Montana St. tops Illinois St. in wild FCS title game

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Montana State finally found a way to answer when it mattered most for the program’s first national championship since 1984.

A year ago, Montana State missed winning its first title in 40 years when a slow start doomed it in a shootout loss to North Dakota State. Two years ago, the Bobcats’ season ended in Bozeman in the quarterfinals on a blocked extra point in overtime against the Bison.

Montana State started this season losing its first two — at Oregon and a double-overtime defeat at home to South Dakota State.

So, when Myles Sansted‘s extra point went through the uprights in overtime for a 35-34 victory over Illinois State on Monday night in the Football Championship Subdivision title game, the Bobcats chucked helmets in the air while sprinting around with a heavy contingent of Montana State fans celebrating with them.

“To be able to clear that hurdle and know that, yes, this ’25 group accomplished what hadn’t been done in a long time …,” said Bobcats coach Brent Vigen, who’s already thinking ahead with a young, Montana-laden team featuring only nine seniors. “You know, we’re building for more.”

The Bobcats (14-2) capped a season that featured two wins over in-state rival Montana across a four-week span. Beating the Grizzlies in the semifinals put Montana State back into the FCS title game for the second straight season and for the third time in five years under Vigen. It was the school’s fourth berth overall in the championship tilt.

Montana State topped those accomplishments with its 14th straight win in a thrilling finish in the first overtime in the 48 years of this title game. The Bobcats led 21-7 at halftime and 28-14 in the third. They needed Jhase McMillan‘s block of Michael Cosentino‘s 38-yard field goal attempt with 57 seconds left in regulation to keep it tied at 28.

In overtime, Montana State’s Hunter Parsons blocked the extra point attempt after Tommy Rittenhouse threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Lord to give Illinois State its only lead at 34-28 to open overtime. Justin Lamson tied it for the Bobcats with a 14-yard scoring pass to Taco Dowler on fourth-and-10.

Stansted’s extra point started the celebration of the end of a long title drought. Along with the 1984 Division I-AA championship, Montana State also won the 1976 NCAA Division II title and the 1956 NAIA championship.

“What a hard fought game, and these things aren’t supposed to come easily, I guess,” Vigen said.

Lamson, who didn’t join the Bobcats until June, said Montana State’s overtime touchdown was the result of a great playcall.

“Taco was wide open,” Lamson said. “I got hit, so I was just trying to give him a chance, and the rest is history — and Myles did his thing and that was the game.”

Illinois State (12-5) already had made history as the first FCS team to win four straight road games to advance through the playoffs to this championship game. That included a win over this postseason’s No. 1 seed in North Dakota State — winners of 10 of the past 14 FCS championships, including last year.

It was the Redbirds’ first time in FCS title game since 2014, and they left empty-handed.

“Just couldn’t find one more play,” Illinois State coach Brock Spack said. “We needed to make one more play to win. When you look at a game that’s a one-point loss like that, there’s probably 10, 15, maybe 20 plays in the game if you make just one of them, you win. Wasn’t able to do that, and we came up short.”

Lamson finished with 280 yards passing and two TDs. He also ran for two more scores. Dowler had eight catches for 111 yards.

Rittenhouse finished with 311 yards passing and four TDs. Victor Dawson ran for 126 yards, and Dylan Lord had 13 catches for 161 yards receiving and two TDs.