BOZEMAN — Montana State's Bryce Grebe noted that his team wanted to face off against their archrival once again and that they embraced the challenge.
"It's never been done in 125 years, it's never been that the Bobcats beat the Griz twice in one year," he said after MSU reeled off 28 unanswered points to win their FCS semifinal 48-23 and storm into the title game for the second straight season. "Especially to go to Nashville (for the FCS national championship) is just big time."
Grebe, a sophomore linebacker, put a bow on Montana State's historic victory when he intercepted Keali'i Ah Yat midway through the fourth quarter and ran it back for the game's final score.
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The Bobcats extended their win streak to 13 and, after winning at Montana last month, ended the Grizzlies' campaign. MSU handed Montana its two losses this season.
It's the third time in the past five years that MSU has won a home semifinal to advance to the championship.
"This team brings you so much joy as a coach because so many guys have stepped into new roles and taken it upon themselves to become the best version of themselves," said head coach Brent Vigen. "All these teams are special, all these opportunities are special. Today's the most recent so the fact that we have three to compare is a pretty sweet deal. And we're not done yet."
The Bobcats headed into this season with a lot of question marks after graduating a cohort of starting senior players. Then they dropped their first two games before finding their footing and advancing back to the title game.
"When we graduated all those seniors everyone was like, 'There's no way they're going back to (the championship) that was the year to do it,'" said Grebe. "And we just grinded, we had a chip on our shoulder. We lost two to start and then we went to work. We knew that we had to figure something out."
That mindset now has them on the precipice of their first national championship since 1984. And they'll carry the same approach to Nashville that's propelled them to a 13th straight victory.
"We haven't changed anything," said Taco Dowler, who scored on an 87-yard catch-and-run pass from Justin Lamson in the third quarter. "I think we live in a 1-0 mentality with every decision we make, every workout. I think if you just simplify things in life I think that's the way to do it. And going 1-0, if you can do that you're gonna be successful."
