A FCS Title Game Masterpiece: Montana State’s Win Over Illinois State One For the Ages

NASHVILLE, TN. — For four quarters and into overtime Montana State and Illinois State had created a masterpiece during the 2025-26 Football Championship Subdivision championship game Monday night before 24,105 spectators at Vanderbilt University’s FirstBank Stadium.

And with one final, precision-brushstroke, MSU quarterback Justin Lamson completed a Monet-like classic.

Lamson’s four-down, back-shoulder, 14-yard pass at the pylon to Taco Dowler and the ensuing extra point by Myles Sansted lifted the No. 2-seeded Bobcats (14-2) to their first FCS title in 41 years and left the Redbirds of ISU (12-5) heartbroken in the championship clash for he second time in 12 years.

“There aren’t many moments that are going to be better than this,” said Lamson, who was named the game’s most valuable player.

It was the first overtime game in the 48-year history of the FCS championship contests and was played before an electric atmosphere in the first title clash in Nashville. The attendance was the largest for the championship since host Marshall drew 30,052 fans to the 1996 game in Huntington, West Virginia. and was the seventh-largest all-time.

“It took everything, it took everybody, it took everybody believing,” Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen said. “You guys all live long lives and this will never go away, you’ll forever be a national champion. And when you catch greatness, you’re immortal.”

Lamson (18-of-27 overall for 280 yards and two TDs) completed a sizzling 12-of-13 passes in the first half, including a 33-yard strike to freshman receiver Dana Steel with 18 seconds on the second-quarter clock to give MSU a 21-7 lead. Lamson also scored twice on short touchdown bursts.

But Illinois State clamped down in the second half and Tommy Rittenhouse (33-of-46 for 311 yards and four TDs) finally found the range on his passes as the game wore on.

After tying the.game at 28 on Rittenhouse’s 23-yard scoring strike to  Dylan Lord with 5;10 remaining in regulation, the upstart Redbirds, who had battled through five road trips to reach Nashville, had several chances to secure their first-ever national title.

But Illinois State’s suspect kicking game gave the Bobcats the opportunity to steal the championship away.

After the Redbird defense forced Montana State to punt with just over three minutes to play, Rittenhouse hit Lord in the middle of the field for 33 yards to put his team again in scoring position at the Bobcat 30.

But Illinois State, having had six kicks blocked during the season and a new kicker on-board for just his second game, grew surprisingly conservative. 

A couple of running plays gained five yards before Rittenhouse took a read-option keeper for four yards. Faced with fourth and one at the MSU 21 with 1:04 on the clock, ISU took a time out and decided to try a 38-yard field goal by an inexperienced placement specialist at the edge of his range.

That decision backfired completely.

Long snapper Dylan Calabrese’s toss to the spot was low and near the right leg of holder Hayden Furch. Furch got the ball placed precariously and wasn’t able to spin the laces of the football completely away from the kicker and ball was angled awkwardly to the left, instead of centered.

Michael Cosentino, who had converted three field goals in his first college game at Villanova in the semifinals, didn’t have a chance. His low kick was blocked by Jhase McMillian, steaming off the edge. 

Seth Johnson recovered the bouncing ball and dashed 15 yards, nearly breaking free for what could have been a dramatic touchdown before being stopped at the ISU 45.

Needing just a couple of completions in the final minute of regulation to move into field-goal range, itself, Montana State then found its own troubles. After Lamson hit Dana Steel for eight yards to the 37, an all-out blitz by the Redbirds sacked Samson for a six-yard loss.

On third down, Lamson didn’t get a chance to move the Bpbcats closer as the center snap came before the appropriate count snd cost MSU 20 yards. Colby Frokjer’s 50-yard punt meant the game was headed for overtime.

Before the coin toss to determine possession for the extra period, Vigen turned superstitious. Knowing it had  been 41 years since the Bobcats had beaten Western Carolina in the 1984 championship, Vigan sent captain and nose tackle Paul Brott om the field as MSU’s representative for the toss.

Illinois State lost the toss, meaning Montana State could choose to defend first in overtime.

It took Rittenhouse just two plays to give Illinois State its first lead of the night. He drilled Daniel Sobkowicz for 15 yards on a precision pass then dumped off to an open Lord near the sideline for 10 yards and the score.

