History in the making, Bobcats and Redbirds seek elusive FCS title

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Jan. 5—NASHVILLE — Montana State coach Brent Vigen knows enough about the Missouri Valley Football Conference to figure whoever might be left in this postseason would be for real.

"Stubbed their toe a couple times in conference play," Vigen said of the Illinois State Redbirds, who battle his Bobcats for the FCS title Monday at Vanderbilt University's First Bank Stadium. "But we all know the Missouri Valley is a gauntlet to go through. They've got our full attention."

The Redbirds take a 12-4 record into Monday's 5:30 p.m. kickoff, and that includes a 9-0 record in road games, with four of those wins coming in the playoffs.

"Our season has been interesting," 17th-year Redbirds' coach Brock Spack said Saturday. "I felt if we could get into the playoff or tournament, so to speak, we would have a chance.

"I think we're comfortable being uncomfortable, I think is the best term I can use."

An ESPN audience will see history: Illinois State hasn't won a Division I Football Championship and hasn't played in one since a last-minute loss in 2014. Montana State is chasing its first title since 1984 and the first for the Big Sky Conference since Eastern Washington's in 2010.

Both teams have stalwart quarterbacks: Tommy Rittenhouse has thrown for 36 touchdowns and run for seven for ISU; Justin Lamson has thrown for 24 and run for 14. Both are their team's third-leading rushers.

Victor Dawson has 1,251 rushing yards and Wenkers Wright 591 for the Redbirds, while Julius Davis (1,100) and Adam Jones (1,047) have both put up huge rushing numbers for the Bobcats.

Taco Dowler's 69 receptions for 914 yards stands out among the MSU receivers, while Daniel Sobkowicz's 78 catches, 1,089 yards and 18 touchdowns grab attention — that and his 6-foot-4 frame. He's as formidable as any receiver the Cats have faced.

The MSU program is at its zenith, appearing in its third championship in five seasons; the Cats lost to North Dakota State — where Vigen played, then coached from 1998-2013 — in 2021 and last season.

"Getting to Bozeman back in '21, there was clearly a foundation laid," Vigen noted on Saturday. "The team had been to the semifinals in '19, and it was, 'What can we do to build on that foundation? What can we do to continue to raise the bar as far as expectations go?' "

Five years later Montana State is 13-2 with 13 straight wins and is favored Monday. Illinois State's underdog role would fit better if the Redbirds were from, say, the Pioneer Conference.

"They have not brought it up, and we have not talked about being underdogs or Cinderella and all that stuff," Spack said. "You don't win four in a row in a tournament like this and be a Cinderella. We felt we came from a great football conference; arguably our two leagues are the premier leagues in the FCS.

"Hats off to our brothers in the Missouri Valley, they got us ready to play in this environment."

Montana State figures to be ready as well. The sting of last year's championship loss quickly faded as the Cats retooled following heavy losses to graduation and the transfer portal. Mainstays like Paul Brott, Kenneth Eiden IV, Titan Fleischmann and JT Reed kept the front lines steady; the rest fell into place, except for one thing.

"Here we are again and we want to do everything we can to make the most of this opportunity," Vigen said. "We need to go win a football game. I know it would mean a lot to a lot of people for sure."

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