Bobcat football ends with heartbreak

When kicker Casey Kautzman trotted onto the field for an extra point attempt during overtime, the attention of nearly everyone in the stadium had already shifted to the next possession. North Dakota State University (NDSU) and MSU had traded touchdowns to open the extra period of play, and the extra point to tie the game felt like a foregone conclusion. Little did either side know that the game — and the season — would end for one of them in the following moments.

Playoff football returned to Bobcat Stadium this past Saturday as the ‘Cats took on the NDSU Bison in the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) tournament. After a regular season that saw the ‘Cats go 8-3 — a mark good enough to earn them the sixth seed in the playoffs — they were primed for a deep run into the postseason, but they had the misfortune to draw NDSU in their opening playoff contest. 

The Bison are widely considered to be the most successful playoff team in FCS history, thanks to a postseason record of 46-4 and an FCS-leading 9 championship titles. 

The Bobcat faithful were more than aware of the stakes. They were loud — turning Bobcat Stadium into an electric, deafening environment. NDSU quarterback Cam Miller praised the Bobcat fans after the game at a press conference, saying it was the best college football environment he’s played in outside of his home stadium. 

From start to finish, the contest remained close and supremely competitive. Start to finish, neither team ever led by more than a single score.

Similarly to past weeks, quarterback Tommy Mellott took the bulk of the quarterback workload. He turned in one of his best performances of the season, single-handedly propelling the offense at times. Throwing for over 200 yards while also rushing for over 150 en route to a four touchdown game, Mellot was certainly a problem for the NDSU defense, giving trouble to “us and everyone else in the country,” NDSU Head Coach Matt Entz said during a post game press conference. It made it all the more of a blow when Mellott went down in the second half. 

As his teammates carried him off the field, chants of “Tommy…Tommy…” echoed throughout the stadium. The Bobcat fandom made their support for their homegrown star more than clear. Despite the tragic nature of the moment, the ‘Cats fans turned it into something beautiful. 

Quarterback Sean Chambers took over, and marched the ‘Cats down the field in the closing moments of a tie ball game. The NDSU defense stepped up, however, and sacked Chambers twice to prevent MSU from taking the game in the fourth quarter. 

NDSU powered their way to a score on their first overtime possession, and running back Scottre Humphrey broke off a 25-yd touchdown run on the ‘Cats’ opening play. 

And thus, we arrive back at Kautzman’s fateful kick. 

Right before the ball was snapped, Kautzman shrugged his shoulders side-to-side — an unusual motion. An omen, perhaps. In the split-second that followed, there was little more than a loud boom to indicate what happened. The kick was blocked. In a play designed just earlier that week for an NDSU bench player, according to Entz, NDSU won the game. 

Ending on a missed extra point almost felt poetic for a ‘Cats team that has struggled with putting the ball through the uprights all year. Kautzman began the year as a backup but was promoted to place-kicking duties after punter and kicker Brendan Hall struggled. He missed a pair of field goals earlier in the game, as well, leading Vigen to express doubt about the team’s place-kicking abilities after the game during a post-game press conference. “Oh, boy. I’m beyond frustrated. Ultimately, that’s a piece of the game you have to excel in if you’re gonna do the things we wanna do. And far too often that didn’t happen for us. We need to be able to count on being able to knock those kicks through and we weren’t able to do that today or in some other games. So we need to get that piece corrected.” 

MSU ended the season having made only 52.63% of their field goals, a far cry from the 69.23% mark their opponents posted, according to MSU athletics.

It was a sudden and heartbreaking end to the 2023 campaign. But there it is. The 2023 MSU football season ended with a 35-34 loss to NDSU. 

“There was one outcome of this season that would probably satisfy us,” Vigen said in reference to winning a FCS title. “And we’re far from that.”