No. 3 Montana State overwhelms Mercyhurst and enters Big Sky Conference with 4-0 record

BOZEMAN – Montana State appears ready for Big Sky Conference play.

The third-ranked Bobcats flexed their muscles in their final non-conference game of the season, defeating FCS newcomer Mercyhurst 52-13 on Saturday at Bobcat Stadium.

Montana State scored on four of its five possessions in the first half — and scored a touchdown after a blocked punt — and outgained the Lakers 278 yards to 71 en route to a 31-0 halftime lead. MSU quarterback Tommy Mellott completed 11 of 13 passes for 185 yards in the first half, and running back Scottre Humphrey had 11 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown.

The Bobcats settled for a chip-shot field goal on their first drive – a 23-yard field goal by Myles Sansted. After MSU's defense forced a three-and-out, Humphrey capped an eight-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown run that gave the Cats a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

It all came crashing down in the second quarter when Mellott threw a perfectly placed 5-yard touchdown pass to Taco Dowler. Moments later, senior safety Rylan Ortt rushed the line on a Mercyhurst punt and blocked the kick. Zac Crews recovered the ball and scored another MSU touchdown.

Toward the end of the quarter, Mellott then ran a flawless two-minute drill, eventually capping the drive with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Adam Jones. Early in the third quarter, Mellott scored his third passing touchdown of the day, throwing a 16-yard touchdown to Rohan Jones.

Mercyhurst broke the shutout later in the third period. Senior linebacker Zach Hill forced a fumble on a carry by MSU running back Jared White, and Adonis Marshall scooped up the ball and carried it 43 yards the other way for a Lakers touchdown.

They attempted and recovered a surprise onside kick after the touchdown, but were unable to capitalize on it on offense and lost the ball on a tackle attempt. Two players later, Montana State's Colson Coon got a handoff 50 yards for another Bobcat touchdown. Coon led the Bobcats with 102 yards on 10 carries.

Mercyhurst's offense finally scored in the fourth quarter, covering 75 yards in 18 plays and taking more than nine minutes. Quarterback Adam Urena threw a 5-yard touchdown to Joe Kerbacher to cap the drive.

Chance Wilson, a redshirt freshman from Montana State who replaced Mellott at quarterback in the second half, capped the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.

Turning point: This happened in May when Stephen F. Austin canceled the home and away games against Montana State, so the Bobcats had to rush to fill a game on this season's schedule. Mercyhurst, playing its first season of FCS football, was outmatched by Montana State from the start.

The Bobcats were clear favorites before kickoff and then completely controlled the game, with the exception of a brief sequence in the third quarter when Mercyhurst returned a fumble for a touchdown and recovered the ensuing onside kick.

Statistics of the game: The Bobcats averaged nine yards per play and 16.4 yards per completed pass for a total of 502 yards of offense – 256 on the ground and 246 through the air. Mercyhurst, on the other hand, managed just 233 yards and averaged 3.2 yards per play.

Bobcat Game Balls: QB Tommy Mellott (attack). Montana State seemed to focus on its drop-back passing game with Mellott, who delivered an efficient performance, finishing the day 14 of 18 passing for 214 yards and three touchdowns.

DE Brody Grebe (Defense). Grebe, the Big Sky Conference's best defensive player in the preseason, had two sacks in the first half as Montana State's front line dominated Mercyhurst's offensive line. On one of his sacks, Grebe pushed an offensive lineman back toward quarterback Adam Urena, forcing a fumble.

DB Rylan Ortt (Special Teams)In addition to his strong play in the defensive secondary, Ortt blocked a Mercyhurst punt in the second quarter that teammate Zac Crews recovered for a touchdown. It was Montana State's second consecutive game with a blocked punt after Taki Uluilakepa also blocked one against Maine.

What happens next?: Montana State (4-0) begins Big Sky Conference play next Saturday at Idaho State (1-2 before Saturday's game against Southern Utah). Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. and the game will be broadcast by Scripps Sports on the MTN channel.

Montana State and Idaho State did not play each other last season, but the Bobcats have won 11 of the last 12 games in the series, including a 37-6 victory the last time they meet in 2022.