Montana State came up just a few inches short on a fourth and one in double overtime, handing South Dakota State a walk-off victory 30-24 in MSU’s Gold Rush game on Saturday night in Bozeman.

The final score was a poor indication of the game which was a defensive slugfest featuring 14 punts and four lost fumbles.

The No. 3 ranked Bobcats ended the night with 349 yards of total offense compared to 297 yards for No. 2 SDSU. Montana State also out-rushed the Jackrabbits 210 yards to 107 yards.

MSU starting quarterback Justin Lamson finished the day completing 18 of 28 passes for 123 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Saturday night’s game marked the first ever inside Bobcat Stadium between two teams ranked inside the top three nationally.

The Bobcats now drop to 0-2 on the campaign following their season-opening 59-13 loss at Oregon.

Montana State holds a 10-7 advantage in the all-time series; however SDSU has now won five of the last six meetings.

GAME RECAP

South Dakota State received the opening kickoff and was able to put together an 11 play, 68 yard drive that resulted in a Eli Stader 25 yard field goal to give the Jackrabbits an early 3-0 advantage.

After going three and out on their opening drive, Montana State was able to quickly regain possession thanks to a fumble (forced by Cole Taylor and recovered by Paul Brott) at midfield. However the Bobcats were unable to capitalize on the favorable field position, with their second drive ending in a missed 45 yard field goal by Myles Sansted.

However Montana State’s third drive of the night proved more fruitful, with Justin Lamson scampering to paydirt from 7 yards out to give the Bobcats their first lead of the season, 7-3 over SDSU. 

‘Cats on 🔝 in Bozeman @justin_lamson10 runs it in pic.twitter.com/bxXzGkUtWM

— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) September 7, 2025

After three straight punts, SDSU was able to generate some offense thanks to a terrific field position off a blocked punt; Chase Mason’s ensuing 8 yard touchdown run put the Jackrabbits back on top 10-7 with just 1:06 remaining in the second quarter.

Myles Sansted’s 33 yard field goal attempt was true to close out the opening half, knotting things up at 10-10 heading into the locker room.

The third quarter was more of the same on the defensive slugfest front, with neither side able to put any points on the board.

However the Jackrabbits found paydirt once again in the fourth quarter, as an 8 yard touchdown pass from Mason to Jayden Oliver gave SDSU a 17-10 lead with 9:08 left to play.

With their offense struggling to make it happen, the Bobcats got a special teams spark with just under 7 minutes left to play. While pressuring SDSU punter Max Pelham deep in his own territory, the Bobcats recovered a kick that dribbled just a few yards off the foot of Pelham and MSU’s Seth Brock returned the ball into the endzone for a touchdown to tie the game 17-17 with 6:37 left to play.

TROUBLE WITH THE PUNT‼️@MSUBobcats_FB ties it up pic.twitter.com/Sup5NhiVsD

— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) September 7, 2025

That would be the final score of regulation, sending the contest into overtime tied 17-17.

Montana State took first crack on offense in extra time, with Adam Jones punching in a rushing score from two yards out to five the Cats a 24-17 advantage.

But SDSU countered with a game-tying score of their own on Mason’s two yard touchdown pass to Jayden Oliver to force a second overtime.

The Jackrabbits struck quickly again after that, going up 30-24 on Mason’s 25 yard touchdown pass to Brayden Delahoyde. However SDSU could not convert the mandatory two-point conversion attempt, leaving the door open for MSU.

Chase connects with Brayden Delahoyde for the touchdown to give us the lead in the 2nd OT.

🎥 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/UyYILiWO8z

— SDSU Football (@GoJacksFB) September 7, 2025

However the Bobcats were turned away on fourth and one, closing the door and allowing South Dakota State to nab the 30-24 victory in double overtime.