BOZEMAN, Mont. – Concluding a historic season of Yale football, Team 152 fell to No. 2 Montana State 21-13 in a tough defensive battle Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Stadium. 

The Bulldogs nearly completed their second fourth-quarter comeback of the playoffs, ultimately falling short on the game's final drive. 

Key Performers

• Captain Josh Pitsenberger finished his Bulldog career with one last 100-yard rushing performance, going for 124 yards on 26 carries and a touchdown.
• Abu Kamara delivered a timely defensive performance, making four solo tackles, breaking up two passes and forcing two fumbles of Bobcat quarterback Justin Lamson.
• Nico Brown rose to the occasion against the Bobcats, hauling in a season-high 11 receptions for 107 yards and a 25-yard touchdown to get Yale on the board in the fourth quarter. 

Turning Point
With the Bulldogs down 21-6 with 4:16 left in the fourth quarter, Kamara forced his second fumble of Lamson on the day. Ezekiel Larry jumped on the ball to complete the turnover, giving Yale life late in the matchup. 

The offense took the ball 54 yards down the field in five plays with only two minutes coming off the clock, punching the ball into the endzone on a Pitsenberger direct snap run to make the score 21-13 in favor of the Bobcats. 

The Bulldog defense made another stop on the ensuing Montana State drive, giving the offense one more opportunity to tie the game against the No. 2 team in the country.

Game Notes

• Pitsenberger finished his senior campaign with 1,578 yards rushing on 313 carries, good for second-most in a single season in Yale history. He was 41 yards away from breaking Mike McLeod's record total of 1,619 from 2007. His 19 rushing touchdowns were tied for third-most.
• Pitsenberger will also finish as the No. 2 rusher in the history of Yale football, running for 3,435 yards throughout his career and finding the endzone on the ground 41 times. 
• Quarterback Dante Reno finished the season with 2,498 passing yards, good for fourth-most in a single season in Yale history.
• Brown became the fourth receiver in Yale history to break the 1,000 yard barrier, finishing the year with 1,085 receiving yards, third-most in Yale history, and 11 touchdowns. 
• Larry made a season-high six solo tackles on defense, leading the team.
• The Bulldog secondary held Lamson to a season low in passing yards, with 92 on 10 completions. 
• The Bulldogs outgained the Bobcats on offense 351-341. 
• Yale won the time of possession battle 33:55 to 26:05. 
• The posted game attendance of 20,867 made this matchup the highest-attended non-Harvard road game Yale has played since its battle at Princeton on Nov. 13, 1999 drew a crowd of 21,602.

Hear From The Bulldogs

• "There aren't enough words to express how proud I am of Team 152," said Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of Football Tony Reno. "Our players laid everything they had on the line and competed to the end against a very good Montana State team. They showed tremendous toughness and heart in, and they stayed connected to one another every step of the way."
  
  "Since January, this group committed to playing our brand of football. They worked with purpose, stayed true to who they are, trusted the process, and continued to elevate our standard. When you invest that much, there are always moments of reflection and growth, but today I am most impressed by the character and resilience they showed from start to finish."
  
  "Representing Yale and the Ivy League for the first time in the postseason has been a tremendous honor. This experience gave our program a chance to demonstrate what Yale Football is about and elevate our league. I could not be more grateful for this team, staff, administration, and university."
• "Yeah, this team means the world to me," Pitsenberger said. "I couldn't be more proud of this team. They worked really hard since before the season, since January. And what we were able to accomplish during the season? Just amazing. I couldn't be more proud of this team and how we were able to finish the season off."
• "I think the offensive staff put together a great plan," said Head Coach of Defense Sean McGowan. "Obviously, in our opinion, we have the best players in the country. Josh Pitsenberger and the offensive line have been dominant all year. So for us I don't know that we were uncomfortable in this situation, and I think our kids played exceptionally hard and fought to the end."

Closing Thoughts
Team 152 led the way as the Ivy League's first champion to earn an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. The season included Yale's 19th Ivy League Championship, 72nd all-time win over Harvard and the conference's first-ever playoff victory, a 28-point comeback against Youngstown State. The Bulldogs finish their season with a 9-3 overall record and a 6-1 conference record. They went 6-0 at the Yale Bowl, their fourth undefeated campaign at home during the Reno era.