| Year: | 2019 |
| Team: | Montana State Bobcats |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Big Sky Conference |
| Short Conf: | Big Sky |
| Statsrank: | 4 |
| Fcscoachrank: | 4 |
| Record: | 11–4 |
| Conf Record: | 6–2 |
| Head Coach: | Jeff Choate |
| Hc Year: | 4th |
| Off Coach: | Matt Miller |
| Oc Year: | 2nd |
| Off Scheme: | Multiple |
| Def Coach: | Kane Ioane |
| Dc Year: | 1st |
| Def Scheme: | 4–2–5 |
| Stadium: | Bobcat Stadium |
| Bowl: | NCAA Division I Semifinal |
| Bowl Result: | L 14–42 vs. North Dakota State |
| Next Year: | 2021 |
The 2019 Montana State Bobcats football team represented Montana State University as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Jeff Choate, the Bobcats compiled an overall record of 11–4 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the Big Sky. Montana State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where, after a first round bye, the Bobcats defeated Albany in the second round and Austin Peay in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to the eventual national champion, North Dakota State. The team played home games at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana.
The Big Sky released their preseason media and coaches' polls on July 15, 2019. The Bobcats were picked to finish in fourth place by the media, and in fifth place by the coaches.[1]
| 1 | Eastern Washington | 536 (25) | |
| 2 | UC Davis | 510 (13) | |
| 3 | Weber State | 472 (4) | |
| 4 | Montana State | 417 | |
| 5 | Montana | 396 (1) | |
| 6 | Northern Arizona | 302 | |
| 7 | Idaho State | 285 | |
| 8 | Idaho | 248 | |
| 9 | Cal Poly | 196 | |
| 10 | Portland State | 178 | |
| 11 | Southern Utah | 160 | |
| 12 | Sacramento State | 125 | |
| 13 | Northern Colorado | 90 |
| 1 | Eastern Washington | 140 (10) | |
| 2 | UC Davis | 127 (2) | |
| 3 | Weber State | 124 | |
| 4 | Montana | 104 (1) | |
| 5 | Montana State | 100 | |
| 6 | Northern Arizona | 88 | |
| 7 | Idaho State | 72 | |
| 8 | Idaho | 65 | |
| 9 | Cal Poly | 56 | |
| 10 | Portland State | 42 | |
| 11 | Sacramento State | 40 | |
| 12 | Southern Utah | 38 | |
| 13 | Northern Colorado | 19 |
The Bobcats had five players selected to the preseason all-Big Sky team.[2]
Offense
Mitch Brott – OL
Troy Andersen – FBDefense
Bryce Sterk – OLB
Greg Filer – CB
Brayden Konkol – S
See also: 2019 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team.
| Statistics | MTST | TTU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 8 | 35 |
| Total yards | 289 | 691 |
| Rushing yards | 127 | 255 |
| Passing yards | 162 | 436 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 29:19 | 30:41 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana State | Passing | 7/19, 120 yards, TD | |
| Rushing | Isaiah Ifanse | 15 rushes, 77 yards | |
| Receiving | Coy Steel | 3 receptions, 56 yards, TD | |
| Texas Tech | Passing | 40/53, 436 yards, 2 TD | |
| Rushing | Armand Shyne | 11 rushes, 125 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Xavier White | 5 receptions, 107 yards, TD |
See also: 2019 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football team.
| Statistics | SEMO | MTST |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 12 | 21 |
| Total yards | 245 | 456 |
| Rushing yards | 131 | 265 |
| Passing yards | 114 | 191 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 28:40 | 31:20 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Missouri State | Passing | Daniel Santacaterina | 13/28, 114 yards, TD, INT |
| Rushing | Geno Hess | 13 rushes, 90 yards | |
| Receiving | Kristian Wilkerson | 6 receptions, 77 yards, TD | |
| Montana State | Passing | Casey Bauman | 13/25, 136 yards |
| Rushing | Isaiah Ifanse | 11 rushes, 114 yards | |
| Receiving | Kevin Kassis | 6 receptions, 85 yards |
See also: 2019 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team.
