Whatever you do, don’t force Montana State to fumble, then pick it up and return it for a touchdown.
Or, as offensive tackle Titan Fleischmann — perhaps a big Pat Benatar fan — put it: Don’t hit MSU with your best shot. Apparently, the Bobcats like that.
“I think it’s great,” Fleischmann said. “It’s always good to get punched in the mouth. You have to figure out how to play once that happens.”
The last two times that’s happened, the Bobcats have stormed back to win.
Most recently, it happened Saturday when Adam Jones fumbled and Central Connecticut returned it 40 yards for a touchdown, giving the Blue Devils a comfortable — but hardly safe — 21-7 lead with about 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
“Adam’s the man first and foremost,” Fleischmann said. “The offensive line took a hit on our pride, too. I know that we’re better than that and I personally thought it was my guy that punched it out. I think that moment of Adam’s was the defining moment of our season. As a running offense it locked us in and … we had a very productive running game after that moment. Adam’s the man. He’s an absolute stud and there’s a reason why he’s Adam Jones.”
Two years ago, Bobcat legend Tommy Mellott was strip-sacked twice against New Mexico, with the Lobos returning both fumbles for touchdowns. The second strip-six gave New Mexico a 31-14 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Bobcats came back to win both games, beating CCSU 35-30 on Saturday and New Mexico 35-31 two years ago.
Most recently Jones more than made up for his gaffe as he turned what had been a sluggish 11 touch for 51 yards start into a 13 touch, 163-yard and two touchdown second half masterpiece. The junior could’ve had another 20 yards and scored had he not selflessly taken a knee instead of carrying the ball through an open field and scoring in the waning seconds.
As a team, MSU went from gaining 115 yards on 26 plays before Jones’ fumble — 4.4 yards per play — to 298 yards on 35 plays afterward, an 8.5-yard average.
The Bobcat defense also flipped a switch. After allowing 259 yards on 36 plays before the fumble, MSU surrendered just 96 yards on 26 plays the rest of the way, an average of 3.3 yards per play.
Under head coach Brent Vigen, the Bobcats have repeatedly thrived through adversity.
In 2021, MSU lost its regular-season finale to rival Montana 29-10 and changed quarterbacks. The Bobcats went on to reach the national championship game.
In 2022, they were hammered by Oregon State 68-28 before advancing to the national semifinals.
And in 2025, MSU lost its first two games and then struggled to put Mercyhurst away two weeks later before ultimately winning the national championship.
Historically, some of Montana State’s best teams have also endured slow starts.
The 1976 national championship team lost its only game in Week 3 and won its first and fourth games by just four points. The 1984 Bobcats started 2-2 before winning another national championship.
In 2002, MSU started 2-4 before winning its first Big Sky championship since 1984. The Bobcats did the same thing the following season, again starting 2-4 before winning the league title.
MSU didn’t win another playoff game until 2006. That team started with a win over Colorado before losing three straight, including a loss to NCAA Division II Chadron State. The Bobcats then beat Furman in the opening round of the playoffs before falling to eventual national champion Appalachian State, which led by just a touchdown entering the fourth quarter.
“With the expectations, you wonder how we’re going to respond when our backs are against the wall,” Vigen said, referring to his team’s preseason No. 1 ranking and their status as the reigning FCS champions. “Ultimately, we needed to be in that situation.”
The Bobcats didn’t respond as quickly as Vigen would have liked Saturday, but they eventually found their footing.
“I hope that next stretch of football — the next quarter and a half — is more reflective of who we are,” Vigen said. “We went on a 28-3 stretch, and it was all three phases. But we still have to learn from what put us in that position.”
Central Connecticut has been an enigma of sorts.
The Blue Devils have won the Northeast Conference each of the past two seasons and nearly won their opening-round playoff game last year before falling to Rhode Island 27-19.
This season, however, they were blown out by South Dakota and Toledo by a combined 92 points. Despite that, Central Connecticut scored first in both games and did the same against MSU.
Vigen believes the Bobcats have developed the confidence to weather tense situations.
Vigen believes the Bobcats have built an air of confidence within the program to be able to respond to tense situations over the years. Despite winning 33 of their last 36 games, there have been multiple close calls and prolonged rough patches, including the only three games they lost coming in succession from the 2024 national title loss to North Dakota State, then losses to Oregon and South Dakota State to start 2025.
“It’s a fine line between panic and belief,” Vigen said. “I didn’t feel like we were leaning toward panic. There was belief. It was, ‘All right, offense, you put us in this position. How can we rectify that?’ You just do it one drive at a time. That fourth-and-three was critical. We made the play, and then we were able to put together some really good defense, so the belief continued.
“I think at times we played with a little panic, guys trying to do too much. Defensively, when things don’t go our way, it’s not that guys aren’t trying hard enough—they’re trying to do too much and get out of position. We’ve got to fix that. But the demeanor on the sideline was what it needed to be. That’s the mark of a team and a program that’s been through some things and come out the other side. No matter what happens, they’re going to continue to believe in one another and pick each other up.”
With the large target on their collective backs from winning the national title last season, the Bobcats will likely have no other choice than to continue to say, “hit me with your best shot!” as they navigate their way through the season.
MSU continues prep this week for their showdown with surging Northern Arizona, which is off to a 3-1 start with its only loss coming against FBS Power 4 school Arizona. The Lumberjacks have defeated Big Sky foes Eastern Washington and Utah Tech, however, only the EWU game counts toward their league record, which is 1-0. Game time is slated for 8:30 Saturday night and it will be aired on ESPN.
