POCATELLO, Idaho — Third-ranked Montana State was locked in a tense tussle with Idaho State through three quarters Saturday at the ICCU Dome.

After the Bengals clawed back to within 17-10 to start the fourth quarter, Bobcats quarterback Tommy Mellott lobbed a pass to tight end Rohan Jones, who had gotten behind the ISU defense. Seventy yards later, Jones was in the end zone, giving the Cats a two-possession lead they would not relinquish on their way to a 37-17 Big Sky Conference football win.

In what was expected to be a high-scoring affair between two explosive offenses, it was the defenses that shined early.

Montana State led just 3-0 at the end of the first quarter, getting a 44-yard field goal from Myles Sansted after capitalizing on a 50-yard punt return by Taco Dowler. The Bengals had just 8 yards of offense in the first quarter.

The offenses got going in the second quarter, though. On the first play of the period, Mellott corralled a high snap and then weaved through the Idaho State defense for a 7-yard touchdown run that put MSU up 10-0.

Scottre Humphrey added to Montana State’s lead midway through the quarter on a bruising 18-yard touchdown run. Humphrey powered through an Idaho State defender at the goal line to push the Cats’ advantage to 17-0.

It looked the rout might be on, but Idaho State had an answer. The Bengals moved the ball deep into Montana State territory with less than a minute to play before halftime. Facing fourth and goal from the 5-yard line, Idaho State coach Cody Hawkins opted to go for the touchdown instead of kick the short field goal.

Quarterback Kobe Tracy threw a high pass to the back of the end zone, and 6-foot-6 receiver Michael Shulikov made a leaping, toe-tapping catch to send the Bengals into halftime trailing just 17-7.

They got back within 17-10 on a 33-yard field goal to start the fourth.

But Montana State closed the game in style — first getting the 70-yard touchdown by Jones and then a 6-yard scoring run by Humphrey to go up 31-10.

After the Bengals scored — this time on an impressive 16-yard pass from Tracy to Jeff Weimer — the Bobcats leaned on their ground game to add another Humphrey touchdown and run out the clock, improving to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in Big Sky play.

Turning point: Idaho State had gotten back within seven points when Jones gave momentum back to Montana State. The junior tight end got behind the defense and nobody was close to him when he caught Mellott’s pass. Jones showed off his speed, pulling away from the Bengals to find paydirt. The Bobcats were never threatened the rest of the way.

Stat of the game: Idaho State totaled just 276 yards of offense. The Bengals entered the game averaging 278 passing yards and 140 rushing yards per game. They had 201 passing yards Saturday and just 75 rushing yards.

Bobcat game balls: RB Scottre Humphrey (Offense). Idaho State did a commendable job against the Bobcats’ vaunted rushing attack, but Humphrey still finished with 159 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries.

DB Rylan Ortt (Defense). Ortt has been a solid presence in the Montana State secondary all season and was again Saturday. After the Bobcats turned the ball over on an Adam Jones fumble in the second quarter, Ortt made a diving interception to keep Idaho State off the scoreboard. The pick led to Humphrey’s first touchdown, as the Bobcats took control.

PR Taco Dowler (Special teams). Dowler has turned into a threat returning punts for the Bobcats, and his 50-yard return gave Montana State a spark in the early going. For the game, he fielded five punts and had 73 return yards.

What’s next: Montana State (5-0 overall, 1-0 Big Sky) returns to Bozeman for its first Big Sky Conference home game of the season against Northern Colorado (0-5, 0-1), which lost 28-7 to Cal Poly this week. The Bobcats have won their past 10 meetings with the Bears, including the last four by an average margin of more than 28 points. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Oct. 5 inside Bobcat Stadium.

Idaho State (2-3, 0-1), meanwhile, is at Cal Poly (2-2, 1-0) next week. The Bengals won the most recent meeting between the two teams, a 40-31 victory in 2022.

BILLINGS — Much of Montana and Wyoming had nothing but sun on Saturday, but some areas dealt with smoke from the Elk Fire in northern Wyoming. We can expect a fairly clear sky tonight and it will be a little milder Sunday morning than it was Saturday morning. Lows will be in the 40s and lower to mid 50s.

An approaching trough of low pressure and cold front will increase our cloud cover, our wind speed and our high temperatures on Sunday. Record-breaking heat is possible by late afternoon with highs in the 90s, and fire danger will be much higher with the heat, dry air and stronger wind. Please be careful, everyone!

