Bobcats old and Bobcats new join together to rock the gold and the blue

The first recorded Homecoming in the history of MSU, then known as Montana State College, was in 1923. 

The Weekly Exponent — now named the MSU Exponent — covered this historical milestone with an edition published on Nov. 13, 1923. 

The edition declared, “The lid will go off on Saturday for thousands of College and University fans and rivals, when the annual Homecoming game is played here,” followed by “It promises to be a battle royal, with the Bobcats out to wrest the last vestige of state.” 

The 1923 Bobcat football team, led by head coach Ott Romney, fell to the Grizzlies, 24-13.

More than 100 years later, the excitement surrounding Homecoming remained strong as Montana State celebrated again in 2026. The first event of Homecoming week took place on Monday night, as lights illuminated the words “Go Cats” across the windows of North and South Hedges. On Wednesday evening, the “M” on the Bridger Range illuminated with a countdown from the Dean of Students Matt Caires. 

In 1923, the scheduled Homecoming events looked quite different than they do today. These included a rally, an inspection of buildings, and a dance. The edition stated, “the feature of the rally will be the showing of lantern slides of the members of the football team on the street in front of Kleinschmidt’s Cigar Store, which yells for the men as their pictures are shown. Speeches will be given by the team members and their coaches.” 

Blue and gold Friday marked the beginning of a weekend of Homecoming celebrations. Herrick Hall hosted an open house, celebrating its 100th year in existence. Additionally, a festival and drone show took place at Dyche Field from 6 to 10 p.m., while the Homecoming pep rally began downtown. The women’s and men’s basketball teams attended, alongside football Head Coach Brent Vigen and captains Titan Fleischmann and Zac Crews. 

Saturday morning, a parade full of Bobcat spirit made its way down Main Street, as fans lined the streets and cheered. Many MSU fraternities’ and sororities’ floats made their way through the parade along with the local police and fire department and several MSU club sports. Notably, the MSU Hockey Team had a float after their three-day sweep against the University of Denver, the University of Colorado and Metro State University. However, the day proved to be a long day of anticipation as kickoff was scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

The game against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks proved to be a challenge for the Bobcats, as both Justin Lamson and Taco Dowler were ruled out with previous injuries. Coach Vigen spoke about Lamson and Dowler and when they will be returning. 

“Justin had a procedure on Wednesday, and we will see this next week. More likely he will be out this week, and then we have a bye week and he should be back. Taco will get re-assessed Monday and play Friday this week,” he said

Patrick Duchien started at quarterback for the Bobcats, the first start of his college career. 

“It took a minute to get settled in. But I think the preparations the coaches have, the game plan and everything, the teammates that were around me made it pretty easy for me to feel confident out there,” Duchien said. “I’ve got the guys around me to go out there and make plays.”

Early in the first quarter, NAU recovered a Bobcat fumble on MSU’s first offensive drive, but Bobcat linebacker Bryce Grebe stepped up with a third-down stop to help the Bobcats get the ball back. 

Grebe had missed the past few games after being hospitalized with a staph infection. Grebe spoke about being back. 

“I was just so excited to get back and play because I love the game, and I felt like I had a chip on my shoulder about it,” Grebe said.

Wide receiver Carter Dahlke brought the ball into the end zone following a 47-yard pass from Duchien to put the first touchdown on the board, with a successful point-after attempt from kicker Myles Sansted. Duchien spoke about his chemistry with Dahlke, 

“He stepped up big time. It’s a new role for him and he did a great job tonight,” Duchien said. “As we saw, he’s a good athlete and he can do some really good things with the ball in his hands.” 

Northern Arizona’s quarterback Ty Pennington continued to test the Bobcat defense, but defensive back Colter Petre helped prevent the Lumberjacks from gaining momentum. Petre pressured Pennington into a difficult spot that helped the Bobcats regain possession. 

The second quarter began with the first touchdown for Northern Arizona, following an eight-yard pass from Pennington to wide receiver Myseth Currie, alongside a good point-after attempt.

Duchien threw an interception early, but seemed to finally settle in and play his game in this quarter. Duchien ran the ball, and a huddle formed around him with tight end Rocky Lencioni and friends pushing him into the end zone for another touchdown. 

“Colson had a great block and I ended up running into him,” Duchien said. “Then all I felt was Rocky grabbing me, and I thought there’s no way I’m not getting into the end zone right here. That was a fun play — that was an awesome play.”

Northern Arizona tight end Nassim Isaac received a 32-yard pass from Pennington to take home the second and final touchdown for the Lumberjacks, tying the game at 14 apiece. 

After halftime’s drone show and Spirit of the West marching band performance, it neared 11 p.m., but Bobcat fans rallied on, with a full moon shining bright above the stadium. In the third quarter, Grebe forced a fumble by NAU, recovered by the Bobcats’ Blaine Downing. 

Running back Jared White scored on a one-yard rush, giving the Bobcats a lead of 21-14. The fourth quarter saw the Bobcats score the game’s final touchdown by Duchien, and the Bobcats held on for a 28-14 victory. 

While this game proved to be a challenge, with multiple Bobcats out with injuries, MSU pushed through and earned this win. Duchien finished the night with 204 passing yards, 77 rushing yards, one touchdown and one interception. Running back Colson Coon, in for Adam Jones, ended the night with 197 rushing yards on 18 carries. Dahlke finished with seven receptions for 117 yards and one receiving touchdown. On defense, linebacker Cole Taylor, defensive backs Bryant Meredith, Brian Harris and Petre proved essential pieces to this win. 

More than a century after the first recorded Homecoming at Montana State, the traditions surrounding the week may have been different, but the sense of community remains. For Duchien, that connection was clear in the way the Bobcats support each other. 

“I know that my brothers have my back, and I’m going to do everything to have their backs too. That shows the culture in and around this program, what Coach Vigen is doing, and who the players are and how much love they have for each other,” Duchien said.