1984 Montana State Bobcats football team

1984 Montana State Bobcats football
1984 Montana State Bobcats football
NCAA Division I-AA champion; Big Sky champion
NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game, W 19–6 vs. Louisiana Tech
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Record	12–2 (6–1 Big Sky)
Head coach	Dave Arnold (2nd season);
Offensive coordinator	Bill Diedrick (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Steve Carson (1st season)
Home stadium	Reno H. Sales Stadium
	Seasons ← 1983 1985 →

1984 Big Sky Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 2 Montana State $^	6	–	1	–	0	12	–	2	–	0
Nevada	5	–	2	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Idaho	4	–	3	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Boise State	4	–	3	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Idaho State	4	–	3	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Weber State	3	–	4	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Northern Arizona	2	–	5	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
Montana	0	–	7	–	0	2	–	8	–	1

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll

The 1984 Montana State Bobcats football team represented the Montana State University (MSU) in the 1984 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The team was led by Dave Arnold in his second season as a head coach. The Bobcats played their home games at Reno H. Sales Stadium.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	Mesa State*		Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT		W 30–14		^[1]
September 15	at Eastern Washington*		Joe Albi Stadium Spokane, WA		L 16–21		^[2]
September 22	at Idaho		Kibbie Dome Moscow, ID		W 34–28	11,600	^[3]
September 29	No. 18 Idaho State		Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT		L 6–22	11,117	^[4]
October 6	at Weber State		Wildcat Stadium Ogden, UT		W 48–0	9,680	^[5]
October 13	Nevada		Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT		W 44–41 ^4OT	6,317	^[6]
October 20	Portland State*		Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT		W 45–22	10,797	^[7]
October 27	No. 8 Boise State		Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT		W 22–18	8,387	^[8]
November 3	at Montana	No. 15	Dornblaser Field Missoula, MT (rivalry)		W 34–24	12,500	^[9]
November 10	Northern Arizona	No. 10	Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT		W 41–3	9,357	^[10]
November 17	at Fresno State*	No. 6	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA		W 35–31	24,088	^[11]
December 1	No. 10 Arkansas State*	No. 2	Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)		W 31–14	12,037	^[12]
December 8	No. 2 Rhode Island*	No. 2	Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)		W 32–20	12,697	^[13]
December 15	vs. No. 9 Louisiana Tech*	No. 2	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	SPN	W 19–6	9,125	^[14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

^[15]^[16]

Game summaries

Mesa State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Mavericks	7	0	0	7	14
Bobcats	20	0	7	3	30

Roster

1984 Montana State Bobcats football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
TE	`86`	Joe Bignell	Sr
QB	`12`	Kelly Bradley	So
FB	`39`	Jesse Jones	Jr
RB	`4`	Tim Clements	Jr
C	`55`	Robb Fellows	Sr
G	`73`	Bruce Randall	Jr
G	`60`	Todd Vasey	So
OT	`74`	Don Leake	So
OT	`66`	Bill Schmidt	Sr
WR	`2`	Tom White	Jr
WR	`89`	Brent Bateman	Sr
TE	`24`	Tom Malhum	Sr
WR	`18`	Kelly Davis	So
WR	`44`	Darin Dietrich	Jr
RB	`33`	David Pandt	Jr
FB	`25`	Eric Miller	Jr
FB	`30`	Toby Petty	Jr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
NG	`59`	Lonnie Burt	Sr
DT	`71`	Troy Timmer	Sr
DT	`91`	Pat "Tex" Sikora	Jr
DE	`68`	Mark Fellows	Sr
CAT	`27`	Clete Linebarger	Jr
LB	`42`	Kirk Timmer	So
LB	`99`	Greg Wilkes	Sr
FS	`29`	Doug Kimball	Jr
SS	`47`	Joe Roberts	Sr
CB	`17`	Derek Abell	So
CB	`35`	Rodney Holland	Sr
DT	`58`	Tom Jacobs	Fr
LB;ST	`26`	John Kitna	Jr
CB	`43`	William Johnson	Sr
FS	`9`	Tyler Winter	So
SS;ST	`22`	Steve King	So

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P	`3`	Dirk Nelson	Sr
K	`1`	Mark Carter	Sr

Head coach

Dave Arnold

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Steve Carson (DC)
Bill Diedrick (OC)
J. G. Aegerter (OLB)
Mike Kramer (ILB)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

References

^ "Mavericks run afoul of a feisty Bobcat". The Daily Sentinel. September 9, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Eastern Washington wins 7th straight". Tri-City Herald. September 16, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Bobcats shock Idaho". Great Falls Tribune. September 23, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "ISU defense slams shut on Bobcats". The Times-News. September 30, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Cats whitewash Weber, 48–0". The Missoulian. October 7, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Montana State goes 4 OT's to stop UNR". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 14, 1984. p. 3D.
^ "PSU crushed 45–22". Corvallis Gazette-Times. October 21, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Bobcats nip Boise". The Montana Standard. October 28, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Montana State moves into first". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 4, 1984. p. 5C.
^ "Montana State wraps up Big Sky crown". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 11, 1984. p. 5C.
^ "Montana State rallies past Fresno State". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 18, 1984. p. 5C.
^ "Bobcats: Advance by scalping Indians". The Montana Standard. December 2, 1984. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Interception return sparks Montana State past R.I." The Shreveport Times. December 9, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "How about them Cats!". The Billings Gazette. December 16, 1984. Retrieved July 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Montana State yearly results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
^ "Division I-AA Top 20". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. November 21, 1984. p. 22.

