Going into halftime up seven was not good enough for Montana State.

Head coach Brent Vigen fired up his players in the locker room, emphasizing the importance of the upcoming third quarter. It’s consistent with his messaging all season that the middle eight — the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half — is crucial.

The halftime speech was a test, quarterback Justin Lamson said, a way to refocus for a position MSU had rarely faced all season. The Bobcats hadn’t trailed since a 7-0 first quarter deficit to Northern Arizona on Oct. 4. They hadn’t been in a one-score game at halftime since the South Dakota State game on Sept. 6 (tied 10-10 at the break).

Entering Saturday, MSU had won its previous six games against Big Sky Conference opponents by a

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