Bobcats Ride Historic Offensive Effort to 55-21 Win over Grizzlies in Bozeman

Saturday, November 19

BOZEMAN

12 pm

Montana State University

10-1 , 8-0

Montana

7-4 , 4-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Montana

Montana St.

Photo by: Garrett Becker

Bobcats Ride Historic Offensive Effort to 55-21 Win over Grizzlies in Bozeman

11/19/2022 6:50:00 PM | Football

Box Score

On a Game Day game day, the Bobcats had plenty of game...

By: Bill Lamberty

BOZEMAN, Montana – For about 45 minutes on Saturday, Montana State and its ancient rivals from the University of Montana waged battle in a gridiron war that began 125 years ago. The rest of the day, from the coldest ESPN College Game Day show ever that began in earnest around 4:30 am until fans poured into the chilly Bozeman evening, was a party.

It was a party that celebrated the Bobcats' 55-21 win over the Grizzlies, MSU's fifth victory in the last six meetings. It was a party that celebrating ESPN's hallowed "three hour infomercial for your school and your community," as host Rece Davis told the assembled throng. And it was a party reveled in the program's first Big Sky Championship since 2012, but the seventh in the last two decades.

"Our guys were absolutely focused on the game today," said second-year Montana State coach Brent Vigen. "We've got a group that plays for each other. College Game Day is great for the university and great for the fans, but ultimately you've got to play the game. Our guys made it about winning today and getting that trophy back."

Two hours after Lee Corso donned the headgear of MSU's mascot Champ, the Bobcats began 75-yard game-opening drive that took just six plays and produced a one-yard Tommy Mellott touchdown run. The Grizzlies answered, with Lucas Johnson marching his squad 75 yards and capping things with a perfect 30-yard pass to Malik Flowers to knot the score. And UM didn't score again until the game had been decided.

Mellott scored on the seventh play of another 75-yard drive, Mellott scoring from 12 yards out. On Montana's next possession the snap in punt formation sailed over Patrick Rohrbach's head and into the end zone, where Jory Choate recovered it for a Bobcat touchdown. After the Bobcat defense forced a three-and-out, the nation's third-ranked team put together a 17-play, 86-yard drive and when Sean Chambers scored from one yard out on fourth and goal the Cats led 28-7.

The Grizzlies' last real chance to get back into the game came on its next drive, when a tidy drive found UM at the Bobcat two. On second and goal, a pitch from Johnson to Nick Ostmo was errant, and Bozeman product Callahan O'Reilly recovered. The Cats moved the ball down the field and Blake Glessner drilled a 34-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. Montana State led 31-7, and was never threatened again.

The first half stats were staggering. Montana State out-gained UM 306 yards to 102, rushing for 306 yards. Mellott gained 119 yards with two touchdowns before halftime.

A sophomore from Butte, Mellott finished his first Cat-Griz start with 141 yards rushing on 15 carries, completing six of his eight passes for 104 yards. Elijah Elliott rushed for 126 yards, and MSU finished the day with 439 yards on the ground. That was the most by any Bobcat team in history against the Grizzlies, topping the 382 yards amassed in the 2019 tilt that Montana State won 48-14. The Bobcats' 55 points stand as the most ever scored by MSU in the series.

The victory gives Montana State at least a share of the Big Sky title for the first time since 2012, and boosts the team into a likely high seed in the FCS Playoff bracket announced on Sunday at 10:30 am.

#GoCatsGo