[1] "Mavericks run afoul of a feisty Bobcat". The Daily Sentinel. September 9, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] "Eastern Washington wins 7th straight". Tri-City Herald. September 16, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] "Bobcats shock Idaho". Great Falls Tribune. September 23, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "ISU defense slams shut on Bobcats". The Times-News. September 30, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "Cats whitewash Weber, 48–0". The Missoulian. October 7, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[msgft-6] "Montana State goes 4 OT's to stop UNR". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 14, 1984. p. 3D.

[7] "PSU crushed 45–22". Corvallis Gazette-Times. October 21, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] "Bobcats nip Boise". The Montana Standard. October 28, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[msmifrs-9] "Montana State moves into first". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 4, 1984. p. 5C.

[wrpcrwn-10] "Montana State wraps up Big Sky crown". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 11, 1984. p. 5C.

[msrpfr-11] "Montana State rallies past Fresno State". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 18, 1984. p. 5C.

[12] "Bobcats: Advance by scalping Indians". The Montana Standard. December 2, 1984. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

[13] "Interception return sparks Montana State past R.I." The Shreveport Times. December 9, 1984. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[14] "How about them Cats!". The Billings Gazette. December 16, 1984. Retrieved July 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[15] "Montana State yearly results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2014.

[toptwen-16] "Division I-AA Top 20". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. November 21, 1984. p. 22.

[1]

v t e Montana State Bobcats football
Venues	Gatton Field (1930–1971) Van Winkle Stadium (1972) Bobcat Stadium (1973–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Montana
Culture & lore	Spirit of the West Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906–1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e NCAA Division I-AA/FCS football champions
1970s	1978: Florida A&M 1979: Eastern Kentucky
1980s	1980: Boise State 1981: Idaho State 1982: Eastern Kentucky 1983: Southern Illinois 1984: Montana State 1985: Georgia Southern 1986: Georgia Southern 1987: Northeast Louisiana 1988: Furman 1989: Georgia Southern
1990s	1990: Georgia Southern 1991: Youngstown State 1992: Marshall 1993: Youngstown State 1994: Youngstown State 1995: Montana 1996: Marshall 1997: Youngstown State 1998: UMass 1999: Georgia Southern
2000s	2000: Georgia Southern 2001: Montana 2002: Western Kentucky 2003: Delaware 2004: James Madison 2005: Appalachian State 2006: Appalachian State 2007: Appalachian State 2008: Richmond 2009: Villanova
2010s	2010: Eastern Washington 2011: North Dakota State 2012: North Dakota State 2013: North Dakota State 2014: North Dakota State 2015: North Dakota State 2016: James Madison 2017: North Dakota State 2018: North Dakota State 2019: North Dakota State
2020s	2020: Sam Houston State 2021: North Dakota State 2022: South Dakota State 2023: South Dakota State

v t e Big Sky Conference football champions
College Division / Division II	Idaho State (1963) Montana State (1964) Weber State & Idaho (1965) Montana State (1966) Montana State (1967) Idaho, Montana State, & Weber State (1968) Montana (1969) Montana (1970) Idaho (1971) Montana State (1972) Boise State (1973) Boise State (1974) Boise State (1975) Montana State (1976) Boise State (1977)
I-AA/FCS	Northern Arizona (1978) Montana State (1979) Boise State (1980) Idaho State (1981) Montana, Idaho, & Montana State (1982) Nevada (1983) Montana State (1984) Idaho (1985) Nevada (1986) Idaho (1987) Idaho (1988) Idaho (1989) Nevada (1990) Nevada (1991) Idaho & Eastern Washington (1992) Montana (1993) Boise State (1994) Montana (1995) Montana (1996) Eastern Washington (1997) Montana (1998) Montana (1999) Montana (2000) Montana (2001) Montana, Montana State, & Idaho State (2002) Montana State, Montana, & Northern Arizona (2003) Montana & Eastern Washington (2004) Eastern Washington, Montana State, & Montana (2005) Montana (2006) Montana (2007) Weber State & Montana (2008) Montana (2009) Montana State & Eastern Washington (2010) Montana State & Montana (2011) Eastern Washington, Montana State, & Cal Poly (2012) Eastern Washington (2013) Eastern Washington (2014) Southern Utah (2015) Eastern Washington & North Dakota (2016) Southern Utah & Weber State (2017) Eastern Washington, UC Davis, & Weber State (2018) Sacramento State & Weber State (2019) Weber State (2020) Sacramento State (2021) Montana State & Sacramento State (2022) Montana (2023) Montana State (2024)
National championships in bold