Montana
Montana State football beats Northern Colorado 55-17, sending Bears to 18th straight loss
Nationally ranked Montana State defeated Northern Colorado for the 11th-straight game with a 55-17 win Saturday in a Big Sky Conference football game at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman.
Sophomore wide receiver Taco Dowler had 207 all-purpose yards for the 6-0 Bobcats, who came into the homecoming game ranked third in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll from Sept. 30.
Northern Colorado lost for the sixth time in six games this season, and the program losing streak extended to 18 games dating to November 2022.
UNC’s last win was a 21-20 victory Nov. 12, 2022 over Big Sky opponent Northern Arizona at Nottingham Field in Greeley. The program’s current losing streak began the following week with a 45-21 loss to Eastern Washington in Cheney, Washington.
Northern Colorado’s last win over Montana State was 17 years ago, a 16-13 victory Oct. 27, 2007 in Greeley.
Montana State led 27-0 at halftime on three touchdowns from Bobcats’ quarterback Tommy Mellott and a 34-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Ty McCullouch to Dowler. Mellott threw two touchdown passes in the first half and ran for another.
Dowler and Mellott connected for a 72-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. Dowler added 102 yards on punt returns. McCullouch caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Mellott midway through the third quarter to give the Bobcats a 34-0 lead.
Mellott was 8 of 12 for 225 yards passing. He accounted for five touchdowns against the Bears with four passing touchdowns. Mellott has 12 passing touchdowns this season and five rushing touchdowns. He has not thrown an interception.
Montana State totaled 510 yards of offense, averaging eight yards per play in scoring a season-high in points. Running back Scottre Humphrey ran for 81 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown.
“We didn’t play very disciplined on defense,” UNC coach Ed Lamb said in a text message. “It cost us dearly. MSU had too many big plays for us to overcome. Particularly with the poor field position caused by a slow start on offense and poor punt coverage.”
Montana State hosts fellow Big Sky undefeated Idaho (2-0, 4-2) Oct. 12 at Bobcat Stadium. The Vandals, ranked 10th in FCS last week, beat No. 25 Northern Arizona 23-17 at home Saturday in Moscow.
UNC got on the scoreboard late in the third quarter on a 14-yard pass from running back Caden Meis to Carver Cheeks, a defensive back-turned wide receiver. Meis also has two rushing touchdowns this season.
Sophomore wide receiver Brayden Munroe scored on a 28-yard reception from Kia’i Keone with 2-minutes, 7 seconds left in third, and Hunter Green kicked a 29-yard field goal early in the fourth for the Bears.
Green punted seven times for 321 yards with a long of 60 yards and an average of 45.9 yards per punt.
Munroe caught five passes for 84 yards. He is the Bears’ leading receiver this season with 20 catches for 267 yards.
Tight end Cash Cheeks, Carver’s brother, had four catches for 71 yards. Carver Cheeks finished with three catches for 46 yards.
UNC’s offense was statistically more productive than in any other game this season. The Bears’ 356 yards of total offense was four yards short of its season-best of 360 in the first game at University of Incarnate Word.
“We can build on some of the fight and effort displayed by the offense,” Lamb said.
Keone was 17 of 29 for 247 yards with a touchdown and an interception. In his first start at UNC, Keone’s 247 passing yards were the most by a Bears quarterback this season.
A graduate student transfer from Pacific Palisades, Hawaii, Keone was the fifth starting quarterback for UNC this season because of injuries.
Peter Costelli, who was selected as the starter before the season, injured his knee late against Colorado State in the second game of the year.
The Bears then worked in Jonah Chong, Hank Gibbs and Kaiden Box as starters with Keone, though, seeing significant playing time through the first five games.
The Bears had 95 yards rushing, which was their second lowest total of the season. UNC rushed for 87 yards last week against Cal Poly.
UNC’s next game is Oct. 12 at Weber State. Weber State (2-0 Big Sky, 3-3 overall), beat defending conference champion Montana 55-48 in overtime Saturday in Missoula. Montana (1-1, 4-2) came into the game ranked eighth nationally last week.
Originally Published:
Although newly minted GOP candidates for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate have garnered heavyweight endorsements, the Montana Republican Party said Thursday it won’t throw its support behind any candidates for federal office in the primary.
“The Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) stands behind its deep bench of qualified candidates seeking to represent Montanans and supports a competitive primary process to let voters pick their preferred candidates,” the Montana GOP said in a news release Thursday.
Monday, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke announced he was retiring due to health concerns once his term ends, and he immediately tapped talk-show host Aaron Flint as his preferred successor in Congress.
Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and Flathead County Republican Central Committee Chairperson Al Olszewski also filed for the U.S. House as Republicans, as did Ray Curtis of Bonner.
Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines withdrew, and in a statement the same night, announced an endorsement of former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, who had filed the same day.
In the Senate, Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child also filed to run in the Republican primary.
Endorsements for Flint and Alme cascaded. U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed both candidates, and U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy and Gov. Greg Gianforte threw their weight behind Flint and Alme.
Late on Wednesday, the Montana GOP did not immediately have comment on the news Daines, Montana’s senior U.S. senator, had resigned, but Thursday, the party thanked Zinke and Daines for their service.
A news release said the party would not endorse any candidates in the federal primary and would leave the job in the hands of voters.
“The party hopes every candidate will make their case to the public, contrasting their Republican policies and principles with those of Democrats — as well as phony ‘Independents,’” the news release said.
Former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar announced a run for the U.S. Senate as an independent this week.
A tension within the Republican party has emerged in recent years between hardline conservatives and more moderate members, and some legislative primaries illustrate the split.
This week, the state GOP said the number of primaries for state legislative seats shows a high interest from Montanans who want to serve the state and pass Republican policy, and the MTGOP “is glad to see so many Republicans being called to public service.”
In a brief call, MTGOP spokesperson Ethan Holmes said the party had not ruled out endorsements in legislative primaries.
In the news release, however, the MTGOP offered its view of the larger political debate.
“Montana voters know that beyond the primaries, there is a clear choice between Republican and Democratic governance; one path leads to lower taxes, less crime and stronger families, and the other leads to higher taxes, more crime, and social decay,” MTGOP Chairperson Art Wittich said in a statement.
The news release also said the state GOP is working “tirelessly to deliver a Bright Red Future” at both the state and federal level and looks forward to help candidates whom voters select win in November.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 4, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from March 4 drawing
07-14-42-47-56, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from March 4 drawing
33-38-39-47-51, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 4 drawing
01-07-08-27, Bonus: 12
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 4 drawing
05-10-26-53-59, Powerball: 06
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from March 4 drawing
03-04-06-08-10
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 4 drawing
12-13-36-39-58, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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