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 attempt — one of few blemishes in an otherwise stellar first half — to go up 6-0. By the end of the first quarter it was 13-0 after Mellott connected with Rohan Jones for a touchdown, and the rout was on.
Mellott finished with 225 passing yards and four touchdowns on just 8-of-12 passing, as the Bobcats found plenty of success through the air. Receiver Ty McCullouch even threw a touchdown pass when Montana State went to its bag of tricks in the second quarter. McCullouch took a handoff from Mellott and sprinted to the left. The left-hander then lobbed 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 to a 27-0 halftime lead.
They pushed the advantage to 34-0 early in the third when Mellott found a streaking McCullouch for a 50-yard touchdown down the sideline. McCullouch, Dowler and Lonergan each had two catches, and each caught a touchdown pass from Mellott.
Northern Colorado finally got on the board on 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 TD.
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 close out the game.
Humphrey had 10 carries for 81 yards.
Turning point: This one was never in doubt, as Montana State established control on the opening possession and never looked back. MSU has scored 30-plus points in all six of its wins this season.
Stat of the game: The Bobcats finished with 278 passing yards, flipping the script on what has been an otherwise 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 to be too much for Northern Colorado to handle.
Bobcat game balls: QB Tommy Mellott (Offense). This could go to Ty McCullouch or Taco Dowler, the receivers who hit the big plays, but Mellott has been nothing short of superb to start this season. He was again efficient throwing the ball and put his weapons in position to make those 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 keyed the effort. Uliulakepa had eight total tackles, including one for loss, and an interception, while O'Reilly was in on 10 total tackles, including a sack.
PR Taco Dowler (Special teams). Dowler showed off his speed on offense as a receiver, finishing with 106 yards and two touchdowns, but he's become a dangerous returner. He fielded 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 inside Bobcat Stadium for what is expected to be one of its biggest tests of the season as Idaho comes to Bozeman. The Vandals won last year's meeting in Moscow, and the teams have split their last four matchups. The Bobcats and Vandals are scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. on Oct. 12, and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
Northern Colorado (0-6, 0-2), meanwhile, stays on the road next week at Weber State. The Wildcats have won the past five games in the series between the two teams.
