BOZEMAN — Those expecting a similar result in Montana State's second meeting against Mercyhurst as last season — when MSU rolled to a 39-point win — were in for a bit of a surprise Saturday at Bobcat Stadium.
The Lakers, now in their second season as an NCAA Division I program, showed what a difference a year can make as they won the time of possession battle and churned out 20 first downs.
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The No. 4-ranked Bobcats eventually prevailed 17-0 for their first shutout victory in two years, but coach Brent Vigen noted that MSU faced a stiff test against a Mercyhurst team that was playing like it had nothing to lose.
"We're going get everybody's best shot," said Vigen after the game. "And that's a much better team then they were last year. And they managed the game very well outside of not putting points on the board."
The shutout victory was the first for MSU since blanking Weber State 40-0 in 2023. Mercyhurst (1-3) advanced into the red zone three times on Saturday but the Bobcats defense clamped down each time with Ryan Krahe coming down with an interception on the Lakers' final red zone trip.
"We bent quite a bit but we didn't break," said Vigen. "We came up with some plays down in the red zone and ultimately that's the mark of a defense that's making some strides."
The Bobcats' win over Mercyhurst wrapped up non-conference play and they'll now begin their Big Sky Conference title defense at home against Eastern Washington. The Bobcats (2-2) have the won the past four meetings against the Eagles.
"We've got a really tough and physical outfit coming in in Eastern Washington and those guys are very physical and they bring it ever single time I play them," said senior offensive lineman JT Reed.
