Bobcats make history in blowout game against Sacramento State

The Bobcats defended their home turf with ease last Saturday, cruising to a record-setting 49-7 victory over the Sacramento State Hornets. Fans in attendance or tuning in from across the country witnessed history, as these ‘Cats became the first MSU football team to start a season 10-0.

Saturday’s game, dubbed “Military Appreciation/Ag Appreciation” on the game schedule, was a busy one for Bobcat fans, as there were multiple events on gameday to go along with the exciting matchup. Before kickoff, MSU hosted a “Celebrate Ag Tailgate” as part of this year’s events, where Bobcat fans were invited to enjoy some snacks, drinks, games and various activities.

During halftime, there was also a memorial slideshow dedicated to remembering and celebrating family and friends MSU has lost from Oct. 25, 2023 to Oct. 25, 2024, according to Graduate Assistant for Marketing Dan Keefe, who helped put together the memorial slideshow.

“Agriculture is a big part of Montana and who we are as Montanans,” Keefe said. “So, [we] just kind of honor everyone from across Montana and just [use it] as kind of a look back on the last year, how we’ve gotten better, how we’ve improved over the last year and just life events that have happened.”

On the field, the `Cats gave fans additional reason to celebrate. Not even the University’s three national-championship-winning football teams — in 1956 at the NAIA level, 1976 at the Division II level and 1984 at the Football Championship Subdivision FCS level — have accomplished this feat.

“It’s high. Everyone has high energy,” cornerback Jackson Harmon said. “I think we feel real good as a group about where we’re headed, about what our coaches are having us do as well. I think our coaches are doing a great job of putting us in a good position, and with that we just got to execute and keep doing what we’re doing.”

Wide receiver Ty McCullouch triggered the avalanche of rushing touchdowns that helped bury the Hornets with a 64-yard scoring burst on the Bobcat’s third offensive play. Running backs Adam Jones and Scottre Humphrey ran for 159 yards and one touchdown and 129 yards and one touchdown, respectively. In addition, quarterback Tommy Mellott and running back Julius Davis added two scores apiece.

Bobcat Head Coach Brent Vigen wasn’t surprised by his team's impressive on-field performance. He pointed out that the team built some confidence against the Hornets in last season’s road victory and that they weren’t too fixated on their chance to go 10-0.

“We’re gonna recognize it, be excited about stacking another win on top of this, and continue to move this season forward,” Vigen said.

Wins weren’t the only MSU record set by the Bobcats during Saturday’s victory. The ‘Cats rushed for 511 yards and seven touchdowns, ranking second and first among single-game team performances respectively. Vigen pointed to the versatility of MSU’s rushing attack, even saying that its dominance was responsible for a lack of passing in the game from MSU.

“I think our run game really does stress defense as much horizontally as a run game probably can, and it has this, I think at times, really potent play-action off it,” Vigen said. “That’s what we want to be. We want to strive for balance, and ultimately I’m sure there’ll be games ahead where we’re going to have to throw it more.”

The Bobcats have established themselves as a physically dominant team during Vigen’s tenure as head coach, and that has remained true this season as MSU continues to dismantle their opponents. When asked about the team’s ability to run the football, Vigen made his beliefs clear. “To be able to run the football and to be able to stop the run are the marks of championship teams. That’s true at our level, that’s true in the NFL, that’s true all the way up and down,” he said.

While the ‘Cats next matchup comes with high stakes — as MSU could clinch the conference with a win — fans can rest easy, as the team knows the stakes they are playing for on Nov. 16.

“Obviously you can’t underestimate playing a top ranked opponent, let alone at their house,” Harmon said. “But [it’s] like I said, our coaches are putting us in great positions, we’re playing real well, playing good, team ball, and all we gotta do is just keep executing.”

The Bobcats will travel to play UC Davis next weekend, a showdown of the #2 and #4 ranked programs in the FCS.

To watch the Bobcats play their next game, go to https://msubobcats.com/sports/football.