Bobcats crush Bengals, still in first place

Bobcats crush Bengals, still in first place Image

Adam Jones rushed for a season-best 173 yards in MSU's win on Saturday.

Photo by: Brian Morse

10/11/2025 4:39:00 PM | Football, General

Montana State remains in first place in the Big Sky Conference after rolling past Idaho State on Saturday in Bozeman, 48-14. With their fifth straight win, the fifth-ranked Bobcats improved to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in conference action.

Justin Lamson led the MSU assault, passing for four touchdowns and running for another. Lamson's 22-yard strike to running back Julius Davis got the scoring started. For Davis, a senior who started his career at Wisconsin, it was his first career scoring catch. Lamson, who rushed for 60 yards, helped the drive stay alive with a 23-yard keeper.

Midway through the first quarter, as the rain began to fall on the 22,267 fans in attendance, Lamson found Dane Steel from 15 yards out. Again Lamson sparked the drive with an 11-yard scramble while Davis contributed with a 32-yard gallop.,

For the game, Lamson was 17 of 21 passing for 184 yards. Davis, who started out strong before resting in the second half, gained 65 yards. The Bobcats totaled 568 yards to 404 for ISU (2-5, 1-2).

After being flushed out of the pocket by Bobcat defensive end Hunter Parsons, Bengal quarterback Jordan Cooke was able to buy time and hit Michael Shulikov on a 7-yard touchdown pass to cut MSU's lead to 14-7.

MSU's Adam Jones opened the second quarter with a 24-yard touchdown dash, gliding through a huge hole created by offensive linemen Burke Mastel, JT Reed and Titan Fleischmann. Jones became the first Bobcat this season to eclipse the century mark rushing, finishing with 173 yards on 16 carries.

After Cooke's 69-yard scoring pass to Tsion Nunnally made it 20-14, Lamson found the end zone on a 7-yard keeper, getting a key block from tight end Rocky Lencioni. That touchdown was set up by a Jones 34-yard run.

MSU closed out the first half with a 13-yard pass from Lamson to Lencioni, making it 34-14. For the entire game, Lamson had ample time to find his receivers, standing tall behind the Bobcats' huge offensive line.

In the first half, MSU ran for 264 yards while holding the Bengals to just four yards on the ground. The opening half ended with MSU's Tayden Gray intercepting Cooke.

The offensive assault slowed down in the second half. Lencioni did sneak out into the right flat late in the third quarter and hauled in a Lamson pass before running untouched 22 yards to up the score to 41-14. It was the first four-touchdown game for Lamson, a junior transfer from Stanford.

The Bobcat defense rose to the occasion again in the third quarter when defensive back Carson Williams caused a fumble in the open field and Cole Taylor recovered. MSU's final touchdown also came on an ISU turnover, this time when linebacker Brock Steel pulled in an interception. That led to a score by backup quarter Patrick Duchien who called his own number three straight times before finding the end zone on a 4-yard keeper to close out the scoring.

The Bobcats have a bye this week before traveling to Cal Poly on Oct. 25. They are home again on Nov. 8 when Weber State comes to Bozeman. ISU also has a bye this week.

Taco Dowler was Lamson's favorite target, collecting seven passes for 45 yards. Caden Dowler led the MSU defense with seven tackles. Dominic Solano recorded a sack for the Bobcats, the only one allowed by the Bengals this season.