FRISCO, Texas — Montana State’s 35-32 loss to North Dakota State was heartbreaking for a team that hadn’t experienced defeat this season. But though Bobcat nation is sad right now, fans stuck around after the game to greet dejected players and express how proud they are of the MSU football team and how special this season was.
“It's sad to lose, but I think that the Bobcat community is there for the for the good times and bad times,” said former MSU track and field thrower Leah Klein.
“Bobcat nation showed up today. It was awesome to be a part of this whole weekend,” added Kylie Christiansen, who has a brother on the football team. “And today it was awesome. Everybody was here and we're all still one Bobcat family. And you know what? We’ll be back.”
The Bobcats fell behind big early, but a spirited second-half comeback kept the crowd on its feet, and it stayed that way until the final whistle.
“Coming to Frisco is one thing, but they've been able to compete. They didn't get blown out. They came and competed and that was what we wanted to see,” said Mitch Monaco, whose brother Marcus coaches special teams. “You see around the whole stadium, there's heart. And the players they showed that tonight. And I mean, yeah, we wanted to see the trophy come back to Montana, but they competed. And you just can't be more proud of those guys that showed up tonight.”
MTN Sports spoke with the father of running back Julius Davis who said there’s no place his son would have rather played than in the blue and gold.
“Julius got a lot of ties with NDSU with coach Tim Polasek trying to recruit him from Iowa to Wyoming,” Dornaj Davis said. “But the Bobcats got him, and there's a reason for that. Because the fans, because the environment and the whole wholesome coaches and the humblest coaches.”
It was a dream season stopped short of the ultimate goal, but one that left behind history and memories that will never fade for players, coaches, family and fans.
