ton of push coach both offenses now reminiscent of how the first half started right we both had empty possessions and then the offenses found their footing both defenses were challenged coming here in the second half and it looks clear that he is short on that third down attempt [Music] bryce leighton second punt a line drive yankees gonna have to let it go and now south dakota state will be backed up this rolls all the way down to the seven yard line it's a 55-yard punt the team scored on six consecutive possessions now the defenses have shown up still tied at 17. [Music] have been affected by southern and midwest tornadoes if you would like to help please visit redcross.org espn to help the red cross respond and help people recover from this disaster they've provided approximately 200 additional blood products to hospitals in response to these devastating tornadoes primarily in kentucky indiana and illinois our hearts are with you pierre strong doesn't get much but stays on his feet before he's pushed out of bounds up near the nine yard line he is strong this all-american tailback is a finalist for the walter payton award finished fifth in the voting and they they were concerned about him after the concussion yeah or he they put him in the protocols i should say in the victory against villanova he got through all of it he has been a horse so far today a big run obviously to open up the scoring for the jackrabbits at that time would have been a negative yardage play just shakes off a would-be tackle for positive yards now it's isaiah davis who was terrific last week he's been stopped today he doesn't get much there as trey webb makes the tackle it's going to be third and long for south dakota state and that's usually a play for strong he's more the outside runner but strong's got some type of an equipment issue he's on the sideline his shoe popped off that's part of the reason why he was able to break that tackle he pulled his foot right out of his shoe picked up three or four yards but you can see now back-to-back plays where he missed it they just got his shoe back on he's frustrated too he wants to be out there instead davis [Applause] is back there dump off again this time craft is stopped for no maybe a yard it's troy anderson the all-world linebacker for montana state it's three and out for the jackrabbits how about that fool me once you're not gonna get number 15 too many times on the same look last time it was brilliantly called craft took it for a big gainer this time negligible if any gain at all anderson was all over it see him saying that not on my watch that time big number 85 gets denied and now dussman from the middle of his end zone runs up and kicks this one nice bounce for the jackrabbits inside the 35 man what a weapon dustman has been on both of these punts that is a 57-yard punt by the sophomore from east bethel minnesota still tied up [Music] here between montana state and south dakota state it is time to eat like a champion we're going to mckenzie river pizza company and after this play we're gonna eat some uh the rancher i believe and the also uh alyssa's got one on the field she'll tell us what she has in in just a moment we like to do this each and every week during our show tommy malott at quarterback for the bobcats has been terrific today and he's going to plow ahead for a few alyssa what do you have down there i have the stockman which as i open it it looks like bacon pepperoni oh this looks delicious cold pizza too i'm living my best college life that's great i want to know what kind of woodland creature died on your head what is that that you're wearing i mean when in rome right right montana very rude no not yours taylor you have an appropriate headwear whereas taylor has a very disturbing i don't know what it used to be a lot across the middle and that's caught for a first down almost into south dakota state territory it's willie patterson right over the middle so you seem a lot on the run first with his legs now with his arm able to kind of jump start this offensive possession and one that took over further up field than it should have some punt return adventures in this game malott throws and it's mccutchen wide open he's down near the montana state 35 south dakota state 35 that's going to be there this game don gardner is not going to get beaten deep by mccutchen it's twice now they came back to it you see it off the play action excellent protection gardner's playing off making sure that mccutcheon doesn't get hip to hip with him that 50-50 ball that's advantage montana state he's going to keep some separation that throw is going to be there down to the jack rabbit's 35. malat keeps changing his mind and it eventually dives ahead for four yards it all comes down to this the college football playoff semifinals friday december 31st on espn and the espn app heisman winner bryce young and number one alabama take on number four cincinnati in the goodyear cotton boat classic at 3 30 eastern then it's number two michigan and number three georgia in the capital one orange bowl bearcats the first group of five team to make the playoff wolverines first playoff dogs back for the first time in four years and the tide playing in their seventh playoff in just eight seasons of this event of course the national championship is january 10th on espn a lot he just rolls ahead taking all of his momentum for another montana state first down and i'll tell you what stinch if those cfp semi-finals are anywhere as close to as competitive as last night's game yeah and today's fcs semi-final we're in for some good ones you're not good i mean when you think about alabama's like the north dakota state of the fbs some of these dynastic programs milot carrying the mail all day today 188 yards passing 124 yards rushing over 300 total