NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Valley News Live) - Brent Vigen, a North Dakota native from Buxton, led Montana State to the FCS national championship Monday, defeating Illinois State 35-34 in overtime to capture the Bobcats’ first title since 1984.

The previous season was a bitter pill for Vigen. The 2024 Bobcats were regarded as the best team in school history, with the Walter Payton winner and all-time great Tommy Mellott at quarterback. MSU was unbeaten and the top seed heading into the title game, only to see NDSU race out to a 21-3 halftime lead and held off the Bobcats for a 35-32 win.

If Montana State were to win the national championship, as many expect, the Bobcats would have a total rating of 23.18, which could be adjusted slightly based on next Monday's game. They would compare favorably to some of the top teams of the Frisco Era, ranking 5th, just ahead of 2021 NDSU and right behind 2023 SDSU.

While Power Four conference championship games take the spotlight on Saturday, a college football titan went down in Division I football. Ten-time FCS champion and formerly unbeaten No. 1 seed North Dakota State(12-1) fell 29-28 to unseeded Illinois State ...

Bryce Lance could have cited plenty of reasons had he chosen to leave North Dakota State for a Bowl Subdivision program for his senior season. Lance decided he had more a compelling case to stick around. After helping North Dakota State win a national ...

Montana State vs. Illinois State can also be streamed live on Fubo, which offers a free trial to new users. You can listen to the Montana State vs. Illinois State radio broadcast on SiriusXM. Coverage will be available on channel 84 for those in vehicles.

ASHLAND, Neb. — North Dakota State senior Reagan Baesler set a school record for the cross country 6K on Saturday with her third-place finish at the Summit League Cross Country Championships. Her time of 20:02.3 broke Erin Teschuk’s NDSU record from ...