MISSOULA — Alex Ross threw for three touchdowns and Lorenzo Taliaferro rushed for two touchdowns as Coastal Carolina pushed past the No. 8 seed Montana 42-35 in the second round of the FCS Playoffs on a frigid Saturday.
Coastal Carolina (12-2), which survived minus-5 degree temperatures at kickoff, will play two-time defending champion North Dakota State (12-0), a 38-7 winner over Furman, next weekend.
“We knew it was going to be cold,” Coastal Carolina head coach Joe Magolia said. “It wasn’t a matter of being tough, it was a matter of understanding how the cold worked. It was a matter of retaining heat. It was a matter of body insulation, that was what we were teaching our guys.”
Ross’s three touchdowns came in the first half, including two to Niccolo Mastromatteo as Chanticleers scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to build a 35-14 halftime lead.
The Grizzlies (11-3) opened the second half with a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jordan Johnson to Jamaal Jones. Johnson found Jones again in the fourth quarter for a 72-yard touchdown, to pull within seven, but Coastal Carolina ran out the clock to seal its victory.
Three other players, Chase Naccarato, Mitch Saylor and Travon Van, scored touchdowns for the Grizzlies and Montana gained 557 yards of total offense in the game.
“At times we weren’t very good on offense and that starts with me,” Johnson said. “We just didn’t do enough. We didn’t score enough points to win.”
Johnson led Montana with 388 yards passing, four touchdowns and had one interception.
Ross finished with 202 yards passing and rushed for 123 yards for Coastal Carolina. This is the first time in school history that the Chanticleers have won two straight playoff games.