Bobcats rout Eagles at home

Bobcat football made a statement on Saturday in a Big Sky Conference rivalry contest against the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Eagles. In a decisive victory, the ‘Cats defeated the Eagles 57-3 to finish off their fourth consecutive home game.

The Homecoming game on Sept. 27 kicked off the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conference play for MSU, and marked the 19th matchup between the ‘Cats and Eagles. MSU’s 57-3 win, their largest margin of victory over the Eagles in program history, improved their all-time record against EWU to 7-12.

The game drew a packed crowd that saw the Bobcats jump ahead quickly. MSU scored points on each of its first four drives to take a 24-0 lead in the first quarter. A blocked field goal attempt and a missed point after touchdown slowed the Bobcats' offense slightly in the second quarter, but with the help of a late touchdown from wide receiver Jabez Woods, the ‘Cats led 30-3 at halftime.

The Bobcat’s offense picked back up in the second half with a 26-yard touchdown run from punter Colby Frokjer on a faked field goal attempt. The kicking woes continued with another missed point after touchdown.

The ‘Cats scored 14 more points in the third quarter, and the offense threw backups — who scored one final touchdown in the fourth quarter — to finish out the game. Offensively, the ‘Cats scored eight touchdowns overall while the defense kept the Eagles out of the endzone entirely.

The matchup gave the Bobcats an opportunity to showcase their deep roster, according to Head Coach Brent Vigen. The rock was passed around to just about everyone on offense.

“That’s what we want this program to be,” Vigen said. “Everyone feels valued. Everybody understands that they have a role.”

Quarterback Justin Lamson, a Stanford transfer, led the offense, completing 13 out of 20 passes for 270 yards and three passing touchdowns. Lamson’s top target, wide receiver Taco Dowler, caught three passes for 64 yards and a touchdown, while running back Adam Jones ran for 72 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. 

Tight end Hunter Provience also hauled in a 43-yard touchdown catch — the longest in his career — to break his previous single-game receiving yards record of 30. MSU’s 57 points scored were the most in a game since 2023, also against Eastern Washington, and the victory was their fifth straight in the series. 

The defense had a strong outing as well, allowing only three points and 231 yards against an Eagles offense that had been averaging 20 points and 304 yards per game. EWU has not been held to single-digit points since 2022 against the University of Montana (UM).

Vigen earned his 50th win as a Bobcat this weekend, making him the fastest coach to accomplish this feat in program history, doing so in 62 games. The win also gave MSU a 3-2 overall record and a 1-0 start in Big Sky Conference play. The ‘Cats now sit tied with Cal Poly for fourth place in the standings while UM leads the conference after their 41-30 win over Idaho. 

The Bobcats get a break from home games this week. The team will travel to the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, AZ, to face the 4-1 Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks. 

To learn more about MSU Football, visit https://msubobcats.com/sports/football.