Getty Montana State seeks a big win on Saturday.
Montana State looks to start the season strong against McNeese State on Saturday, September 3, after finishing as national runner-up last season.
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The game (8 p.m. ET start time) won’t be on TV, but anyone in the US can watch McNeese vs Montana State live on ESPN+ right here:
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McNeese vs Montana State Preview
Fourth-ranked Montana State made it all the way to the FCS national championship game before everything wed thud against champion North Dakota State.
The Bobcats can put the championship loss to the Bison behind them for good as the new season kicks off against McNeese State on Saturday. The Cowboys went 4-7 last year, and include to turn things around in 2022.
McNeese State’s past success isn’t lost on Bobcats head coach Brent Vigen, however.
“If you’ve had it over time at your institution, to light that fire it doesn’t necessarily take years,” Vigen said via Montana Sports’s Ashley Washburn. “It just takes gaining a little momentum. We have to live in the moment of where this team is right now. Don’t look at maybe where they’ve been the last couple of years or whatever record-wise. Expect them to be playing a different brand of football that maybe we’ve been looking at from this most recent season.”
The Cowboys also have a new look roster with lots of changes, plus a new head coach in Gary Goff.
“This will be a really good test to show where we are and where we want to be as a program,” Goff said via the American Press. “They are a very good football team we are going up against. It will be a big challenge.”
Vigen recognizes the McNeese State poses a challenge with the unknowns going into the game.
“It’s not a team where you can look just at their tape from last year and say this is exactly what they’re going to be,” Vigen said via Montana Sports. “You can’t just look at Valdosta’s film necessarily and say this is exactly how they’re going to be. It’s got to be a blend of schemes from some different places and also the talent that they do return.”
Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott starting for the Bobcats isn’t mystery. The Bobcats return plenty of talent from last season’s national runner-up squad.
“We’re really unsure what they’re going to throw us on defense – what kind of front,” Mellott said about the Cowboys via Montana Sports. “We’ve been preparing for three and four down. I think we’re excited for the opportunity and we’re going to get after them for sure.”