BOZEMAN — There was plenty of pregame hoopla Saturday at Bobcat Stadium to celebrate what Montana State has done in the past.
In the present, the top-ranked Bobcats have now accomplished something no other team in program history has achieved. Top-ranked Montana State, in front of a sea of 22,277 gold-clad fans, started slow but eventually settled in, flexed its muscles and pulled away for a 51-24 non-conference win over Butler in its Gold Rush home opener.
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Dating back to last season, it was the Bobcats' 16th consecutive win, the longest such streak in MSU history.
Saturday's matchup with an overmatched Butler of the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League was never in doubt for Montana State, though the Bobcats had to settle for a field goal on their first drive and were tied 3-3 after a Bulldogs field goal with 25 seconds left in the first quarter. But momentum started to shift on the ensuing kickoff.
Jabez Woods fielded the kick at his own goal line, found a crease in the Butler coverage unit behind plenty of strong Montana State blocking — including Jared White de-cleating Buter's kicker — and took the return back 100 yards for the Bobcats touchdown. That gave them a 10-3 lead at the end of the first quarter, and they exploded late in the second.
Adam Jones and Justin Lamson each scored on 1-yard touchdown runs, and then, with less than a minute remaining in the half, Lamson fired a 29-yard TD pass to Dane Steel. Montana State led 30-3 at halftime.
Lamson connected with Taco Dowler for a touchdown on the Bobcats' first possession of the second half, and the MSU reserves got plenty of playing time from there.
Lamson finished 15-of-20 passing with 239 yards. His counterpart, Butler's Gabe Passini, threw for 140 yards and a TD, but the shifty QB was limited to just 23 rushing yards on 10 attempts.
Caden Dowler, the reigning Big Sky defensive player of the year, left the game with an injury in the second quarter. He did not return to the game and was later seen on the sideline wearing a brace on his right leg.
Coach Brent Vigen said in his postgame media availability that Caden Dowler's injury does not appear to be season ending but an exact timeline for his return is to be determined.
SPECIAL TEAMS: For the second week in a row, Montana State's special teams units put points on the board. Last week at Utah Tech, the Bobcats scored on a blocked punt. This week, it was Woods' return at the end of the first quarter that seemingly sparked the Cats.
Taco Dowler also had 80 punt return yards as he inches closer to the all-time FCS record.
TACO SUPREME: After what was a relatively quiet seven-catch, 39-yard game against Utah Tech, Taco Dowler made his presence felt against Butler. He was particularly impressive on Montana State's first possession of the second half, catching passes for 20, 34 and 20 yards on three consecutive Bobcat plays. The last of the three was a bubble screen he took in for a touchdown that gave MSU a 37-3 lead.
Dowler finished with five catches for 97 yards and that touchdown, plus he added a 23-yard run that set up Lamson's second-quarter TD. Dowler finished with 200 all-purpose yards.
BRIDGING PAST TO PRESENT: Before the game, Montana State held an on-field ceremony where past champions passed Max Worthington's letter sweater to last year's captains. Worthington, who played basketball on the school’s 1929 Golden Bobcats national championship team and whose touchdown beat archrival Montana in football that fall, presented two of his letter sweaters to 1976 team captains Bert Markovich and Tim Nixon.
Markovich and Nixon presented Worthington’s monogram and sweater to members of the 2025 national championship squad.
WHAT'S NEXT: Montana State heads to Reno, Nev., for what is probably the most anticipated game of its early scheduled. The Bobcats face their old coach Jeff Choate, who is in his third season coaching the Nevada Wolfpack of the Mountain West Conference. Kickoff between the Bobcats and Wolf Pack is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Mountain Time on Saturday, Sept. 12. The game will be broadcast on The CW.
