2023 Montana State Bobcats football team

American college football season

2023 Montana State Bobcats football

NCAA Division I Second Round, L 34–35 vs. North Dakota State
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 9
FCS Coaches	No. 8
Record	8–4 (6–2 Big Sky)
Head coach	Brent Vigen (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Taylor Housewright (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Willie Mack Garza (2nd season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Bobcat Stadium
Seasons← 2022 2024 →

2023 Big Sky Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 2 Montana $^	7	–	1	13	–	2
No. 8 Idaho ^	6	–	2	9	–	4
No. 9 Montana State ^	6	–	2	8	–	4
Northern Arizona	5	–	3	5	–	6
No. 24 UC Davis	5	–	3	7	–	4
No. 13 Sacramento State ^	4	–	4	8	–	5
Portland State	4	–	4	5	–	6
Weber State	4	–	4	6	–	5
Eastern Washington	3	–	5	4	–	7
Idaho State	3	–	5	3	–	8
Cal Poly	1	–	7	3	–	8
Northern Colorado	0	–	8	0	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2023 Montana State Bobcats football team represented Montana State University as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bobcats were led by third-year head coach Brent Vigen and played home games at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana. The Montana State Bobcats football team drew an average home attendance of 21,610 in 2023.

Preseason

Polls

On July 23, 2023, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Bobcats were predicted to finish first in the Big Sky by both the coaches and media.

Coaches poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Montana State	120 (10)
2	UC Davis	96 (1)
3	Sacramento State	94 (1)
4	Weber State	91
5	Idaho	89
6	Montana	84
7	Eastern Washington	52
8	Portland State	45
9	Northern Arizona	44
10	Northern Colorado	37
11	Cal Poly	25
12	Idaho State	15

Media poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Montana State	447 (26)
2	Idaho	410 (8)
3	Montana	359 (2)
4	Sacramento State	334 (3)
5	UC Davis	330
6	Weber State	320
7	Eastern Washington	216
8	Northern Arizona	178
9	Portland State	167
10	Northern Colorado	109
11	Cal Poly	103
12	Idaho State	69

