BILLINGS — Former Montana State offensive lineman Mike Person knows what it’s like to play in the biggest game on the planet. He also knows what it’s like to fall short.
For most of the Bobcats’ players, the FCS national championship game on Jan. 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, will be the biggest game of their careers. They may never have a better chance to win a title.
Person, a Glendive native and Montana State hall of famer, started at right guard for the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV at the end of the 2019 season. That game ended in heartbreak for Person, as the 49ers squandered a late fourth-quarter lead and fell to the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-20.
Nevertheless, Person has some advice for Montana State's players as they prepare to take on North Dakota State in a championship showdown between FCS powers.
"There's going to be a lot of fanfare, a lot of activities before the game. You're not going to have the same routine necessarily, but as soon as you step on the field, it's football," Person said.
"Just play ball. If everyone is themselves and doesn't try to turn it up to 11, then you'll be just fine."
Before becoming a seventh-round draft pick and embarking on a nine-year NFL career with the Seahawks, Rams, Falcons, Colts and 49ers, Person started 35 consecutive games on the offensive line at MSU under coach Rob Ash, and was a member of the Bobcats' 2010 Big Sky title team.
His final college game was a second-round playoff contest that year at Bobcat Stadium against — guess who? — North Dakota State. Person and MSU took a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Bison's ground game took over and produced 28 unanswered points for a 42-17 win.
That was the first of what will now be six playoff meetings between the programs in the past 15 years. The championship game will be their fifth matchup in the past seven seasons.
The Bobcats' postseason record to this point in that stretch against NDSU? 0-5.
MSU and NDSU met for the FCS title in Frisco at the end of the 2021 season, a 38-10 Bison victory.
"We're due. We're due. I'll just say that," Person offered.
These days, Person lives in the Columbus, Ohio, area with his wife and three children. After retiring from the NFL he considered a career in coaching (Person's father Jim was the longtime football coach at Dawson County High School in Glendive) but is now working for a software company.
He is also a huge Montana State fan, and has watched every game of this 15-0 Bobcat season — save for the first half of their 31-17 semifinal win against South Dakota as the family was traveling to North Dakota for the holidays.
"It's been fun, especially for me being a former O-lineman, watching how they run the ball," Person said. "Coach (Al) Johnson has those guys up front coached up. It's a pretty impressive thing.
"And then defensively, they fly around. I love the pressure packages that (defensive coordinator) Bobby (Daly) brings. It's a team that really reflects the attitude of the state of Montana."
One player Person might feel a special connection to is Bobcats right guard Marcus Wehr. Person and Wehr both played high school football in the Eastern A — Wehr graduated from Billings Central — and both earned All-America honors in college.
Wehr is versatile just like Person was, having played more than one spot on the offensive line.
And like Person did, Wehr is garnering NFL Draft buzz and could be on his way to a career at the zenith of professional football.
Person said Wehr called him during the offseason for advice on how to navigate his senior year, which has produced for Wehr multiple first-team All-America nods and the fixed eyes of pro scouts.
Person came away impressed.
"He comes across as an extremely intelligent kid," Person said of Wehr. "The speed at which he plays — not just him but the entire offensive line — that's something you don't see very often, especially at the FCS level, with how the get to the second level and how they attach to guys."
"It looks like he can change direction pretty fluidly, and he's a big, strong kid, so that stuff will translate well for the next steps of his career."
Wehr and Montana State's offensive line have cleared a path all year for a ridiculous amount of rushing yards and touchdowns from quarterback Tommy Mellott and running backs Scottre Humphrey, Adam Jones and the like.
The Brent Vigen-coached Bobcats rank No. 2 in the nation in rushing offense (301.4 ypg) and are tops in scoring offense (41.3 ppg) and rushing TDs (51).
All that's left to do to tie a bow on a perfect season is to dispatch a playoff nemesis in North Dakota State and bring home the program's first national championship in 40 years.
"It's not just the football program. Every program there seems like it's flourishing," Person said. "You have to give a lot of credit to (athletic director) Leon Costello and president (Waded) Cruzado. What she's meant to our university, you can't even describe it.
"I've always been a proud Bobcat, but you know, it just takes it up another level when they're playing on a stage like this."
Come Jan. 6, Person will be rooting all the way.
