Montana State, after falling to Oregon in Week 1, wins FCS title

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On August 30, the Oregon Ducks and Montana State Bobcats kicked off their 2025 seasons at Autzen Stadium. Nearly 130 days later, the Bobcats are FCS national champs after taking down the Illinois State Redbirds 35-34 in overtime on Monday night — the same week that the Ducks are preparing for the College Football Playoff Semifinals.

Coming into the game, it was known that Montana State was an FCS power, as they'd won three national titles in program history and gone 16-0 in conference play under head coach Brent Vigen.

However, they ended up being no match for Oregon, who came away with a 59-13 victory to begin their season. That's not to say some Bobcats didn't impress — with some familiar names standing out in the FCS title game.

Junior wide receiver Taco Dowler was easily the most impressive player on the Montana State side against the Ducks, as he caught 12 passes for 107 yards, repeatedly causing issues for the Oregon secondary and evading tacklers with the ball in his hands.

Dowler was among just four players that finished with over 100 yards receiving against the Ducks in 2025, with Indiana's Elijah Sarratt and USC's Tanook Hines and Ja'Kobi Lane joining him later in the season.

The Montana native was outstanding against Illinois State, catching eight passes for 111 yards and the game-winning touchdown in overtime. The quarterback who threw the pass, Stanford transfer Justin Lamson, also had a rather impressive effort against Oregon, completing 23 of 31 passes for 198 yards and committing zero turnovers in his first start as a Bobcat.

Lamson was nails in the title game, as he went 18-for-27 for 280 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score. He also ran for 30 yards and two more scores.

Linebacker Cole Taylor, who registered seven tackles in Week 1, was easily the Bobcats' MVP on the defensive side of the ball on Monday night. He had 15 total tackles, marking a career-high for the sophomore.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but considering how amazing of a season Montana State went on to have after being shellacked by Oregon should've been a telling sign that the Ducks would have a special season of their own.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Montana State wins FCS title after losing to Oregon in Week 1

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