Saturday, October 4
Flagstaff, AZ
3 pm MDT/2 pm MST
Montana State University
at
Northern Arizona
Bryce Grebe
Photo by: Daryn Hendrickson
GAME #6: Bobcats Face Nationally-Ranked Northern Arizona in Key Big Sky Showdown
10/3/2025 10:41:00 AM | Football
MSU squares off with former Bobcat assistant coach Brian Wright
BOZEMAN, Mont. (Oct. 1, 2025) – On several fronts for the Montana State football team, it's been a while.
It's been a while since the Bobcats have played a road game – over a month, specifically, dating to the season opener at Oregon on August 30. That ends this weekend when the Cats travel to Northern Arizona (4-1 overall, 1-0 Big Sky) for a showdown against the 13th-ranked Lumberjacks on Saturday at 3 pm MDT.
It's been a while since the Cats (3-2, 1-0) scored more than 57 points in a Homecoming game as it did in last week's 57-3 win over Eastern Washington – the only other time that happened was the 70 points MSU scored against NAU in 1990.
It's been a while since Montana State has faced a nationally-ranked Northern Arizona team – only previous occasion was in 2013, when the eighth-ranked Cats topped No. 15 NAU 36-7 in Bozeman. In fact, it's been two years since MSU has played any Lumberjacks team. The Bobcats earned a 45-21 win in Bozeman in 2023.
And it's been a while since MSU has played in Flagstaff's Walkup Skydome. That occurred most recently in 2022, when a 64-yard pass from Tommy Mellott to Taco Dowler set up a walkoff field goal by Blake Glessner for a 41-38 Bobcat victory.
"They've had a lot of changes since we saw them last," MSU head coach Brent Vigen said. The Lumberjacks have a new head coach, one-time Bobcat assistant coach Brian Wright, and a wave of incoming players led by quarterback Ty Pennington.
The Pittsburg State transfer – he came to NAU with Wright – earned Big Sky Newcomer of the Year honors in 2024, and his impact has only increased this season. He completes 62.5 percent of his passes for 269.4 yards per game. NAU's 277.0 passing yards per game is 11th in the FCS.
"They have the most experienced quarterback in the league in Ty Pennington," MSU head coach Brent Vigen said. "He certainly drives the train for them."
That train is travelling at a pretty good clip. Northern Arizona enters the weekend with a 4-1 record overall – its only loss was at Arizona State – and ranked 13th in the FCS.
"I have a lot of respect for what Coach Wright has done there in a short time, taking them to the playoffs in year one last year," Vigen said. "They know what they want to do and they know how to do it, that shows up on film."
Pennington's heroics aside, the Lumberjacks are hardly a one-man show. Seth Cromwell rushes for 52.2 yards per game, while Quran Gossett gains 40.2. Kolbe Katsis leads the offense with 23 catches for 444 yards and four touchdowns, but seven players average more than one catch per game.
Defensively, Travis Arena leads the Lumberjacks with 39 tackles, including five sacks. That places Arena 11th in the FCS in that category. Ramere Davis has 3.5 tackles-for-loss, and has hurried the quarterback seven times. Jaylan Wesley has a pair of interceptions on the young season.
All of the excellent individual play, Vigen said, has added up to victories. "They've found ways to win," he said. "They've been in some close games, they've come from behind to win against Southern Utah and competed well against NAU, and the credit goes to Coach Wright and his staff and at the same time a bunch of good players who will pose problems for us on both sides of the ball."
The Bobcats have also posed problems for opponents, particularly during its current three-game winning streak. MSU allows just 19.8 points a game, 21st in the FCS, and the four FCS opponents have managed just 27 points in regulation play.
Offensively, the 2025 Bobcats ride the most balanced attack in a decade. MSU is 20th nationally in team passing efficiency, and quarterback Justin Lamson is second in completion percentage. The team still rushes for a couple ticks under 200 yards per game, 16th in the FCS.
NAU's Walkup Skydome has been a house of horrors for the Cats over the years. MSU's 5-15 record in that building features a 12-game losing streak that began in 1981 and ended with a 60-14 Bobcat wipeout in 2004. Before MSU's 41-38 win in 2022, Northern Arizona had won the previous four matchups in Flagstaff.
