BOZEMAN — Three takeaways and a bounce-back offensive performance got the Montana State football team one step closer to its biggest goal.

The No. 2-seeded Bobcats (12-2) earned a 44-28 win over No. 7-seeded Stephen F. Austin (11-3) in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs Friday night at Bobcat Stadium. The victory vaulted MSU into the semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons (not counting the COVID-affected 2021 spring season, which MSU didn’t participate in).

A pair of first-half strip sacks from MSU defensive end Kenneth Eiden IV led to 14 points, on a 1-yard touchdown run from Adam Jones to open the scoring and on a 3-yard TD pass from Justin Lamson to Luvens Valcin to put the Cats up 24-0.

MSU’s second TD came on a 21-yard pass from Lamson to Jones on a third-and-20.

The Ca

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