South Dakota State is the defending FCS champion, but Montana will enter with more history in the national title game when they square off on Sunday at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
SDSU is appearing in the final for the third time in the last four seasons, while Montana’s program is there for the eighth time and holds one more overall title than the Jackrabbits.
This season, No. 1 SDSU is 14-0 under coach Jimmy Rogers and No. 2 Montana is 13-1 behind Bobby Hauck.
Here’s a quick summary of the two programs’ previous appearances in the FCS championship game:
Montana Grizzlies
1995: Montana (coach Don Read) 22, Marshall 20 – site: Huntington, W.Va.
An FCS championship game-record 32,106 watched the Grizzlies claim their first national title. Wide receiver Matt Wells caught two touchdowns from Dave Dickenson, and Andy Larson kicked a 25-yard field goal with 39 seconds left.
1996: Marshall 49, Montana 29 (Mick Dennehy) 29 – Huntington, W.Va.
Montana played at Marshall in the championship game for the second consecutive year, and struggled to stop wide receiver Randy Moss (nine receptions, 220 yards, four touchdowns). In defeat, Brian Ah Yat’s 36 completions and Joe Douglass’ 13 receptions set championship game records.
2000: Georgia Southern 27, Montana (Joe Glenn) 25 – Chattanooga, Tenn.
After trailing 20-3 at halftime, the Grizzlies went ahead 23-20 early in the fourth quarter, but Adrian Peterson answered on Georgia Southern’s ensuing play from scrimmage with a 57-yard TD run.
2001: Montana (Joe Glenn) 13, Furman 6 – Chattanooga, Tenn.
A Half Mail TD pass on the game’s final play prevented a shutout, but Montana won its second FCS title behind Yohance Humphery, who gained 142 yards on 30 carries and capped a 99-yard scoring drive with a two-yard run.
2004: James Madison 31, Montana (Bobby Hauck) 21 – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Playing on a recently sodded field that tore up during the game, Montana let a 21-17, third-quarter lead slip away. In the loss, Craig Ochs completed 29 of 38 passes for 371 yards and three TDs with one interception.
2008: Richmond 24, Montana (Bobby Hauck) 7 – Chattanooga, Tenn.
The Grizzlies overcame the loss of 14 starters from the 2007 season while advancing to the final, but they fell behind 21-0 by halftime and didn’t recover in the defeat.
2009: Villanova 23, Montana (Bobby Hauck) 21 – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Montana lost a bid for a perfect season as it struggled to stop the Villanova rushing attack (51 carries for 351 yards). Quarterback Andrew Selle (27 of 35, 351 yards, three touchdowns) starred in the defeat.
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
2020: Sam Houston 23, South Dakota State (John Stiegelmeier) 21 – Frisco, Texas
Sam Houston went ahead on a touchdown pass with 16 seconds left to edge the Jackrabbits, who lost starting quarterback Mark Gronowski to a knee injury on their first possession. Running back Isaiah Davis had 305 all-purpose yards and scored three TDs in the loss.
2022: South Dakota State (John Stiegelmeier) 45, North Dakota State 21 – Frisco, Texas
The Jackrabbits scored on six of their first seven possessions for their first national title. Gronowski, voted the game’s most outstanding player, accounted for 280 yards of total offense and four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing).