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News you can use
Tommy Mellott scores a touchdown during Saturday's game against Weber State at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman.
BOZEMAN (AP) — Tommy Mellot ran for 273 yards and three touchdowns, passed for another score and No. 3 Montana State held off Weber State 43-38 in a battle of top five FCS team on Saturday.
The Bobcats (7-1, 5-0 Big Sky Conference), ranked second in the coaches poll, reeled off 34 straight points but didn't secure the win over the fifth-ranked Wildcats (6-1, 3-1) until a fourth-down pass was dropped inside the MSU 15 with 25 seconds to play.
The ultimate difference for Montana State, which set a program record with its 17th-straight home win, was an FCS record four safeties, all coming on snaps to the punter on the cold, wet and windy day. The Wildcats had an eight-game road winning streak end.
Weber State took a 24-9 lead thanks to a 100-yard kickoff return by Abraham Williams and a 91-yard punt return by Hudson Schenk.
Mellott's second TD run, his 15-yard pass to Derryk Snell and the second and third safeties had the Bobcats on top 27-24 at halftime.
The fourth safety, Mellott's third TD run and R.J. Fitzgerald's 1-yard plunge, extended the lead to 43-24 late in the third quarter.
Weber State put together back-to-back long drives to regain the momentum. Ty MacPherson hauled in a 21-yard pass from Bronson Barron and after the Bobcats failed on a fourth-down conversion at the Wildcats' 14 early in the fourth, Barron scored on a 1-yard plunge.
Pinned on their 10 after a punt with 2:07 to play, Barron converted twice on fourth-and-10 and hit an open MacPherson on fourth-and-10 from the 27 but the ball slipped through MacPherson's hands.
The Bobcats have a bye this week, before traveling to Cal Poly Nov. 5.
Sac. State 31, Griz 24 OT
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jake Dunniway threw two touchdown passes, Asher O'Hara ran for two TDs in the closing minutes of regulation and the first series of overtime — the second of which gave Sacramento State its first lead of the game and the Hornets beat Montana 31-24 Saturday night.
Cameron Skattebo had 111 yards rushing on 13 carries for Sacramento State (7-0, 4-0 Big Sky) — ranked No. 3 in the FCS coaches and off to its best start in program history.
O'Hara — who splits time with Dunniway at quarterback — took the snap and faked a pitch to Skattebo on his left before scoring from the 6 on a QB counter play to give the Hornets a 31-24 lead on the first possession of overtime.
Montana, No. 7 in the FCS, failed to convert a fourth-and-8 on its ensuing possession.
Kyle Sentkowski kicked a 27-yard field goal that trimmed the Hornets' deficit to 24-17 with 5:54 left in regulation and Sacramento State recovered the ensuing onside kick, which set up a 4-yard touchdown run by O'Hara about 2 1/2 minutes later that eventually forced overtime.
Montana (5-2, 2-2) led 10-0 in the second quarter, 17-7 at the end of the third and Nick Ostmo scored on a 2-yard run the gave the Grizzlies a 24-14 lead with 8:42 left in regulation.
Montana, which lost starting quarterback Lucas Johnson to a targeting foul by Sacramento State, has lost back-to-back games. The Griz play at Weber State this Saturday.
Editor's Note: Havre Daily News sports editor George Ferguson contrubuted to this story.
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