POCATELLO, Idaho — With the game on the line, Montana State went to its bag of tricks.
A two-point conversion pass from wideout Dane Steel to tight end Rylan Schlepp in triple overtime lifted the No. 3-ranked Bobcats to a 28-26 victory over No. 22 Idaho State in a Big Sky thriller Saturday at the ICCU Dome. It was the first ranked matchup between the programs since 2005.
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It was the perfect time for some trickery, as neither team was able to cross the goal line in the two previous overtime periods.
The teams matched field goals in the first two OTs, which by rule forced the game to be decided on two-point attempts — in spite of two personal foul penalties on the Cats that could have done them in. Idaho State had the ball first in the third overtime, and a shovel pass to Simeon Brown was swallowed up by MSU safety Caden Dowler and others.
That set the stage for the Bobcats to win the game. After an Idaho State timeout, Justin Lamson took the snap, rolled left and gave it to Steel motioning in the other direction, who then threw to a wide-open Schlepp in the end zone for the winning points.
The victory pushed MSU's record to 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the Big Sky as the Bobcats stay in contention for the conference title. Idaho State fell to 6-4 overall and 3-4 in the league.
FOR THE WIN IN 3️⃣ OT 🤩 #FCS x 🎥 ESPN+ / @MSUBobcats_FB https://t.co/DGG8xpvfFj
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) November 8, 2026
Idaho State took a 20-13 lead in the fourth quarter after a tumbling touchdown run by Carson Sudbury late in the third and, later, a 34-yard field goal by Mason Lindberg.
But the Bobcats were saved late in the game on a crucial 20-yard touchdown pass on fourth down from Lamson to tight end Rocky Lencioni to tie the game and eventually send it to extra time.
Idaho State's defense had MSU searching for answers for much of the day. But the Bobcats finally got some sustained offense going late in the first half. Trailing 10-0, MSU put together an 11-play, 81-yard drive that eventually produced a 2-yard touchdown run by Adam Jones with 36 seconds left before intermission.
The Cats got the ball first in the second half and got a 30-yard field goal from Myles Sansted to tie the score 10-10. Sansted later tacked on a 27-yard field goal to give the Cats their first lead with 4:30 left in the third.
The Bengals went back in front, though, on Sudbury's TD and Lindberg's fourth-quarter field goal, helping produce overtime.
Bobcat postgame: Ben Creighton, Ty Gregorak analyze Montana State/Idaho State thriller
MSU IN OT: It was Montana State's first overtime game since the FCS national title contest last season, which the Bobcats won 35-34 over Illinois state. It was the team's first venture into OT in the regular season since Sept. 6, 2025, when South Dakota State beat the Cats 30-24 in double OT at Bobcat Stadium.
The three overtime periods on Saturday were the most played by an MSU team since the 1994 season, when Eastern Washington topped the Cats 34-31.
The Bobcats are now 10-4 all-time in OT games — 5-1 on the road — and are 3-0 in overtime against Idaho State, with the last coming in the 2010 season, a 26-23 Bobcats win.
LAMSON TOUGHS IT OUT: Lamson was battered all night by Idaho State's physical defense. The senior quarterback took nine quarterback hits and was sacked twice, and at one point had his helmet ripped off by an ISU defender on a running play, causing a cut above his right eye.
But Lamson didn't waver. He finished 22-of-37 passing for 209 yards and a touchdown while coming through in another clutch situation. Lamson also rushed for 46 hard-earned yards on 13 attempts.
CREWS CONTROL: We didn't hear MSU defensive end Zac Crews' name called that much — until crunch time in the fourth quarter and OT. Crews spent much of the latter stages of the game pressuring ISU quarterback Jordan Cook, forcing throwaways and errant passes.
Crews end-game statistics were modest, but perhaps no Bobcats defensive player had a bigger role late in the game in helping force overtime.
VIGEN MATCHES ASH: With the win, Montana State coach Brent Vigen won his 70th game in his Bobcat tenure, which ties him with Rob Ash for the most coaching victories in Bozeman. Ash won 70 games there from 2007-15.
Also, the Bobcats improved to 43-4 in Big Sky Conference games under Vigen, who is in the midst of his sixth season at MSU.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Bobcats continue on the road next week when they travel to Greeley, Colo., to face Northern Colorado in the second-to-last game of the regular season.
The Bears, coached by Ed Lamb, traveled to Lamb's old haunts this week — Southern Utah — and lost 31-24. UNC will enter next week with a 3-7 overall record and a 2-5 mark in the Big Sky. The MSU-vs.-UNC game is scheduled to kick off at 12 p.m. Saturday from Nottingham Field.
