The No. 1 Sam Houston State Bearkats advanced to their first FCS Playoffs Championship Game with a 31-28 victory over the No. 4 Montana Grizzlies. The Grizzlies put up a valiant fight after being down, 28-7, in the second quarter. The Grizzlies had an opportunity to get one final scoring drive, but the Bearkats put their season on the line when they ran a play on 4th-and-1 instead of punting it. They made it, sealing the deal.
Bearkats sophomore running back Tim Flanders had a career day, piling up 194 yards and a touchdown in the first half and then finishing with 287 yards. He averaged over 10 yards per carry. His quarterback, Brian Bell, was 10-of-14 for 113 yards, two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
Grizzlies quarterback Jordan Johnson did his best to keep Montana in the game throwing for 277 yards and two touchdown passes. He was also the team's leading rusher with 64 yards and one touchdown. He also had a couple if fumbles that crushed Montana's momentum to score a couple of other times.
The Bearkats will play the winner of No. 3 Georgia Southern vs. No. 2 North Dakota State on Jan. 7.
Stick with our 2011 FCS Playoffs StoryStream for more on the postseason.