BOZEMAN – For the first time all season, Montana State allowed a visiting opponent to score in the first quarter of a game at Bobcat Stadium.

It made little difference as the Bobcats used a flurry of touchdowns to end the first half en route to a 52-19 victory over Idaho in the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday. Montana State will play its fourth semifinal game in six years next Saturday.

The top-ranked and undefeated Bobcats began the game against the Vandals in typical fashion for this historic season: They marched down the field on the opening series and scored a touchdown on a 3-yard pass from quarterback Tommy Mellott to tight end Rylan Schleif .

However, the game seemed to turn around towards the end of the first quarter. Idaho quarterback Jack Layne, who missed the Vandals’ regular-season loss at Montana State, threw a pass to a wide-open Jordan Dwyer.

Dwyer, running freely behind the MSU secondary, caught the perfectly placed pass and ran in for a 55-yard touchdown. Idaho and Montana State were tied 7-7 in the second quarter.

The teams traded field goals in the second half – Myles Sansted converted from 46 yards for Montana State and Cameron Pope converted a 32-yarder for Idaho – but the Vandals’ problems went away in the final minutes of the half.

After Pope’s field goal, Idaho coach Jason Eck decided to make a surprise onside kick. The ball did not travel the required 10 yards, so the Bobcats received the ball at the Idaho 38-yard line. Montana State capitalized, this time Mellott scoring on the ground from 8 yards out to give the Bobcats a 17-10 lead with 3:47 to play in the first half.

On Idaho’s ensuing possession, Mark Hamper fumbled a wide receiver screen after running into the back of one of his own blockers. MSU defensive end Brody Grebe recovered the fumble and the Bobcats offense got back on the field.

Moments later, running back Adam Jones, starting in the absence of Scottre Humphrey, found himself in the end zone and the Bobcats suddenly had a 24-10 lead.

But the disaster of the first half wasn’t over for the Vandals. Idaho was forced to punt and — after a 15-yard return by Taco Dowler — Mellott showed why he’s a finalist for the Walter Payton Award.

The senior from Butte dropped back to pass but couldn’t find an open receiver. As the pressure mounted, Mellott climbed through a gap in the line, beat an Idaho defender and sprinted down the left sideline. He was forced out 63 yards later and the Bobcats were in business inside the Idaho 5-yard line with less than 30 seconds left in the half.

Jones eventually scored another touchdown on third-and-goal, and Montana State took a 31-10 halftime lead after scoring 21 unanswered points in less than four minutes of play.

The second half didn’t start much better for Idaho. Layne threw an interception to Jon Johnson on the Vandals’ first offensive play, and five minutes later Jones scored that third touchdown, this time from 9 yards out. Mellott added a 5-yard TD pass to Dowler later in the third quarter and Montana State took a 45-10 lead in the fourth quarter.

Less than a minute into the fourth, Jones added another touchdown. After completing a Mellott pass 56 yards to the 2-yard line, Jones scored his fourth touchdown of the night on the next play.

Layne and Dwyer scored another Idaho touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Pope added a 43-yard field goal.

Montana State improved to 14-0 for the first time in program history, and the 14-game winning streak is also the best in program history. Fourth-year head coach Brent Vigen is now 30-1 during his career at Bobcat Stadium and has led Montana State to the postseason semifinal round in three of his four years.

Idaho, seeded eighth in this year’s playoffs and entering Saturday’s game on a six-game winning streak, finishes the season at 10-4.

Turning point: Hamper’s fumble completely changed the face of the game. It was only a one-score game as Idaho started the series with an opportunity to end the half. Instead of moving up the field and scoring points, the turnover gave the Bobcats a narrow field and started the avalanche that ended the first half.

Statistics of the game: Montana State dominated in every facet, and perhaps nothing illustrates this more than the teams’ third-round performances. The Bobcats converted on 11 of 15 third-down plays while Idaho was just 2 of 10, with its first successful third-down conversion coming in the fourth quarter against Montana State’s secondary defense.

Bobcat game balls: RB Adam Jones (attack). With Humphrey sidelined, Jones, the Big Sky Conference’s Freshman of the Year, showed he was more than capable. He managed the bulk of the runs and finished with 23 totes for 95 yards and four touchdowns. He also had three catches for 66 yards. Jones, a graduate of Missoula Sentinel High School, now has 1,068 rushing yards this season.

DE Brody Grebe (defense). Grebe started the game with a fourth-down run on Idaho’s first possession to keep the Vandals off the scoreboard in the early going. And his fumble recovery in the second quarter was one of the game’s defining plays. According to the official statistics, Grebe only made one tackle, but his influence was felt throughout the game.

What’s next?: Montana State plays its final home game of the season against either UC Davis or South Dakota in the semifinal round on Saturday, December 21st at 1:30 p.m. The Coyotes host the Aggies in a quarterfinal game on Saturday at 1 p.m.