FCS National Championship: Montana State vs. North Dakota State Offensive Spotlight

Timothy Rosario | Dec 29, 2024

Montana State QB Tommy Mellott / Montana State Athletics

No. 1 Montana State (15-0) will face No. 2 North Dakota State (13-2) in the FCS National Championship at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. CT on ABC.

As we prepare for the FCS national championship game on Jan. 6, we will look at how the talent on the field will stack up. We will combine the rosters from Montana State and North Dakota State and look at the starting lineup with players from each team at our disposal. We selected the best player at each position entering the FCS National Championship.

QB: Tommy Mellott (Montana State)

RB: Scottre Humphrey (Montana State)

WR: Bryce Lance (North Dakota State)

WR: Taco Dowler (Montana State)

WR: RaJa Nelson (North Dakota State)

TE: Rohan Jones (Montana State)

OT: Grey Zabel (North Dakota State)

OG: Griffin Empey (North Dakota State)

C: Cole Sain (Montana State)

OG: Marcus Wehr (Montana State)

OT: Titan Fleischmann (Montana State)

The most challenging position to analyze in this exercise is quarterback. Tommy Mellott and Cam Miller are projected favorites for the Walter Payton Award and have been the best quarterbacks at the FCS level all season. By choosing one, we will be leaving off an incredible player.

If I had to have one quarterback for an entire season, I would most likely select Cam Miller. He is the best overall pocket passer and decision-maker when pushing the ball downfield. But if I need to win just one game, I will take the most dangerous weapon on the field.

Tommy Mellott has the home run capability that no other player on the field in Frisco will have. In a highly competitive game, I want a player who can generate an explosive play on any given snap. Mellott has improved as a passer this season, completing 69% of his throws for 2,564 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. However, he is still dangerous with his legs, rushing for over 900 yards and 14 touchdowns on only 109 carries.

This game will have plenty of talent at the running back position. Both teams are led by Jerry Rice Award finalists, headlined by the Jerry Rice Award winner CharMar Brown. Highlighting the depth of both units, there is a chance neither player leads their team in carries in Frisco. North Dakota State's Barika Kpeenu has started to see more action over the past few weeks, showing flashes in key moments against South Dakota State.

Despite all the talent mentioned above, I will still lean toward Montana State's Scottre Humphrey. Humphrey possesses a level of breakaway speed and explosion that the North Dakota State running back room does not have. Humphrey has recorded 1,369 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns, averaging over 7.0 yards per carry. Despite being limited due to injury, Humphrey should be in peak condition in Frisco with two weeks off.

Both teams utilize 11-personnel for most of their snaps, so I selected three wide receivers and one tight end for this exercise. It all starts with North Dakota State's Bryce Lance, who dominated a talented South Dakota State secondary last week with three touchdowns. Lance leads the receivers in this game by a large margin, posting 964 receiving yards and 16 receiving touchdowns.

I selected a dynamic slot option for the second spot in Montana State's Taco Dowler. Dowler is an explosive weapon, leading all wide receivers in yards per reception (15.6). He thrives in the play-action scheme that Montana State utilizes.

The final spot was a tough decision between RaJa Nelson and Ty McCullough. Nelson gets the edge here despite his lack of overall numbers, which was limited due to injuries this season. He still has one of the most important plays of the season, hauling in the game-winning touchdown against South Dakota State earlier this season. Nelson is a versatile weapon, posting over 300 rushing yards last season.

There may be better blocking tight ends in this game, but no other tight end offers the upside that Montana State's Rohan Jones brings. He is the most explosive, dynamic athlete at the tight end spot in this game. At 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, Jones is solid in size and possesses the skills of an outside wide receiver. He is a matchup nightmare, posting 451 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns, averaging over 16 yards per completion.

Outside of the quarterback position, this will be the most important unit on the field in Frisco. These have been the two best offensive line units in the nation all season, but they have achieved this differently. Montana State has dominated the line of scrimmage in the rushing game, moving together and creating wide lanes in the zone run game. North Dakota State's unit has excelled in pass protection, which has allowed Cam Miller to have his All-American season. The Bison have allowed the least pressure of any team in the FCS.

The two most obvious choices are North Dakota State's Grey Zabel and Montana State's Marcus Wehr. Both players are consensus All-Americans and will likely be selected in the upcoming NFL Draft. The other tackle spot was a difficult decision, but I leaned toward Titan Fleischmann over Mason Miller. Fleischmann is one of the most underrated players in the FCS, giving up only one sack and six pressures this season.

I selected Montana State's Cole Sain at center, who has done an excellent job replacing All-American Justus Perkins. Montana State has rotated multiple players at left guard, which led to the selection of North Dakota State's Griffin Empey. Empey had a Freshman All-American season, allowing only three sacks and 12 pressures.

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