Bobcats Top Hatters 57-20 to Close Non-Conference Slate

Saturday, September 16

BOZEMAN

1 pm

Montana State University

2-1 , 0-0

Stetson

2-1 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Stetson

Montana St.

Sean Chambers

Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services

9/16/2023 7:01:00 PM | Football

Box Score

Montana State rolls up 342 rushing yards on its way to victory

By: Bill Lamberty

BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State scored on nine of its 10 drives that didn't involve closing out a half, beating Stetson 57-20 in the team's final non-conference tune-up for Big Sky Conference play. The win was Montana State's 21^st straight home victory, the longest active streak in Division I football.

Montana State gained 614 yards, 342 on the ground, building a 27-0 lead early in the second quarter that was never threatened. Five different Bobcats rushed for at least 49 yards, and freshman Scottre Humphrey scored three touchdowns. The Cats held Stetson to 280 total yards and 16 first downs.

Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen lauded his team's effort and execution. "We want to be a team that our opponents and circumstances don't dictate how we play," MSU's third-year head coach said. "I thought we came out and played really hard. There's that situation that human nature can't set in and I thought our guys took care of business."

Sean Chambers ran Montana State's offense in Tommy Mellott's absence, and the senior all-purpose offensive weapon rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 140 yards. Five different Bobcats rushed for between 80 and 49 yards, and Scottre Humphrey scored three touchdowns. The Cats held Stetson to 280 total yards and 16 first downs.

"I think Sean came out and played really well," Montana State coach Brent Vigen said, while also lauding the running game. "Our ability to run the football and stop the run is where it starts. I think we've got a full complement of running backs right now and that's probably what showed up as much as anything today. We'll keep feeding those guys. We'll obviously use our quarterbacks in any time and manner but it was good to see those running backs get going today."

They got going early. After the Cats forced a punt on Stetson's first possession, MSU drove 71 yards on 11 plays for the game's first score. Chambers completed two of his four passes on that drive for 10 yards, and rushed twice for 13 yards. Julius Davis gained 25 yards on two carries, including a 22-yard scamper that moved MSU into the red zone. Humphrey ran for five yards, Chambers for eight, then Humphrey punched it in from four yards out.

The six carries for 47 yards foreshadowed the rest of the afternoon. The Cats gained 342 yards on the ground, good for 9.5 yards per carry, with six rushing touchdowns. Through three games, the Bobcats average 317.7 yards per game on the ground.

Montana State's second, third and fourth drives followed the script of drive one. Chambers scored on a seven-yard run to cap a seven-play, 90-yard drive to give MSU a 14-0 lead, the he dashed 30 yards with 19 seconds to play in the first quarter to lift the Cats to a 21-0 lead. Another four-yard run by Humphrey – his sixth rushing touchdowns in his third game as a Bobcat freshman – made the score 27-0.

From that point on, Montana State coasted. The Cats led 41-6 at halftime and 51-13 after three quarters. The team began emptying the bench early in the second half, including quarterback Jordan Reed playing most of the last two periods. He finished 7-for-17 for 132 yards. Freshman receiver Jacob Trimble caught six passes for 104 yards as his role in MSU's offense continues to expand.

Senior linebacker Nolan Askelson led Montana State's staunch defense with seven tackles, while Blake Schmidt, Zac Crews, Sebastian Valdez and Brody Grebe each recorded a sack. Rylan Ortt intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, while Blake Stilwell also picked off a pass.

Montana State heads to Ogden, Utah for a Big Sky showdown with nationally-ranked Weber State next week. The Bobcats and Wildcats kick off at 6 pm on Saturday, with the game airing on MTN stations around Montana.

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