HUNTSVILLE, Texas — In the wake of weeks of offensive dilemmas, Montana State was willing to score however it needed to.
Four yards away from the goal line, Isaiah Ifanse caught a direct snap, with quarterback Tommy Mellott darting to the right. The running back flipped the ball back to Willie Patterson. The wide receiver who played quarterback in high school eyed the end zone.
Patterson tossed a strike. Mellott handled it. Less than three minutes in, the Bobcats were in control.
Relief. Euphoria. Through the turbulent proceeding weeks, Montana State was just beginning a furious run of dominance.
Mellott was stellar in his second career start, and the defense of the Bobcats (11-2) stymied the reigning FCS champion. No. 8-seeded MSU shocked top-seeded Sam Houston (11-1) 42-19 Saturday at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium in the FCS quarterfinals. The Bobcats will host unseeded South Dakota State in the semifinals next week following its win at No. 5 Villanova.
“If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” Mellott said after MSU’s win last week over UT Martin, referring to Sam Houston.
“I don’t think anyone outside of Bozeman, Montana, really believed in us,” Mellott said after the Sam Houston game. “We just trusted each other, believed in each other, and going out there, we knew what we had to do.”
Sam Houston had never lost at its stadium in the postseason. MSU changed that.
This is the second season in a row the Bobcats have reached the semifinals after doing so and losing to eventual national champion North Dakota State in 2019. The Bobcats have a chance to reach the championship game for the first time since they won the title in 1984.
This was Sam Houston’s first loss in 23 games. It was also the first time since the FCS playoffs expanded to 24 teams the top seed didn’t reach the semifinals.
MSU’s first score was similar to the Philly Special, a trick play the Philadelphia Eagles ran in their Super Bowl victory in 2018. MSU’s Twitter account called it a “Treasure State Special.” It capped a 75-yard, five-play drive.
The Bobcats just began working on that play this week. MSU offensive coordinator Taylor Housewright asked Vigen if they should save it. The head coach replied with, if they have a chance to use it, then do so.
“We were playing with house money tonight,” Mellott said. “We got in the huddle and we knew what we had to do.”
The play was a sign of a change of pace. In the final weeks of the regular season, the Bobcats’ offense had become stagnant. With previous quarterback Matthew McKay failing to find a rhythm amid stale play calling, their offensive issues were exploited in a loss at Montana.
But the Bobcats, with a resounding triumph over a team that won the national title less than a year ago, have advanced further than their in-state rival. They’ve reconfigured their offense, but preserved their identity, along the way.
MSU head coach Brent Vigen lauded Mellott all season, even when he was fourth on the depth chart, for being among the team’s best flat-out football players. It’s why he lined up at wide receiver and on special teams, all while evolving his passing skills.
It’s also why, as the season unfolded, Mellott took the field more and more. The freshman from Butte easily could’ve redshirted this year, giving him more time to refine his skills.
But to Vigen, that was never an option. The Bobcats needed him on the field, in one way or another. And his selfless attitude, his willingness to take on whatever role he was asked to, eventually elevated him to becoming the starting quarterback of a national title contender.
Mellott caught, passed for and rushed for the team’s first three touchdowns. Mellott didn’t even realize he had accomplished that until his fellow MSU QBs brought it up.
“That was pretty special,” Mellott said. “(Credit) goes to the guys up front, it goes to the receivers. They made a ton of plays for me all night long. I just happened to be a guy that was in the end zone.”
Mellott completed 6 of 11 passes for 165 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 76 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.
“He became a full grown-ass man against us this week,” Sam Houston head coach KC Keeler said. “He really threw the ball well.”
After the Bobcats gained the early lead, Sam Houston’s offense took the field. The Bobcats were without starting cornerback Eric Zambrano. They also lost defensive tackle Chase Benson and defensive back Ty Okada, both all-Big Sky performers, early on due to injuries.
The Bobcats still thrived without them. On the Bearkats’ third offensive play, Walter Payton Award finalist Eric Schmid was on the run. This was an element to his game the Bobcats were concerned about. He darted a pass along the right sideline, normally a sight that has led to first downs.
Instead, MSU safety Tre Webb picked it off. The Bobcats had the ball back at Sam Houston’s 31.’
When McKay announced he was transferring and the Bobcats turned to Mellott, questions swirled about his potential as a passer. Little had been seen of him throwing the ball at the college level.
But any concerns were quelled. Mellott fired a precise dart along the right sideline. The ball cruised narrowly over a Sam Houston defender and into Patterson’s hands. Just 3:17 into the game, the Bobcats led by two touchdowns.
“Drawn up on paper, that’s exactly how it’s supposed to go,” MSU defensive end Daniel Hardy, who finished with two sacks, said. “Executing the game plan and putting them in that sort of position where we turned them into a one-dimensional team.”
At the onset of the second quarter, the Bobcats capped a 55-yard possession with a 1-yard touchdown run by Mellott. When they considered benching McKay, Mellott’s rushing potential was a key reason he was chosen to replace him. Plays like that further bolstered that notion.
Later in the frame, MSU safety Jeffrey Manning Jr. picked off Schmid and nearly returned it all the way to the end zone. The Bobcats continued to force the Bearkats into mistakes.
Then Mellott made them pay. He punched in another touchdown, this time from two yards out, to give the Bobcats a 28-point advantage.
Sam Houston appeared to gain an upper hand soon after. The Bearkats compiled a 14-play, 75-yard drive that lasted 6:18 and ended with a 1-yard scoring run from Schmid just before intermission.
The Bearkats opened the second half with a quick scoring drive, too. On the third play, Schmid found Ife Adeyi on the outside, and he evaded MSU tackles on his way to a 61-yard touchdown.
The Bobcats had gone three-and-out twice around this time. They seemed to be losing momentum. But then they forced Sam Houston to do the same.
The Bearkats punted to MSU’s 1-yard line. The Bobcats were in a difficult spot.
When they could have succumbed and watched their offense remain stagnant, the Bobcats didn’t relent. On third down from MSU’s 4, Mellott ran for 22 yards to gain a first down. He then threw deep to Bozeman’s Lance McCutcheon, who jumped up for a contested catch and then ran for a 68-yard score.
“There’s a strong brotherhood within this team,” McCutcheon said. “We’re all going to fight for each other. We’re all going to play for each other. No one wants to let each other down.”
The Bobcats were up, and their defense wasn’t going to let them lose the lead. That was clear, even when Schmid connected with Adeyi on a 61-yard touchdown with 7:33 to go.
In the fourth quarter, Simeon Woodard picked off Schmid. This was the first game in his career he threw three interceptions. And it was against a stout defense the Bobcats have relied on all season.
“They were one of the top offenses in the nation,” Mellott said, “and our defense kept them at bay all night long.”
With under three minutes left, Ifanse bolted for a 42-yard touchdown. With 105 yards on 24 carries, he broke MSU’s single-season rushing record. This was also the first time this season Sam Houston, which was among the best teams in the country against the run, allowed a player to rush for over 100 yards.
“We couldn’t be one-dimensional whatsoever,” Vigen said. “It was a collective effort on all ends.”
With a balanced performance and the most points they’ve scored in two months, the Bobcats are a game away from reaching the national championship.
“It’s amazing,” McCutcheon said. “To have everything shape up and us getting a huge win tonight, it’s a great feeling to go back to Bozeman.”