After a thrilling 2025 season, FCS football will crown a new national champion when Montana State and Illinois State battle on a Monday night. As the Bobcats and Redbirds near the pinnacle of the sport, let’s take a look back at their journeys.
Montana State
Regular season
Montana State finished the regular season 10-2, winning 10 straight games to close the season after season-opening losses to Oregon and South Dakota State. The season ended with a 31-28 road win over rival Montana in the Brawl of the Wild to secure the No. 2 overall seed in the FCS playoffs.
FCS playoffs
Montana State fought off a late rally from Yale in the second round with a one possession win. In the quarterfinals, the Bobcats beat Stephen F. Austin by 16, never trailing in the game.
Semifinal round
Montana State defeated Montana for the second time this year to advance to the championship game. The win marked the first time in the storied rivalry that the two schools met in the playoffs, with the Bobcats grabbing the season sweep. The win sent Montana State to back-to-back title games and the third championship appearance of the Brent Vigen era.
Click or tap here for more on the thrilling finish.
Montana State vs. Montana: 2025 FCS semifinal highlights
Bobcat schedule
Opponent
Win/Loss
Score
Record
Ranking (AFCA)
at No. 7 Oregon
L
59-13
0-1
No. 2
vs. No. 2 South Dakota State
L
30-24
0-2
No. 3
vs. San Diego
W
41-7
1-2
No. 6
vs. Mercyhurst
W
17-0
2-2
No. 6
vs. Eastern Washington
W
57-3
3-2
No. 6
at No. 13 Northern Arizona
W
34-10
4-2
No. 5
vs. Idaho State
W
48-14
5-2
No. 5
at Cal Poly
W
34-17
6-2
No. 5
at Northern Colorado
W
55-7
7-2
No. 4
vs. Weber State
W
66-14
8-2
No. 3
vs. No. 9 UC Davis
W
38-17
9-2
No. 3
at No. 2 Montana
W
31-28
10-2
No. 3
vs. Yale
W
21-13
11-2
No. 2
vs. (7) Stephen F. Austin
W
44-28
12-2
No. 2
vs. (3) Montana
W
48-23
13-2
No. 2
Key players this season
- QB Justin Lamson
- RB Julius Davis
- RB Adam Jones
- WR Taco Dowler
- OG Titan Fleischman
- OL Braden Zimmer
- DL Paul Brott
- DL Kenneth Eiden IV
- LB Cole Taylor
- CB Carson Williams
- S Tayden Gray
- S Taki Uluilakepa
- S Caden Dowler
Transfer quarterback Justin Lamson has been a catalyst for Montana State’s championship run. Lamson came in from the FBS to replace Walter Payton Award winner Tommy Mellott and has fit nicely in the Bobcat offense. Of course, it helped having two 1000-yard rushers behind him in Julius Davis and Adam Jones. The offensive weapons don’t stop there with Taco Dowler on the outside.
Yet, as always, the foundation of the Montana State offense has been the offensive line. Right guard Titan Fleischman was nearly a unanimous First-Team All-American and left tackle Braden Zimmer has manned the left side impressively as a redshirt freshman.
SEEDS: The importance of a top seed in the FCS playoffs, explained
The opposite side of the ball features Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, safety Caden Dowler. Dowler had an interception in five straight games until he suffered an injury in the semifinal round. Dowler’s not alone in the secondary with Carson Williams, Tayden Gray and Taki Uluilakepa all on the backend.
In the front-seven, Paul Brott and Kenneth Eiden IV form one of the best defensive lineman duos in all of FCS football. Linebacker Cole Taylor slots behind them with 91 tackles on the year.
LIVE UPDATES: Click or tap here for live coverage of the 2025 FCS playoffs
Illinois State
Regular season
Illinois State opened as the preseason No. 6 team in the FCS, but the season was up-and-down overall. The Redbirds were competitive all season long, but only went 2-3 against ranked FCS opponents.
FCS playoffs
Illinois State was one of the last four teams into the playoff field, after a blowout regular-season-ending loss. The Redbirds dropped from a potential seeded team to unseeded and had to defeat Southeastern Louisiana on the road in the first round.
Then came a rematch against top seeded defending champion North Dakota State in round two — a team the Redbirds lost to by 17 in the regular season. Illinois State overcame a litany of turnovers and non-offensive touchdowns to win a thrilling game by one point.
After another road win over UC Davis in the quarterfinals, it was on to the semifinal round.
Illinois State upsets NDSU in FCS playoffs | Full finish
Semifinal round
Illinois State controlled its win over Villanova from start to finish. The win clinched the first title game appearance for the Redbirds since 2014 and second overall. It makes Illinois State the first team to make the title game after playing in all road games since the playoffs expanded to 24 teams.
Click or tap here for more on the game.
Illinois State vs. Villanova: 2025 FCS semifinal highlights
Redbird schedule
Opponent
Win/Loss
Score
Record
Ranking (AFCA)
at No. 18 Oklahoma
L
35-3
0-1
No. 6
vs. Morehead State
W
41-13
1-1
No. 7
at Eastern Illinois
W
42-30
2-1
No. 4
vs. North Alabama
W
38-36 (2OT)
3-1
No. 4
vs. No. 1 North Dakota State
L
33-16
3-2
No. 6
at Murray State
W
46-32
4-2
No. 10
vs. No. 25 Youngstown State
L
40-35
4-3
No. 9
at No. 21 South Dakota
W
21-13
5-3
No. 20
vs. Northern Iowa
W
31-16
6-3
No. 18
at Indiana State
W
52-20
7-3
No. 17
at No. 15 South Dakota State
W
35-21
8-3
No. 13
vs. No. 24 Southern Illinois
L
37-7
8-4
No. 11
at (16) Southeastern Louisiana
W
21-3
9-4
No. 17
at (1) North Dakota State
W
29-28
10-4
No. 17
at (8) UC Davis
W
42-31
11-4
No. 17
at (12) Villanova
W
30-14
12-4
No. 17
Key players this season
- QB Tommy Rittenhouse
- RB Victor Dawson
- RB Seth Glatz
- WR Daniel Sobkowicz
- WR Luke Mailander
- OT Jake Pope
- OG Landon Woodard
- DT Jake Anderson
- DT Garret Steffen
- LB Tye Niekamp
- LB Mason Kaplan
- CB Shadwel Nkuba II
- S Lashavion Brown
The biggest star for Illinois State this season has been wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz. The Second-Team All-American has been dominant during the playoff run with seven receiving touchdowns and one passing touchdown. He won’t be alone on the offense as wide receiver Luke Mailander earned MVFC Freshman of the Year honors.
Both Sobkowicz and Mailander catch their passes from quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse, a senior who’s made starts across his four years for the Redbirds. Rittenhouse has a chance to cap off his career with a title thanks to an influx of fresh transfers like running back Victor Dawson from Cincinnati. Dawson has rushed for career highs — all over 137 yards — in each of the last three playoff games. He’ll be running behind an elite left side of the offensive line with tackle Jake Pope and guard Landon Woodard.
BRACKET: See the official 2025 FCS playoff bracket
Defensively, linebacker Tye Niekamp is one of seven unanimous First-Team All-Americans in the FCS this season. Cornerback Shadwel Nkuba has shut down the backend of the defense with five interceptions this season, tied for the fourth-most of any player in the FCS across the regular and postseasons.
