The game, along with Tommy Mellott’s stumbling touchdown run for Montana State, immediately became one of two iconic highlights of a semifinal round that ended with the Bison and Bobcats meeting in Frisco for the second time in four years.

And if MSU wants to flip the script after the Bison loss in 2021, they’ll definitely need to stop the breakout receiver who has become so much more than just “Trey Lance’s brother.”

“He’s extremely dangerous,” Montana State head coach Brent Vigen said. “He can run. He has great size (6-foot-3, 204). His body control, his catch radius, all of these things have continually improved and developed. And I would imagine that with that, the confidence that he has, the confidence that (quarterback) Cam (Miller) has in him, the confidence that (offensive coordinator) Jake Landry has in calling those plays – you just can see how that grows over time.”

Lance was easily the top target for an offense that gains much more from depth than individual size.

Eleven players have at least 100 receiving yards for the Bison this season – but other than Lance, no one has more than 400.

Ten players caught a touchdown from Miller – but other than Lance, no one scored more than four points.

The redshirt junior from Marshall, Minnesota, however, has 66 catches, 964 yards and 16 touchdowns – the latter is a new NDSU single-season record.

It was a big break for the athletic Lance, who had just one catch for seven yards a year ago – and he doesn’t appear to be slowing down as the season progresses.

In the biggest game of the year two weeks ago against South Dakota State, Lance finished the game with six catches for 125 yards and three of the four touchdowns the Bison scored in their 28-21 win.

“I think this year he’s no longer Trey’s little brother, and I think he’s made a name for himself just by the way he plays and the way he carries himself,” Miller said. “He’s been great for us all season and I expect him to be great on Monday.”

At 6-foot-3, Lance’s speed, body control and ball skills were impressive him a nightmarish cover for SDSU. He effortlessly broke one-on-one coverage to the outside to open the scoring, sprinted straight up the field for the game-winning fourth-quarter goal, and then delivered his one-handed miracle to give the Bison a late lead bring to.

That was against one of the best secondaries in the country – Jackrabbits safeties Tucker Large, Colby Huerter and Matthew Durrance and cornerbacks Dalys Beanum and Colby Humphrey all earned MVFC all-conference honors.

Now Montana State’s defensive backs have their chance to slow down Lance, who has caught at least one touchdown in six of NDSU’s last seven games.

Although the Bobcats’ run defense receives much praise, the secondary defense has also been a crucial part of MSU’s success this season. The Bobcats allowed just 190 yards per game, 30th in the country.

Safety Rylan Ortt and cornerback Andrew Powdrell both earned All-Big Sky honors (interestingly, Powdrell and Simeon Woodard, Montana State’s other top cornerback, are returning to their home state of Texas for this matchup).

And what’s most encouraging when faced with a problem like Lance’s is that Montana State has generally shut down the star receivers it has faced this year.

Idaho State’s Christian Fredericksen had just six catches for 60 yards against the Bobcats. Eastern Washington’s Efton Chism III, who led the country in receptions, had nine catches for 78 yards – a good day but well below his season average of 109 yards per game, which also led the nation. In their regular season matchup, Idaho’s Jordan Dwyer had just two catches for 14 yards while Montana’s Junior Bergen had six for 27 yards.

“I think both safeties are very good,” Miller said. “They like to get #26 (Ortt) fit and he makes a lot of plays for them. And #2 (Dru Polidore) is also good at reporting. And I think their DBs do a really good job in man coverage.”

However, this trend has suffered in recent months. Chaz from UC Davis Davis had four catches for 128 yards in a 30-28 loss in mid-November, becoming the first player to surpass 100 receiving yards all season against Montana State.

UT-Martin’s Trevonte Rucker rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns in a second-round playoff loss, becoming the first player to score multiple points against the Bobcats.

And in a quarterfinal rematch, despite the Vandals’ 52-19 loss to the Cats, Dwyer went crazy, finishing the game with 11 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns.

As Miller mentioned, Montana State likes to play with a lot of players, making this one of the highest risk, highest reward matchups for both teams.

For Montana State, shutting down NDSU’s superstar receiver threatens to completely shut down the Bison’s passing attack.

But if the Bison can achieve their top goal… well, he’s already proven he can lead NDSU to huge playoff victories — and do so, sometimes literally, single-handedly.

“He made a lot of plays for them,” Ortt said. “The first step is to know where he stands every game. They try to disguise it in many different ways, putting him in positions they like and finding matchups they like. So just knowing where he’s at and what he’s trying to do, I’m confident that our guys on the perimeter can keep up with him and make plays.”