yards for him very rarely does he get rid of the football he does here and he simply throws it out of bounds living to see another play heavy pressure in the backfield by cade tervir a couple times when we've seen tavir pop up that time really affecting my lot and his ability to set his feet and flip his hips to get that ball down field he wanted mccutcheon it looked like garner had rolled up he's tight in the line of scrimmage looked as if he was going to look for another 50-50 deep instead ended up having to just heave it out of bounds bobcats in position to take the lead back with just over three minutes to go in the third quarter milot with a big fake and he gets down inside the 18-yard line where adam bach makes the tackle a lot of they're getting a lot of yardage a lot of it out of this q power look that time he kind of fakes the toss to elijah elliott be surprised if they don't move the pocket again with molot they tried a sec earlier they're able to get him out on the edge it allows him to tuck it and run it if need be right now they got that formation to the right see if they run play action and run him and roll him out to the right side instead he's in a muddy pocket he gets out of there watch out he can use his legs first down wow just incredible athleticism by this true freshman from butte montana reese winkelmann was all over it and they might have gotten away with one elijah elliott is blocking malik lofton watch late malik lofton comes in on the edge pressure wow you see those arms spun up in the air white hats right on top of it no flak he spun lofton completely around on that play no flag khan called on elliott and elliot van malott look over to brent vegan play clock running down and monica montana offensive backfield that time elliot he didn't know whether or not he was supposed to be emptying out of the backfield or not mulat looked like he was unclear as to what the alignment should have been at that point obviously you don't want to forfeit look you're in the red zone you've already opened up this half with empty possessions both sides fantastic scoring opportunity here the fresh set of downs make sure that you've got the alignment correct you think about back to that first half of the turnovers wow i mean how how much married more married can these two teams be same number of plays a little bit more explosive from montana state scores tied they've had the ball about the same amount of time ninth play of the drive coming up here from a lot in the bobcats from around the 13-yard line milot takes it out of elliot's body and he gets down to the 10 where thomas stacker makes the tackle remember these are two programs uh-oh an injury there with willie patterson patterson the junior from tacoma washington he's he's he's the guy that threw the touchdown pass to malat last week against sam houston and then caught one from him on the next drive yeah just runs into mccutcheon there look like it kind of clipped his left with his left ankle or his calf hard to tell what it was definitely a lower leg injury it looked like the way he was grabbing kind of hobbled around for a little bit before going down remember these are two programs that lost to arch rivals towards the end of the regular season montana state losing over in missoula to montana south dakota state lost to south dakota rough days and you're wondering where these teams would go from here what they've done is each have won out and now they're in this hardly fought contested battle to try to get to the fcs national championship game amazing job to forget about that and focus on what's in front of you no question a lot of football a lot of football been played by south dakota state especially having participated in the spring season jahari martin is standing next to him a lot he follows him and malott stays on his feet and gets down inside the five to near the four man he is taking some hits but his coach vegan told you before the game stinch this true freshman can handle it well he's a physical runner there's no doubt so they got a little g scheme play side guard pulls and kicks out the edge defender you've got lead blockers up inside that's the same play that they ran on the touchdown run earlier by malott that time able to get it to third and short you can get a first down on the 11th play of the drive if they get it to the three and a lot is right out there that mark effectively it's like a qb sneak more than it is a draw but out of the shotgun first and goal enough to convert that's the surprising part about tommy malott he's not a physically imposing guy obviously has speed we've seen him in space but i've been really impressed in this game with how physical he has been between the tackles he's needed to be because their usual inside runner not available in a fonzie there's 27 carries today for 144 yards rushing you would think number 28 is coming up maybe take a shot up top extra effort touchdown [Applause] six feet not even 200 pounds playing high school football this time last year in butte comes to bozeman says i'll do anything you want for this football team i'll block i'll tackle i'll catch passes i'll throw them and i'll give extra effort as your starting quarterback in the playoffs to give the bobcats the lead at the end of the third quarter six minutes and 29 seconds he took off the clock on a 12-play drive and blake glessner gives montana state a seven-point cushion as we go to the fourth quarter montana state trying to play for the national championship for the first time since 1984. today from meeting north dakota state for the national championship in three weeks the bison knocking off jmu last night in the fargo dome that's january 8th here on espn2 at noon eastern down in frisco if you're going to play in texas as they like to say you better be