Montana State Overcome Deficit, Withstands Rally to Top CCSU

Saturday, September 19

BOZEMAN

1:00 pm

Montana State University

4-0 , 1-0

Central Connecticut State

0-3 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Central Conn. St.	0	7	14	9	30
Montana St.	0	7	14	14	35

Game Program MSU-CCSU Flip Card MSU Game Notes CCSU Game Notes

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

Montana State Overcome Deficit, Withstands Rally to Top CCSU

9/19/2026 6:41:00 PM | Football

Bobcats offense clicks into gear in second half

By: Bill Lamberty

BOZEMAN, Mont. (Sept. 19, 2026) – Montana State rallied from a 14-point third quarter deficit to hold off Central Connecticut State 35-30 in rainy Bozeman on Saturday.

"That was a great effort by our guys after spotting them 14 points out of halftime," said MSU head coach Brent Vigen after his team's 18^th consecutive win. "It certainly created a great deal of adversity, and a whole bunch of credit goes to Central Connecticut. I though that team came out with a plan, played really hard, made plays, and made it really hard on us."

The Blue Devils piled up 24 first downs and held the ball for nearly 33 minutes, and when Navon Mitchell scooped up a Bobcat fumble and raced 42 yards to boost CCSU's lead to 21-7. That play came on the heels of a four play, 75-yard touchdown drive coming out of halftime.

From that point, the Bobcats outscored the two-time reigning NEC and playoff entry 28-9. "Ultimately the adversity that we did face and how we responded, that got us over the hump," Vigen said. "In that third quarter it was the defense, it was the offense, it was special teams."

The Bobcats found a gear after the scoop-and-score. Justin Lamson engineered a seven play, 70-yard scoring drive by completing five of his six passes for 69 yards. Later in the third quarter, Lamson connected with Dane Steel on a 31-yard touchdown pass to nudge the Bobcats into a tie, 21-21. The Montana State's defense took over, forcing a three-and-out, and after a 36-yard punt return by Taco Dowler the Bobcats drove 39 yards in three plays. Jones capped the drive with a 32-yard run.

"We needed to find a way to run the football and stabilize (the offense)," Vigen said. "It took much longer than I would have hoped, but ultimately Adam was able to pop some runs, run real hard both on that side and the receiving side."

Jones was the engine that powered MSU's offense, rushing for 122 yards and two touchdowns and catching six passes for 92 yards. Lamson, in spite of throwing his first interception of the season, a pass that ricocheted before landing in the hands of CCSU's Jacob Staton, performed brilliantly. He threw for 239 yards on 23-for-28 passing, and added 32 yards on the ground.

After Jones' 32-yard run gave the Cats a 28-21 lead, Central Connecticut State answered with a 45-yard field goal. That set up a 64-yard Bobcat scoring drive, with Jones again punching in a touchdown. This one came from 13 yards out. CCSU marched for a touchdown, with the drive covering 77 yards and taking 3:16. The Blue Devils' two-point try failed, after a number of penalties, and Montana State recovered the on-side kick to seal the win.

The Bobcats registered four sacks on the afternoon, all by down linemen, and two other tackles-for-loss. Seth Brock registered a pair of sacks in his first career start, while Zac Crews and Zack Black each also got one. Crews also forced a fumble.

"I do think there's an incredible belief on this team," Vigen said of his team's ability to overcome the deficit and withstand the late rally. "There's incredible belief in our guys. And that doesn't mean you're always going to play well, but it means you're going to keep fighting."

Central Connecticut falls to 0-3 on the season, The Blue Devils play their first home game of the season on Oct. 3, hosting Wagner. Montana State is now 4-0, and returns to Big Sky play next Saturday at 8:30 pm against Northern Arizona. That game is broadcast on ESPN2.

#GoCatsGo