BOZEMAN – Whatever Montana “big city” any small-town Montanan moves to, their hometown is still that small town.
That’s the case for Montana State football, too. The Bobcats can have big games on defense, special teams and throwing the ball, but their hometown is their offensive line and its ability to blow holes open for their running backs and at times quarterback and wide receivers. That’s been the case for decades for MSU and especially for the past decade-plus.
On this night, the job was well-defined. MSU would be without quarterback Justin Lamson, running back Adam Jones, who played a few snaps before calling it a night and popular wide receiver Taco Dowler.
If ever there was game that the Bobcats needed to go home to roost it was this one. And the offensive line made a cozy hearth for its young upstarts as MSU gutted out a 28-14 win, its 19th straight
The Bobcats would run for a season-high 287 yards on just 33 carries (8.7 yards per carry). MSU has been known for its crushing run game for the past 10 years, but the start of the 2026 season hadn’t provided what anyone had grown familiar with. But Saturday, despite senior captain Adam Jones receiving just one carry as he nurses an injury, Colson Coon exploded for 199 yards on 18 carries to spearhead the rushing attack behind an offensive line that looked back to its typical dominant form.
“I think the matchup was going to be critical; our O line against their D line,” Montana State head coach Brent Vigen said. “The opportunity maybe wasn’t abundant with the way the game played with time of possession and even plays. When we were running it, we were running it as efficiently as we have all season and the credit certainly goes to the guys running it but also the O line and tight ends really doing their jobs.”
The timing of the performance was significant and something that wasn’t lost on Vigen.
“Somehow, some way we were going to put this together and figure it out and that’s what we did,” Vigen said. “Do nights like tonight, do they galvanize a team? Do you extend your depth because this guy, this guy, this guy had to step up? Absolutely, and the good news is our injured guys are going to be back. I even think for those three – Lamson, Jones and Dowler – you’re always taking the big picture. The big picture is the season; the big picture is their health not this small picture of saying we need you this Saturday. And that was hard for those guys, they wanted to be out there. They’re competitive. I think for this team the way the last couple weeks have gone was the way it was supposed to be. We needed to be challenged.”
MSU offensive lineman Titan Fleischmann pointed out during the run-up to the game that the offensive line needed to snap back into its usual self if the Bobcats were going to reach their potential.
“There’s a big sense of urgency,” Fleischmann said. “I said that a lot last year and we need to circle back to it. We need to have that urgency, and I think everybody here knows that’s the case.”
Coon had the best game of his career for the Bobcats as he ran for 199 yards and a touchdown on just 18 carries and Duchein had 77 yards on 9 carries. The combined 276 on 27 carries put to rest any thoughts of an upset the Lumberjacks might have had. Duchein was allotted ample time to make throws as well as the offensive line allowed just one sack and gave him ample time to set up for mostly quick throws into the flat and just beyond the line of scrimmage.
Duchein’s play should come as no surprise as he came into the game having completed 10 of 12 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns on the season and eight carries for 42 yards and a score. Coon, meanwhile, had 19 totes for 100 yards.
It wasn’t perfect by any means, but we were able to go out, get the job done. I mean, the O line balled out,” Duchien said. “The defense balled out with their goal line stands. So it was just big to see that. You know, that gets me fired up and ready to go out there and play.”
No one knows who MSU will put on the field next week, but it’s a safe bet the coaches and players aren’t especially concerned. The Bobcats have a short week before taking on the Idaho Vandals on Friday 8:30 Mountain Time.
