1986 Montana State Bobcats football team

The 1986 Montana State Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Montana State University in the Big Sky Conference (Big Sky) during the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their fourth and final season under head coach Dave Arnold, the Bobcats compiled a 3–8 record (2–5 against Big Sky opponents) and tied for sixth out of eight teams in the Big Sky.^[1]

1986 Montana State Bobcats football
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Record	3–8 (2–5 Big Sky)
Head coach	Dave Arnold (4th season)
Home stadium	Sales Stadium
Seasons ← 1985 1987 →

1986 Big Sky Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Nevada $^	7	–	0	–	0			13	–	1	–	0
No. 16 Idaho ^	8	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Northern Arizona	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Montana *	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Boise State	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Weber State	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Montana State	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Idaho State *	1	–	7	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant * – Montana and Idaho State played twice. Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	at Fresno State*	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA	L 2–55	34,512	[2]
September 13	at Sam Houston State*	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	L 6–23	11,500	[3]
September 20	Idaho State	Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT	W 50–27	8,277	[4]
September 27	No. 1 Nevada	Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT	L 10–61	11,637	[5]
October 4	Boise State	Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT	L 14–31	7,027	[6]
October 11	at Weber State	Wildcat Stadium Ogden, UT	L 3–24	8,102	[7]
October 18	Northern Arizona	Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT	W 27–19	10,497	[8]
October 25	at Montana	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT (rivalry)	L 28–59	13,362	[9]
November 1	Northern Iowa*	Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT	W 46–25	5,227	[10]
November 8	at Idaho	Kibbie Dome Moscow, ID	L 17–44	8,200	[11]
November 15	at Eastern Washington	Joe Albi Stadium Spokane, WA	L 14–27	1,838	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Bobcat Record Book" (PDF). Montana State University. 2018. p. 59. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
2. "It's bombs away as 'Dogs blast 'Cats". The Fresno Bee. September 7, 1986. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Bobcats tumble again". Great Falls Tribune. September 14, 1986. Retrieved December 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Bobcats smother Bengals". The Missoulian. September 21, 1986. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Reno runs over Montana State for 61–10 victory". The Idaho Statesman. September 28, 1986. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Bobcats, Bradley battered by Boise". The Daily Inter Lake. October 5, 1986. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Weber State whips MSU". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 12, 1986. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Montana St. 27, NAU 19". The Idaho Statesman. October 19, 1986. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Pease outduals Bradley as Griz win big". The Daily Inter Lake. October 26, 1986. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Montana State picks off 7 UNI passes, wins 46–25". The Gazette. November 2, 1986. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Idaho posts big win over Cats". The Billings Gazette. November 9, 1986. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Eagles dance past Bobcats". The Spokesman-Review. November 16, 1986. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.