After a wild weekend of football for Montana and Montana State, some movement was had in the latest Top 25 poll.
The Montana State Bobcats stayed put at No. 3 in Monday's release of the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll. Meanwhile, the Montana Grizzlies fell from No. 7 to No. 11 after losing their second straight game.
The Bobcats (7-1, 5-0 Big Sky Conference) defeated No. 5 Weber State 43-38 in a wild game in Bozeman on Saturday. It was a game that featured an FCS record four safeties by Weber State, and one the Bobcats trailed 24-9 in the first half before furiously rallying back for the win. MSU quarterback Tommy Mellott rushed for a Bobcat record 273 yards and ran for three scores and passed for another.
The Grizzlies (5-2, 2-2) fell to No. 2 Sacramento State 31-24 in overtime on Saturday evening. The Grizzlies led the entire game before the Hornets tied the game up late in the fourth quarter to force the extra period. The Grizzlies lost quarterback Lucas Johnson and wide receiver Junior Bergen to injury on late-hit penalties in the game, and a crucial fourth-down conversion by the Hornets on their game-tying drive was in question after Sac State wide receiver Jared Gipson appeared to catch the ball out of bounds, though the play was ruled a catch and upheld by the officials on review.
The Hornets would score on their lone overtime drive in four plays, while Montana went four-and-out on their drive to seal the win for Sac State.
The Hornets (7-0, 4-0) remained at No. 2 in this week's poll, behind No. 1 South Dakota State (7-1, 5-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference). North Dakota State (5-2, 3-1) sits at No. 4 while Weber State (6-1, 3-1) and Holy Cross (7-0, 3-0 Patriot League) sit in a tie at No. 5.
SDSU received 51 first-place votes while Sac State received two and Jackson State (7-0, 4-0 SWAC) earned one. Jackson State sits at No. 9 in the poll.
The Big Sky Conference once again has five teams in the poll, with Idaho (5-2, 4-0) moving up to No. 14 from No. 17 after a 56-21 win over Portland State.
The Grizzlies are on the road again this week for a clash with Weber State. The Bobcats are on a bye.
