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Behind The Numbers: South Dakota State Wins Overtime Thriller Over Montana State

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Behind The Numbers: South Dakota State Wins Overtime Thriller Over Montana State


There was no bigger game on the Week 2 schedule than No. 2 South Dakota State traveling to No. 3 Montana State on Saturday night.

As we do each week, we go behind the numbers of the biggest FCS matchups, using success rate to get a deeper look than what the final score may tell you about what happened in the game. We will still analyze games from across the FCS later this week, but we had to take a deeper look at the biggest FCS non-conference matchup of the year.

Success Rate is a statistic that tracks how often a team is ‘successful’ on a down-to-down basis. It looks at how a team consistently performs. The Average Success Rate for a college football program is about 40%, while closer to 50% is considered excellent, and anything under 30% is deemed poor.

Success rate takes out a lot of the underlying factors of a game and strictly tells you how well a team played down-to-down. While outliers can swing an individual game, success rate can be a better indicator of what future performance will be. A play is “successful” if 50% of the yards needed are gained on first down, 70% are gained on second down, and 100% are gained on third or fourth down.

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We take a look behind the numbers from South Dakota State’s thrilling overtime victory over Montana State.

Success Rate: SDSU (41.5%), Montana State (40.8%)

South Dakota State won the most exciting game of the weekend, which spanned two overtime periods in a nationally-ranked matchup. Almost every statistic you can find will tell you this game was played about as evenly as a game can be played. SDSU barely edged Montana State in success rate, while the Bobcats edged the Jackrabbits in yards per play (4.9 to 4.6).

Both teams missed a field goal and lost two fumbles, which led to crucial points for the other team. Montana State was 5-for-15 on third down, while South Dakota State struggled, finishing 1-for-13 on those opportunities. More importantly, Montana State failed to convert its only fourth-down attempt, ultimately sealing the win for SDSU. The Jackrabbits converted on a crucial fourth down in Montana State territory on a scoring drive in the fourth quarter, finishing 1-for-2 for the game.

What’s interesting is that each team only produced one drive over 55 yards. Montana State had two promising drives that ended in a fumble, while South Dakota State was able to capitalize on a blocked punt early in the game for a two-play touchdown drive.

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Montana State found more success on the ground compared to SDSU. The Bobcat running backs averaged 5.23 yards per carry and generated 94 yards before contact, compared to SDSU’s running backs, who averaged 4.15 yards per touch and 75 yards before contact. Despite this, Julius Loughridge led all rushers with 99 yards on 23 carries.

Both defensive lines were excellent. Montana State generated four sacks and eight tackles for loss, making several big stops down the stretch. Defensive ends Kenneth Eiden IV and Hunter Parsons led the way for the Bobcats. Eiden had a 17.4% stop-rate, while Parsons posted a 12.5% stop-rate.

South Dakota State had six tackles for loss and was excellent at generating pressure on quarterback Justin Lamson. The Jackrabbits generated 17 pressures on 38 dropbacks and made Lamson uncomfortable all day. Logan Green led the way with five pressures, while Kobe Clayborne and Dawson Ripperda combined for six pressures. Ripperda led the defense with a 14.3% stop rate.

The main difference in the game was Chase Mason’s connection with wide receiver Lofton O’Groske. O’Groske finished with 12 catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns. No other SDSU wide receiver had more than two receptions. The statistic that really changed the game was O’Groske’s ability to win 1-on-1 matchups. He had four contested catches on five contested targets, posting an 80% contested catch rate. Taco Dowler and Dane Steel were the only other players in the game to record a contested catch, combining for three.

Chase Mason did a great job avoiding turnovers while making plays in key moments when they needed to be made. The negative to this game is that he continued to struggle when under pressure. Montana State was able to turn 50% of its pressure into sacks, while Justin Lamson faced more pressure, but did a much better job avoiding the negative play with only 21.4% of his pressures ending with a sack.

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Both of these teams flashed a lot of potential while showing they have a long way to go before they hit their ceiling. South Dakota State certainly has to feel good, moving to 2-0 with two ranked wins, giving the Jackrabbits an early advantage to earn one of the top seeds in the FCS playoffs.

More FCS Football News

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Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for March 4, 2026

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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.

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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

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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.

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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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University of Montana president job draws high interest • Daily Montanan

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University of Montana president job draws high interest • Daily Montanan


The search for a new University of Montana president has drawn more than 60 applicants, according to a spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.

“We do not have an exact count at this time, as several applications are still being completed and additional submissions are expected,” said spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner Galen Hollenbaugh in an email earlier this week.

In January, then-UM-President Seth Bodnar announced his resignation to pursue other public service. Wednesday, the final day of filing, he announced he was running as an independent for the U.S. Senate to try to unseat Republican incumbent Steve Daines.

Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian earlier said that with the advice of AGB Search, a firm that’s helped the Montana University System conduct other executive searches, he would undertake an expedited process to appoint a new president.

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Christian has been providing brief updates on a website dedicated to the search. Last week, he said he and AGB Search are reviewing applications, and the pool of candidates was “strong and diverse.”

The commissioner also announced he was convening a small working group to assist in the search, members who “represent a variety of perspectives to assist in vetting and narrowing this field of exceptional candidates.”

In an email this week, Hollenbaugh identified the members of the working group who are assisting Christian with application review as:

  • Community member and former Regent Joyce Dombrouski
  • Faculty Senate Chairperson Valerie Moody
  • Staff Senate President Dominic Beccari
  • Administration Representative John DeBoer (Vice President of Academic Affairs)
  • ASUM (Associated Students of the University of Montana) President Buddy Wilson

Hollenbaugh declined to comment on the way the rest of the process would unfold or the role the working group members would play.

Christian earlier said he anticipated an appointment within one to three months, or as soon as early this month.

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Montana Supreme Court allows ballot measure on initiative process to move forward

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Montana Supreme Court allows ballot measure on initiative process to move forward


HELENA — The Montana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a proposed ballot measure intended to simplify the process for introducing ballot measures in the future.

Justices ruled 5-2 that the measure, currently called Ballot Issue #8, did not violate state requirements that a single constitutional amendment can’t make multiple separate changes to the Montana Constitution.

“We’re very grateful to the Montana Supreme Court for agreeing with us that the attorney general’s finding of legal insufficiency for Ballot Issue #8 was incorrect,” said SK Rossi, a spokesperson for Montanans Decide, the group sponsoring the measure.

Montanans Decide argues the Montana Legislature has passed laws making it harder for the public to propose and pass ballot issues. The Montana Constitution already guarantees the people the right to pass laws and amendments through ballot measures, but Ballot Issue #8 would expand that to include a right to “impartial, predictable, transparent, and expeditious processes” for proposing those measures. It would seek to prevent “interference from the government or the use of government resources to support or oppose the ballot issue.”

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Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office argued the measure “implicitly amended” multiple provisions in the state constitution, including by limiting the “power and authority of public officials to speak officially on ballot issues that affect those officials’ public duties” and by putting restrictions on judges and on the Legislature. Montanans Decide, the group sponsoring Ballot Issue #8, disagreed – and the majority of justices sided with them.

“Its provisions operate together to define and protect a single constitutional right—the people’s exercise of initiative and referendum,” wrote Justice Katherine Bidegaray in the majority opinion. “They are closely related components of one constitutional design.”

Bidegaray’s majority opinion was joined by Justices Jim Shea, Laurie McKinnon, Beth Baker and Ingrid Gustafson.

Chief Justice Cory Swanson and Justice Jim Rice each wrote dissenting opinions, saying they would have upheld Knudsen’s decision to disallow Ballot Issue #8. Rice said the language restricting government interference with a ballot issue was not closely related and should have been a separate vote. Swanson agreed with Rice and said the measure’s attempt to fix a timeline for legal cases surrounding ballot measures was also a separate substantial change.

In a statement, Chase Scheuer, a spokesperson for Knudsen’s office, reacted to the decision.

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“This decision only further muddies the courts’ jurisprudence on ballot issue questions,” he said. “This initiative would violate the separate vote requirement by amending multiple parts of the Montana Constitution, but the court contradicted its prior rulings. Attorney General Knudsen will continue to neutrally apply the separate vote requirement in his review of ballot initiatives.”

The court’s decision means that Knudsen’s office will now need to approve ballot language for Ballot Issue #8. Once that language is finalized, Montanans Decide could begin gathering signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

However, last year, sponsors of another initiative went to the Supreme Court to argue that the ballot statements Knudsen prepared were misleading. If Montanans Decide object to their ballot statements, that could further delay signature gathering while the case plays out in court.

“Regardless, we’re going to push as hard as we can to get those petitions into the hands of voters and let them sign and support if they so choose,” said Rossi.

Rossi said the legal battle this measure has gone through – and the possibility of more to come – shows why Ballot Issue #8 is needed.

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“The state Legislature, and also statewide elected officials, have taken every opportunity to create burdens and hurdles and rigamarole for campaigns to get through in order to just get to the signature gathering phase, and then to get through the signature gathering phase onto the ballot, and then get through the election phase,” said Rossi. “The reason we filed this initiative is just to make sure that the process is simple, that the timeline is clear, and that Montanans can have their will heard when they want to propose and pass laws that they deem worthy.”





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