FLAGSTAFF – “Won’t be beat.” That’s Montana State’s battle cry and they once again proved it wasn’t just cheap talk.
The last two drives of the game here against Northern Arizona embodied the spirit of Ty Okada’s memorable quote from two weeks ago. The Bobcats found a way once again, earning a 41-38 win after Blake Glessner’s 25-yard field goal – the first walk-off field goal of his career – with no time remaining.
“Obviously, we have total belief in (Glessner),” MSU quarterback Tommy Mellott said. “He’s one of my roommates, love the kid. The mindset that he has is what we to have in a kicker. We knew it was going in, we believed in it.”
The victory keeps Montana State unbeaten in Big Sky Conference play at 6-0 and MSU is now 8-1 overall, meaning the Bobcats will almost certainly make the FCS playoffs for the fourth year in a row dating back to 2018. MSU will likely receive its 11th playoff bid dating back to 2002.
MSU’s defense showed little ability to stop Northern Arizona’s offense – quarterback RJ Martinez in particular – all day and after MSU took a 38-35 lead with 5:48 to play it looked like NAU would simply go back down and take it right back and not give the Bobcats enough time do much about it. Martinez, the Big Sky Freshman of the Year last year, had his most productive afternoon, throwing for 452 yards and three touchdowns to keep MSU in it.
The Bobcats forced NAU (3-6, 2-4) into two fourth down plays, but the Lumberjacks were able to convert both times – once on a penalty and once on a clutch catch near the turf by Coleman Owen, who rolled up 196 yards on 10 catches Saturday. MSU forced another fourth down, but this one was within field goal range and tied the game with 1:05 to go.
The game appeared headed to overtime when the Bobcats gained nothing from their own 18 to set up one of the most dramatic plays of the season. Mellott, who started out hot before hitting a skid before re-finding his rhythm – scrambled to his right. On a play that MSU calls the “scramble drill”, Mellott hit true freshman Taco Dowler deep down the right side of the field and Dowler ran it down to the 12-yard for a 70-yard gain with just 25 seconds to go. MSU just missed a touchdown when Mellott dove over the pylon, then centered the ball for Glessner.
“That was third and 10 and we were looking at the prospect of having to punt back to them,” MSU head coach Brent Vigen said. “We’ve been working on the scramble drill and lo and behold it shows up at the most important time. Taco’s an explosive guy and not only did he end up catching it, but he covered a lot of ground after the catch. Credit to Taco. He got some separation and without that play we might still be here.”
“Taco’s a playmaker for sure, back at Billings West that’s what everyone knew him for,” Mellott said. “I just saw him cleanly. The ball was sailing in here and it was good throw, I didn’t overthrow him, and he made a play for me.”
The win was the sixth time MSU has come back from a deficit and the third time the Bobcats had to come up with a big play in the fourth quarter to go home victorious. The Bobcats forced a fumble when trailing Eastern Washington late in that game and got a stop on fourth down against Weber State to stop a frenzied Wildcat’ comeback.
“Just being battled tested, obviously if you win by 40 every game you don’t really build that ability to persevere through all four quarters,” Mellott said. “We’re battled tested. We’ve played all four quarters multiple times this year. It’s ultimately what you need in a good football team. I’m proud of the guys for sticking it out being confident in what we were doing all four quarters.”
The Bobcats appeared to be looking to make a rout of the things when defensive end Brody Grebe started the game with a strip sack to put MSU on the NAU 16 and they went up 7-0 on a short pass from Mellott to RJ Fitzgerald.
MSU’s next drive went 65 yards in five plays and it was 14-0 when Mellott ran through several NAU defenders for a 44-yard score. The Bobcats forced another turnover and got a 30-yard field goal from Glessner and it was 17-0 with 3:41 still remaining in the first quarter.
That was all the scoring MSU would get in the half, however, as Martinez suddenly got hot and Mellott went cold. Martinez, who finished with 452 yards passing – a career high – threw two of his touchdown passes and caught one of his own before the end of the half to put the Jacks up 21-17. Mellott, on the other hand, would only complete 7 of 19 passes in the first half for 54 yards.
The Bobcats came out of the locker room and seemed to right their ship as Mellott manufactured a 10 play, 74-yard drive and punched in the touchdown from the seven. The defense did its part as well forcing a three-and-out on NAU’s first possession of the half. It didn’t last.
The Bobcats, who almost incessantly tried to complete deep, back-shoulder passes along the sidelines to no avail, thwarted their own drives with those ill-advised passes from Mellott to senior Willie Patterson that were on target but uncaught. Those plays energized the partisan NAU fans allowed the Lumberjacks to gain momentum back then Martinez scored on a run – his third different means of scoring on the day to retake the lead, 28-24.
There were six lead changes in all, and the Bobcats would answer Martinez’s scoring run when multi-talented tight end Derryk Snell lined up at tailback and dove into the end zone. Just three minutes later Owen took his second reception to the house to make it 35-31. He scored two touchdowns among his 10 catches for a career-high in yards (196).
As the game moved deep into the fourth quarter, the Bobcats were forced to go for it twice on fourth downs and just eked out conversions to prolong their drive that would end when Mellott scored from the one-yard line to put MSU back up 38-35 setting up NAU’s game-tying drive and the Mellott-to-Dowler heroics.
Grebe had a career-day for MSU with two sacks, a forced fumble and he also batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage. He would have to leave the game with an apparent leg cramp.
“Brody’s a playmaker, so it was good to see him – right out of the gate – make that play,” Vigen said. “He went down and didn’t come back, so some guys had to step in there.”
The Bobcats rushed for 280 yards, averaging 5.7 per carry. Seldom used freshman Garrett Coon ran for 58 yards on 10 carries to lighten the load on Elijah Elliott, who had 92 yards on 16 carries, and Mellott, who had 119 yards on 19 totes.
“That position (running back) continues to be a work in progress,” Vigen said. “To get (150) yards out of those two guys (Coon and Elliott) that’s what we needed today. Tommy got 119 and we needed that as well. Not how you’d draw it up, but to get some contributions from some guys like Garrett, Taco was great to see.”
“We gotta get better,” Vigen said. “I know we’ll go look at the film and there will probably be things we’ll cringe at, but ultimately whether we win by three or 30 it’s the same thing.”
MSU is on the road again next week when it travels to San Luis Obispo, Calif. to take on the Cal Poly Mustangs at 6:00 locally.