able to run the rock and the lot has been sensational today [Music] [Applause] yankee from the one [Applause] up ended just past the 20-yard line kick off your week 15 nfl sunday at 10 a.m eastern with the countdown crew on espn in the app they'll go out all access with the nfl sack leader t.j watt stillers trying to keep their playoff folks alive plus an inside look at cowboys rookie micah parsons journey to becoming one of the nfl's premier pass rushers we got you covered with all the early breaking stories injury updates and previews of each game right up to off in our week 15 monday night football match up nfc north rivalry dalvin cook and the vikes against justin field and the bears at soldier field minnesota still very much alive in the nfc playoff hunt playing the bears twice remember it's eight easter on espn and on abc coming up on monday night 21-yard line and there is a pass to yankee and yankee gets 21 yards on the first play boy was that big stench given all the noise these bobcats were making out of it yaki completely unaccounted for in the coverage so they run a heavy play action made it look like they're going to run it up inside instead they end up flipping it out to yankee for an easy pickup [Applause] hustle by ryland or just to get out there dokin doesn't like what he sees and he gets sacked it's amandre williams there to cover him up and it's a loss of seven on the play really well defended down field watch aaron zambrano the top of your screen watch yankee stop it's a little out and up little double move to see if they get him to fight on the out instead zambrano does a great job of running with yankee downfield look at santa he's excited he's fired up santa is cheering for montana state [Applause] on second and 17 ole dokin just dives ahead and might have gotten a couple daniel hardy was about to get to him it is third and long for south dakota state a lot a lot of throwing right now south dakota state opening it up obviously you get that nice gainer from yankee on the opener you come back with a shot downfield and a negative yardage a little bit surprised that we didn't see like a quick handoff trying to pick up some yards to get back to the original line of scrimmage this is a dangerous down and distance this is where montana state has been able to get their pressure they're showing the pressure look now both linebackers up in the a-gaps oh lodokin steps into it it's intercepted picked off by simeon woodard [Applause] that is his fourth interception of the season and boy is it a big one not necessarily the pressure they showed the pressure big game up front protection held up pretty good he presses up in the pocket he just doesn't get enough of this football trying to get into canyon bauer it looked like [Applause] and simeon woodard was right underneath that almost like he was looked almost as if he was the intended receiver tucker craft was not on the field on that play stench instead olodokin had to go somewhere else when he pays the price now can tommy malott put the jack rabbits away it's elliott and he plows ahead for a couple tommy malott has all but 15 total yards today for montana state the team on the day has 351 and he's got 336 either passing or rushing so a play like that you see to elliot is quite rare well it was the only other one that's generated any yards i mean outside the passing game only gets that inside carry now a loaded backfield with two backs in there with tommy malott jahari martin joins elliott in the backfield mala taking a big hit coming around the edge is reese winkelmann he beat the offensive lineman and he forces third and long if he doesn't he's another big gainer great job by winkelmann that time they get up got upfield almost immediately [Music] with the negative yardage play the first forces third and long we've seen both quarterbacks find ways to extend the possession even when under pressure now the key is don't make a big mistake just like what you saw from south dakota state's quarterback in ole duke a lot on third and 11 throws caught nate stewart wrestles the football away from the defender and montana state's in the red zone another 50 50 ball we saw this almost exclusively from montana state last week versus sam houston state once again size advantage 6-2 for nate stewart fighting for his quarterback for the big catch 24 yards to get montana state back in the red zone martin wasn't even ready for the play and instead it's still a touchdown lance mccutchen beats gardner for the football [Applause] some of the bobcats offensive players didn't even know the ball had been thrown martin what look at martin harry martin was looking at the defense and it might have just been a quick now snap look at tommy malott look out there and season the matchup that he likes [Applause] 31-17 montana state with 10 and a half to go so two throws to give your receiver a chance and you win both times and tommy malott's feeling it this is the largest deficit south dakota state has faced all season long bobcats trying to eat jackrabbits for lunch here on espn2 anyone you ask here in bozeman will say this is the biggest game montana state's played in 37 years at home since they won the national championship back in 1984 and they can feel it up two touchdowns with 10 35 left [Applause] jack rabbits get it down two touchdowns they have not been able to stop the quarterback tommy malott today no matter what he's doing throwing or running he's done it all except for catch he did that last week so who knows what else he's got in him this one open up that passing scoring anyway gets it downfield then gets a nice block on the edge picks up a gainer then battles his way into the end zone that time walks his way in the blocking has been excellent and how about this power tommy malott showed some speed and