Scottre Humphrey ran for 102 yards in MSU's win on Saturday.
Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services
Mellott, Bobcats roll in playoffs
12/7/2024 4:50:00 PM | Football, General
Behind a career day from Tommy Mellott, Montana State rolled past Tennessee-Martin 49-17 in a second-round FCS playoff game in Bozeman.
On Saturday on an unseasonably warm afternoon, Mellott showed why he was recently named the Big Sky Conference offensive player of the year, passing for a career high 300 yards while matching his career best with four touchdown passes.
Mellott, a senior from Butte, tossed a pair of scoring passes in the opening quarter, the first to a wide open Hunter Provience from 24 yards out. Provience saw extra action due to an injury in MSU's previous game to regular tight end Rohan Jones.
Later in the quarter, Mellott threaded the needle on a 12-yard scoring pass to Taco Dowler. Overall, Mellott completed 22 of 25 passes in front of 17,017 fans. Dowler and Ty McCullouch each caught four passes and Ryan Lonergan hauled in three.
The win put top-seeded MSU at 13-0 for the first time in team history. After winning its previous five road games, UTM finished the season 9-5.
McCullouch opened the second quarter scoring when he took an end-around into the end zone behind a trio of key blocks by Adam Jones, Rylan Schlepp and Lonergan. That made it 21-0 before UTM even had a first down. But the Skyhawks would get on the scoreboard later in the period with a 37-yard field goal from Jaren Van Winkle and a sparkling 78-yard catch and run from quarterback Kinkead Dent to Trevonte Rucker. That was the longest play given up by MSU's defense this season.
Just before the first half ended, McCullouch caught a 39-yard scoring pass from Mellott as the quarterback bought time while sidestepping a ferocious rush from UTM.
In the third quarter, a 40-yard punt return by Dowler set up a 36-yard touchdown dash by Scottre Humphrey to make it 35-10. Humphrey finished with 102 yards on just 11 carries. The Bobcats totaled 201 yards on the ground and 501 overall.
Later in the quarter, Dowler took a Mellott pass in the right flat and danced past a would-be tackler for a 29-yard score. Adam Jones finished the scoring with a 30-yard dash that featured a fine spin move to elude one tackle and a key downfield block by Aidan Garrigan, that made the score 49-10. A final Dent-to-Rucker 4-yard scoring pass closed out the scoring.
Rylan Ortt led the MSU defense with seven tackle while Bryce Grebe and Paul Brott were in on six each. Brody Grebe and Kenneth Eiden combined for three sacks and Brott and Dominic Solano record one apiece.
The Bobcats are at home again this week against either Lehigh or Idaho.
On Saturday on an unseasonably warm afternoon, Mellott showed why he was recently named the Big Sky Conference offensive player of the year, passing for a career high 300 yards while matching his career best with four touchdown passes.
Mellott, a senior from Butte, tossed a pair of scoring passes in the opening quarter, the first to a wide open Hunter Provience from 24 yards out. Provience saw extra action due to an injury in MSU's previous game to regular tight end Rohan Jones.
Later in the quarter, Mellott threaded the needle on a 12-yard scoring pass to Taco Dowler. Overall, Mellott completed 22 of 25 passes in front of 17,017 fans. Dowler and Ty McCullouch each caught four passes and Ryan Lonergan hauled in three.
The win put top-seeded MSU at 13-0 for the first time in team history. After winning its previous five road games, UTM finished the season 9-5.
McCullouch opened the second quarter scoring when he took an end-around into the end zone behind a trio of key blocks by Adam Jones, Rylan Schlepp and Lonergan. That made it 21-0 before UTM even had a first down. But the Skyhawks would get on the scoreboard later in the period with a 37-yard field goal from Jaren Van Winkle and a sparkling 78-yard catch and run from quarterback Kinkead Dent to Trevonte Rucker. That was the longest play given up by MSU's defense this season.
Just before the first half ended, McCullouch caught a 39-yard scoring pass from Mellott as the quarterback bought time while sidestepping a ferocious rush from UTM.
In the third quarter, a 40-yard punt return by Dowler set up a 36-yard touchdown dash by Scottre Humphrey to make it 35-10. Humphrey finished with 102 yards on just 11 carries. The Bobcats totaled 201 yards on the ground and 501 overall.
Later in the quarter, Dowler took a Mellott pass in the right flat and danced past a would-be tackler for a 29-yard score. Adam Jones finished the scoring with a 30-yard dash that featured a fine spin move to elude one tackle and a key downfield block by Aidan Garrigan, that made the score 49-10. A final Dent-to-Rucker 4-yard scoring pass closed out the scoring.
Rylan Ortt led the MSU defense with seven tackle while Bryce Grebe and Paul Brott were in on six each. Brody Grebe and Kenneth Eiden combined for three sacks and Brott and Dominic Solano record one apiece.
The Bobcats are at home again this week against either Lehigh or Idaho.
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