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Tommy Mellott ran for 131 yards against Idaho on Friday night.

football
12/13/2024 10:34 p.m

Adam Jones scored four rushing touchdowns and Tommy Mellott ran for 131 yards as Montana State ran away from Idaho in an FCS quarterfinal playoff game on Friday night.

Mellott also threw two touchdowns, one passing Taco Dowler and one to Rylan Trailas the No. 1 Bobcats cruised to a 52-19 win.

With temperatures reaching 28 degrees, the game was close in the first quarter as Idaho (10-4) became the first team to score in the opening period against MSU all season. Tow’s score made it 7-0, but Jordan Dwyer caught a 55-yard pass from Jack Layne, ending the first quarter in a 7-0 tie. MSUs Myles Sansted hit a 46-yard field goal to put the Bobcats (14-0) back on top. A 32-yard field goal by Idaho’s Cameron Pope again tied the game at 10 apiece.

After their field goal, the Vandals attempted an onside kick that only went 3 yards. That was the breakthrough the Bobcats were looking for, as Mellott scored the 40th touchdown of his outstanding career on an 8-yard trot behind key blocks from Connor Moore and Blake Mastel and the 18,127 fans in attendance roared their approval under a nearly full moon.

On Idaho’s next possession Brody Grebe Jones recovered a fumble and moments later, Jones stormed into the end zone and scored his first score with 1:49 left in the first half. The Bobcats forced a punt and Dowler returned the kick 15 yards. Mellott then launched a 63-yard gallop behind blocks from Jones and Ryan Lonergan. This led to a 1-yard run by Jones and the halftime score was 31-10.

MSUs Jon Johnson intercepted a Vandal pass on the first offensive play of the second half, which led to a 9-yard touchdown from Jones, giving MSU a 38-10 lead. Before the third quarter was over, Mellott found Dowler in the end zone to make the score 45-10. This was Mellott’s 28th goal of the season.

The flurry of results continued in the fourth quarter. A 56-yard pass from Mellott to Jones moved the ball to the 2-yard line, from where Jones scored his fourth touchdown of the game. Jones now has 1,068 rushing yards this season. Scottre Humphreywho missed the game due to injury, leads the Bobcats with 1,325 yards rushing this season.

In total, MSU scored seven touchdowns, all by Montanans, as Mellott is from Butte, Jones is from Missoula, Dowler is from Billings and Schiebe is from Bozeman. The game had a similar outcome to the Oct. 12 game between the two teams, which MSU won 38-7.

Mellott completed 12 of 18 passes for 174 yards and the two touchdowns. Jones totaled 95 yards on the ground and another 66 yards on pass receptions. Jones and Dowler led MSU with three receptions each.

In the end, the Bobcats had the ball for nearly 39 minutes and totaled 457 yards on 72 plays. Idaho, riding a six-game winning streak, had the ball for 21 minutes and ran 59 plays for 407 yards, mostly in the fourth quarter after the score was decided.

The MSU defense got momentum from Johnson with his interception and Grebe with the fumble recovery. Additionally, Hunter SharbonoKenneth Eiden and Logan Fredericksen combined for three bags.

MSU is at home again on Dec. 21 in a semifinal game against either South Dakota or UC Davis. At stake is a trip to the FCS national championship in Frisco, Texas.