The Montana State University Bobcats come to Eugene on Saturday, Aug. 30, for Oregon’s second straight season-opening matchup against a difficult FCS opponent. When the game kicks off at 1 p.m., both teams will have new starters at key positions looking to win ongoing position battles.

Oregon ultimately passed its test against the University of Idaho in 2024, winning 24-14, but the slow start for the offense dropped them from No. 3 to No. 7 in the AP poll.

In 2025, an overhauled Ducks team that opens the season at No. 7 will be tasked with beating the team that eliminated Idaho in the quarterfinals of the 2024 FCS playoffs.

Montana State is ranked second in the FCS preseason polls, coming off a season in which it went on an undefeated run to the FCS championship game, but lost 35-32 to North Dakota State University.

Head coach Brent Vigen has led the Bobcats to a 47-10 record since he came to Bozeman in 2021. He opened his best season so far by leading Montana State to its first win over an FBS team since 2006 by beating the University of New Mexico Lobos 35-31.

“Last season had a lot of amazing moments, and reaching the championship game and coming up short was mixed success in our minds,” Vigen said in an interview at the 2025 Big Sky Kickoff Weekend.

Montana State will have a new starting quarterback in 2025, after the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Tommy Mellott in the sixth round. Mellott took home several awards for his performance in 2024, including the Walter Camp FCS Player of the Year Award.

Mellott spent all four years of his career in Bozeman, arriving along with Vigen in 2021. Vigen went a different route to find his replacement, recruiting FBS journeyman Justin Lamson, who entered the portal after two years at Stanford, where he transferred after two years at Syracuse University.

Lamson was named the starter on Aug. 25 after a battle with last year’s backup Chance Wilson and sophomore Patrick Duchien stretched into fall camp. Lamson was the favorite throughout due to his commitment from the transfer portal and his 24 games of experience at Stanford. He made one of his four starts against Oregon in 2023, completing 11 of 22 passes for 106 yards and rushing for 32 yards on 22 attempts in a 42-6 loss.

Montana State also lost its second and third leaders in receiving yards, with wide receiver Ty McCullouch running out of eligibility, and tight end Rohan Jones transferring to the University of Arkansas.

The offense will rely on wide receiver Taco Dowler, who led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns in his sophomore season, and Rutgers transfer wide receiver Chris Long, who will bring 24 games of FBS experience into his senior season, to replace their production.

Vigen could also turn to a promising running back room, despite losing 2024 team leader in rushing yards, Scottre Humphrey, to New Mexico. Julius Davis, who led the team in rushing yards in 2023, is projected to start after a preseason leg injury limited his carries in 2024, and his backup, Adam Jones, won Big Sky Freshman of the Year in his absence.

The Bobcats’ defense will rely on the defensive line for stability after losing several starters to graduation and the transfer portal. Defensive tackle Paul Brott and defensive end Kenneth Eiden IV were named to the Preseason All-Big Sky team.

Both teams feature new starters looking to carry over success from the 2024 season, in which the teams fell short of their goals.

“Going to a place like Eugene to start off, it’ll be a situation where our guys have to respond — there’s no other way,” Vigen said.