POCATELLO, Idaho – Third-ranked Montana State was three-quarters into a tense battle with Idaho State at the ICCU Dome on Saturday.

After the Bengals got back to within 17-10 to start the fourth quarter, Bobcats quarterback Tommy Mellott threw a pass to 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 that they would not relinquish en route to a 37-17 Big Sky Conference football victory.

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 and got a 44-yard field goal from Myles Sansted after taking advantage of a 50-yard punt return from Taco Dowler. The Bengals had just 8 yards of offensive margin in the first quarter.

However, the fouls didn’t get going until the second quarter. On the first play of the period, Mellott set up a high snap and then weaved through the Idaho State defense for a 7-yard touchdown run that put MSU ahead 10-0.

Scottre Humphrey extended Montana State’s lead midway through the quarter with a thrilling 18-yard touchdown run. Humphrey charged through an Idaho State defender to the goal line to push the Cats’ lead to 17-0.

It looked like the route was 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 rather than kick the short field goal.

Quarterback Kobe Tracy threw a high pass to the back of the end zone, and 6-foot-4 receiver Michael Shulikov made a leaping, tagging 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 out the game in style – first getting the 70-yard touchdown from Jones and then a 6-yard score 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. Play heaven.

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 no one was close to him when he caught Mellott’s pass. Jones showed his speed and moved away from the Bengals to find dirt. The Bobcats were never threatened the rest of the way.

Statistics 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 and only 75 rushing yards on Saturday.

Bobcat Toys: RB Scottre Humphrey (Attack). 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 Montana State’s secondary all season and was there again on 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 become a threat returning punts for the Bobcats, and his 50-yard return gave Montana State an early spark. For the game, he played 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 ten meetings with the Bears, including the last four, by an average margin of more than 28 points. Kickoff is scheduled for October 5 at 2 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium.

Idaho State (2-3, 0-1), meanwhile, will face 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.