BOZEMAN — When Montana State linebacker Bryce Grebe delivered a game-sealing interception return for a touchdown late in the Bobcats' FCS semifinal victory over Montana, his sideline celebration with MSU's 'Takeaway Hat' had to be cut short.
"He comes to the sideline and they got the hat waiting for him," recalled Montana State co-defensive coordinator Shawn Howe. "And I'm like, 'Hey, we can't turn this into a huge celebration this time because we're getting ready to go back out on the field.'"
Grebe's touchdown meant MSU's defense had to get right back to work and so his time with the latest addition to Montana State's defense was condensed.
LEARN ABOUT MSU'S TAKEAWAY HAT:
The idea for the Takeway Hat — which is donned by Bobcat defenders who force a turnover — was cooked up this summer while Howe was golfing with Bozeman resident Gus O'Keefe.
"And it was like, 'What's our culture?'" said Howe. "And a big, ol' turnover chain didn't seem right. But this one just seemed like this is our culture."
Howe and O'Keefe wanted to make the hat as homegrown as possible, so they opted to have it made by The Rocky Mountain Hat Company, based in Bozeman, which built it with materials sourced from the Montana.
"Basically, all of this has never been outside Montana," said Howe. "Made by Montana hands, worn by Montana football players.
"It's indicative of what makes this place so special. We built this place with a bunch of Montana kids. And all of us guys that aren't from Montana, we get here and we adopt the culture. You adopt being part of Montana."
So far, 15 Bobcats have gotten to don the Takeaway Hat, led by Caden Dowler with six interceptions.
Montana State is now set to face Illinois State in the FCS championship Jan. 5 at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., with the Bobcats looking to claim their first national title since 1984. Howe said that he's hoping his unit is saving its best performance for last.
"We'd like to play our best version in this game, this is our last chance as a group to play our best brand," he said. "I think we see a path to where we can do a few things better and ultimately play our best game."
And he'll certainly be pleased if the Takeaway Hat makes an appearance or two in Nashville.
"We tell the guys that we want to look like a rodeo came into town," said Howe. "We want everybody wearing this thing. And if we do that then we'll probably be happy with the outcome."
