BOZEMAN — There is little Tommy Mellott can do on the football field for the first time.
But he reached another milestone Saturday at Bobcat Stadium, passing for 300 yards for the first time in his Montana State career to help the top-seeded Bobcats to a 49-17 win over Tennessee Martin in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
Mellott was nearly flawless — he threw more touchdown passes than incompletions — as the Bobcats certainly looked the part of the No. 1 overall seed. They were efficient and explosive on offense and stout and stingy on defense.
The Skyhawks, who advanced to the second round with a 41-10 win at New Hampshire last week, entered Saturday's game with a much-ballyhooed run defense that was allowing opponents fewer than 85 rushing yards per game. The Bobcats, owners of the No. 1 rushing offense in the country, had more than 90 rushing yards in the first quarter as they built a 14-0 lead and never looked back.
While MSU's rushing attack was again solid — the Bobcats finished with 201 yards on the ground — the pass game shined on Saturday.
Mellott started the scoring in the first quarter with a 24-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Hunter Provience and then threw a dime in the back of the end zone on a 12-yard TD pass to Taco Dowler.
Ty McCullouch then pushed MSU's lead to 21-0 early in the second quarter with a 6-yard touchdown run.
From there, UT Martin found a little momentum. Jaren Van Winkle kicked a 37-yard field goal to get the Skyhawks on the board and then Kinkead Dent aired out a deep pass for Trevonte Rucker, who spun around the Bobcat secondary on his way to a 78-yard touchdown and it was suddenly 21-10.
UT Martin's momentum was short-lived, though. On MSU's ensuing possession, Mellott completed 5 of 6 passes, punctuating the drive with a 39-yard scoring pass to McCullouch. The Bobcats led 28-10 at halftime.
MSU's defense forced a UT Martin punt on the first possession of the third quarter, and the offense needed little time to capitalize. Scottre Humphrey took a carry straight up the middle, breaking free for a 36-yard touchdown run.
After another UT Martin punt, Mellott threw another touchdown pass — this one on a short completion to Dowler, who followed good blocking downfield for a 29-yard catch-and-run score. That put Montana State up 42-10 going to the fourth quarter.
Adam Jones added a 30-yard rushing touchdown for the Bobcats early in the fourth, and Dent connected with Rucker from 4 yards out for another Skyhawks TD.
Dowler and McCullouch each had four receptions for Montana State, with Dowler gaining 71 yards and scoring two TDs and McCullouch totaling 58 receiving yards and a touchdown. McCullouch added 23 rushing yards and another score. Tight end Ryan Lonergan had a team-high 90 receiving yards and three receptions.
Humphrey finished with 102 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries.
Turning point: The Mellott-McCullouch touchdown in the second quarter quelled any thoughts of a UT Martin comeback. The Skyhawks had scored 10 straight points to get back within 21-10, but the 39-yard scoring strike pushed the Bobcats' lead back to 28-10 going into halftime.
Stat of the game: Mellott's three incompletions highlighted the senior quarterback's efficient day. Mellott didn't often attack vertically, but he maximized his opportunities in spreading out his 22 completions to 11 different receivers.
Bobcat game balls: QB Tommy Mellott (Offense). As usual, Mellott was the key to Montana State's offense. He seldom used his legs, other than to get on the perimeter and dump off a pass, but he controlled the game by completing 22 of 25 passes for 300 yards and four touchdowns.
DT Paul Brott (Defense). UT Martin's offense routinely faced third-and-long situations, and a lot of that had to do with the defensive line, led by Brott, stifling the Skyhawks' run game. Brott was in on six tackles and had a sack as the Bobcats had five sacks in the game.
PR Taco Dowler (Special teams). Dowler continues to be a threat in the return game. He had one long return nullified by a penalty but had a 40-yarder that set up Humphrey's third-quarter touchdown. Dowler finished with five returns for 51 yards to bring his career total to 1,022 yards, the most in Montana State history.
What’s next: Montana State (13-0) will have another home game next week against eighth-seeded Idaho in the quarterfinals. The Vandals (10-3) defeated Lehigh 34-13 in a second-round game Saturday night.
The Bobcats and Vandals met during the regular season, with Montana State running away for a 38-7 win back on Oct. 12. Kickoff for the quarterfinal game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