| Statistics | MTST | WIU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 18 | 15 |
| Total yards | 343 | 337 |
| Rushing yards | 194 | 56 |
| Passing yards | 149 | 281 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 29:06 | 30:54 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana State | Passing | Casey Bauman | 16/30, 149 yards |
| Rushing | Logan Jones | 21 rushes, 167 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Travis Jonsen | 6 receptions, 71 yards | |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Connor Sampson | 18/35, 281 yards, TD, INT |
| Rushing | Deontez Thompson | 14 rushes, 39 yards | |
| Receiving | Dennis Houston | 5 receptions, 141 yards, TD |
See also: 2019 Norfolk State Spartans football team.
| Statistics | NORF | MTST |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 15 | 39 |
| Total yards | 351 | 670 |
| Rushing yards | 108 | 449 |
| Passing yards | 243 | 221 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 28:07 | 31:53 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk State | Passing | Juwan Carter | 21/32, 243 yards, 2 TD |
| Rushing | Kevin Johnson | 8 rushes, 112 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Dakendall James | 5 receptions, 103 yards | |
| Montana State | Passing | Tucker Rovig | 21/27, 221 yards, 4 TD |
| Rushing | Lane Sumner | 11 rushes, 113 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Coy Steel | 5 receptions, 80 yards, 2 TD |
See also: 2019 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team.
See also: 2019 Cal Poly Mustangs football team.
See also: 2019 Sacramento State Hornets football team.
See also: 2019 North Dakota Fighting Hawks football team.
See also: 2019 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team.
See also: 2019 Northern Colorado Bears football team.
See also: 2019 UC Davis Aggies football team.
See also: 2019 Montana Grizzlies football team.
The Bobcats entered the postseason tournament as the number five seed, with a first-round bye.[5]
See also: 2019 Albany Great Danes football team.
| Statistics | ALB | MTST |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 19 | 28 |
| Total yards | 333 | 483 |
| Rushing yards | 60 | 203 |
| Passing yards | 273 | 280 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 26:09 | 33:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | Passing | Jeff Undercuffler Jr. | 18/37, 273 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Karl Mofor | 12 rushes, 51 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Juwan Green | 3 receptions, 123 yards, TD | |
| Montana State | Passing | Tucker Rovig | 24/30, 279 yards, 3 TD |
| Rushing | Travis Jonsen | 8 rushes, 85 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Kevin Kassis | 11 receptions, 131 yards, TD |
See also: 2019 Austin Peay Governors football team.
| Statistics | APSU | MTST |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 10 | 16 |
| Total yards | 197 | 386 |
| Rushing yards | 0 | 279 |
| Passing yards | 197 | 386 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 23:10 | 36:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Peay | Passing | Javaughn Craig | 18/37, 173 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Kentel Williams | 7 rushes, 9 yards | |
| Receiving | DeAngelo Wilson | 6 receptions, 118 yards, TD | |
| Montana State | Passing | Tucker Rovig | 13/20, 114 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Isaiah Ifanse | 26 rushes, 196 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Coy Steel | 2 receptions, 36 yards |
See also: 2019 North Dakota State Bison football team.
| Statistics | MTST | NDSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 13 | 21 |
| Total yards | 298 | 541 |
| Rushing yards | 148 | 318 |
| Passing yards | 150 | 223 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:34 | 29:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana State | Passing | Tucker Rovig | 13/22, 150 yards, TD, INT |
| Rushing | Isaiah Ifanse | 11 rushes, 60 yards | |
| Receiving | Kevin Kassis | 2 receptions, 45 yards, TD | |
| North Dakota State | Passing | 15/21, 223 yards, 3 TD | |
| Rushing | 3 rushes, 86 yards, TD | ||
| Receiving | Christian Watson | 2 receptions, 88 yards, TD |