Roster

2023 Montana State Bobcats football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`0`	Javonte King	Fr
WR	`1`	Marqui Johnson	Jr
WR	`2`	Clevan Thomas Jr.	GS
RB	`3`	Jared White	Fr
QB	`4`	Tommy Mellott	Jr
RB	`5`	Garrett Coon	So
WR	`6`	Ty McCullouch	Jr
WR	`7`	Lonyatta Alexander Jr.	So
TE, FB	`8`	Derryk Snell	Sr
QB	`9`	Luke Abshire	Fr
QB	`10`	Sean Chambers	Sr
RB	`11`	Elijah Elliott	Jr
QB	`12`	Jordan Reed	Fr
QB	`13`	Chance Wilson	Fr
WR	`14`	Taco Dowler	So
QB	`15`	Patrick Duchien	Fr
WR	`16`	Zachary Dodson-Greene	Fr
WR	`17`	Christian Anaya	Fr
WR	`18`	Garrett Walchli	Jr
WR	`19`	Tom Carter	Fr
RB	`22`	Scottre Humphrey	Fr
RB	`23`	Adam Jones	Fr
RB	`24`	Lane Sumner	Sr
WR	`25`	Jacob Trimble	Fr
RB	`28`	Colson Coon	Fr
RB	`32`	Julius Davis	Jr
TE	`36`	Luke Smith	Fr
FB	`48`	Max Murphy	Fr
OL	`54`	Zac Nyland	Fr
G	`55`	J. T. Reed	Jr
G, C	`56`	Cole Sain	Sr
OL	`57`	Everett Carr	Fr
G	`58`	Aaron Richards	So
OL	`60`	Tommy Nilson	Fr
OL	`62`	Bear Old	Fr
OT, G	`63`	Rush Reimer	Jr
OL	`64`	Burke Mastel	Fr
C	`65`	Justus Perkins	Jr
OT	`66`	Titan Fleischmann	Fr
G	`68`	Omar Aigbedion	So
G	`70`	Holden Sampson	Jr
OT	`72`	Connor Moore	Fr
OL	`73`	Cedric Jefferson	Fr
OL	`74`	Jaden Perkins	Fr
OL	`75`	Jacob Kettels	So
OT	`76`	Marcus Wehr	Jr
OL	`79`	Jonathan Luhmann	Fr
TE	`80`	Treyton Pickering	Sr
WR	`81`	Tayvian Williams	Sr
TE	`82`	Elijah Reynolds	So
WR	`85`	Aidan Garrigan	So
TE	`86`	Hunter Provience	Fr
TE	`87`	Ryan Lonergan	Jr
TE	`88`	Rylan Schlepp	Fr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
S	`0`	Blake Stillwell	So
DB	`1`	Andrew Powdrell	Fr
S	`2`	Dru Polidore	So
CB	`4`	Jon Johnson	Jr
S, NB	`5`	Caden Dowler	So
CB	`6`	Miles Jackson	Jr
DB	`7`	Tayden Gray	Fr
S, NB	`8`	Level Price Jr.	Sr
CB	`9`	Simeon Woodard	Jr
DE	`10`	Brody Grebe	Jr
DE	`11`	Kenneth Eiden IV	So
CB	`12`	Devin Davis	So
CB	`13`	Jackson Harmon	So
LB	`15`	Bryce Grebe	Fr
S	`16`	Michael Armstrong	Fr
DB	`17`	Taki Uluilakepa	Fr
S	`18`	Kendric Bailey	Jr
LB	`19`	Neil Daily	So
S	`20`	Tyson Pottenger	So
DB	`22`	Takhari Carr	Fr
S	`23`	Aidan Parks	So
DB	`24`	Colter Petre	Fr
S, NB	`26`	Rylan Ortt	Jr
DB	`27`	Brock Steel	Fr
DB	`29`	JJ Dolan	Fr
LB	`30`	Danny Uluilakepa	Jr
LB	`31`	Jace Fitzgerald	So
DT	`33`	Blake Hehl	Sr
LB	`34`	Cole Taylor	Fr
DB	`35`	Kade Cutler	Fr
LB	`40`	Cole Bullock	Jr
LB	`41`	Nolan Askelson	Sr
LB	`42`	Ryan Krahe	Fr
LB	`43`	McCade O'Reilly	Jr
DE	`44`	Jake Vigen	Fr
DE	`45`	Hunter Parsons	So
DE	`46`	Logan Fredericksen	Fr
LB	`47`	Eli Aby	So
LB	`49`	Zac Waible	Fr
DL	`50`	Zack Black	So
DL	`51`	Nicholas Korom	Jr
DE	`59`	Dominic Solano	Fr
DT	`69`	Jaren Perkins	Fr
DL	`89`	Ryder Trujillo	Fr
DT	`90`	Hunter Sharbono	Fr
DE	`91`	Zac Crews	Fr
DT	`92`	Blake Schmidt	Jr
DE	`94`	David Alston	Sr
DT	`95`	Sebastian Valdez	Jr
DL	`96`	Paul Brott	So
DE	`98`	Ben Seymour	Sr
DL	`99`	Talon Marsh	Fr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K, P	`38`	Casey Kautzman	Fr
LS	`71`	Tommy Sullivan	Jr
P, K	`93`	Brendan Hall	Jr

Head coach

Brent Vigen

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Taylor Housewright (Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks)
Willie Mack Garza (Defensive coordinator / Defensive backs)
Bobby Daly (linebackers)
Justin Udy (wide receivers / pass game coordinator / special teams coordinator)
Shawn Howe (defensive line / defensive run game coordinator)
Al Johnson (offensive line)
Tyler Walker (tight ends)
Nicolas Jean-Baptiste (defensive tackles)
Bryan Shepherd (cornerbacks)
Sam Mix (running backs)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: December 7, 2024

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	6:00 p.m.	Utah Tech*	No. 3	Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, MT	ESPN+	W 63–20	21,967
September 9	5:00 p.m.	at No. 1 South Dakota State*	No. 3	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD	ESPN+	L 16–20	19,332
September 16	1:00 p.m.	Stetson*	No. 3	Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, MT	ESPN+	W 57–20	21,487
September 23	6:00 p.m.	at No. 10 Weber State	No. 3	Stewart Stadium Ogden, UT	ESPN+	W 40–0	10,905
September 30	2:00 p.m.	Portland State	No. 3	Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, MT	ESPN+	W 38–22	22,017
October 14	6:00 p.m.	Cal Poly	No. 2	Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, MT	ESPN+	W 59–19	21,997
October 21	8:30 p.m.	at No. 3 Sacramento State	No. 2	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	ESPN2	W 42–30	16,122
October 28	2:00 p.m.	at No. 9 Idaho	No. 2	Kibbie Dome Moscow, ID	ESPN+	L 21–24	13,073
November 4	1:00 p.m.	Northern Arizona	No. 6	Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, MT	ESPN+	W 45–21	21,297
November 11	1:00 p.m.	Eastern Washington	No. 5	Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, MT	ESPN+	W 57–14	20,897
November 18	12:00 p.m.	at No. 3 Montana	No. 4	Washington-Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT (rivalry)	ESPN+	L 7–37	27,178
December 2	1:00 p.m.	No. 8 North Dakota State*	No. 5	Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, MT (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN+	L 34–35	17,247
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

