Montana State came out with momentum in the FCS Championship against North Dakota State, opening with a clever play that used motion to confuse the defense and pick up a first down. Their quarterback, likely Matt Sut, showed flashes of talent but went down with an injury during the first drive, limping after a strong scramble. Despite the early promise, the drive stalled. Facing fourth and two at the 28, Montana State tried a bizarre fake field goal that failed badly. The ball went into the end zone for a touchback, giving North Dakota State solid field position. The play design looked like it needed the element of surprise, but it flopped with no real threat working downfield and no chance to recover the mistake.
After that, things fell apart for Montana State. By halftime, they trailed 28-0 and had allowed 268 rushing yards while only managing 70 themselves. North Dakota State took control early and imposed their style of play, grinding down the Bobcats and leaving little doubt about the outcome. What started as a promising opening drive quickly turned into a disaster. Between losing their quarterback, blowing a fourth-down opportunity, and getting dominated at the line of scrimmage, Montana State had no answers.