MISSOULA — For the first time since the famous Miracle in Missoula in 2018, Montana State won a Brawl of the Wild game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Saturday's effort was led by a player who had never appeared in the rivalry before, quarterback Justin Lamson
"He’s just a poised individual, and he’s competitive sucker all at the same time," Montana State coach Brent Vigen said of Lamson's performance in MSU's 31-28 win over Montana.
"Those two things don’t always go together. Tough as nails, going to rise to the moment, and I know a lot was made that he hadn’t played over here. That didn’t bother me one bit."
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Lamson, who completed 18 of 20 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 80 more yards and another score, explained how the Bobcats were able to achieve the first road win in the rivalry since that 2018 thriller.
"I think the fans were really good, and you know, they brought the energy, but we were just playing our game," he said. "We were just trying to do the silent count to the best of our ability, and I feel like the guys executed that pretty well. We were talking about communication all week, that was the key."
On the defensive side, it was the third straight week for a Caden Dowler interception — and his second return for a touchdown. He’s built his case as a candidate for Big Sky defensive player of the year.
"I mean. it was pretty cool," Dowler said. "Any time you can make plays in this game, I feel like it’s a pretty cool opportunity, and coaches are putting us in great positions to make plays, so when it happens, it’s a great feeling."
With the win, Montana State earned the outright Big Sky Conference championship and will likely be a top-two seed for the FCS playoff, which secures home-field advantage through the semifinal round.
"I think mentally we are a stronger outfit than we’ve ever been before," Vigen said. "It’s a group of young guys that just want to be coached. They want to be as good as they can be. They want to get better."
"Attack the day the same every day," Lamson said of the team's mindset. "Take nobody for granted. There’s a lot of good teams in the FCS, so we’re just trying to get better every single practice, every single time we’re in the weight room, we’re trying to find a way to get better. And that’s the most important thing."
