Tommy Mellott has not been all that tough of an act for Justin Lamson to follow at Montana State. Lamson will not match Melllott’s 3,809 yards of offense in 2024 and did not win the Walter Payton Award as Mellott did last year, but Lamson has taken the Bobcats as far as Mellott did last January.
That would be the FCS championship game. Top-seeded Montana State will seek its first national title since Division I-AA became the FCS in 2006 on Monday night against Illinois State in Nashville. And if the Bobcats win, Lamson will accomplish in six months what Mellott could not in four years.
Montana State was also the top seed in the 2024 playoffs and played No. 2 North Dakota State for the title. The Bison won 35-32 to hand the Bobcats their first loss of the season. North Dakota State was also No. 2 in 2021 when it beat No. 8 Montana State 38-10 to win the title.
Unseeded Illinois State prevented North Dakota State from reaching the title game for the 11th time since 2011 with a 29-28 victory on Dec. 6. It took the Redbirds 11 years to get even with the Bison after Illinois State made it to the title game for the first time in 2014 and lost to North Dakota State.
Lamson has not had much time to study FCS playoff history since leaving Stanford and transferring to Montana State last May. The 2020 Oak Ridge High graduate started just four games in two years with the Cardinal after transferring from Syracuse, where he never played in two years, to Stanford.
Coming to Montana State was just what the doctor ordered for Lamson to rebuild his confidence and resurrect his career. He joined the Bobcats with the blessing of his older brother Colton, who played offensive tackle for UC Davis from 2017 to 2021. The Aggies are 1-9 against the Bobcats.
“Montana State is the perfect place for him,” Colton said. “I couldn’t be happier for him.” Lamson counts on his brother for advice except when it comes to cutting his hair. Colton had a mullet when he played with the Aggies. “We’re best friends,” Lamson said. “We’re as close as siblings can get.”
Lamson had a hand in stretching Montana State’s winning streak against UC Davis to nine games with a 38-17 win Nov. 15. The 23-year-old junior passed for 144 yards, ran for a season-high 97 and accounted for three touchdowns. He has accounted for three or more touchdowns in nine games.
Any concerns about how the Bobcats would fare without Mellott have been alleviated by Lamson. Montana State ranks with the elite FCS teams and has won at least eight games in every season since going 5-6 in 2017. Players will come and go, but the tradition of success is safe and sound.
Fans will see to that by routinely filling Bobcat Stadium beyond its capacity (20,767). Lamson twice played for Stanford in the Big Game against Cal, but he will not let his California roots sway him from saying no rivalry compares with the “Brawl of the Wild” between Montana State and Montana.
“It’s more than Cal and Stanford. It’s way more competitive than that,” Lamson said. “People love football here. It’s unreal. The fans really care about us. I’m always getting texts from fans. There’s no pro teams in Montana, so it’s us and the Griz. That makes it’s so special. I love it here so much.”
Montana State’s success was mentioned by Lamson when he met with then-Stanford head coach Troy Taylor to say he was leaving. “He could tell I was looking for something greater,” said Lamson, who also sought a place where he could start after the Cardinal decided to go with Ashton Daniels.
More than anything, Lamson wanted to find an offense in which running plays are designed for the quarterback. Mellott rushed for 2,847 yards and 38 touchdowns in his career. In 2022, he set a Big Sky Conference record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a game with 273 against Weber State.
Mellott etched his name in Montana State lore by being the first Bobcat to win the Walter Payton Award, which goes to the top FCS offensive player each season. Lamson will likely never match all the honors Mellott earned. A win Monday will give Lamson his own distinction – national champion.
