GAME #12: Bobcats Host Bison in FCS Playoffs Second Round Showdown

Saturday, December 2

1:00 pm

Montana State University

North Dakota State

Brody Grebe

Photo by: Garrett Becker

GAME #12: Bobcats Host Bison in FCS Playoffs Second Round Showdown

12/1/2023 9:00:00 AM | Football

Montana State Notes vs. NDSU North Dakota State Notes vs. MSU

Cats face familiar foe at home for the first time since 2010

By: Bill Lamberty

BOZEMAN, Montana – Brent Vigen knows there's always a pretty good chance.

"The goal is to be playing in December," he said of every FCS team's primary objective of working through the playoffs toward a national championship. "And when you're playing in December, you know there's a chance that they'll be in the way sooner or later."

They, in Vigen's analysis and in evaluating any FCS Playoff field since 2011, is North Dakota State. The Bison are Montana State's first hurdle in the 2023 post-season, a team that dominated the subdivision's landscape almost since beating the Bobcats in the second round of the 2010 playoffs. That is the last season NDSU played in the first round, and this year, as then, they rolled through an overmatched opponent. Last week, North Dakota State beat Drake 66-3.And that sets up the first Bison playoff road game in a fall season since that trip to Bozeman, which resulted in a 42-17 Bison win.

"The tradition that North Dakota State brings here goes without saying," says Montana State coach Brent Vigen, a big part of that tradition as a player in the 1990s and as an assistant coach from 1998-2013. That stretch of games included a 2005 Bobcat victory in NDSU's nascent days as a Division I program, and a 2010 Bison win in the playoffs. Both games occurred in Bobcat Stadium.

Since that frigid day in 2010, the Bison have claimed 11 national championships. The most recent came on January 8, 2022, when North Dakota State beat the Bobcats for the 2021 crown. Many players from that team travel to Bozeman for this weekend's quarterfinal showdown, and Vigen said this year's North Dakota State team – in spite of three regular season losses – appear to be playing at a championship level as the postseason arrives.

"So many of these guys have been a big part of this run, 30-plus seniors just in the two-deep, and they've played real well of late," Vigen said. "It'll be a big opportunity for us. A lot of our guys have been on those fields, in '21 and '19 in particular, when that ended our season. We're really looking forward to this opportunity."

Quarterback Cam Miller, who engineered NDSU's win over the Cats just less than two years ago, leads the FCS by completing 75.4 percent of his passes. He is second in passing efficiency. Zach Mathis (51.2) and Eli Green (50.0) each rank in the nation's top 15 in receiving yards per game.

Past Bison teams relied on a dominant primary running back, but this year's squad digresses from that formula. Miller leads the team with 52.1 rushing yards per game, one of four regulars averaging at least 35 yards a game on the ground. TaMerik Williams (41.2), Cole Payton (40.7) and Barika Kpeenu (35.4) also provide punch carrying the football.

While Vigen has fielded an incessant flow of questions about playing his alma mater – "There's no hiding from it," he says, "that place is where I played, where my wife (Molly) played basketball, and where all three of our sons were born" – he is quick to point out that he moved from Fargo a decade ago and "we've poured ourselves into this program.

"You're happy you're one of 16 (remaining playoff teams)," he said, "and however the bracket plays out the bracket plays out. It just so happens that North Dakota State is coming here in the second round. What you get is a team that fully understands what kind of team is coming here. We played a William & Mary last year in the quarterfinals, and you just don't know. We opened up in the second round against Tennessee Martin a couple years ago, and you just don't know. We know what North Dakota State is all about. They have our absolute attention."

Like the Bison, Montana State begins its postseason with an 8-3 record. All three losses came at the hands of teams that eventually earned seeds in the FCS Playoffs (Montana, Idaho, and top-seeded South Dakota State), and all three happened on the road. Vigen is pleased that Saturday's game plays out in Bobcat Stadium. "We're very happy that this game is at home," he said. "Our fans are tremendous and they create an advantage for us, but that guarantees nothing. The team that executes will win this game regardless of where it's played."

The Bobcats rely on a balanced squad. Montana State leads the FCS in scoring and is second in rushing offense, while the Cats finished second in the Big Sky in total defense and scoring defense. While quarterback Tommy Mellott triggers the offense, running backs Julius Davis (71.8 rushing yards per game) and Jared White (46.7) provide the power on the ground. Brody Grebe leads the defense, piling up 12.5 tackles-for-loss and nine sacks on the season.

A knowledge of the opponent, Vigen said, cuts both ways. "There are schematic similarities (between what each team saw two seasons ago), which works in both team's favor. We need to continue the preparation that we have and put our guys in the best position on Saturday."

Saturday's NCAA FCS Quarterfinal contest in Bobcat Stadium kicks off at 1 pm, and streams on ESPN+ but does not air on cable or over-the-air television. The winner of Saturday's game plays the victor of the Sacramento State-South Dakota contest.

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