Crucial, ESPN2-aired matchup sees prep QB star from Oak Ridge face UC Davis
This is what Justin Lamson signed up for, and it’s precisely what the UC Davis football team signed up for: a big season with championship hopes and a showdown game in front of a nationally televised audience.
Lamson is Montana State’s quarterback leader, The Sacramento Bee’s 2019 Player of the Year from Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills. He started his collegiate career at Syracuse, transferred to Stanford where he set some quarterback rushing records and wound up in Bozeman, a blue blood of FCS college football and a stalwart of the Big Sky Conference.
Coming off of a 15-1 season and ranked third in the FCS this season with an eight-game winning streak, the Bobcats on Saturday night host No. 10 UC Davis for an ESPN2 showcase in the FCS Game of the Week. Big Sky championship implications are at stake with UCD needing a victory to keep those hopes alive.
Montana State and No. 2 Montana are the only two unbeaten teams in Big Sky play with two games to play. Montana State and Montana face off on Nov. 22 in the annual “Brawl of the Wild” rivalry game.
Lamson is in the running for Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year honors. The junior has completed 72 % of his passes for 2,026 yards and 18 touchdowns with just two interceptions, and he has rushed for 412 yards and eight scores. Saturday’s game has extra meaning for the quarterback who was so gritty in high school that he powered his Oak Ridge team to a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship in the rain at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento with a torn knee ligament, explaining later that he did not want to let his teammates “and friends for life” down.
And UCD represents a program with added meaning for the Lamson family. Lamson’s older brother, Colton Lamson, played tight end for the Aggies from 2017-21 under coach Dan Hawkins, who stepped down after eight seasons following the 2023 season, replaced by UCD alum and former assistant coach Tim Plough.
Lamson attended numerous UCD games growing up, and now his brother is returning the favor. He and family members will be in Bozeman this weekend.
“He’s coming out here, and he’s going to be at the game,” Lamson told Montana media this week. “I think he’s going to be rooting for the Cats. It’s pretty cool because I watched (Hawkins) coach him. (The Aggies) are a great football team and have great tradition there.”
Plough and his coaching staff are aware of Lamson and his skill set as a poised passer, a runner and a team leader. He won the Bobcats quarterback job in summer/fall camp to be the man to replace all-time Montana State quarterback great Tommy Mellott, the 2024 Walter Payton Award winner (the FCS version of the Heisman Trophy for the top player in the land).
Said Lamson on the eve of this season, “Everyone says pressure’s a privilege, and that’s absolutely true. You work nine months out of the year to play three months of football, and even more. I’m super happy that I get that pressure, because I just worked super hard to be in this position.”
Lamson has always been known for his talent and work ethic. He missed his freshman year at Syracuse to rehabilitate his surgically repaired knee, and he played at Stanford in 2023 and 2024 for coach Troy Taylor, appearing in 23 games with four starts.
In 2024, Lamson set Stanford records for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with eight, and he passed for four.
“Sometimes it’s about fit, and thankfully for him, he’s found a good fit,” said Plough, the UCD coach. “That (Montana State) staff does such a great job that I’m not shocked by his success.”
Plough added, “(Lamson) was obviously really talented in high school, his brother went to school here. Really happy for Justin. Always rooting for the Lamson family, except for one game a year.”
Lamson has been welcomed in Bozeman, be it fans or teammates.
“I love working with Justin, I believe he brings a lot of grit and a lot of toughness to the offense,” Bobcats receiver Ryan King told Montana media recently. “He’s a competitor. I know everybody probably saw him out there limping a little bit, but he got right up and made the very next play like nothing happened. So I feel like that toughness and that grit from a quarterback is what you need in a leader.”
No. 10 UC Davis (7-2) at No. 3 Montana State (8-2)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
On air: SactownSports radio 1140; ESPN2
Of note: Montana State beat UCD 30-28 last season in Davis to move to 11-0 en route to a 15-1 season. UCD had its 9-game winning streak halted. MSU leads the all-time series against UCD 7-1. Caden Pinnick has passed for 1,987 yards and 20 touchdowns for UCD, and the former Del Oro High of Placer County star has rushed for 237 yards and three scores. Jordan Fisher leads UCD in rushing with 787 yards with Carter Vargas second with 445 yards. Samuel Gbatu Jr. leads UCD in receiving with 43 receptions for 743 yards and eight TDs. Julian Davis leads MSU in rushing with 709 yards. MSU seeks its 18th Big Sky championship.
This story was originally published November 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM.