No. 3 Montana State starts fast and dominates overwhelmed Northern Colorado

BOZEMAN – Third-ranked Montana State took care of business Saturday at Bobcat Stadium, cruising past winless Northern Colorado for a 55-17 Big Sky Conference football win.

The Bobcats wasted little time, scoring on a 9-yard pass from quarterback Tommy Mellott to tight end Ryan Lonergan just five minutes into the game. MSU missed the point-after try – one of the few mistakes in an otherwise excellent first half – and took a 6-0 lead. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 13-0 after Mellott scored a touchdown to Rohan Jones, and the rout was underway.

Mellott finished the game with 225 yards and four touchdowns on just 8 of 12 passing as the Bobcats had plenty of success through the air. Receiver Ty McCullouch even threw a touchdown pass as Montana State pulled out its tricks in the second quarter. McCullouch took a handoff from Mellott and sprinted left. The left-hander then threw a pass over the Northern Colorado defense to a waiting Taco Dowler, who trotted into the end zone.

Mellott added a rushing touchdown later in the second quarter to help the Cats take a 27-0 halftime lead.

They extended the lead to 34-0 early in the third when Mellott found a rushing McCullouch down the sideline for a 50-yard touchdown. McCullouch, Dowler and Lonergan each had two catches and each caught a touchdown pass from Mellott.

Northern Colorado finally got it done with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Caden Meis to Cash Cheeks, but Montana State answered less than a minute later when Dowler took a screen pass from Mellott 72 yards for another touchdown.

Kia'i Keone threw a 28-yard touchdown to Brayden Munroe for the Bears' other touchdown, while MSU got rushing touchdowns from Scottre Humphrey and Chance Wilson to end the game.

Humphrey had 10 carries for 81 yards.

Turning point: There was never any doubt about this as Montana State gained control on the first possession and never looked back. MSU has scored more than 30 points in all six of its wins this season.

Statistics of the game: The Bobcats finished the game with 278 passing yards, flipping the script on what has otherwise been a dominant rushing attack on offense this season. The Bobcats still gained 230 yards on the ground, but the big plays in the passing game proved too much for Northern Colorado.

Bobcat toy balls: QB Tommy Mellott (Attack). This could go to Ty McCullouch or Taco Dowler, the receivers who make the big plays, but Mellott is just off to an outstanding start this season. He threw the ball efficiently again and got his weapons in the right position to make the big plays.

LBs Danny Uliulakepa and McCade O'Reilly (defense). MSU's starting defense was dominant, keeping Northern Colorado off the scoreboard in the first half, and Uliulakepa and O'Reilly were the keys to the success. Uliulakepa had eight total tackles, including one for loss, and one interception, while O'Reilly had 10 total tackles, including a sack.

PR Taco Dowler (Special Teams). Dowler showed his speed on offense as a receiver, finishing the game with 106 yards and two touchdowns, but he has developed into a dangerous returner. He threw seven punts and had 102 return yards, including a long return of 36 yards.

What's next?: Montana State (6-0 overall, 2-0 Big Sky) is back at Bobcat Stadium for what is expected to be one of the biggest tests of the season when Idaho comes to Bozeman. The Vandals won last year's meeting in Moscow and the teams have split the last four meetings. The Bobcats and Vandals are scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. Oct. 12 and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

Northern Colorado (0-6, 0-2), meanwhile, remains on the road at Weber State next week. The Wildcats have won the last five games in the series between the two teams.