FARMINGTON, Utah (Dec. 12, 2021) - Montana State dominated No. 1 seeded Sam Houston from the opening whistle, as the Bobcats advanced to the FCS Semifinals after the 42-19 road victory.
The victory for Montana State snapped Sam Houston's 22-game win streak, while handing K.C. Keeler his first home loss in the FCS Playoffs. The veteran head coach was 31-0 from his time at Delaware and Sam Houston entering Saturday's game.
The Bobcats were led by freshman quarterback Tommy Mellott, who scored three touchdowns for Montana State in just his second career start. Senior receiver Lance McCutcheon caught two passes for 98 yards, while Isaiah Ifanse rushed for 105 yards and became MSU's single-season rushing record-holder with 1,539 on the year. The Bobcats also got help from their defense, who picked off three passes and held Sam Houston to just 79 yards rushing.
Montana State's Brent Vigen, who improved to 11-1 with the win, also became the first Big Sky head coach in 21 years to lead a team to the semifinals in their first season at the helm.
The Bobcats will face South Dakota State In the semifinals on Saturday, Dec. 18. The game is set to kickoff at 12:00 p.m. MT and will be televised on ESPN2. For ticket information, go
here.
Below is a recap of each Big Sky playoff game from this past week.
James Madison 28, Montana 6
UM Recap
HARRISONBURG, Virginia (Dec. 11, 2021) - Montana, who has struggled with injuries all season long, lost starting quarterback Cam Humphrey and star receiver Samuel Akem in the first half of Friday's game at James Madison, as the Dukes limited the Griz to just 302 total yards of offense and no touchdowns. The Dukes advanced to the semifinals behind an offense that accumulated 487 yards in the 28-6 victory.
Montana State 42, Sam Houston 19
MSU Recap
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (Dec. 12, 2021) - Montana State shocked No. 1 Sam Houston on Saturday night, as the Bobcats jumped out to a 28-0 lead and rode a wave of momentum to a 42-19 road victory. Tommy Mellott scored three touchdowns in the quarterfinal win, with two on the ground and one on the receiving end of a trick play. MSU rushed for 190 yards, while holding Sam Houston to just 79.
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