some trust his receivers have certainly justified it here in the second half they go back to the ground and pierre strong didn't like what he saw to the left he tried the right troy anderson was there it's a pickup of two [Music] how about that that's crazy 16 yards that he's not responsible for today goodness elijah elliott's out there to take the load off the young man strong again not much maybe two more it'll be third and six for the jackrabbits with 10 minutes and counting last possession three straight passes results in an interception it goes the other direction a couple of runs can they convert on this third down to hold up oladokin nice ball first down throw to jackson yankee excellent protection slipping down in the middle of the defense by montana state has slowed down their ability to pressure and olodokin with the strike [Applause] overdoking 14 of 19 today make it 14 of 20 as he throws behind davis on the defense they had the match-up that they would have wanted right there if that ball's in the right spot doesn't spin down once again spins davis all the way around that callahan o'reilly out in space give your brother a chance to play break one tackle next thing you know it's a first down pass midfield instead you deal with an incompletion in the second and ten i mean he never had a chance davis collected by blake schmidt and friends brought troy anderson off the edge right now [Music] he's able to get in the backfield disrupted the timing of this play detroit anderson almost takes the handoff instead is teammates make the play on third and 12 it's crap back on the field and getting a first down how about that match up you got daniel hardy in coverage typically a pass rusher against one of the best receiving tight ends in the country and craft again huge on third down five catches for 74 yards today for kraft davis bounces off a defender he won't bounce out for anderson [Applause] boy troy anderson is everywhere it's a reason why he's thought to be one of the best defenders if it's a player of the year the big sky 10 tackles that's game high he's been all over the field that time able to track down and make a tackle in space second and nine oled gets out of there and throws to the sideline nice grab sitting on his behind is hines transfer from washington and it's a first down nice job buying time by chris oludokan great job of pressing up in the pocket kept his eyes downfield did not panic jump by zach heinz giving him a target right there at the sticks [Applause] olodokin and the jackrabbits have been good on third down can they get something going on first nope strong loses yardage with sebastian valdez in the backfield you nailed it taylor it's a first down efficiency see if you can't get those positive yards they talked about the players knew it as you can see more hurry up mode over the football for the jackrabbit offensive front oh lodokin wants it all it is caught but out of bounds great catch by yankee but he couldn't get a foot down as simeon woodard who got that interception a little while ago was all over it good job by woodard squeezing him towards the sideline you see yankee they're trying to battle a little bit he just runs out of real estate right there at the pie line third and ten plus we've seen ole token by time we've also seen tucker craft bail him out he's the inside receiver on the hash mark at the bottom of the screen olodokin sets up a little bubble and it's yankee who gets down to the 27 but it's going to be fourth in about five simeone woodard made the tackle [Music] they'll [Applause] [Music] throughout this drive they've been over the ball almost like in a hurry up mode like two minutes plenty of time it's worked well for them they went for it on the first drive of the game inside the montana state 10 and didn't get it here's their second fourth down try it's craft again on the hash mark lodokin's in trouble it's hardy [Applause] [Applause] safe to say this is daniel hardy's best weekend ever he graduated yesterday he's trying to get montana state to frisco up today grabs as the bobcats get off the field on a fourth down play they could have maybe gone back to their guy who's giving them a security blanket and a bailout tucker craft there watch him on the hash to break right behind the head you see that ball could come out right now instead the pressure from daniel hardy at the top of the screen working against garrett greenfield who's done an excellent job all game long watch him come back underneath that pressure and ultimate sack on oledokan that's hardy's 15th sack graduated yesterday with a marketing degree i said what do you want to do with it he said play professional football love to get to the next level this year he certainly is headed in that direction meanwhile on offense it's been the tommy milot show and he gets a couple of first downs this game's over and you have to wonder now so you see that early run of course down two scores still time look at here in the second half south to go to state full slate of timeouts available to them they were in hurry up almost that entire drive until they got to the fourth down bobcats have been stellar not only in short yardage but in fourth down situations pick up for four from a lot who has 148 yards rushing 233 yards passing and he dives ahead to get maybe one more coach sticks team south dakota state into the first half with a couple of touchdowns and a field goal in the second half punt punt interception turnover on downs you talk about answering the bell defensively both these head coaches said our defenses have to do better you think about what brent vegan said we got to tackle better in space we've seen some of that but it's also been their ability to affect the passing and even before the school board started to get away from south dakota