BOZEMAN — Top-seeded Montana State will host No. 4 seed South Dakota of the Missouri Valley Football Conference for a berth in the FCS national championship game.
The Coyotes beat UC Davis 35-21 in a quarterfinal game Saturday in Vermillion, S.D., to earn their first-ever semifinal berth. MSU earned a trip to the semis with a 52-19 win over Idaho on Friday in Bozeman.
The Big Sky-champion Bobcats (14-0) and MVFC-winning Coyotes (11-2) will meet Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Bozeman, with the victor advancing to the championship on Monday, Jan. 6, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
South Dakota, under ninth-year coach Bob Nielson, had six takeaways on defense against No. 5-seed UC Davis, including five interceptions of Aggies quarterback Miles Hastings. Offensively, USD QB Aidan Bouman countered two interceptions with three touchdown throws.
Running back Travis Theis had a pair of rushing TDs, and tight end J.J. Gilbreath caught both of Bouman's touchdown passes.
UC Davis lost star running back Lan Larison to injury in the first half.
It will be just the third all-time meeting between MSU and South Dakota. The Bobcats hosted USD in 2008, a 37-18 victory, and welcomed the Coyotes to Bozeman again in 2009, a 31-24 MSU win in overtime.
The other semifinal game will pit No. 3 seed South Dakota State (12-2) at No. 2 North Dakota State (12-2) in a renewal of the Dakota Marker rivalry.
SDSU, the two-time reigning national champion, trounced No. 6 seed Incarnate Word 55-14 in the quarters earlier Saturday, while NDSU handled No. 7 seed Mercer 31-7.
