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.