Rapid reaction: No. 3 Montana State 43, No. 5 Weber State 38

BOZEMAN — Particular groups — the great, the unhealthy and the ugly — performed an enormous function in an enormous Huge Sky Convention matchup on a moist and wet Saturday.

No. 3 Montana State gave up two touchdowns on returns, benefitted from an FCS document 4 safeties on errant punt snaps and but practically blew a 19-point lead within the second half. However QB Tommy Mellott shined as MSU defeated No. 5 Weber State 43-38 in simply the second top-five matchup within the recorded historical past of Bobcat Stadium.

The Bobcats had been with out quarterback Sean Chambers, who was held out after aggravating an damage in follow earlier within the week. However Mellott carried the slack and completed with 273 dashing yards and accounted for 4 touchdowns.

MSU surrendered a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD by Abraham Williams and a 91-yard punt return for a rating by Hudson Schenck, and likewise had a 39-yard subject purpose try by Blake Glessner blocked. However the Bobcats, led by Mellott had constructed a 43-24 benefit late within the third quarter.

To its credit score, Weber State didn’t go away. A 1-yard TD run by QB Bronson Barron pulled the Wildcats inside 43-38 with 6:49 left. Weber State transformed a pair of fouth-and-10 performs on its closing possession to attempt to steal the win, however a drop by receiver Ty McPherson on one other fourth-down play ended the drive.

With the win, Montana State improved to 7-1 general and 5-0 within the Huge Sky. Weber State (6-1, 3-1) suffered its first lack of the season.

Regardless of a slew of penalties and errors of their very own, the Bobcats gained their Seventeenth-straight residence sport, setting a brand new faculty document and lengthening the longest energetic streak within the FCS. Weber State noticed its streak of eight straight highway wins snapped, which was additionally the longest energetic streak within the nation.

Turning level: Trailing 24-9 within the second quarter, the Bobcats reeled off 18 straight factors to take a 27-24 lead into halftime.

The most important play occurred when Schenck, beforehand a particular groups hero, muffed a punt that was recovered by MSU’s Tommy Sullivan. That arrange a 15-yard landing move from Mellott to tight finish Derryk Snell with :59 seconds left earlier than intermission.

Early within the third, Mellott bought into the tip zone together with his third dashing TD — on the heels of one other security — to offer the Bobcats a 36-24 benefit.

Stat of the sport: Weber State gifted the Bobcats eight factors within the first half, all on lengthy snaps by sophomore Grant Sands that sailed over the top of punter Jack Burgess.

The 4 safeties set a brand new NCAA FCS single-game document, in response to the Huge Sky Convention.

Bobcat sport balls: QB Tommy Mellott (offense). Mellott threw an early interception however was in any other case the perfect participant on the sphere. He and Chambers sometimes commerce QB duties, however Butte’s Mellott was in command all day.

LB Callahan O’Reilly (protection). O’Reilly, a Bozeman native, made the largest play of the sport when he sacked Barron on third down on Weber State’s closing possession. McPherson then dropped a move on the next play and the Cats prevailed

KR Marqui Johnson (particular groups). Misplaced within the shuffle of the particular groups chaos was one other stable day by Bobcats kickoff returner Marqui Johnson. Johnson had 206 yards on eight returns, a mean of 26 yards a pop.

What’s subsequent: Montana State gained’t play at residence till the 121st matchup in opposition to archrival Montana on Nov. 19. The Bobcats have a bye subsequent week, then play at Northern Arizona on Nov. 5 and at Cal Poly on Nov. 12.

The Bobcats enter their bye week with a top-five rating an unbeaten document within the Huge Sky standings.