Cats claw Coyotes, go back to Frisco

Playing in his final home game, Tommy Mellott cemented his status as one of the alltime great Bobcats, leading Montana State to a 31-17 win over South Dakota in an FCS semifinal game on Saturday.

Mellott, a senior from Butte, scored two touchdowns and threw for a third as top-seeded MSU (15-0) advances to the FCS Championship in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 6 against North Dakota State, a replay of the 2021 championship game won by the Bison 38-10.

On an unseasonably warm afternoon with a game-time temperature of 49 degrees, the Bobcats capped their opening, 65-yard drive with a 34-yard pass from Me...