Date: Saturday November 22, 2025

For the 124th time, Montana and Montana State will come together on the gridiron and, as it always seems to as of late, the “Brawl of the Wild” will have some lofty implications on the line. The only two teams that have not lost a Big Sky game this year just so happen to be the #2 Grizzlies (11-0, 7-0 Big Sky) and #3 Bobcats (9-2, 7-0 Big Sky). That, of course, means whoever comes out on top in Missoula this weekend is the outright conference champion. For MSU that would be their third such title in the last four year. For the UM it would be their second in the last three. The ramifications of this game go far beyond a Big Sky championship, however.

The winner of this game will almost surely receive the #2 overall seed in the FCS playoffs and be granted homefield advantage throughout the tournament. Montana State rode such an advantage all the way to the national championship game a season ago while Montana did so a year prior. Both teams know how important those home games in December are and both have squads that are capable of making such a run again. On top of all that… just like any other rivalry… these two also really, really don’t like each other. The stakes will be high on Saturday afternoon in the Treasure State.

Montana State will be led by fifth-year head coach Brent Vigen. Since taking over at MSU, Vigen has compiled one of the more impressive pedigrees in the entire FCS, putting together a staggering 56-12 overall record and reaching the postseason in every year he’s been in charge. Vigen was also the winner of last year’s Eddie Robinson Award, an accolade given annually to the FCS’s best coach. The Bobcats have reached the national title game twice during his tenure but he has yet to win it. Perhaps the only Big Sky coach with a better resume will be the one he goes up against this weekend.

Bobby Hauck commands the Grizzlies and has done so for 15 total years now. With a brief four-season stint at UNLV in between, Hauck has been behind the headset for a long time in Missoula and in that time he’s led Montana to eight Big Sky crowns, 12 playoff appearances and four trips to the big game. Like his counterpart Vigen, though, Hauck has yet to win it all. With 148 total wins as UM’s head coach, though, he is the winningest coach in both Montana and Big Sky history.

Montana State Offense vs. Montana Defense

One of the most notable losses any team in the FCS suffered last year was Montana State’s loss of Walter Payton Award-winning quarterback Tommy Mellott. With Mellott gone, MSU looked to the transfer portal to replace him and in came former Stanford QB Justin Lamson to take the reins. Lamson has had a great junior season for the Bobcats, throwing for 2,170 yards, 19 touchdowns and just two interceptions this season. On top of that, Lamson has run for 10 touchdowns, too. He’s added a nice passing flavor to an offense whose main goal is still to pound the rock.

While the ‘Cats did have to switch it up at signal caller they did not have to in the backfield. Two of their heavy hitters from last season in Adam Jones and Julius Davis both came back and both have been instrumental in MSU’s success this year. Davis leads the way with 779 yards on 107 carries with Jones right behind him at 647 yards and nine scores. It’s a true one-two punch that wears out opposing defenses as good as anyone and Montana will have its hands full.

Linebackers Elijawah Tolbert and Payton Wing will be the ones to watch for the Griz on that side of the ball. Tolbert currently has a team-best 62 stops while Wing has been excellent at getting through the line and into the backfield with 3.5 sacks. Tolbert and Wing make for a strong tandem in the middle of the field and fly around to the ball very well on most every play. They will be key in slowing down the likes of Lamson, Jones and Davis and that rushing offense that puts up 232.8 yards per contest.

When Lamson does throw he will have one of the speediest receivers in the nation to look to in junior Taco Dowler. Dowler, who is also a dynamo in the punt return game, is Montana State’s top wideout right now with 723 yards on 56 catches and five touchdowns. He can take it the distance on any snag if the defense is out of position. Something that UM defensive backs Kenzel Lawler and Micah Harper will have to be aware of.

Lawler is excellent at reading opposing quarterbacks and has broken up ten passes this year. Harper is also solid in that department with five of his own. The pair has teamed up for four picks as well and has a combined 64 stops between them this year. Their job will be to limit Dowler’s damage and force Lamson to look to his other targets more than he usually might.

Montana Offense vs. Montana State Defense

There are two names that Montana State defensive coordinator Shawn Howe must have circled in red going into this game; Eli Gillman and Michael Wortham. Gillman is one of the best running backs in the entire country at any level and Wortham will probably be the most athletic player on the field on Saturday. Gillman has rushed for 1,129 yards and 16 touchdowns this year, both of which lead the Big Sky. Wortham, meanwhile, has been Mr. Everything for the UM offense, accounting for 1,060 total yards and 11 scores. That’s not counting the 569 kick return yards he’s piled up as well. If MSU doesn’t have an answer for both of them it will be a long afternoon.

Montana State will lean on enforcers like defensive lineman Kenneth Eiden IV and linebacker Cole Taylor to keep those two in check. Eiden has been a terror off the edge this season, logging four sacks and 12 tackles for loss. Taylor has 55 stops over the middle as well. Both are major contributors for one of the best defenses out there right now and are a big reason why the Bobcats average just 16.2 points and 308.5 yards per game allowed this fall.

As far as quarterback goes, Montana will ride the arm (and legs) of sophomore Keali’i Ah Yat. Ah Yat has grown tremendously as a signal caller since his freshman season, having thrown for 2,968 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first full year as a starter. He’s also run for six scores. Ah Yat, while prone to mistakes on occasion, has done a much better job taking care of the ball this year than he did in 2024. In this game, though, he will be throwing against one of the more dangerous defensive backs in the nation in MSU safety Caden Dowler.

Dowler has been lights out for the Montana State defense as of late. Last week in the win against UC Davis, Dowler picked off two passes and took one back 83 yards for a touchdown. On the season Dowler has three interceptions, four PBUs and a team-high 71 tackles. He and fellow DB Tayden Gray will be patrolling the back end and matching up against a talented Grizzlies receiving corps.

The aforementioned Wortham is certainly part of that corps and arguably the biggest part of it. He’s hauled in 57 passes for 822 yards and seven touchdowns this season. His big play ability has been second to none this season and if he gets behind the last level of the defense, he won’t be caught. It isn’t just Wortham, though, that MSU’s secondary will have to worry about. Brooks Davis and Blake Bohannon are both threats as well with 863 yards and five TDs between them. There is a myriad of weapons Ah Yat has at his disposal and he’ll likely use them all.

This game will be won and lost in the battle between Montana’s defense and Montana State’s offense. The Griz offense will make its plays with Wortham, Gillman and Ah Yat and, likewise, the ‘Cats should be able to make plenty of their own on defense. It’s when the other two units are out on the field that things seem a lot more uncertain. Lamson and company have put up some pretty hefty numbers, especially as of late. And the UM defense, while looking dominant last week, has certainly had its moments where it didn’t look entirely up to snuff. Regardless of the game being in Missoula, if Montana has a defensive showing like it did a few weeks ago against Eastern Washington, it will be in trouble against this Bobcats offense that is firing on all cylinders right now. MSU combats the hostile environment for a show-stopping win to close out the regular season behind that offense.

Score Prediction: Montana State: 32 – Montana: 27