Reigning National Champions Find Their 16th Straight Victory

The sold-out crowd at the Bobcat Stadium turned gold Saturday night, as MSU turned up the volume for the first home game of the season, Gold Rush. Our reigning national champions rewarded the crowd with a 51-24 win against Butler University. The Gold Rush tradition, now in its 19th year, packed 22,277 students and fans shoulder to shoulder in golden yellow T-shirts.

The night carried extra weight, too, with Montana State honoring its 1976, 1984 and 2025 national championship teams in a pregame ceremony. 

Before Gold Rush kickoff, members of the national championship team that have since graduated, including Julius Davis, Paul Brott and JT Reed, were acknowledged for their accomplishments. 

Defensive end and captain Zac Crews spoke about playing while knowing they were watching from the sidelines. 

“It’s honestly awesome,” Crews said. “Those guys have set a standard in our room incredibly high, and every day we try to uphold that standard.” 

As the rodeo team prepared to lead the players onto the field, defensive back Colter Petre was given the honor of carrying the Montana state flag across the field for the first time this season. 

The Bobcat captains: fifth-years Caden Dowler and his twin brother Taco Dowler, Titan Fleischmann, Crews, Justin Lamson and senior Adam Jones took the field ready to work hard and earn the win. 

The first quarter would prove to be a somewhat slow start for both sides. After an unsuccessful drive by the Bobcats, kicker Myles Sansted would score the first points for the Bobcats with a 45-yard field goal. Butler would respond with a 34-yard field goal from its kicker. 

However, a pivotal moment for the Bobcats occurred when wide receiver Jabez Woods scored a 100-yard touchdown off a kickoff return, followed by a successful extra point from Sansted. 

“I saw the ball floating, and it was right in my hands,” Woods said. “So I knew I had to do something with it.” 

Woods credited his teammates, including junior defensive back Brendon Ross, who successfully scored his first touchdown as a Bobcat last weekend.

The second quarter brought an exciting performance from the Montana State dance team, in their new white cowboy boots and Bobcat logo on their uniform. 

On the field, Jones ran a one-yard rush into the end zone. The Bobcats lined up for what appeared to be an extra point attempt, but instead ran a two-point conversion with punter Colby Frokjer. This attempt was unsuccessful. However, about three minutes later, Lamson would find himself in the end zone, followed by another successful extra point from Sansted. Wide receiver Carter Dahlke also contributed to the Bobcats’ offensive efforts. 

 “I’m super excited about [Dahlke’s] future and present,” said Head Coach Brent Vigen.

The first half would close with a 29-yard pass from Lamson to wide receiver Dane Steel for a touchdown, with another successful extra point.

Before the end of the half, Caden went down with an apparent injury. He was helped off the field by his twin brother, Taco, and opted to watch the remainder of the game from the sidelines. While it was upsetting to see a fifth-year player who has previously battled many injuries go down yet again, this was a time for Petre to jump in and fill his position. 

The third quarter would bring Taco back into the end zone, with a successful 20-yard pass from Lamson. However, Butler would answer with its wide receiver, successfully bringing a 3-yard pass from the quarterback into the end zone. Both touchdowns would be accompanied by successful extra points from both teams. 

It wouldn’t be long before Butler answered again with its running back bringing a one-yard rush into the end zone with a successful extra point. 

Late in the third quarter, the Bobcats’ backup quarterback, Patrick Duchien, entered the game. 

“Ultimately, we were going to face some adversity, and hopefully we don’t inflict that adversity on ourselves,” Vigen said.

The fourth quarter would bring exciting Bobcat touchdowns from running back Jared White and Woods. However, Butler would answer one final time with less than 40 seconds remaining. Butler’s quarterback ran one yard to bring the ball into the end zone, and Butler’s kicker made a successful point-after attempt. The game would end with the Bobcats taking their 16th straight victory for the first time in school history, with a final score of 51-24. 

“It’s a sign of our consistency and showing up each week,” Vigen said.

Woods, when speaking about how special his team is to him, mentioned an acronym that’s quite popular around the locker room: FAMILY, which stands for “forget about me, I love you.” He said he credits this to why no teammate ever celebrates a touchdown or big tackle without at least one teammate by their side. 

“It’s probably the tightest group I’ve ever been a part of,” Woods said.