Saturday, September 10
BOZEMAN
1:30 pm
Montana State University
63
vs
13
Morehead State
Willie Patterson welcomes Clevan Thomas Jr. to the end zone
Photo by: Garrett Becker
Montana State Soars Past Eagles 63-13 in Bozeman
9/10/2022 7:27:00 PM | Football
Two quarterbacks help Bobcats to easy win
BOZEMAN, Montana – One of Montana State's quarterbacks threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns and the other ran for 127 yards and two scores, leading the Bobcats to a 63-13 win over Morehead State in Bobcat Stadium on Saturday.
"A two-quarterback system," said Bobcat receiver Willie Patterson, "I've been seeing that since 2018. I'm in love with the two-quarterback system. It can be deadly."
It proved that on Saturday, when Mellott completed 16 of his 22 passes and Chambers carried only 7 times in averaging 18.1 yards per carry. The outburst from the men behind center because Montana State's running back situation incurred another blow, with starter Jared White suffering a leg injury early in the game. That left the Cats without their top four running backs (Kaegun Williams, Isaiah Ifanse and Lane Sumner are also shelved with injuries).
The Bobcat ground game barely suffered statistically. MSU rushed for 290 yards on 31 carries, averaging 9.4 yards a carry on a variety of sweeps and a fair measure of old-fashioned bully-ball, and MSU head coach Brent Vigen was pleased with Chambers.
"It was good to get him in the open field a couple times," Vigen said. "We know what he's capable of. You have to get your guys out there where they're capable of making plays.
Receiver Marqui Johnson gained 61 on four carries with a pair of touchdowns, Elijah Elliott's 32 yards came on four carries, Mellott ran for 26 yards on five carries, and reserve quarterback Sean Austin gained 32 yards on five carries on the team's final drive.
While Montana State's ground game kept Morehead State's defense honest, the aerial attack thrived. Tight end Treyton Pickering caught five passes for 98 yards, while Ravi Alston caught five for 96 yards. Patterson grabbed three balls for 51 yards and two more touchdowns, bringing his season total to three.
"When the game gets tough," Patterson said as he prepared to allude to the receiver group's nickname, "just throw it up to Air Rock."
Montana State's defense proved up to the challenge, as well. MSU forced two turnovers and allowed the Eagles just 25 total yards in the first quarter, and at halftime had surrendered 111 yards and seven first downs. Defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez recorded a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup. Kenneth Eiden IV logged 1.5 sacks while freshman cornerback Dru Polidore recorded five tackles, including one for a loss, in his first career start. He replaced injured Simeon Woodard.
"Dru tackled really well," Vigen said. "That's something he does well, and he contested a couple of balls, too."
Valdez credited a thorough defensive game plan with his unit's performance. "It's easy to read my keys and do my job knowing I'm well-prepared by my coaches," he said.
The Bobcats dominated from the game's early moments, scoring five plays into the game when Patterson took a pop pass from Chambers and dashed 11 yards for the score. MSU recovered a fumble on the third play of Morehead State's first drive,, and Chambers converted with Clevan Thomas Jr. for a touchdown. Valdez forced a fumble three plays later, and three plays after that Marqui Johnson sprinted in from 23 yards out. And on the last play of the first period, Taco Dowler snapped a nine-year dry spell for MSU by returning a punt 67 yards for a touchdown.
Montana State's 28 first quarter points matches the program's most ever against a Division I opponent, and the scoring explosion marks the seventh time in Brent Vigen's 15 games that the Cats have topped the 40-point barrier. The sledding gets tougher for the Bobcats next week, though, as the Cats play at Pac 12 opponent Oregon State. Kickoff is 6 pm MT in Portland's Providence Park.
#GoCatsGo
"A two-quarterback system," said Bobcat receiver Willie Patterson, "I've been seeing that since 2018. I'm in love with the two-quarterback system. It can be deadly."
It proved that on Saturday, when Mellott completed 16 of his 22 passes and Chambers carried only 7 times in averaging 18.1 yards per carry. The outburst from the men behind center because Montana State's running back situation incurred another blow, with starter Jared White suffering a leg injury early in the game. That left the Cats without their top four running backs (Kaegun Williams, Isaiah Ifanse and Lane Sumner are also shelved with injuries).
The Bobcat ground game barely suffered statistically. MSU rushed for 290 yards on 31 carries, averaging 9.4 yards a carry on a variety of sweeps and a fair measure of old-fashioned bully-ball, and MSU head coach Brent Vigen was pleased with Chambers.
"It was good to get him in the open field a couple times," Vigen said. "We know what he's capable of. You have to get your guys out there where they're capable of making plays.
Receiver Marqui Johnson gained 61 on four carries with a pair of touchdowns, Elijah Elliott's 32 yards came on four carries, Mellott ran for 26 yards on five carries, and reserve quarterback Sean Austin gained 32 yards on five carries on the team's final drive.
While Montana State's ground game kept Morehead State's defense honest, the aerial attack thrived. Tight end Treyton Pickering caught five passes for 98 yards, while Ravi Alston caught five for 96 yards. Patterson grabbed three balls for 51 yards and two more touchdowns, bringing his season total to three.
"When the game gets tough," Patterson said as he prepared to allude to the receiver group's nickname, "just throw it up to Air Rock."
Montana State's defense proved up to the challenge, as well. MSU forced two turnovers and allowed the Eagles just 25 total yards in the first quarter, and at halftime had surrendered 111 yards and seven first downs. Defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez recorded a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup. Kenneth Eiden IV logged 1.5 sacks while freshman cornerback Dru Polidore recorded five tackles, including one for a loss, in his first career start. He replaced injured Simeon Woodard.
"Dru tackled really well," Vigen said. "That's something he does well, and he contested a couple of balls, too."
Valdez credited a thorough defensive game plan with his unit's performance. "It's easy to read my keys and do my job knowing I'm well-prepared by my coaches," he said.
The Bobcats dominated from the game's early moments, scoring five plays into the game when Patterson took a pop pass from Chambers and dashed 11 yards for the score. MSU recovered a fumble on the third play of Morehead State's first drive,, and Chambers converted with Clevan Thomas Jr. for a touchdown. Valdez forced a fumble three plays later, and three plays after that Marqui Johnson sprinted in from 23 yards out. And on the last play of the first period, Taco Dowler snapped a nine-year dry spell for MSU by returning a punt 67 yards for a touchdown.
Montana State's 28 first quarter points matches the program's most ever against a Division I opponent, and the scoring explosion marks the seventh time in Brent Vigen's 15 games that the Cats have topped the 40-point barrier. The sledding gets tougher for the Bobcats next week, though, as the Cats play at Pac 12 opponent Oregon State. Kickoff is 6 pm MT in Portland's Providence Park.
#GoCatsGo
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