Montana
Scottre Humphrey scores three touchdowns as No. 3 Montana State pulls past Idaho State
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.
HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s 2026 primary election ballot is taking shape after a busy candidate filing period that drew hundreds of hopefuls.
Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and the Montana election team finalized the list of candidates after 380 total candidates filed between Feb. 17 and March 4. Of those candidates, 19 withdrew from their races.
Six independent candidates are still waiting to qualify via petition before being added to the general election ballot.
The following was sent out by the Office of the Montana Secretary of State:
Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and the Montana Election Team have completed ballot certification for Montana’s 2026 Primary Election, finalizing the list of candidates who will appear before voters on Tuesday, June 2.
Pursuant to Montana law, county election administrators certify local candidates for the primary ballot in their respective counties, while the Secretary of State’s Office certifies the names and designations of statewide and state district candidates, including candidates for federal, legislative, and certain judicial offices.
The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices (COPP) notified the Secretary of State’s Office and the county election administrators of any candidate(s) whose name(s) may not appear on the ballot pursuant to Montana law.
“The ballot certification process is a key step in ensuring Montana’s elections are accurate, secure, and transparent,” said Secretary Jacobsen. “I’m grateful to our state election officials and the county election administrators and their teams across the state for their hard work preparing for the 2026 Primary Election.”
A total of 380 candidates filed with the Secretary of State’s Office during the candidate filing period (Tuesday, February 17 – Wednesday, March 4). Several candidates withdrew from their respective races, while Independent candidates are pending petition requirements to qualify for the general election ballot.
Filings with the Secretary of State’s Office included:
- United States Senator: Twelve total candidates filed for the office, though one withdrew and one is pending petition requirements. Five Democrats, three Republicans, and two Libertarians will appear on Montanans’ Primary Election ballots. One Independent candidate must meet Montana’s petition requirements.
- United States Representative: Sixteen total filings in the 1st and 2nd Congressional races.
- 1st Congressional (MT-01) Ten candidates submitted paperwork for the Congressional seat – four Democrats, four Republicans, and one Libertarian. One Independent candidate must meet petition requirements. The incumbent did not file for re-election.
- 2nd Congressional (MT-02) Six candidates submitted filing paperwork, including the incumbent, who is the lone Republican to file for the race. Three Democrats and one Libertarian filed, while one Independent also submitted their paperwork for the race and is pending petition requirements.
- Public Service Commission: Seven candidates will appear on the ballot for the two PSC seats.
- PSC District 1: Two Republicans and one Democrat will appear before voters for the open seat.
- PSC District 5: The incumbent is one of three Republicans to file for the seat, while one Democrat also filed.
- Supreme Court Justice: Two candidates filed for the Supreme Court Justice No. 4 race – Judge Dan Wilson was the first to file for Montana’s high court, and Judge Amy Eddy followed suit later the same day.
- District Court Judge: Thirteen candidates submitted filings, including several judges currently on the bench.
- Legislature: The majority of candidate filings were for Legislative seats, where 329 total filings were submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office, nearly 130 of which came on the opening day.
- Montana State Senate: Sixty-six candidates qualified for the 2026 Primary Election, including more than 10 incumbents.
- Montana State House: A total of 235 candidates qualified for the 2026 Primary Election. Three Independent candidates are pending petition requirements. Dozens of incumbents filed for re-election.
For more information, visit the candidate filing page on the Secretary of State’s website at https://sosmt.gov/elections/filing/.
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