POCATELLO, Idaho – Third-ranked Montana State was locked in a thrilling matchup with Idaho State for three quarters on Saturday at the ICCU Dome.

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

In what was expected to be a high-scoring clash between two explosive offenses, it was the defense that shone early on.

Montana State led just 3-0 at the end of the first quarter, scoring on a 44-yard field goal by Myles Sansted after capitalizing on a 50-yard punt return by Taco Dowler. The Bengals only had 8 yards of offense in the first quarter.

It wasn't until the second quarter that the offense got going. On the first play of the period, Mellott took a high snap and then weaved through the Idaho State defense for a 7-yard touchdown run that gave MSU a 10-0 lead.

Midway through the quarter, Scottre Humphrey extended Montana State's lead with a smashing 18-yard touchdown run. Humphrey pushed through an Idaho State defender at the goal line, extending the Cats' lead to 17-0.

It looked like the router was activated, but Idaho State had an answer. The Bengals moved the ball deep into Montana State territory with less than a minute left before halftime. Facing fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Idaho State coach Cody Hawkins opted for the touchdown rather than kicking the short field goal.

Quarterback Kobe Tracy threw a high pass into the back of the end zone, and 6-foot-1 receiver Michael Shulikov made a leaping, toe-tapping catch, sending the Bengals into halftime trailing just 17-7.

They got within 17-10 with a 33-yard field goal to start the fourth.

But Montana State finished the game in style – first a 70-yard touchdown from Jones and then a 6-yard scoring run from Humphrey that increased the lead to 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, putting them at 12-yard total 5:0 and the Sky game improved to 1:0 in Big.

Turning point: Idaho State had gotten back to within seven points when Jones gave Montana State momentum back. The junior tight end got behind the defense and no one was near him when he caught Mellott's pass. Jones showed off his speed by breaking away from the Bengals to find paydit. The Bobcats were never threatened the rest of the way.

Statistics of the game: Idaho State only managed 276 yards of total offense. The Bengals came into the game averaging 278 passing yards and 140 rushing yards per game. They had 201 passing yards and just 75 rushing yards on Saturday.

Bobcat toy balls: RB Scottre Humphrey (Attack). Idaho State did a commendable job against the Bobcats' vaunted rushing attack, but Humphrey still finished the game 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 back at it on Saturday. After the Bobcats turned the ball over on an Adam Jones fumble in the second quarter, Ortt made a jumping 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 emerged as a punt threat for the Bobcats, and his 50-yard return gave Montana State a spark early on. For the game, he threw 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 beat Cal Poly 28-7 lost this week. The Bobcats have won their last 10 meetings with the Bears, including the last four, by an average margin of more than 28 points. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Oct. 5 at Bobcat Stadium.

Idaho State (2-3, 0-1) plays at Cal Poly (2-2, 1-0) next week. The Bengals won the last meeting between the two teams, a 40-31 victory in 2022.