Once the new week arrives, a new weather pattern arrives, too. A cold front will race over Montana and Wyoming late Sunday and early Monday, bringing much stronger wind and cooler air. Highs Monday will be 25-30 degrees cooler than Sunday. Much of next week looks dry, but we’ll be in the 60s and 70s with gusty wind.

Isn’t it just swell that John Driscoll, the no-show Democratic candidate in Montana’s Second Congressional District election, took the time to inform voters that if elected he would work to ensure U.S. nuclear weapons would not be used in a first-strike manner unless approved by Congress.

What’s puzzling is that the Sept. 11 Billings Gazette opted to print his nothing-burger musings when every inch of newsprint is increasingly valuable as we near the Nov. 5 election.

You see, it is not an issue Driscoll will face anytime for the rest of his life because he essentially folded his congressional-campaign tent the day he filed to run, planning not to spend more than $5,000 to promote his candidacy.

In a very real sense, veteran politician Driscoll robbed Eastern Montana.

His vanity won over common sense in choosing a low-budget campaign in the apparent belief that he is well-enough known and admired that he would win. But as the song by Taj Mahal goes, Republican Troy Downing has secured “A Cake Walk into Town.” 

Holly Michels, chief of the Lee State Bureau in Helena, correctly wrote on Sept. 1 that the election is effectively over.

Voters in Eastern Montana were robbed of the opportunity to witness a vigorous contest with a focus on issues affecting our part of the state. We got only crickets.

True, any Democrat faced a huge obstacle in opposing the Trump-endorsed, well-financed (including his own money), Afghanistan veteran and incumbent state government officer Troy Downing. 

Driscoll gained 13,317 votes in the Democrat primary election, closely followed by Broadus rancher Steve Held with 10,583 and Billings resident Ming Cabrera with 8,341 – Cabrera with perhaps the most-germane qualifications and experience for the position.

Downing, replicating Matt Rosendale’s opportunistic moves to state Insurance Commissioner and then the U.S. House, trounced his eight competitors in the Republican primary. Several factors favored Downing– an endorsement from Donald Trump whom he once opposed and support from Republicans Gov. Greg Gianforte, First District Rep. Ryan Zinke and junior U.S. Sen. Steve Daines.

Downing’s dominant campaign ad recited his credentials as an Air Force veteran who enlisted after 9/11 and served in Afghanistan. But his role wasn’t exactly clear: The ad projected an image of an Air Force pilot in a flight suit wearing Tom Cruise sunglasses with a jet in the background. 

A closer look reveals private-pilot Downing wearing his civilian Nomex flight suit sporting a patch advertising YAHOO, which in 1998 purchased his technology company. Behind him is his personal Czech L39 jet trainer. Just slightly deceptive — he was never an Air Force pilot.

Instead, Downing enlisted as an airman basic in the California Air National Guard’s 129th Air Rescue Squadron, not the Air Force per se. Nonetheless, he is an Air Force veteran since the ANG is a component of the active Air Force and deserves commendation for his patriotism and honorable service. He went on two combat deployments to Afghanistan with his Air Guard unit as a helicopter flight engineer. Back in the States as a “traditional Guardsman,” Downing had time to build a commercial real estate company and a securities company, he recently told the Explore the Big Sky publication. 

Facts also were a little blurry in 2018 when he was fined $2,110 and lost hunting privileges for illegally securing a resident hunting license as a non-resident. Downing argued that the case was based on mistakes made by accountants who prepared his income tax returns. 

Downing, a native Californian, likely would have faced direct questioning about his biography as he would have fairly inquired of Driscoll who has been politically active since 1972.

However, it looks like Downing will get a pass on tougher questions from a would-be feisty opponent. To date, he has been successfully vague: National abortion ban? Raising tariffs? An immigration policy beyond building a wall? Aid to Ukraine? Concern with Russian aggression? Eliminate the federal departments of Education and Homeland Security? Repeal of the Affordable Care Act? Investment in alternative energy? And the list goes on.

Downing is to become one of only four people in Washington working for and representing Montanans. He should have to work for that responsibility and honor beyond simple self-promotion.

Instead, Driscoll gave him a cake walk into Congress.

Peter D. Fox of Big Timber spent 25 years as daily newspaper editor and journalist in Wisconsin and Montana including the Billings Gazette. He later served as a Wisconsin cabinet secretary, an officer with the University of Wisconsin System, and as a non-profit executive. After four years active duty in the U.S. Army Security Agency 1967-1971, and went on to serve 25 years in the Army National Guard. He retired as a colonel in 2004.