No. 22/24 Yale vs. No. 2 Montana State
Saturday, Dec. 6 – 2 p.m. EST (12 p.m. MST) 
Bobcat Stadium
Bozeman, Mont.
Live Video | Live Stats | Yale Game Notes

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – After completing a historic 28-point comeback against Youngstown State in the first round of the FCS Playoffs, Team 152 will face the tournament's No. 2 seed, the Montana State Bobcats (10-2, 8-0 Big Sky), on the road in Bozeman, Montana. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. EST (12 p.m. MST).

What's New

• The New England Football Writers named Tony Reno their 2025 Jack Grinold Division I Coach of the Year on Dec. 1. Reno previously won the award in 2017. Other Yale coaches to earn the honor include Jack Siedlecki (1999, 2007), Carm Cozza (1980) and Jordan Olivar (1956, 1960).
• Six Bulldogs were named to the New England Football Writers Division I All-New England Team, the most in the Reno era. Ezekiel Larry and Abu Kamara represented the defense, while Josh Pitsenberger, Nico Brown and Michael Bennett were honored on offense. Joshua Tarver was selected as the team's lone special teams representative, earning recognition as New England's top kickoff return specialist.
• Yale's matchup with Montana State will be its first game played in December since a 28-0 win over Harvard on Dec. 1, 1945. It will also be the latest date for a Yale football game since a 0-0 tie with Princeton on Dec. 8, 1877.
• Montana State's No. 2 national ranking makes the Bobcats the highest-ranked opponent Yale has faced since opening the 2023 season against No. 6 Holy Cross.
• Yale will play 12 games in a season for the first time since 1903, when the Bulldogs finished 11-1 while allowing just 2.2 points per game. The Bulldogs are also seeking their first 10-win season since 1909, when they went 10-0 without allowing a single point en route to a national championship.
• Yale's current seven-game winning streak is its longest since winning 10 straight from Nov. 18, 2006, to Nov. 10, 2007.
• With its victory over Youngstown State, Yale became the first FCS team to erase a halftime deficit of 28 or more points and win since Cornell defeated Harvard 29-28 on Oct. 7, 2000. It was also Yale's largest halftime comeback since Oct. 4, 1941, when the Bulldogs trailed Virginia 19-0 at the half before rallying for a 21-19 win.
• Yale has reached the nine-win mark for the first time since 2019, when the Bulldogs went 9-1 and won the Ivy League title.
• Josh Pitsenberger recorded his sixth multi-touchdown game of the season—his fourth with three rushing scores—against Youngstown State. His second-quarter touchdown was also the Ivy League's first scoring play in the FCS Playoffs.
• Pitsenberger became just the second Yale running back to reach 40 career rushing touchdowns, joining Mike McLeod (54 from 2005–08). His 1,447 rushing yards this season are the second-most in Yale history; he is 172 yards shy of breaking McLeod's single-season record of 1,619 yards set in 2007.
• Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye (104 total) is the first Bulldog to reach 100 tackles in a season since Jordan Haynes recorded 102 during the 2010 season. 
• The Bulldogs have rushed for more than 100 yards as a team in 27 straight games dating back to Oct. 14, 2023, and in 45 of their last 47 games.
• The distance between Yale and Montana State (2,232 miles) more than doubles the total mileage Yale has traveled during the entire 2025 season (1,067 miles).

The Series

• This will be the first-ever meeting between Yale and Montana State in football.
• It is Yale's first game against a Big Sky opponent since a 24-10 road win over Cal Poly on Oct. 5, 2013, and its first game outside the Eastern Time Zone since that same matchup. It will also mark the Bulldogs' first-ever game played in the Mountain Time Zone.
• Yale is Montana State's first opponent from New England since the Bobcats defeated Bryant 27-24 in Bozeman on Sept. 10, 2016.
• Yale and Montana State have only met one other time across all sports, when the Bulldogs defeated the Bobcats in men's basketball 78-65 on Dec. 20, 1969 at a game in Knoxville, Tennesee.

Scouting Montana State

• Montana State finished the regular season 10-2 overall and 8-0 in the Big Sky Conference, winning the league ahead of rival Montana.
• Under head coach Brett Vigen, the Bobcats are 57-12, the highest winning percentage (.826) of any coach in program history.
• Montana State's two losses came against Power Four opponent Oregon (59-13) and MVFC powerhouse South Dakota State (30-24, 2OT).
• This season marks the Bobcats' 14th FCS/DI-AA Playoff appearance since the Big Sky began DI-AA play in 1978. In 2024, the Bobcats reached the National Championship Game before falling to North Dakota State 35-32. Five of their last six postseason exits have come at the hands of the Bison.
• Montana State is 37-2 at Bobcat Stadium over the past five seasons.
• The Bobcats feature the Big Sky's second-ranked scoring offense (38.2 ppg) and top-ranked scoring defense (17.2 ppg).
• Quarterback Justin Lamson led the Big Sky in completion percentage (72.4%), finishing the regular season with 2,345 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. He was named Big Sky Newcomer of the Year.
• Montana State also features the league's top kickoff and punt return units. Jabez Woods led the Big Sky with 31.2 yards per kickoff return, while Taco Dowler averaged 13.1 yards per punt return, including a touchdown against Northern Arizona on Oct. 4.
• Taco's twin brother, Caden Dowler, was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year. He leads the Bobcats with 78 total tackles and four interceptions.

Up Next
The winner of this matchup will face the winner of No. 7 Stephen F. Austin vs. No. 10 Abilene Christian on Dec. 13 in the FCS Quarterfinals.