BOZEMAN – Montana State exorcised a few demons as they completely dominated Eastern Washington 57-3 to open Big Sky Conference play on Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Stadium.
Skeptics criticized the Bobcats in the week leading up to the league opener when MSU looked stuck in a 17-0 win over Mercyhurst, a transitioning program in its second year playing Division I.
Instead, Montana State used Saturday to make a statement. MSU outgained EWU 580-207 and ran for 293 yards on 44 carries with five touchdowns as they moved to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the Big Sky Conference.
Quarterback Justin Lamson got MSU off to a great start as he threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone. He finished with 270 yards, but perhaps most significantly, his variety of deep throws was eye-popping in the first half when he hit five different receivers for passes of 25 yards or more. None were more impressive than his touchdown pass to Jabez Woods in the waning seconds of the first half.
Lamson released the ball before Woods made his cut and turned back for the catch. What the freshman wide receiver immediately saw was Lamson’s pass bearing down on him just a few feet away and headed right at his numbers. Woods cradled it and the Bobcats were up 30-3 going into the locker room.
“Honestly, not something we’ve done in practice,” Lamson said. “Because it’s supposed to be more of a vertical route and he just made a great play, but I was trying to back-shoulder it to him because there was so much space on the outside. Yeah, ‘Bez, he’s playing good so we gotta keep him involved. He made a helluva play on it.”
Lamson connected with Ryan King for 52 yards. He also hit tight end Hunter Provience for a 43-yard touchdown, Taco Dowler for a 45-yard touchdown and Chris Long for 25 yards, along with the 28-yard touchdown to Woods….all in the first half.
“We have a lot of guys that are capable of making plays,” MSU head coach Brent Vigen said. “It’s not like we have to go after one guy. We can let the opportunities dictate where the ball goes. If we can play that way and not worry about who’s getting the ball I think we’ll have a chance to be pretty good.
“Justin being timely and accurate, making good decisions is all a big piece to it. It was one of those games where everybody, for the most part, got involved. Certainly, pleased with the fact that we’ve got multiple guys who can make plays.”
MSU’s run game got going thanks to an unexpected source as placekick holder Colby Frokjer, who also kicks off and punts, went 26 yards on a fake for a touchdown before starter Adam Jones went 37 yards – his longest run of the season – for a touchdown. That seemed to ignite everyone as backup running back Colson Coon ripped off a 54-yard run to the EWU 1 and later third-string quarterback Chance Wilson galloped 32 yards for MSU’s final score.
While there have been some hiccups on offense, the defense has been nothing short of stifling after a rough start against FBS No. 5 Oregon. (To be fair, the Oregon defense allowed 17 points in regulation to No. 3 Penn State today and won 30-24 in double overtime.)
Since the opener, the Bobcats have allowed just 27 points during regulation time over the last four games and of that, 17 were to FCS No. 2 South Dakota State. Over the past three games the starting rotation hasn’t allowed a touchdown, and the entire unit allowed just 10 points.
“I think we’re improving, and our first opponent (Oregon) was our first opponent,” Vigen said. “Ever since, we’ve taken that game, even, and learned some things. We had some issues with tackles that day and not having leverage. We’ve really taken that to heart, and we’ve tackled really well.
“We’ve been in the right place by and large, and when we haven’t it’s cost us here and there. So, we’re allowing ourselves – the players – to be coached and to be able to take the game plans and run with them. Really, more and more each game, just play team defense and understand what that means.
“Each week whatever the (opposing) offense does poses its own new challenges. We had a good plan for (EWU) and the potential for two quarterbacks we really squashed that right from the start. I don’t know where they could go after that. That’s a credit to what we did in not allowing that to get going at all.”
The 57 points was the second straight time the Bobcats have scored that number in Bobcat Stadium against the Eagles. They took a 57-14 win in 2023. MSU has now won five straight against EWU after losing 28 of 36 games to the Eagles since 1983. Vigen is the winning head coach in all five games.
Lamson also caught Dowler and Provience in stride on their touchdown receptions with Dowler streaking down the sideline and Provience angling across the hashmark to the middle of the field. Jones scored MSU’s first touchdown, but his second touchdown was the one that was not only eye-catching but highly anticipated. He took a handoff on a third and four play to the right side and then sprinted down the sideline for 37 yards. His previous longest run of the year was for 25 yards against San Diego, and he was averaging just 3.1 yards per carry coming into the game. He finished with 72 yards on 10 carries Saturday, more than doubling his season total.
The Bobcats had six runs of 15 yards or more to go along with eight pass plays of 13 yards or more. MSU was nearly identical running and passing with 293 rush yards and 287 passing. Nine different receivers caught passes, including Luke Smith and Jordan Reed’s first career receptions. Reed, who is 6-foot-6, has switched from quarterback to receiver and was impressive during fall camp before suffering an injury.
Within MSU’s offense, the Bobcats went with the same offensive line for the bulk of the game until the reserves began to shuffle in. Center JT Reed, guards Titan Fleischmann and Burke Mastel, along with tackles Braden Zimmer and Cedric Jefferson gave the Bobcats the most continuity it’s had this season against the Eagles after trying to experiment with three different looks the previous week.
By the end of the first quarter, MSU’s starting offense had scored on 10 of 12 drives dating back to its game with San Diego.
Linebackers Bryce Grebe and Cole Taylor, along with backup safety Colter Petre led the way with five tackles each for MSU. Zac Crews had two quarterback hurries and a sack as the Bobcats held Jared Taylor, Jake Schakel and Nate Bell to just 15 of 31 passing for 124 yards and EWU to just 207 total yards. The Eagles managed just 3.1 yards per play. Dominic Solano forced a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Jhase McMillan. Hunter Parsons had MSU lone sack of the day, but it was a huge 14-yard loss early in the game that set the tone. MSU had four tackles-for-loss.
The Bobcats go on the road for the first time in a month when they travel to Flagstaff, Ariz. to face Northern Arizona in the always hostile environment of the Walkup Skydome, which sits at 7,000 feet above sea level. The Lumberjacks (4-1, 1-0) were 31-17 winners at Portland State Saturday. The last time the two teams met at NAU, the Bobcats needed a 55-yard completion from Tommy Mellott to Taco Dowler to get out with a 41-38 win.