state saw that one drive one possession three straight passes resulting in that interception it's not over yet if his team can get off the field here on the third and five but can they get malot down yes good tackle made there by [Music] [Applause] we'll take it with them with 4 46 left coach stix gonna need a big comeback to get back to frisco talking amongst themselves on the sidelines saying y'all want to go to frisco i want to go to frisco y'all want to go to frisco coach is coming around saying one more stop and you're going to frisco get the ball back and you're going to play for a national championship guys yeah you can even hear the the fans pick up on some of the parab mikes down there saying those goal posts are hours they are coming out there there's no doubt if they hold on here that might have been partially blocked came after it it looked like a jackrabbit may have gotten a hand on that latent punt it's gonna be a short field but the jack rabbits need two touchdowns with 440 to go [Music] cs champion will be crowned january 8th and frisco on espn2 at 12 eastern for more information visit ncaa.com the home for all 90 ncaa championships 4 40 left in this one where montana state has a two touchdown lead trying to get there to play the bison [Applause] jackrabbits haven't had a deficit this large all season [Applause] first down into montana state territory for 14 yards now the question will be going to live in passing mode can they keep it out of harm's way and stay ahead in the down and distance so they don't get into third and obvious oh lodokin in trouble just shovel pass ahead and it's strong it will get about five maybe six callahan o'reilly was in the backfield pressuring oledokan there clock running near four minutes left in the game olodokin pumps throws behind strong it'll be third down clock stop with 401 left you saw that on the previous one too that that time they only brought three on the previous the pressure almost got to oledokan that time only rushing three was montana state the ball too hot and inside for pierre strong watch the games inside the twists the montana state has been running on their defensive front the two defensive tackles have been very active let's see if they twist on this pass rush olodokin looking towards craft throws to him and it's too short it's too low fourth down for number 85 harvey in the backfield again already coming in on that t-e stunt the tackle was first allows the end to wrap inside watch 44 come in doesn't get quite picked up cleanly and so olodokin has to press up in that pocket could not throw a catchable ball in the craft he was right at the sticks this is basically it for the jackrabbits [Applause] it's yonky who's free and he's inside the 10 first and goal south dakota state opens pass is complete jackson jockey catch that ball cleanly initially because otherwise he ends up out of bounds here this ball hangs up he beat woodard right now oh yeah he was kind of juggling it otherwise he ends up in the end zone it looks like if he catches it cleanly there's nothing to stop it 35 for jackson yankee now short that was a dangerous pass to davis probably better off that he dropped it second down the defense exactly right taylor i mean you think about that if he catches it maybe it's negligible gain but you don't want to tip it up in the air especially right there in the flats [Applause] if bianchi catches that ball cleanly it's a touchdown with three minutes plus to play as it is montana state yeah you want to get this stop you also want to bleed this clock as much as you possibly can in a second goal to go [Applause] ole dokkens running for his life somehow he got rid of that football the referee was grabbing for his flag it looked like he got close to the line of scrimmage that's the question he was definitely under duress and still in the pocket did the ball get passed from grounding number nine was in the area bring it next down let's say that close enough to be the intended receiver regardless was all-out blitz trey anderson came right up the middle he's not flushing him back and i think that i don't think he understood the line judge i think a line judge said he got to the line of scrimmage up and then that right guard edward miller cost him five more false start offense number fifty four five yard apparently remains third [Applause] it's down been a clean game procedurally even though this is as we've said a more than capacity crowd and they've been loud especially on third downs clearly you have two plays to get 13 yards here how do you do it with 334 left well it's been the yankee show but we can't forget about craft and we think about the previous possession where hattie if he had the time craft was open you see tucker craft now the top of the screen is going to line up right on the hash mark we've got two in coverage oh lodokin's going down it's hardy again and the ball's out sebastian valdez got it [Applause] correction the ruling on the field is that the ball was recovered by south dakota state not montana state it will be fourth down [Applause] looking at it again valdez was fighting for it it looked like he jumped on it but edward miller who committed the penalty on the previous play might have ultimately ended up with the football here [Applause] how about that pass rush by daniel hardy excellent hands you know this is a guy that in his first 26 games here at montana state two sacks coming into this game he had 14 he's picked up another three eight sacks in the last five games two today 16 on the year he's a totally different player in visiting with him yesterday he said i've got this new move that i've done that sean howell the defensive line coach has taught me and he he wouldn't divulge too much information into what goes into the move but you can see it clear