Kickoff is 3 pm MDT on Saturday, 2 pm in Flagstaff. The game airs around the state on MTN-The Spot.
#GoCatsGo
It's been a while since the Bobcats have played a road game – over a month, specifically, dating to the season opener at Oregon on August 30. That ends this weekend when the Cats travel to Northern Arizona (4-1 overall, 1-0 Big Sky) for a showdown against the 13th-ranked Lumberjacks on Saturday at 3 pm MDT.
It's been a while since the Cats (3-2, 1-0) scored more than 57 points in a Homecoming game as it did in last week's 57-3 win over Eastern Washington – the only other time that happened was the 70 points MSU scored against NAU in 1990.
It's been a while since Montana State has faced a nationally-ranked Northern Arizona team – only previous occasion was in 2013, when the eighth-ranked Cats topped No. 15 NAU 36-7 in Bozeman. In fact, it's been two years since MSU has played any Lumberjacks team. The Bobcats earned a 45-21 win in Bozeman in 2023.
And it's been a while since MSU has played in Flagstaff's Walkup Skydome. That occurred most recently in 2022, when a 64-yard pass from Tommy Mellott to Taco Dowler set up a walkoff field goal by Blake Glessner for a 41-38 Bobcat victory.
"They've had a lot of changes since we saw them last," MSU head coach Brent Vigen said. The Lumberjacks have a new head coach, one-time Bobcat assistant coach Brian Wright, and a wave of incoming players led by quarterback Ty Pennington.
The Pittsburg State transfer – he came to NAU with Wright – earned Big Sky Newcomer of the Year honors in 2024, and his impact has only increased this season. He completes 62.5 percent of his passes for 269.4 yards per game. NAU's 277.0 passing yards per game is 11th in the FCS.
"They have the most experienced quarterback in the league in Ty Pennington," MSU head coach Brent Vigen said. "He certainly drives the train for them."
That train is travelling at a pretty good clip. Northern Arizona enters the weekend with a 4-1 record overall – its only loss was at Arizona State – and ranked 13th in the FCS.
"I have a lot of respect for what Coach Wright has done there in a short time, taking them to the playoffs in year one last year," Vigen said. "They know what they want to do and they know how to do it, that shows up on film."
Pennington's heroics aside, the Lumberjacks are hardly a one-man show. Seth Cromwell rushes for 52.2 yards per game, while Quran Gossett gains 40.2. Kolbe Katsis leads the offense with 23 catches for 444 yards and four touchdowns, but seven players average more than one catch per game.
Defensively, Travis Arena leads the Lumberjacks with 39 tackles, including five sacks. That places Arena 11th in the FCS in that category. Ramere Davis has 3.5 tackles-for-loss, and has hurried the quarterback seven times. Jaylan Wesley has a pair of interceptions on the young season.
All of the excellent individual play, Vigen said, has added up to victories. "They've found ways to win," he said. "They've been in some close games, they've come from behind to win against Southern Utah and competed well against NAU, and the credit goes to Coach Wright and his staff and at the same time a bunch of good players who will pose problems for us on both sides of the ball."
The Bobcats have also posed problems for opponents, particularly during its current three-game winning streak. MSU allows just 19.8 points a game, 21st in the FCS, and the four FCS opponents have managed just 27 points in regulation play.
Offensively, the 2025 Bobcats ride the most balanced attack in a decade. MSU is 20th nationally in team passing efficiency, and quarterback Justin Lamson is second in completion percentage. The team still rushes for a couple ticks under 200 yards per game, 16th in the FCS.
NAU's Walkup Skydome has been a house of horrors for the Cats over the years. MSU's 5-15 record in that building features a 12-game losing streak that began in 1981 and ended with a 60-14 Bobcat wipeout in 2004. Before MSU's 41-38 win in 2022, Northern Arizona had won the previous four matchups in Flagstaff.
Kickoff is 3 pm MDT on Saturday, 2 pm in Flagstaff. The game airs around the state on MTN-The Spot.
#GoCatsGo
Players Mentioned
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