By Colter Nuanez SKYLINE SPORTS
BOZEMAN—As the wind suddenly began whipping from north to south and a veteran Griz lay wounded near the goal line, the Bobcat Stadium faithful sang Neil Diamond in unison.
The celebration was not because of the injury but rather because the sold-out, record-setting crowd sensed that history was near. Even within a rare lull that was accompanied by a briefly vicious storm, no one wanted to leave their seats.
Not much is sweeter than “Sweet Caroline” on a college football Saturday. But going undefeated in the regular season for the first time in your program’s history and capping the first 12-0 season in the history of the Big Sky Conference might be the sweetest treat the Bobcats have ever tasted.
The visitors from Missoula fought admirably against the juggernaut Bobcat offense that has steamrolled opponent after opponent during an unbelievably prolific season spurred on by the best offensive line and the deepest stable of running backs in the country.
Several Montana-made players for the Grizzlies played with great fortitude, trying to stand in the way of an MSU rushing attack that entered the 123rd rivalry clash averaging more than 330 yards per game on the ground. And Montana State had to endure the loss of Scottre Humphrey and Julius Davis, the Bobcats’ top two running backs.
The Griz held MSU to 20 points in the first half—a startling stat when you consider that the ‘Cats scored 40-plus points before the mid-point of the third quarter on seven different occasions before Saturday.
But Montana State’s defensive front eventually overwhelmed the Griz offensive line, allowing MSU to incrementally build its lead before spurring an avalanche.
When the dam broke, MSU flooded the opposition with more than 300 rushing yards for the 10th time in 12 games this season, spearheaded by Missoula-native Adam Jones. And the Bobcats defense allowed just 230 yards and 13 first downs on the way to victory in front of a stadium-record 22,057 fans on Saturday afternoon.
“To finish the regular season undefeated is significant and to win the outright conference title for the first time in a long time is significant and to bring that [Great Divide] Trophy back to this building is significant,” Montana State head coach Brent Vigen said. “A lot accomplished today and I appreciate where we are at, but I think we all understand that we have bigger things in mind moving forward.”
The victory helped Montana State match its school record for single-season victories. No Big Sky Conference team has ever won 12 games without a loss in the regular season. The Bobcats are the outright Big Sky Conference champions. And after North Dakota State’s 29-28 loss to No. 4 South Dakota on Saturday, the Bobcats earned the No. 1 seed in the FCS playoffs.
“This game has been circled on our calendar all year, but we have been trying to focus on the game in front of us every week and once this week came up, we talked about sticking to our process but doing it a little bit better this week,” Montana State senior captain Rylan Ortt said.
“That Big Sky Conference championship trophy is cool to have and it means a lot, but there’s nothing cooler than carrying that Great Divide Trophy around the stadium and the locker room. That’s the one we were after and we got it today.”
As the cowbells echoed throughout the stadium, clarity of the present continued affirming that the past was, well, the past. A generation of Bobcats had to endure Montana’s domination of the rivalry and the Big Sky. But now, it’s impossible to say anything aside from that the Bobcats rule the contemporary day.
Not only are the Bobcats the Big Sky Conference champions for the second time in three years, they have also now defeated Montana six times in the last eight rivalry games and have beaten the Griz four times in a row in Bozeman.
So much of what culminated on Saturday was not just a revenge tour for last year’s Cat-Griz loss but also a quest for redemption after the highest of expectations fell flat in 2023.
The most recent offseason for the ‘Cats was filled with self-reflection and adjustment, including new coordinators on both sides of the ball and a renewed vigor in offseason training.
As the Bobcat offensive and defensive linemen carried the Great Divide Trophy around the field, senior captain Justus Perkins was intercepted by his father, Josh Perkins, a former standout defensive back for MSU in the 1990s. Justus couldn’t contain his emotions as tears began to streak down his cheeks and the magnitude of the accomplishment—the first undefeated regular season in school history and the first outright Big Sky title for Montana State since 1984—began to sink in.
From Tommy Mellott’s gutsy third down throw to Rohan Jones for a 35-yard touchdown in the first half to Myles Sansted’s 49-yard field goal at the halftime buzzer and Adam Jones’ formidable second half, Montana State put basically every question pundits had about their program to rest.
“This team, back in January, made its mind up that we are not going to get in front of ourselves at all,” Vigen said. “That goes back to each daily workout in January. This isn’t just talk. We have to live it. And no more than right now.”
Vigen recalled the team’s 30-28 victory of UC Davis on Nov. 16, which earned the Bobcats at least a share in the Big Sky title.
“Last week, the Big Sky commissioner brought the trophy into the locker room. I said, ‘set it down, we have more to accomplish.’ Our guys embraced that. They were not interested in sharing the conference title.”
And now the Bobcats are Big Sky champions, rivalry victors and the No. 1 seed in the FCS playoffs for the first time in program history.
MSU will host the winner of No. 16 New Hampshire and unranked Tennessee-Martin on Dec. 7 at Bobcat Stadium at 1 p.m.
