The FCS football season concluded in Nashville on Monday night as Montana State defeated Illinois State. It was an improbable run to the championship game, which included an Illinois State upset of North Dakota State. Montana State entered as a massive favorite in the game, but the Redbirds nearly pulled off the upset.
Montana State started the game strong, forcing punts on each of the first three drives for Illinois State, while building a 14-0 lead. The Redbirds would finally respond with a ten-play, 80-yard drive to make it a one-score game. Still, Montana State responded with a three-play 75-yard drive to make it a 14-point game going into the halftime break. The two teams would then trade touchdowns in the third quarter, making it 28-14 going into the fourth quarter.
Coming in as ten-point underdogs, it seemed like all was lost for Illinois State, but they made the comeback. Illinois State opened the quarter with a touchdown, then forced a quick punt. They scored a second touchdown to tie the game, and then forced another punt. With just over three minutes left in the game, the Redbirds had the ball and the chance to make the upset.
With 63 seconds left in the game, Illinois had a 4th and 1 at the Montana State 21-yard line. Victor Dawson, the over 1,000-yard back for the Redbirds, already had gashed Montana State for 126 yards. With the Bobcats having just one timeout left, a conversion would have likely sealed the game. The team went conservative and attempted the field goal, but it was blocked.
This led to overtime, where Tommy Rittenhouse led a two-play 25-yard touchdown drive to give Illinois State back the lead. Still, the PAT was blocked. Regardless, Illinois State had a chance to win the game. It was fourth and ten from the Illinois State 14-yard line for the Bobcats. Justin Lamson completed a 14-yard fourth-down pass to score. Then, Montana State hit the PAT to win the title.
“Just couldn't find one more play,” Illinois State coach Brock Spack said after the game, per ESPN. “We needed to make one more play to win. When you look at a game that's a one-point loss like that, there's probably 10, 15, maybe 20 plays in the game if you make just one of them, you win. Wasn't able to do that, and we came up short.”
Meanwhile, for Montana State, it was their first title since 1984. They had been close, losing to North Dakota State twice in the final in the last five years. The future is also bright, as head coach Brett Vigen has decided to stay with the program, despite overtures from FBS programs. Now, they look for a third straight FCS Final appearance in 2026.
