Montana State football team gets good, bad injury news

BOZEMAN — Montana State football coach Brent Vigen delivered an injury update during his weekly press conference Monday.

Senior linebacker Danny Uluilakepa, a two-time captain and preseason All-Big Sky Conference selection, tore his ACL on Saturday against Idaho. He sustained the injury in the second quarter of the game while returning an interception he caught down the field.

Vigen said Uluilakepa “went down in a blaze of glory,” and will miss the remainder of the season. Uluilakepa is second on the team with 34 tackles and five tackles for loss.

“Bryce Grebe has been gaining traction, obviously playing more and more as the season has gone on, so Bryce will have to step up,” Vigen said of who will be next up in the linebacker rotation. “But ultimately, it’s … Neil Daily more than anybody that his role will continue to grow.”

Vigen confirmed on Monday that sophomore defensive back Caden Dowler has also torn his ACL. He sustained the injury in the Bobcats’ game against Northern Colorado in Week 6.

The team has had three straight weeks of starters sustaining a torn ACL, as defensive tackle Blake Schmidt suffered one at Idaho State in Week 5.

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In more positive news for the Bobcats, defensive back Dru Polidore recorded five tackles in his first game back from injury this season against Idaho.

Running back Julius Davis, who has not played this season since sustaining an injury this past offseason, will travel with the team to Portland State.

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Vigen said offensive lineman Justus Perkins is “right around the corner” to returning, as well.

“The true test to your program, I suppose, and your particular team, and this ‘24 team, is how can we withstand that?” Vigen said regarding the team’s next-man-up mentality. “Can the next guy that goes in there play with the level of confidence, and then execution, that we need so we don’t have a dropoff?”