Game summaries

vs Utah Tech

at No. 1 South Dakota State

See also: 2023 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team No. 3 Montana State Bobcats (1–0) vs No. 1 South Dakota State (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 3 Bobcats	7	3	0	6	16
No. 1 Jackrabbits	0	0	7	13	20

at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD

Date: September 9, 2023
Game time: 5:00 p.m. MDT
Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), Sunny, Wind NE 10 mph (16 km/h)
Game attendance: 19,332
Referee: Rick Warne
TV: ESPN+

Statistics	MSU	SDSU
First downs	17	20
Total yards	298	341
Rushing yards	211	157
Passing yards	87	184
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	35:23	24:37

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Montana State	Passing	Sean Chambers	3/9, 53 yards, INT
	Rushing	Sean Chambers	20 carries, 90 yards, TD
	Receiving	Derryk Snell	3 receptions, 38 yards
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	13/22, 184 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	12 carries, 66 yards
	Receiving	Griffin Wilde	2 receptions, 49 yards, TD

vs Stetson

at No. 10 Weber State

vs Portland State

vs Cal Poly

at No. 3 Sacramento State

See also: 2023 Sacramento State Hornets football team No. 2 Montana State Bobcats (5–1) at No. 3 Sacramento State Hornets (5–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 Bobcats	0	14	7	21	42
No. 3 Hornets	7	0	10	13	30

at Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, CA

Date: October 21, 2023
Game time: 7:30 p.m. PST
Game weather: SW 9 mph • Sunny
Game attendance: 16,122
Referee: Jim Crowley
TV announcers (ESPN2): Play-by-Play: John Schriffen • Analysis: Rocky Boiman • Sideline: Dawn Davenport
Sources:

Game information

First Quarter

(0:58) SAC – Danny Scudero 16-yard run (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 4:20; Sacramento State 7–0)

Second Quarter

(12:47) MTST – Jon Johnson 16-yard interception return (Brendan Hall kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 1 yard, 0:32; Tied 7–7)
(3:46) MTST – Ty McCullouch 21-yard pass from Sean Chambers (Brendan Hall kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:44; Montana State 14–7)

Third Quarter

(10:10) MTST – Tommy Mellott 11-yard run (Brendan Hall kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 26 yards, 1:16; Montana State 21–7)
(8:48) SAC – Elijah Tau-Tolliver 53-yard run (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:22; Montana State 21–14)
(6:09) SAC – Zach Schreiner 26-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 17 yards, 2:30; Montana State 21–17)

Fourth Quarter

(14:53) MTST – Tommy Mellott 9-yard run (Brendan Hall kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 90 yards, 6:11; Montana State 28–17)
(10:02) SAC – Elijah Tau-Tolliver 10-yard run (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:51; Montana State 28–24)
(8:26) MTST – Julius Davis 1-yard run (Brendan Hall kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, 1:31; Montana State 35–24)
(5:05) MTST – Jared White 12-yard run (Brendan Hall kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 28 yards, 2:31; Montana State 42–24)
(1:27) SAC – Devin Gandy 7-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett (two-point pass conversion failed) (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:38; Montana State 42–30)

Line

MTST –10.5

Over/Under

59.5

Statistics	MTST	SAC
First downs	26	25
Total yards	448	434
Rushing yards	328	200
Passing yards	120	234
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	10–16–1	26–42–2
Time of possession	32:40	27:20

