BOZEMAN — There’s little Tommy Mellott can do for the first time on the football field.

But he reached another milestone Saturday at Bobcat Stadium, surpassing 300 yards receiving for the first time in his Montana State career and helping the top-seeded Bobcats to a 49-17 victory over Tennessee Martin in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

Mellott was nearly flawless — throwing more touchdown passes than incompletions — as the Bobcats were considered the No. 1 overall pick no matter what. They were efficient and explosive on offense and strong and stingy on defense.

The Skyhawks, who advanced to the second round with a 41-10 win at New Hampshire last week, entered Saturday’s second round with a much-touted run defense that allowed opponents fewer than 85 rushing yards per game. The Bobcats, owners of the No. 1 rushing offense in the country, had more than 90 rushing yards in the first quarter, built a 14-0 lead and never looked back.

PHOTOS: NO. 1-SEEDED MONTANA STATE RETAINED UT MARTIN IN THE SECOND ROUND OF THE FCS PLAYOFFS

While MSU’s rushing attack was once again solid – the Bobcats finished with 201 yards on the ground – the passing game shined on Saturday.

Mellott opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 24-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Hunter Provience and then threw a dime to the back of the end zone with a 12-yard TD pass to Taco Dowler.

Ty McCullouch extended MSU’s lead to 21-0 early in the second quarter with a 6-yard touchdown run.

Slim Kimmel / MTN Sports

From there, UT Martin found some momentum. Jaren Van Winkle kicked a 37-yard field goal to put the Skyhawks on the field, and then Kinkead Dent made a deep pass to Trevonte Rucker, who wrapped his way around the Bobcats on his way to a 78-yard touchdown. Secondary turned and suddenly it was 21 -10.

However, UT Martin’s momentum was short-lived. On MSU’s ensuing possession, Mellott completed five of six passes and punctuated the drive with a 39-yard scoring pass to McCullouch. The Bobcats led 28-10 at halftime.

MSU’s defense forced a punt from UT Martin on the first possession of the third quarter, and the offense needed little time to capitalize. Scottre Humphrey took a carry right up the middle and freed him for a 36-yard touchdown run.

After another punt from UT Martin, Mellott threw another touchdown pass – this one with a short completion to Dowler, who followed some good blocking downfield for a 29-yard catch-and-run score. That gave Montana State a 42-10 lead in the fourth quarter.

Adam Jones added a 30-yard rushing touchdown for the Bobcats early in the fourth, and Dent connected with Rucker from 4 yards out for another Skyhawks touchdown.

Dowler and McCullouch each had four receptions for Montana State, with Dowler gaining 71 yards and scoring two touchdowns and McCullouch totaling 58 yards and a touchdown. McCullouch added 23 rushing yards and another score. Tight end Ryan Lonergan had 90 receiving yards and a team-high three receiving yards.

Humphrey finished the game with 102 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries.

Turning point: The Mellott-McCullouch touchdown in the second quarter dispelled any thoughts of a UT Martin comeback. The Skyhawks had scored 10 straight points to get within 21-10, but the 39-yard score pushed the Bobcats’ lead back to 28-10 by halftime.

Statistics of the game: Mellott’s three incompletions highlighted the senior quarterback’s efficient day. Mellott didn’t attack vertically often, but he maximized his opportunities by spreading his 22 completions to 11 different receivers.

Bobcat game balls: QB Tommy Mellott (Attack). As usual, Mellott was the key to Montana State’s offense. He rarely used his legs except to get to the perimeter and drop a pass, but he controlled the game, completing 22 of 25 passes for 300 yards and four touchdowns.

DT Paul Brott (defense). UT Martin’s offense routinely faced third-and-long situations, and much of that had to do with the Brott-led defensive line stifling the Skyhawks’ running game. Brott was involved in six tackles and had one sack, while the Bobcats had five sacks in the game.

PR Taco Dowler (Special Teams). Dowler remains a threat in the second leg. He had a long return that was negated by a penalty, but had a 40-yarder that set up Humphrey’s touchdown in the third quarter. Dowler finished his career with five returns for 51 yards, increasing his career receiving yards to 1,022, the most in Montana State history.

Slim Kimmel / MTN Sports

What’s next?: Montana State (13-0) will have another home game next week against either Idaho or Lehigh in the quarterfinals. The Vandals (9-3) and Mountain Hawks (9-3) play a second-round game in Moscow, Idaho on Saturday at 7 p.m. Mountain Time.

Like eighth-seeded Montana State, Idaho received a bye in the first round. Lehigh, meanwhile, posted a 20-16 win at No. 9 Richmond in the first round, setting up Saturday’s second-round game against Idaho.