Mellott accounts for 4 TDs to help FCS No. 3 Montana St. beat No. 8 Idaho 38-7

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Tommy Mellott threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores to help Montana State beat Idaho 38-7 Saturday night in a Big Sky Conference battle between two of the top teams in the FCS.

Montana State (7-0, 3-0 Big Sky), ranked No. 3 in FCS coaches poll, is off to its best start since the 1978 team won its first seven games of the season.

Mellott was 11-of-15 passing for 121 yards and added 11 carries for 140 yards rushing, including a 65-yard TD run that opened the scoring with 5:34 left in the first quarter.

No. 8 Idaho (4-3, 1-2 Big Sky Conference) went three-and-out for its second consecutive drive, the Vandals defense committed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a third-and-17 that gave Montana State a fresh set of downs. Two plays later, Mellott faked a hand off and then hit Taco Dowler down the right sideline for a 34-yard touchdown that gave the Bobcats a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Mellott added a 7-yard touchdown run with 1:44 left in the second and Myles Sansted kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired to make it 24-0 at halftime.

Rohan Jones caught an 11-yard scoring pass from Mellott to cap a five-play, 75-yard drive that opened the second half and two just more than 2 minutes off the clock and Adam Jones added a 4-yard TD run early in the fourth that made it 38-0.

Jack Wagner replaced Nick Josifek — who became the third player to start at quarterback for the Vandals this season — in the first quarter after Josifek was sacked by Paul Brott for a loss of 9. Wagner finished 11-of-23 passing for 134 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Deshaun Buchanan had nine carries for 49 yards rushing and his 9-yard touchdown reception from Wagner capped the scoring in the closing seconds.