Montana
No. 3 Montana State finishes nonconference play undefeated, now turns attention to Big Sky slate
BOZEMAN — For the 10th time in program history, Montana State has started its football season 4-0. The Bobcats wrapped up their nonconfererence play Saturday with a 52-13 win over Mercyhurst.
“We battled through some things of all types. Offense, defense, special teams made plays on all ends,” Montana State coach Brent Vigen said. “We got a lot of guys in the game again, and I would assume got out of it pretty healthy at the same time. So, like where we’re at at the end of nonconference, and we obviously got a tough conference slate ahead of us starting with Idaho State next week.”
A main highlight of the win over Mercyhurst came from special teams, as defensive back Rylan Ortt blocked a punt, and fellow Missoula Sentinel High School alum, defensive end Zac Crews, recovered it for a touchdown. Special teams has shined for the Bobcats, as it was their second straight game with a blocked punt.
“Preparation throughout the week is really good,” Ortt said. “I think coach (Justin) Udy and coach (Marcus) Monaco put together great game plans every week, so most weeks I feel very confident that we’re going to get a bunch of return yards or be able to block a punt.”
“Rylan blocked it, he’s the one that deserves the most credit,” Vigen said. “But, it’s a bunch of guys creating that for him and doing their jobs like any other play. Those are obviously game-changing plays we’ve had in these two home wins, and hopefully we can continue to put pressure on punts as the season goes along.”
Offensively, Montana State has been continuing to command the run game through the first four games. But the vertical passing game flashed against Mercyhurst, as quarterback Tommy Mellott connected with three different Bobcats for receiving touchdowns.
“We’re four games in with Tommy,” Vigen said. “I think he’s been very efficient. We still have some big-play capability that (we) kind of haven’t executed completely well. But, I think where our passing game is now, I think we all feel like we’re in a different place than we maybe were this time last year, I guess.”
Defensively, the Bobcats’ starters have dominated through the nonconference schedule, holding multiple opposing offensives to scoreless quarters. Against Mercyhurst, the team totaled five sacks, a part of the game they mentioned focusing on the past couple of weeks.
“Yeah, it has been pretty strong,” Ortt described of the starting defense. “I think we’ve been playing well, getting teams off the field on third down, getting them to third and long. We’re kind of dictating the pressure and stuff there. I say we need to focus on getting some turnovers. We haven’t really got turnovers. Maybe not a ton of opportunities, but that’s going to come into play later in the year, so the more we can get the ball back, the better.”
Montana State begins Big Sky play at Idaho State on Saturday, Sept. 28.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing
02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from March 2 drawing
03-08-17-24-34, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 2 drawing
06-12-19-29, Bonus: 11
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 2 drawing
21-28-58-65-67, Powerball: 25
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 2 drawing
28-41-42-50-55, Bonus: 02
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.
Everyone makes mistakes, even experienced professionals; a good reminder for the rest of us to learn from those mistakes. The motion in State v. Stroup starts off well in its initial pages (no case law hallucinations), but is then followed by several pages of two other motions, which I don’t think the lawyer was planning to file, and which appear to have been AI-generated: It begins with the “Below is concise motion language you can drop into …” language quoted above.
Griffen Smith (Missoulian) reported on the story, and included the prosecutor’s motion to strike that filing, on the grounds that it violates a local rule (3(G)) requiring disclosure of the use of generative AI:
The document does not include a generative artificial intelligence disclosure as required. However, page 7 begins as follows: “Below is concise motion language you can drop into a ‘Motion to Admit Mental-Disease Evidence and for Related Instructions’ keyed to 45-6-204, 45-6-201, and 4614-102. Adjust headings/captions to your local practice.” Page 10 states “Below is a full motion you can paste into your pleading, then adjust names, dates, and styles to fit local practice.” These pages also include several apparent hyperlinks to “ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws,” “ppl-ai-fileupload.s3.amazonaws+1,” and others. The document includes what appears to be an attempt at a second case caption on page 12. It is not plausible on its face that any source other than generative AI would have created such language for a filed version of a brief….
There’s more in that filing, but here’s one passage:
While generative AI can be a useful tool for some purposes and may have greater application in the future, when used improperly, and without meaningful review, it can ultimately damage both the perception and the reality of the profession. One assumes that Mr. Stroup has had, or will at some point have, an opportunity to review the filing made on his behalf. What impression could a review of pgs. 12-19 leave upon a defendant who struggles with paranoia and delusional thinking? While AI could theoretically one day become a replacement for portions of staff of experienced attorneys, it is readily apparent that this day has not yet arrived.
The Missoulan article includes this response:
In a Wednesday interview, Office of Public Defender Division Administrator Brian Smith told the Missoulian the AI-generated language was inadvertently included in an unrelated filing. And he criticized the county attorney’s office for filing a “four-page diatribe about the dangers of AI” instead of working with the defense to correct her mistake.
“That’s not helping the client or the case,” Smith said, “and all you are doing is trying to throw a professional colleague under the bus.”
As I mentioned, the lawyer involved seems quite experienced, and ran for the Montana Public Service Commission in 2020 (getting nearly 48% of the vote) and for the House of Representatives in Montana’s first district in 2022 (getting over 46% of the vote) and in 2024 (getting over 44%). “Его пример другим наука,” Pushkin wrote in Eugene Onegin—”May his example profit others,” in the Falen translation.
Thanks to Matthew Monforton for the pointer.
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