R. Dean Hendrickson

football
12/13/2024 4:39 p.m

Bill Lamberty

Montana State defeated the Vandals 38-7 in October

THE MATCHUP

Montana State advances to the FCS playoff quarterfinals after defeating UT Martin 49-17 and will face a familiar foe in the quarterfinals. Big Sky rival Idaho travels to Bozeman after defeating Lehigh 34-13, this time with starting quarterback Jack Layne in the lineup.

MATCH DATA
START: 7 p.m WEBSITE: Bozeman STADIUM: Bobcat Stadium Quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs
State of Montana set a school record with his 13th win in a 49-17 second-round win over UT Martin. Idaho is 10-3 after dominating Lehigh 34-13.

SERIES
RECORD: 20-26-1 near Bozeman: 10-8 at UI Home: 8-16-1 Neutral: 1-2
Montana State’s 38-7 win over the Vandals on Oct. 12 gave the Cats their fifth straight home win in the series. Friday’s game marks MSU’s second postseason game against a league team it faced in the regular season (Weber State, 2022).

NOTES ON THE BOBCAT TEAM

* The Bobcats’ 13 wins and six road victories both rank among program bests.
* MSU’s current 13-game winning streak is the longest in program history, with a 13-game streak in 1976-77.
* Montana State’s quarterfinal appearance on Friday is the program’s ninth, including four of the last five.

TO MSU VIOLATION

* Tommy Mellott posted his first 300-yard passing game as a Bobcat on Saturday and threw for just as many against UT Martin (22-25-0, 4 touchdowns).
* Scottre Humphrey is 3rd in the FCS in yards per rush (7.49). Adam Jones is the 4th (7.37).
* MSU is the only FCS team to score 30 points in every game in 2024.
* The Cats lead the FCS with averages of 41.3 points and 496.5 yards per game.
* Montana State has gained over 400 total yards in 21 of its last 25 games.
* MSU had scored in 24 consecutive quarters before falling in the fourth quarter at UC Davis and has scored in 47 of 52 quarters this season.

ABOUT THE MSU DEFENSE

* MSU has 13 sacks in the last two games, including 6 at UC Davis and 5 against UTM.
* Montana State allows 13.7 points per home game. Of the 96 points MSU gave up at Bobcat Stadium, only 20 came before halftime.
* The Cats are allowing 293.2 total yards per game, 7th nationally.
* Montana State’s defense has allowed two first-quarter touchdowns this season.
* Neil Daily has a total of 25 tackles in his 5 games as a starter, including 4.5 for a loss.

ABOUT MSU SPECIALTY TEAMS

* Taco Dowler is now MSU’s career punt return yards leader (1,021).
* Brendan Hall pinned opponents inside the 20 with an FCS-best 63% of his punts.

STADIUM HISTORY

* MSU is 34-1 at home since Sac State’s 34-21 win in 2019, the last win by a Big Sky opponent at Bobcat Stadium, and 28-1 under Brent Vigen.
* MSU and the Vandals met in 12 different stadiums in their 47 contests.