Then disaster struck the Redbirds again on the extra point, as another bad snap and another poor hold kept Cosentino from getting off a good kick. Hunter Parsons crashed through the middle of the line and blocked the low boot to leave the score at 34-28.

Julius Davis picked through traffic for 11 yards on a first-down run, but a false start in between a three-yard rush by Davis and a two-yard completion to Adam Jones left the Bobcats with two plays to pull out the game.

Judson found Jobez Woods near the first-down sticks at the five, but Woods had the ball bounce through his hands and off his shoulder pads incomplete.

There was time for one final play to either pick up the first down, score, or see the Bobcats come up short for he third time in a championship game.

After seeing Montana State line up for the fourth-down play, Illinois State called time out and decided to come with blitz pressure, meaning that the secondary would be left in single coverage.

But the Bobcats came up with a brilliant route package that freed Dollar from the slot. Just before the ISU pressure put a hit on Judson, he launched his perfect aerial towards the left pylon. Dollar arrived right on time, having left his coverage behind and the Bobcats had their tying touchdown.

Sansted’s extra point was more like a championship coronation than a moment of nerves, booming straight through the uprights with a resounding thud and setting off a wild celebration.

Sanstead raced towards the center of the field, ripping off his helmet and tossing it to the sky, in this case the Big Sky for the state and the conference the Bobcats represent.

“Not to finish the goal and go back in and see those guys, it breaks your heart,” Illinois State All-American linebacker Tye Niekamp said. “It was an electric atmosphere. It was probably the most fun I’ve had playing a game.”

It was the second time with a national championship on the line that Illinois State came up a play short of the crown. Leading in the final minute of the 2014 title game, the Redbirds fell victim to Carson Wentz’s final seconds heroics with a touchdown pass lifting North Dakota State to a 29-27 victory.

“It wasn’t the field goal, it wasn’t the extra point,” said ISU coach Brock Spack. “There were a lot of things that could have happened in that game. If you make one of those plays, you win in a game like this.”

And at the end, it was Lamson, who transferred from Stanford, that came up winning play.

“We prepared for the arc of the game,” said Lamson. “We have a saying on offense, ‘whose’s going to make the spark.’ It was different guys who did that.”

Full Box Score

Illinois State	0	7	7	14	6	34
#2 Montana State	7	14	7	0	7	35

ISU: PASS – Rittenhouse,Tommy (311); RUSH – Dawson,Victor (126); REC – Lord,Dylan (161)
MSU: PASS – Lamson, Justin (280); RUSH -Jones, Adam (46); REC – Dowler, Taco (111)

Scoring Summary

	1st	MSU	04:51	MSU – Lamson,Justin 3 yd run (Sansted,Myles kick), 10 plays, 90 yards, TOP 05:50	0	7
	2nd	MSU	10:49	MSU – Lamson,Justin 2 yd run (Sansted,Myles kick), 8 plays, 80 yards, TOP 03:26	0	14
	2nd	ISU	00:54	ISU – Presson Jr.,Scotty 6 yd pass from Rittenhouse,Tommy (Cosentino,Michael kick) 10 plays, 80 yards, TOP 04:23	7	14
	2nd	MSU	00:18	MSU – Steel,Dane 33 yd pass from Lamson,Justin (Sansted,Myles kick) 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:36	7	21
	3rd	ISU	05:32	ISU – Brasfield,Logan 0 yd run (Cosentino,Michael kick), 17 plays, 85 yards, TOP 07:32	14	21
	3rd	MSU	03:18	MSU – Dowler,Taco 22 yd run (Sansted,Myles kick), 6 plays, 64 yards, TOP 02:08	14	28
	4th	ISU	10:13	ISU – Sobkowicz,Daniel 4 yd pass from Rittenhouse,Tommy (Cosentino,Michael kick) 15 plays, 81 yards, TOP 08:01	21	28
	4th	ISU	05:10	ISU – Lord,Dylan 25 yd pass from Rittenhouse,Tommy (Cosentino,Michael kick) 8 plays, 60 yards, TOP 03:52	28	28
	4th	ISU	00:00	ISU – Lord,Dylan 10 yd pass from Rittenhouse,Tommy () 2 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00	34	28
	4th	MSU	00:00	MSU – Dowler,Taco 14 yd pass from Lamson,Justin (Sansted,Myles kick) 5 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00	34	35