Davis' 2 TDs lead MSU to 25th straigth home win
BOZEMAN — Julius Davis ran for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns to carry Montana State to a 45-21 win over Northern Arizona in Big Sky Conference action on Saturday in Bozeman.
Under cloudy skies, the sixth-ranked Bobcats (7-2 overall, 5-1 in league) got on the scoreboard first on a Tommy Mellott 9-yard run, and Sean Chambers made it 14-0 after one quarter, scoring from a yard out.
Mellott totaled 107 yards on the ground as MSU rolled for 343 yards rushing and 135 through the air en route to winning its 25th straight game at home.
"I really appreciate the effort, the intensity, that our guys came out with today. It's the only way you can move forward, don't look back, try to do better than the last time, I guess, but more just be concerned about what can we do on this particular Saturday to put our best foot forward and I think we did that from the start. They made plays here and there, but we by and large did the things we wanted to.” Bobcats Head Coach Brent Vigen said. “Right from the start, to be able to set the tone on that first drive, set the tone up front, set the tone getting to the perimeter a bunch that first drive, and cash in. Obviously that was our intention, then the defense was able to follow it up with a three-and-out and we were able to score again, and we were off and running from that point."
In the second quarter Davis reached the end zone and Mellott, who completed his first six passes, found Bozeman product Ryan Lonergan for a 20-yard touchdown, the junior tight end's first career score. The Bobcats led 28-7 at halftime.
"That was definitely special. That two-minute drill, we were marching down the field. I saw they were man at the last second and I didn't really expect the ball, that's not a man play, but Tommy read it and trusted it. I can't put it into words. It's a great experience." Lonergan said
To the delight of the 21,297 in attendance, the Bobcats continued to have their way in the second half. Davis again reached the end zone and freshman Casey Kautzman added a 42-yard field goal to give MSU a 38-7 advantage heading into the final stanza.
The Bobcats' final score came on a 45-yard scamper by freshman Scottre Humphrey. Kautzman's field goal was his first since kicking a pair against Stetson in MSU's third game of the season. Likewise, Humphrey's score was his first since his trifecta against Stetson. Humphrey finished with 80 yards on the ground and Davis had 79.
The Bobcats held NAU (3-6, 3-3) to just 254 total yards. McCade O'Reilly led the defense with nine tackles while fellow linebacker Nolan Askelson added seven and Blake Stillwell came up with an interception, the game's only turnover.
MSU's final regular season home game Saturday against Eastern Washington (4-5, 3-3) at 1 p.m.