With 24 seconds left before halftime and Montana State University clinging to a one-score lead in Monday night's FCS National Championship football game, Dane Steel caught a pass from quarterback Justin Lamson along the right sideline.
What happened next stopped the college football world in its tracks.
The redshirt freshman from Sheridan broke a tackle, sized up an Illinois State defensive back — and launched himself over the defender like he was clearing a hurdle.
When Steel landed, his hand hit the turf to keep his balance. Then he dove into the end zone with a helpful push from teammate Julius Davis for a 33-yard touchdown that put the Bobcats up 21-7.
The play was so spectacular it earned the No. 1 spot on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 plays of the day and prompted the Big Sky Conference to post the highlight on social media with a simple question: "Play of the year?"
"Pretty surreal. Pretty exciting," Steel told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday morning as he boarded the team plane in Nashville to return to Bozeman.
Montana State went on to defeat Illinois State 35-34 in overtime for the program's first national championship since 1984.
But it was Steel's acrobatic touchdown that became the signature moment of the Bobcats' historic night.
National Spotlight
Tyson Rodgers, the Big Sky Conference's associate commissioner for communications and external relations, posted the video of Steel's touchdown and couldn't contain his enthusiasm.
"Just watching that as he hurdled the guy, made a few more jumps and leaped into the end zone — I mean, what an amazing play," Rodgers told Cowboy State Daily. "You could tell, too, on the national stage when it gets number one on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays.
"It completely electrified that crowd, like they needed anything extra, but it was a sensational play."
Rodgers said the moment captured everything special about Big Sky football.
"That's what it's all about. Big Sky football. It's blue collar. It's pure football," he said. "We really feel like we do it the right way at the FCS level, and it's football at its purest form."
Brother's View
Steel's older brother Coy, a former Sheridan Bronc and standout receiver at Montana State who helped lead the Bobcats to their first FCS semifinal appearance since 1984, was in the stands watching the play unfold.
"I saw the play kind of developing that it was going to Dane, and I figured he would probably make the first guy miss," Coy Steel told Cowboy State Daily from Nashville. "And so when he did that and there was 10 or so yards to kind of look the next dude down, I was wondering what he was going to do, and then I could kind of see him start to do it."
Coy said what makes the play even more remarkable is what happened after the hurdle.
"Being athletic enough and strong enough to catch himself coming down — that's the part I think a lot of people don't really understand how hard that is," he said. "And so when he was able to do that and then dive into the end zone, I honestly kind of just lost my mind and everybody was going nuts and couldn't believe it, but just one of the coolest things I've ever seen."
Unexpected Move
Asked if Dane ever pulled off a hurdle like that in high school at Sheridan, Coy laughed.
"I really don't think so. I don't think he knew that he could jump that high, to be quite honest," he said. "The fact that he went with the hurdle does surprise me."
And did Coy, who played receiver for the Bobcats from 2017-2022, teach his little brother the move?
"Absolutely not. I don't think I've ever jumped over anybody in my entire life," he said. "That's all him. He came up with that one on his own."
After the game, Coy rushed onto the field to embrace both Dane and their brother Brock, a junior linebacker who also played in the championship game.
So what did Dane say to his brother about the play that had the whole country talking?
"He pretty much just said, 'Do you like that?' Like he always does after he does cool stuff," Coy said.
Championship Drive
Rodgers said the play symbolized just how badly Montana State wanted to end its 41-year championship drought.
"That just goes to show you how much that adrenaline will help and how badly they wanted to win and get their first title in 41 years," he said.
Steel finished the championship game with two catches for 41 yards, according to NBC Montana. For the season, he pulled in 37 receptions for 460 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games.
Wrestling Roots
Steel's athletic ability shouldn't come as a surprise.
At Sheridan High School, he was a two-time Class 4A state wrestling champion and the 2023 Wyoming Gatorade Football Player of the Year who helped lead the Broncs to three consecutive state championships.
When asked if he was amazed at his ability to plant his hand and keep his balance after the hurdle, Steel pointed to his years on the mat back in Wyoming.
"I think it comes from probably my wrestling background," he said.
In addition to the Steel brothers, two other Wyoming players are on the Montana State roster: Sheridan’s Colson Coon and Michael Rubich from Rock Springs.
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
