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American college football season
The 2023 Montana State Bobcats football team represented Montana State University as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bobcats were led by third-year head coach Brent Vigen and played home games at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana.
Preseason[edit]
On July 23, 2023, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Bobcats were predicted to finish first in the Big Sky by both the coaches and media.[1]
Coaches poll
Predicted finish
|
Team
|
Votes (1st place)
|
1
|
Montana State
|
120 (10)
|
2
|
UC Davis
|
96 (1)
|
3
|
Sacramento State
|
94 (1)
|
4
|
Weber State
|
91
|
5
|
Idaho
|
89
|
6
|
Montana
|
84
|
7
|
Eastern Washington
|
52
|
8
|
Portland State
|
45
|
9
|
Northern Arizona
|
44
|
10
|
Northern Colorado
|
37
|
11
|
Cal Poly
|
25
|
12
|
Idaho State
|
15
|
Media poll
Predicted finish
|
Team
|
Votes (1st place)
|
1
|
Montana State
|
447 (26)
|
2
|
Idaho
|
410 (8)
|
3
|
Montana
|
359 (2)
|
4
|
Sacramento State
|
334 (3)
|
5
|
UC Davis
|
330
|
6
|
Weber State
|
320
|
7
|
Eastern Washington
|
216
|
8
|
Northern Arizona
|
178
|
9
|
Portland State
|
167
|
10
|
Northern Colorado
|
109
|
11
|
Cal Poly
|
103
|
12
|
Idaho State
|
69
|
Schedule[edit]
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
---|
September 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Utah Tech* | No. 3 | | ESPN+ | W 63–20 | 21,967 |
September 9 | 5:00 p.m. | at No. 1 South Dakota State* | No. 3 | | ESPN+ | L 16–20 | 19,332 |
September 16 | 1:00 p.m. | Stetson* | No. 3 | - Bobcat Stadium
- Bozeman, MT
| ESPN+ | W 57–20 | 21,487 |
September 23 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 10 Weber State | No. 3 | | ESPN+ | W 40–0 | 10,905 |
September 30 | 2:00 p.m. | Portland State | No. 3 | - Bobcat Stadium
- Bozeman, MT
| ESPN+ | W 38–22 | 22,017 |
October 14 | 6:00 p.m. | Cal Poly | No. 2 | - Bobcat Stadium
- Bozeman, MT
| ESPN+ | W 59–19 | 21,997 |
October 21 | 8:30 p.m. | at No. 3 Sacramento State | No. 2 | | ESPN2 | W 42–30 | 16,122 |
October 28 | 2:00 p.m. | at No. 9 Idaho | No. 2 | | ESPN+ | L 21–24 | 13,073 |
November 4 | 1:00 p.m. | Northern Arizona | No. 6 | - Bobcat Stadium
- Bozeman, MT
| ESPN+ | W 45–21 | 21,297 |
November 11 | 1:00 p.m. | Eastern Washington | No. 5 | - Bobcat Stadium
- Bozeman, MT
| ESPN+ | W 57–14 | 20,897 |
November 18 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 3 Montana | No. 4 | | ESPN+ | L 7–37 | 27,178 |
December 2 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 8 North Dakota State* | No. 5 | | ESPN+ | L 34–35 OT | 17,247 |
|
[2]
Game summaries[edit]
vs Utah Tech[edit]
at No. 1 South Dakota State[edit]
vs Stetson[edit]
at No. 10 Weber State[edit]
vs Portland State[edit]
vs Cal Poly[edit]
at No. 3 Sacramento State[edit]
No. 2 Montana State Bobcats (5–1) at No. 3 Sacramento State Hornets (5–1) – Game summary
Period |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
No. 2 Bobcats |
0 |
14 |
7 | 21 | 42 |
No. 3 Hornets |
7 |
0 |
10 | 13 | 30 |
at Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, CA
- Date: October 21, 2023
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. PST
- Game weather: SW 9 mph • Sunny
- Game attendance: 16,122
- Referee: Jim Crowley
- TV announcers (ESPN2): Play-by-Play: John Schriffen • Analysis: Rocky Boiman • Sideline: Dawn Davenport
- Sources:[3][4][5]
Game information
|
- First Quarter
- (0:58) SAC – Danny Scudero 16-yard run (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 4:20; Sacramento State 7–0)
- Second Quarter
- (12:47) MTST – Jon Johnson 16-yard interception return (Brendan Hall kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 1 yard, 0:32; Tied 7–7)
- (3:46) MTST – Ty McCullouch 21-yard pass from Sean Chambers (Brendan Hall kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:44; Montana State 14–7)
- Third Quarter
- (10:10) MTST – Tommy Mellott 11-yard run (Brendan Hall kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 26 yards, 1:16; Montana State 21–7)
- (8:48) SAC – Elijah Tau-Tolliver 53-yard run (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:22; Montana State 21–14)
- (6:09) SAC – Zach Schreiner 26-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 17 yards, 2:30; Montana State 21–17)
- Fourth Quarter
- (14:53) MTST – Tommy Mellott 9-yard run (Brendan Hall kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 90 yards, 6:11; Montana State 28–17)
- (10:02) SAC – Elijah Tau-Tolliver 10-yard run (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:51; Montana State 28–24)
- (8:26) MTST – Julius Davis 1-yard run (Brendan Hall kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, 1:31; Montana State 35–24)
- (5:05) MTST – Jared White 12-yard run (Brendan Hall kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 28 yards, 2:31; Montana State 42–24)
- (1:27) SAC – Devin Gandy 7-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett (two-point pass conversion failed) (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:38; Montana State 42–30)
|
- Line
- Over/Under
|
|
Statistics |
MTST |
SAC
|
First downs |
26 |
25
|
Total yards |
448 |
434
|
Rushing yards |
328 |
200
|
Passing yards |
120 |
234
|
Passing: Comp–Att–Int |
10–16–1 |
26–42–2
|
Time of possession |
32:40 |
27:20
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Montana State |
Passing |
Tommy Mellott |
9/14, 99 yards
|
Rushing |
Julius Davis |
12 carries, 110 yards, TD
|
Receiving |
Ty McCullough |
4 receptions, 53 yards, TD
|
Sacramento State |
Passing |
Kaiden Bennett |
26/42, 234 yards, TD, 2 INT
|
Rushing |
Elijah Tau-Tolliver |
8 carries, 100 yards, 2 TD
|
Receiving |
Devin Gandy |
5 receptions, 59 yards, TD
|
at No. 9 Idaho[edit]
No. 2 Montana State Bobcats (6–1) vs No. 9 Idaho Vandals (5–2) – Game summary
Period |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
No. 2 Bobcats |
0 |
0 |
14 | 7 | 21 |
No. 9 Vandals |
3 |
7 |
0 | 14 | 24 |
at Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID
- Date: October 28, 2023
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
- Game attendance: 13,073
- TV: ESPN+
vs Northern Arizona[edit]
vs Eastern Washington[edit]
at Montana[edit]
Ranking movements[edit]
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking | Week |
---|
Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
---|
STATS FCS | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | |
---|
Coaches | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 8 | |
---|
References[edit]
- ^ "Montana State Tabbed Preseason Football Favorites". July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Montana State Football Schedule". msubobcats.com. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
- ^ "Football vs Montana State on 10/21/2023 - Box Score - Sacramento State". October 21, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ "Football Falls To No. 2 Montana State, 42–30". October 21, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ "Mellott runs for 2 TDs to help FCS No. 2 Montana St. beat No. 4 Sacramento St. 42–30". ESPN. October 21, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
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National championship seasons in bold |