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Montana State	Passing	Tommy Mellott	9/14, 99 yards
	Rushing	Julius Davis	12 carries, 110 yards, TD
	Receiving	Ty McCullough	4 receptions, 53 yards, TD
Sacramento State	Passing	Kaiden Bennett	26/42, 234 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Elijah Tau-Tolliver	8 carries, 100 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Devin Gandy	5 receptions, 59 yards, TD

at No. 9 Idaho

See also: 2023 Idaho Vandals football team No. 2 Montana State Bobcats (6–1) vs No. 9 Idaho Vandals (5–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 Bobcats	0	0	14	7	21
No. 9 Vandals	3	7	0	14	24

at Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID

Date: October 28, 2023
Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
Game attendance: 13,073
TV: ESPN+

vs Northern Arizona

vs Eastern Washington

at Montana

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 Bobcats	0	0	7	0	7
No. 3 Grizzles	14	6	10	7	37

NCAA Division I playoffs

No. 8 North Dakota State (second round)

See also: 2023 North Dakota State Bison football team No. 8 North Dakota State Bison (9–3) vs. No. 5 (6) Montana State Bobcats (8–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
No. 8 Bison	0	14	7	7	7	35
No. 5 (6) Bobcats	7	7	14	0	6	34

at Bobcat Stadium, Bozeman, MT

Date: December 2, 2023
Game time: 2:00 p.m. (CT)
Game weather: Sunny; 36 °F (2 °C); Wind: W 15 mph
Game attendance: 17,247
Referee: Bruce Austin
TV announcers (ESPN+): Noah Reed, Charles Arbuckle

Statistics	North Dakota State	Montana State
First downs	18	21
Plays–yards	57–374	59–509
Rushes–yards	43–296	40–279
Passing yards	78	230
Passing: comp–att–int	6–14–0	14–19–1
Time of possession	29:43	30:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Dakota State	Passing	Cam Miller	5/13, 66 yds, TD
	Rushing	TaMerik Williams	11 car, 162 yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Eli Green	4 rec, 63 yds
Montana State	Passing	Tommy Mellott	13/17, 204 yds, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Tommy Mellott	18 car, 151 yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Ty McCullouch	4 rec, 92 yds TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	NDSU	MTST
1st	1:57	3	63	1:11	MTST	Ty McCullouch (#6) 34-yard touchdown reception from Tommy Mellott (#4), Casey Kautzman (#38) kick good	0	7
2nd	8:52	5	39	2:56	NDSU	Zach Mathis (#0) 3-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good	7	7
2nd	4:07	5	93	2:58	NDSU	TaMerik Williams (#22) 44-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good	14	7
2nd	1:05	6	71	3:02	MTST	Tommy Mellott (#4) 6-yard touchdown run, Casey Kautzman (#38) kick good	14	14
3rd	14:50	1	75	0:10	NDSU	TaMerik Williams (#22) 75-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good	21	14
3rd	13:56	2	86	0:48	MTST	Tommy Mellott (#4) 76-yard touchdown run, Casey Kautzman (#38) kick good	21	21
3rd	8:08	8	69	4:11	MTST	Clevan Thomas Jr. (#2) 9-yard touchdown reception from Tommy Mellott (#4), Casey Kautzman (#38) kick good	21	21
4th	2:33	9	89	4:48	NDSU	TK Marshall (#28) 29-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good	28	28
OT		5	25		NDSU	Cam Miller (#7) 3-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good	35	28
OT		1	25		MTST	Scottre Humphrey (#22) 25-yard touchdown run, Casey Kautzman (#38) kick blocked	35	34
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							35	34

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	6	5	4	5
Coaches	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	8	5	4	8

References

"Montana State Tabbed Preseason Football Favorites". July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
"2023 Montana State Football Schedule". msubobcats.com. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
"Football vs Montana State on 10/21/2023 - Box Score - Sacramento State". October 21, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
"Football Falls To No. 2 Montana State, 42–30". October 21, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
"Mellott runs for 2 TDs to help FCS No. 2 Montana St. beat No. 4 Sacramento St. 42–30". ESPN. October 21, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.

v t e Montana State Bobcats football
Venues	Gatton Field (1930–1971) Van Winkle Stadium (1972) Bobcat Stadium (1973–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Montana
Culture & lore	Spirit of the West Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906–1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e 2023 NCAA Division I FCS playoff participants
Albany Austin Peay Chattanooga Delaware Drake Duquesne Furman Gardner–Webb Idaho Lafayette Mercer Montana Montana State Nicholls North Carolina Central North Dakota North Dakota State Richmond Sacramento State South Dakota South Dakota State Southern Illinois Villanova Youngstown State
Champion – South Dakota State

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