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Montana State football beats Northern Colorado 55-17, sending Bears to 18th straight loss

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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.

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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.

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“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.

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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.

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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.

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Governor Gianforte Announces Montana Ranks as Top 10 State for Job Growth

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Governor Gianforte Announces Montana Ranks as Top 10 State for Job Growth




Governor’s Office


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HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced Montana ranks in the top ten states with the highest year-over-year job growth rates.  
 
“Montana continues to rank as one of the best states to start or grow a business, earn a competitive wage, and secure a good-paying job,” Gov. Gianforte said. “As we continue to reform our regulatory environment to support job creators and cut taxes to give money back to the hardworking Montanans who earned it, we see the results of conservative policies at work as the Treasure State ranks in the top ten states with the strongest job growth.”  

According to a report by Stat Ranker, which compared all 50 states based on year-over-year growth in total nonfarm payroll employment between February 2025 and February 2026, Montana ranked ninth in the nation for both jobs added and overall job growth adding more than 2,100 jobs over the year, representing a 0.4 percent job growth rate. 

Last week, the governor attended the groundbreaking for Janicki Industries in Great Falls to celebrate the aerospace manufacturers’ investment expected to create more than 2,000 jobs over the next ten years and the ribbon cutting for Amazon’s sixth delivery station in Montana that brings the company’s total employment in the state to over 800. 

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Last month, the governor announced Montana was ranked in the top five states with the fastest-growing economies since 2021. The report from Visual Capitalist found that between 2021 and 2025, Montana’s GDP grew 16.1 percent while the national average in the same time period was 10.8 percent. When it comes to wage growth, Montana ranks third in the nation for fastest wage growth and is only one of two states in the nation where wage growth has outpaced inflation since 2020. The average wage earned by Montana workers reached $60,037 in 2024. 

Earlier this year, Gov. Gianforte also announced Montana’s fiscal health surged into the top ten states nationally under his leadership, rising from 22nd in 2021 to 8th in 2025. Since taking office, the governor has paid off the state’s general obligation debt, making Montana debt-free in 2023 and saving Montanans $40 million over a period of two years.  

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Montana also consistently ranks in the top fifteen states with the lowest unemployment rates. Last month, the governor announced Montana’s unemployment rate ticked down to 3.4 percent in May, lower than the national unemployment rate which remained at 4.3 percent.  

The full Stat Ranker report can be read here 

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Montana Lottery Mega Millions, Big Sky Bonus results for July 14, 2026

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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at July 14, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from July 14 drawing

02-04-10-48-56, Mega Ball: 22

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 14 drawing

15-20-26-27, Bonus: 02

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 14 drawing

12-13-15-16-41, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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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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Get Smitten With a Kitten at Humane Society of Western Montana

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Get Smitten With a Kitten at Humane Society of Western Montana


If a furry, playful, hugg-able, lovable kitten would be a great addition to your place, now’s the time to visit the Humane Society of Western Montana.

MEET BAKER AND BUSBOY

It was another Take Me Home Tuesday at the radio stations with the Humane Society. Katie brought in “Baker” (black kitty) and “Busboy” (gray kitty), who along with their two siblings “Chef” and “Cook” form a Fantastic Four of pure joy.

DENNY BEDARD
KITTENS FOR ADOPTION IN MISSOULA

These two-month-old little ones were found in the Polson area and surrendered to the shelter. They just had their spay/neuter surgeries Monday (July 13) and they will be looking for their forever homes starting Wednesday (July 15).

KITTENS FOR ADOPTION IN MISSOULA
DENNY BEDARD
KITTENS FOR ADOPTION IN MISSOULA

Whether you are looking for one kitten or the whole “kitchen,” visit the shelter and fall in love with Baker, Busboy, Chef and Cook.

EVER CONSIDERED BEING A FOSTER HOME FOR SHELTER PETS?

It is kitten season at the Humane Society of Western Montana. The Humane Society is always looking for Fosters to take care of tiny kittens until they are old enough to be adopted. They currently have some that are with mom cats, and some that are bottle babies. And there is always a need for volunteers willing to nurture them until they are of adoption age.

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And of course one of the perks of being a Foster is, if you fall in love with a kitten, you pretty much get first dibs.

READ MORE: Volunteers Hit ‘The Ridge’ To Improve Montana Elk Hunting Opportunities

So, whether you are looking to adopt or would like more information about being a foster home, be sure to visit the Humane Society of Western Montana soon. They are open from 1:00 – 6:00 pm Wednesdays through Sundays at 5930 Highway 93 South in Missoula. See more cats AND dogs waiting to be adopted on the shelter’s ADOPT webpage here.

LOOK: Can you tell the difference between these common pets?

Can you tell the difference between a hamster and a guinea pig? How about a betta and a guppy? Test your pet ID skills in our cute quiz. 

Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz

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