On Monday night, the North Dakota State Bison faced off against the Montana State Bobcats in the FCS National Championship game. In his final collegiate game, Bison quarterback Cam Miller made a play that he’ll never forget.
North Dakota State Cam Miller Breaks Down Long Touchdown Run in FCS Championship Game
All he saw in front of him was green grass.
Cam Miller won’t have an easier touchdown in his entire football career than this. Gone.
The North Dakota State quarterback is headed to the @ShrineBowl later this month as one of the top FCS draft prospects
— Oliver Hodgkinson (@ojhodgkinson) January 7, 2025
Facing third and four from their own 36-yard line with two minutes left in the first quarter, North Dakota State lined up in empty. Quarterback Cam Miller was the lone man in the backfield, with two receivers to his left and three to his right.
Montana State showed a two-high safety look with four down lineman, two linebackers, and three more defensive backs — a nickel package designed to defend the empty formation.
At the snap, Miller took one step back with his right foot. Both safeties flew outside to the numbers as the Bobcats dialed up Cover-2 with man coverage underneath. Both linebackers retreated towards the sidelines to cover their man. To make matters even better for the Bison and Miller, all four defensive linemen flew upfield, opening a gap right through the middle.
The seas had parted. Seeing this, Miller took off.
Dave Fleming, ESPN’s play-by-play commentator, said this:
“Miller — runs. Straight ahead!” he exclaimed. “There’s nobody there! On his way! To the 30, to the 20… Cam Miller, touchdown! 64 yards, the whole field opened up!”
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From the moment he passed the line of scrimmage, nobody came within five yards of him. Miller broke down the basics of the play after the game.
“It was a draw play with the option to pass as well,” he said. “We were blocking it as a draw. We had quick game off of it. They played a perfect front and the perfect coverage to it for us, and it just parted. It’s one of the longest runs I’ve had.”
Miller isn’t unaccustomed to running the football; in his five-year career, he’s run for over 2,000 yards and 48 touchdowns, tied for fourth in school history. That 64-yard run was only part of his 121 rushing yards against the Bobcats. He’d also added another rushing touchdown earlier in the first quarter — only from two yards out that time.
Miller continued, marveling at the big play.
“Yeah, it didn’t feel real, honestly. Usually, when we run draws, you’ve got to make a few guys miss. There was nobody there. They blocked it perfectly. It was awesome.”
The long score opened up a 14-0 lead that the Bison never relinquished, winning 35-32 and capturing a record 18th FCS National Championship.
MVP honors were given to Miller, who will never forget about the game — and one special play — that brought a national championship trophy back to Fargo, North Dakota.
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