his day today stench he just used it i mean that's the one he's just used it's just a quick two-hand wipe he just wipes the hands of the offensive tackle garrett greenfield he goes to punch and hardy just wipes his hands clean so now it's fourth and goal from the 21 for ole dokin and the jackrabbits must score here and there's movement now it's going to be fourth and 26. false start offense number nine five-yard penalty well jayden started too early i guess it's not that big a deal when you have so far to go but the jackrabbits need a miracle here to keep this game alive we saw it on the previous down but can they even get there this time can they hold up in this protection knowing right now and they'll call timeout knowing that this is the season montana state their second half thirty second timeout what an atmosphere this is today man i mean we have gone all over the country calling fbs football games and power five leagues for years the three of us we finished 2021 here in an fcs environment that is second to none well all of bozeman i think is in or around this stadium right now [Music] stadium holds 17 777. the attendance is closer to 22 000 today if you include all the people that are around the stadium that aren't sitting down yeah i mean the fences are locked we got folks they don't need a seat they just want to get in to see this and it's been a great contest and it boils down to this play oh lodokin and the jackrabbits need a miracle he lets it fly hail mary ball incomplete [Music] [Applause] [Music] bobcats came after it had enough time to release it great job that's well defended you got a defender over top a defender underneath ball falls [Music] montana state won the national championship in 1984. since then they've had a lot of ups and downs with their football program as the fcs has gone to this big tournament bracket and it took a true freshman kid from butte montana to come in at quarterback of the best tailbacks in school history time out south dakota isaiah due to knee injuries in order to get them back to the national championship game for the first time in 37 years what did he step up i mean he's done it all off season they knew that they had to get it out of their quarterback and it hasn't just been in his usual mo he's thrown the football very well the decision making has been excellent i mean other than the ball ended up on the turf that he ultimately recovered himself it's been a fantastic performance by their true freshman a guy that he's contributed in spots all season but he has really emerged here at the end of the year credit not only the coaching staff trusting him with this game plan but also those wide receivers especially here in the second half tommy brady may own the other 49 states tommy malott owns montana [Applause] up to the 34-yard line goes elliott jack rabbits are out of timeouts nice run by elliot by the way after contact pick up another three or four yards to get this to third in short think about what this guy did a couple weeks ago running for 180 yards against ut martin making his debut as a starter in the playoffs last week he throws one catches one and runs for one all in the first quarter to beat the big dog the number one seed the defending champion sam houston state and malott's gonna be stopped at the 35 with 2 20 to go the ncaa fcs champion will be crowned three weeks from today january 8th in frisco texas on espn2 at noon eastern for more information visit ncaa.com the home for all 90 ncaa championships man frisco is hosting several bowl games this season and no disrespect to those games the fcs national championship atmosphere they've created in that market is phenomenal done a terrific job no doubt great venue tremendous venue you see south dakota state everybody up they came after that last punt they got a shot montana state they're finally all eleven second pot team punt return team rather up on the line of scrimmage come on over here man looks like kevin that looks like you kevin trying to park your car earlier all right i don't think the heavy stuff is coming down for quite some time where is he going exactly i don't think he knows but brent vegan and montana state know where they're going they're 98 seconds away from going to frisco there's taylor house wright the offensive coordinator vegan wants to play his alma mater in the national championship game bryce layton will punt it nobody back for the jack rabbits [Applause] and it's down to the 16-yard line there's vegan how about this a year ago he was telling us on the field for the game it finished the season wyoming's regular season finished in the middle of december due to covet he's at christmas at home he's wondering what his future is jeff choate who's the head coach here decides to join steve sarkesian's staff at texas a few weeks later he's named the head coach at montana state and all he's done is have the best first season any head coach has ever had in school history pretty remarkable and considering you know the injuries we've already talked about the transition to quarterback opting not to participate in the spring season last year and it's all paid off olodokin gets it to yankee and these yankee twins are all hard that's jackson who gets it out past the 30-yard line for 17 yards nearly got it out of bounds caught it well onto the field and just battled his way to the boundary the hockey brothers took a craft they battled valiantly there's no doubt what's been striking is the absence of the run game here in the second half for the jackrabbits minus two rushing guards in the last two quarters [Applause] here's craft and it's a hook and ladder and yankee goes out of bounds at the 47-yard line jackson catches the pass before that jaden catches the lateral from kraft on that play to get it out near midfield that's