BOZEMAN — A unique distinction of the Montana State football program is that it is the only outfit in the country to win national championships at three different levels of competition.
The Bobcats captured titles in the NAIA in 1956, in NCAA Division II in 1976 and again at Division I-AA (now FCS) in 1984.
But in 127 years, no MSU team had opened a season by winning its first 10 games.
That all changed Saturday, when MSU's 49-7 shellacking of Sacramento State — highlighted by a whopping 508 rushing yards — clinched the first 10-0 start in program annals.
It marked a historic moment for the Bobcats, though they weren't ready to claim any special recognition when it was over.
"(We're) not getting ahead of ourselves, not worrying about being 10-0, honestly," coach Brent Vigen said in the postgame press gathering. "We're going to recognize it and be excited about stacking another win on top of this and continue to move this season forward."
You'd expect to hear nothing less than that. And it's probably a sound philosophy considering what's ahead of the Cats in the next two weeks.
This Saturday, MSU (10-0, 6-0 Big Sky) travels to UC Davis (9-1, 6-0) for a game that will effectively decide the conference title. The winner will earn at least a share of the crown and, most importantly, the league's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs and a lofty seed in the postseason bracket.
The week after that, of course, is the Bobcats' 123rd football clash with archrival Montana. This year's game — the biggest game of the year every year — will be contested in Bozeman.
The 10-0 start is big for the fans and students and those in the administration, certainly. But for the coaches and players there's so much to play for and so little time to reflect on what any of it means.
For a team that has designs on claiming the program's fourth national championship, it would end up being little more than a small feather in its cap without a serious playoff run.
"Anytime you can do something that's never been done, there's significance to that — a real significance to that," athletic director Leon Costello told MTN Sports prior to Saturday's game. "I think this is significant for the program and also for the fans to see something that's never been done before.
"But it feels like this is part of the process and part of the plan. You don't look back too far, but you don't look ahead at all. I think that mentality has kept everybody grounded."
MSU's record is a product of exceptional quarterback play from veteran Tommy Mellott, a deep and talented running back group and a strong offensive line led by guard Marcus Wehr. Mellott and Wehr, by the way, are going to go down as all-time MSU greats.
It's also a byproduct of a team that leads the league in total defense, passing defense and scoring defense, and is No. 2 in rushing defense.
Further, it's part and parcel to what is now an extraordinary head-coaching résumé for Vigen at Montana State.
After Saturday's win, Vigen is 42-9 with the Bobcats (a winning percentage of .824) and 27-4 in Big Sky Conference games. What's more, he's now 27-1 at home, with the only loss coming against his alma mater, North Dakota State, in last year's playoffs.
To that end, Vigen is still yet to lose a conference home game.
Vigen on Saturday acknowledged the Bobcats' burgeoning home-field advantage.
"Our guys love playing here. I think it truly brings the best out of their effort," Vigen said. "Our crowd lifts us up, and the other side of that is there is a level of, whether it's intimidation or whatever, that any team coming in here has to deal with."
"We want to be a team (the fans) are proud of," Vigen continued. "They want to cheer on our guys. And I think we really feel that, and that makes a big difference."
Outside of their opening victory at FBS New Mexico and some tense moments on the road against Eastern Washington on Nov. 2, the Bobcats have cruised past their competition. But now the toughest stretch of their season is here, and it will go a long way to showing what the team is made of — with or without a memorable 10-0 start.
"It's unbelievable to think that I'm on a team that's making history," said running back Adam Jones, who rushed for 159 yards on just five carries against Sacramento State. "It's something that I'm extremely grateful for.
"But we try not to look at all that stuff, because we have some big goals this year. So yeah, I'm kind of just on to the next thing."
The next thing is the road swing to UC Davis — and a shot at a conference crown.
