GUEST COLUMN WRITTEN BY JESSE KEMP. KEMP IS A COLLEGE PASTOR IN BOZEMAN, MONTANA AND AN AVID FAN OF MONTANA STATE ATHLETICS.
I wasn’t born in Montana, but I got here as fast as I could.
So say many of the transplants who have identified this great state’s natural beauty and distinctive culture and have chosen to make it our home. Yet most of us transplants realize that there is something special about being born and raised here that cannot be replicated. Outsiders and insiders blend together to make this state what it is. But there remains something unique about having roots in Montana.
What is true of the state in general is true of the football teams as well. Montana State and Montana field teams that are composed of both in-state and out-of-state players. Only a fool would dismiss the immense value of players who have come here from other locales. If you need a reminder, consider that Keali’i Ah Yat (Hawaii), Michael Wortham (California), and Eli Gillman were making Bobcat fans sweat in their own house in the third quarter during the 125th rivalry matchup on December 20 in Bozeman.
And all of Bobcat Nation would readily tell you how important (and appreciated) players like Justin Lamson (California), Julius Davis (Wisconsin), Titan Fleischmann (Idaho), and Carson Williams (Texas) are, among several others. In a recent Skyline Sports podcast episode, Colter Nuanez interviewed former MSU offensive lineman J.P. Flynn, who played his high school ball in Iowa. The passion for the Bobcats could not have been more obvious– Flynn made me want to run through a wall and tackle something maroon.
But there is a reason that the legacy numbers, 41 and 37 respectively, reside with in-state players. There is and always will be something critical about fielding great talent from the great state of Montana. During the UM’s run of dominance in the late 1980s through the early 2000s, they tended to attract the best in-state talent and it showed. But more recently, that edge has shifted to Montana State and the discrepancy could not have been on fuller display in the Rivalry 2.0.
Missoula native Adam Jones continued his recent torrid pace, racking up 131 yards on 16 carries, including 2 touchdowns that helped Montana State race to a 20-3 lead. The redshirt sophomore has been everything that the Cats need him to be in the playoffs. Speaking of Missoula natives, Zac Crews got the party started early, teleporting into the UM backfield to sack Ah Yat in the first quarter. He was outpaced in the TFL category by a Bozeman native son Kenneth Eiden IV getting stops behind the line of scrimmage on two different occasions.
In the fourth quarter, as the Cats were looking to put the game on ice, it was impossible not to notice Billings and Red Lodge products, Braden Zimmer and Burke Mastel, caving in the Grizzly defensive line for a long run. On the other side of the ball, another Billings native, Paul Brott battled through injury all night and over the last half of the season in order to limit the UM rushing attack, proudly wearing No. 41 while serving as a team captain in his All-American final season in Bozeman.
Meanwhile, Great Falls’ own Cole Taylor led the team in tackles, Caden Dowler (Billings) was conspicuous in his unfortunate absence, and Colter Petre (Helena) did an admirable job in relief.
The list could go on. But two plays rise above all the rest and will long define this game for Bobcat and Grizzly fans alike.
With 12 minutes to go in the game, UM was down 11 but there was no quit in them. Their defense had MSU backed up in a 3rd and 20 at the Griz own 13-yard line, looking primed to get the ball back and make things interesting. But Justin Lamson was able to break contain, roll to his right, and loft a ball that has already become a central piece of Bobcat lore. The Magic City’s own Taco Dowler snatched the ball over the middle of the field, evaded a tackler, and took it 87 yards to the house, causing Bobcat Stadium to erupt in celebration.
A few Griz possessions later, another Montana-born player made his presence known. Bryce Grebe of Melstone intercepted Ah Yat and returned it 40 yards to put the contest beyond doubt.
In the space of roughly five minutes of gametime, a representative of the biggest town in Montana and one of its smallest made plays that will reverberate in the history of this game for decades. In doing so, they underscored the importance of Montana-made players to the greatest rivalry in the West.
Nothing in football remains the same forever. But for the moment, Montana State holds the decisive edge in in-state talent. It’s no coincidence that they also hold the edge on the field.
