BOZEMAN — The tailgates were quite the buzz at Bobcat Stadium on Saturday morning, ahead of MSU's 21-13 win. From mini fire places to Bobcat beanies and Santa hats, fans were prepped for the weather and ready for the MSU versus Yale playoff game.
Ahead of the game, MTN’s Esha Walia spoke with fans of both teams.
“I feel great. I think the boys are going to come play and show ‘em what they are all about,” said MSU fan Jon Holm.
“I think people might underestimate us, and we might have some surprises, who knows,” said Yale alum and photographer David Rudin.
WATCH: Bobcat, Bulldog fans share thoughts ahead of playoff game:
On the Bobcat side, fans were feeling optimistic ahead of the game, given MSU’s number two FCS ranking.
“I feel pretty good,” said Bobcat fan Dan Harmon. “I think they’re going to be pretty tough today.”
“Oh, we feel pretty good,” said Bobcat fan Nick Ford. “We always love to have a cautious optimism, but I know our Cats can do the job and get the job done today and get us to the next round.”
“Well, we’re favored, so we’ll see how the smart kids do from the East Coast against the people in the cow town,” said Bobcat fan Rik.
The Yale side, on the other hand, anticipated the game to be an uphill battle.
“I think we have a good chance, of course, MSU is rated number 2, so it’s going to be a tough fight,” said Rudin.
Three former Yale football players MTN's Esha Walia spoke with shared the same sentiment.
“We’re a 28-point underdog, so we’re not feeling great about that, but we have a feeling we got a lot of momentum going for us and can win the game,” said former player Gerry Harrington.
Harrington says they traveled to Montana for the first time to watch the Bulldogs take on the Bobcats, after Yale’s recent win over Youngstown State.
“We went to Youngstown State and even though we were down 35 the second half, we came back and won 43 to 42,” said Harrington. “We figured we got to keep going with the team, that’s why we are out in Bozeman.”
The Yale fans say this game is especially exciting, as it is the first time the Ivy League is participating in the FCS playoffs.
“We’re so happy to be the Ivy League representative for the playoffs for the first year the Ivy Leagues are in the playoffs,” said Rudin. “I couldn’t miss the team coming here to play in Montana.”
Overall, Saturday’s tailgating atmosphere was one that Bobcat fans say was very ‘Montana.’
“We love the snow games. It’s a lot of excitement, it’s what Montana’s made of,” said Ford.
“We love the snow, perfect day for a football game, so go Cats!” said Cynde Cheek-Ascheman.
