The Montana State Bobcats have made a late change to their 2024 football schedule, the school announced on Wednesday.
Montana State was previously scheduled to host the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks on Sept. 14, 2024 at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Mont., before returning the game on Sept. 13, 2025 in Nacogdoches, Texas. Both contests have been canceled due to Stephen F. Austin returning to the Southland Conference.
As a replacement game this season, Montana State will now host the Mercyhurst Lakers at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman on Saturday, Sept. 21 , 2024. The game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.
“On Friday, May 24, I received notification from Stephen F. Austin State University Athletic Director Michael McBroom that SFASU would be cancelling the football series with MSU, including a home game this year (Sept. 14) and the road game in 2025 (Sept. 13),” Montana State Director of Athletics Leon Costello said. “This development is disappointing and disturbing given the 2024 Bobcat Football season kicks off in less than three months.”
Mercyhurst, currently a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in Division II, will move up to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and will officially become a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) effective July 1, 2024.
“Since receiving this notification, my priority has been to replace the game for this year, knowing the options were extremely limited given the timing,” Costello continued. “Fortunately, we were able to sign a contract with Mercyhurst University, an FCS school from the Northeast Conference, for a game on Sept. 21, 2024. I understand the effects of this change are wide-ranging and not ideal for our fans who have already made plans to attend a home game on a different date. However, adding this game gives us the opportunity to maintain a six-game home schedule with a full 12-game schedule for the 2024 season. That is important for many reasons, particularly FCS playoff considerations.”
Montana State is scheduled to open the 2024 season in Week Zero on Saturday, Aug. 24 on the road against the New Mexico Lobos. The Bobcats also have non-conference contests scheduled against the Utah Tech Trailblazers on the road on Aug. 31 and the Maine Black Bears at home on Sept. 7.
Football Schedules