BOZEMAN — With stars Justin Lamson and Taco Dowler sidelined by injuries and Adam Jones hampered, No. 1-ranked Montana State tested its depth Saturday in a Big Sky After Dark showdown with No. 18 Northern Arizona at Bobcat Stadium.
Related: Justin Lamson, Taco Dowler out Saturday versus No. 18 Northern Arizona
Quarterback Patrick Duchien, receiver Carter Dahlke and running back Colson Coon filled in admirably — and the Bobcat defense stood tall defending its end zone — as Montana State improved to 5-0 with a gritty 28-14 win. It's MSU's 19th consecutive win, an extension of its program record, and keeps coach Brent Vigen's home record against Big Sky opponents perfect. Vigen is now 21-0 against Big Sky opponents inside Bobcat Stadium.
Duchien and Dahlke, both making their first career starts, connected on pass plays on MSU's first two offensive snaps and later hooked up for the game's first touchdown on a 47-yard pitch and catch midway through the first quarter.
Duchien, from Florence, turned the ball over twice — one fumble and one interception — in the first half, but was mostly efficient. He finished 16-of-20 passing for 240 yards and a TD. He added another 77 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Following the Duchien-to-Dahlke touchdown, Northern Arizona tied the game early in the second quarter when Ty Pennington threw a scoring pass to Myseth Currie.
Duchien's first rushing TD — a 15-yard run where tight end Rocky Lencioni quite literally dragged Duchien into the end zone — gave the lead back to the Bobcats, but another Pennington touchdown pass tied the game at 14-14 just before halftime.
Jared White gave Montana State a 21-14 lead in the third quarter, and the Bobcats kept the Lumberjacks off the scoreboard in the second half to secure the win. Duchien added an insurance TD run late in the fourth quarter.
Dahlke, a freshman from Bozeman, totaled seven catches for 117 yards.
COLSON COON BREAKS OUT: Starting running back Adam Jones was officially probable for the game but carried the ball just one time. Instead, Coon took the lead role and carried the ball 18 times for 199 yards. He was especially pivotal in the second half, as he churned out big gains to move the chains and keep the clock.
DEAD ZONE: Northern Arizona made four trips into Montana State's red zone ... and scored just one time. The Lumberjacks thrice failed to come away with points when facing 1st-and-goal situations. The Bobcat defense forced turnovers on downs in the first quarter at their own 4-yard line and twice in the fourth quarter at their own 5 when leading 21-14.
The 1-for-4 effort in the red zone ultimately proved to be the death knell for Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks ran more plays (66 to 53), won the time of possession battle (35:19 to 24:41) and won the turnover battle (two to one).
NEW THREADS: Montana State debuted a new uniform combination under the lights, sporting jerseys from Under Armour's Championship Collection in a tribute to the Bobcats' 2025 FCS championship. The "Natty Jerseys" featured embossed, platinum numbers on traditional navy tops, and white helmets donned a gold cat head logo.
WHAT'S NEXT: It's a short week before another primetime game for the Bobcats. Montana State travels to Moscow, Idaho, next week to take on the winless Idaho Vandals. The game is slated for Friday, Oct. 2, with kickoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Mountain time. ESPN will broadcast the game to a national audience.
Idaho, under second-year coach Thomas Ford Jr., is 0-4 this season, but the three losses to FCS opponents have come by a combined 12 points. The Vandals were idle this week.