really well executed excellent job by both nearly at midfield here just in those two place [Music] just 70 seconds left until south dakota state season will end barring a miracle comeback olodokin here's another ladder this is not going to work and the montana state bobcats are going to the national championship [Music] [Applause] [Music] the ruling on the field is a completed catch backward pitch hit the ground recovered by the defense first [Music] for decades they've been playing the alabama bands big song if you're going to play in texas and fargo now they're playing it in bozeman [Applause] more than 20 000 people in one of the biggest games in school history saw this today [Applause] and there is tommy malott on the sideline a lifelong montana boy overwhelmed of what he and his teammates have done today just brilliant remarkable performance by tommy malott tucker roving gets to put the finishing touches on it merry christmas montana state [Applause] [Music] [Applause] one of the classiest people in football john stiglemeyer congratulates brent vegan and he takes a bath [Music] alyssa's down there with brent vegan coach for the first time since 1984 you host a semi and you win a semi what does it mean to this program i'm just so proud of our guys uh you know they've been through a lot they didn't play last year um right on the doorstep in 19 wanted to be back in this place and to play the way we did today just so happy for them what can you say about your quarterback the numbers he put up today and the way he's put this team on his shoulders in the playoffs wow he's a he's a tough kid a playmaker um anything he asked him to do all season he's done just so happens he's playing quarterback now so you know we gotta we got three weeks now to get him going again but uh yeah tommy really played awesome today what'd you think of the way your defense performed in the second half well we knew we didn't tackle well at halftime and i thought our guys just came out and we got their quarterback on uncomfortable and that's been our calling called all year so you know offense defense special teams we've got it all done today facing north dakota state for a national championship in your first year what does that mean to you oh i just look at our guys again i you know for them to get back they lost in fargo the last two times in the playoffs so i want an opportunity for them you know we're so excited to be taking this program to another step a below freezing gatorade bath how'd that feel it's upgraded congrats [Music] brent vegan gets to play his alma mater north dakota state of the national championship game in three weeks stench you said this as we were trying to park our vehicle earlier today you said that everybody here takes after each other they look after one another in montana everyone looked after a true freshman quarterback tommy malott today yeah you know as much as we'll make out of his 384 yards of offense today they played well around him as well you know the time that he was given the plays that were made it's receivers we've mentioned battling for their quarterback to make these catches downfield the blocking that he received true freshman stepping up at running back you're without one of the most prolific rushers in fcs history and in fonzie and instead you just step up and rally around a true freshman quarterback that as it's been mentioned he's done it all for this team this season he might have to change his name from tommy malott to tommy montana he's on the field with alyssa tommy what does this win mean to you all these fans here to celebrate what'd you say what does this win mean to you oh it means the world i mean these guys i've been with for two years now they've given everything every single day man this year's been hectic this week's been hectic the guys came out and just followed i'm so proud of everyone making your first career start in a post-season environment what has worked for you over the past couple of weeks just guys believing in me it's the guys inside that building right there that really matter those guys believed in me every single day uh just from week one you know i was on special teams just kept giving me better opportunity more and more opportunities as i grew you know they trusted in me when that that drastic change and uh you know i just couldn't be more i couldn't be more blessed you guys are going to play for a national championship what's it going to take to win it it's gonna take three weeks to get ready and we're gonna get after those guys you know it's just gonna be like every other week that's not that's nothing special we're going down to frisco we're gonna prepare we're gonna be detailed we're gonna be ready to go tommy congratulations on the win thank you so much they didn't have isaiah afonse today due to injury their left tackle louis kidd a six to your super senior said we got this we pick each other up we look out on the field everyone is lifting each other up in bozeman today my friend you think they're excited these fans are fired up they came out in force to support their team and now they're all booking travel to texas to contend for a national title more than 20 000 pack the stands today at bobcat stadium and now most of them will head down to frisco to play north dakota state in three weeks for the national championship here on espn2 matt stinchkomm and alyssa lang it is a privilege to work with both of you i'm taylor zarzer for tom schofield and our entire crew what a winner wonderland and beautiful bozeman let's go back to the studio and kevin connors

Channel: Wally the Bronco Too

Views: 4,070

Keywords: 2021 NCAA FCS Championship Semifinal, South Dakota State, Montana State

Id: VtLbubJkGM0

Length: 131min 25sec (7885 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 19 2021