Bobcat fans in Bozeman were partying like it was 1984, the last time MSU won the FCS national championship. They did it in dramatic style in a 35-34 overtime win over unseeded Illinois State, the first overtime game in the FCS championship history.
The Bobcats had a 21-07 lead at halftime but were outscored 21-7 by ISU in the second half to tie it up at the end of regulation and send it into overtime.
MSU Coach Brent Vegan called it a hard fought game. He knew Illinois State’s track record and knew they would not go away.
He praised his players, coaches and staff at a post-game news conference for all the work and focus they put in since last year’s loss in the national championship.
“This was a long time coming. Forty-one years in the making. Our 4th national championship as a football program. I couldn’t be more proud of our players. That’s what you keep coming back to, because players win games,” Vegan said.
