BOZEMAN, Mont. – Idaho State football couldn't overcome an early surge from No. 5 Montana State on Saturday afternoon, falling 14-48 at Bobcat Stadium. The Bengals were held to 36 rushing yards while the Bobcats piled up 384 on the ground, pulling away behind a balanced offense that scored touchdowns on five of its first seven drives.
Head Coach Cody Hawkins said after the game, "We played poorly, coached poorly, and probably didn't do the most basic stuff that you need to win. Whether it's dropped passes, missed tackles, or missed assignments, that was a bummer because we're a better football team than we showed today."
Despite the score, Idaho State's passing attack again flashed explosive potential. Quarterback Jordan Cooke threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns before giving way to backup Davis Harsin, who added 61 yards through the air. Wideouts Tsion Nunnally and Michael Shulikov continued to lead the way — Nunnally caught nine passes for 169 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown, while Shulikov hauled in 10 receptions for 124 yards and a seven-yard score.
How It Happened
Montana State struck early with a pair of touchdown passes from Justin Lamson to take a 14–0 lead before the Bengals answered late in the first quarter. Cooke directed a 65-yard drive capped by a seven-yard connection to Shulikov, trimming the deficit to 14–7.
The teams traded scores again early in the second. After the Bobcats went up 20–7 on a 24-yard touchdown run, Idaho State responded two plays later when Cooke hit Nunnally in stride for a 69-yard touchdown — the Bengals' longest play from scrimmage this season.
From there, Montana State controlled the pace behind a dominant rushing effort. The Bobcats closed the first half with two more touchdowns to lead 34–14 at the break and added scores in each of the final two quarters to pull away. Running backs Adam Jones and Julius Davis combined for 238 yards and two touchdowns, while Lamson accounted for five total scores.
The Bengals finished with 404 total yards but struggled to sustain drives, converting 5 of 15 third-down attempts. Their lone trip to the red zone in the second half ended with a missed field goal.
On the defensive side, Rylan Leathers recorded a game-high 13 tackles, while Beau Jaques, Jackson Irwin, and Maka Tu'akoi each tallied sacks to help Idaho State register four on the afternoon. Despite the production up front, the Bobcats' tempo and depth eventually wore down the Bengals' defensive front.
"Montana State kind of did what they wanted at the line of scrimmage," Hawkins said. "We're better physically than we showed today, and as coaches we've got to figure that out. They just controlled things up front."
From the Sideline
On learning from the loss:
"After you have a really close loss against a good team, there's this natural reaction of, 'We're almost there, let's keep doing the same thing,'" Hawkins said. "But the hardest push up the mountain is that last little bit. We've got to continue to find ways to coach better, play better, and lead better so we don't have these outcomes."
On heading into the bye week:
"The bye week is very welcome," Hawkins said. "We've got to get healthy, especially on defense. There are a lot of things on tape we have to figure out, from how we handle loaded boxes to short-yardage runs. We need to get our legs back under us and prepare for a strong finish."
Bengal Bites
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Tsion Nunnally posted a season-high 169 receiving yards and now has four touchdowns in his last four games.
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Michael Shulikov recorded his third 100-yard receiving game of the season, finishing with 10 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown.
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Jordan Cooke has now thrown multiple touchdowns in two of his five starts this year.
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Rylan Leathers led all defenders with 13 tackles, while Jackson Irwin and Maka Tu'akoi each added sacks that resulted in a combined 18 yards lost.
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Gabriel Russo continued his strong special-teams play, averaging 51.2 yards per punt with four of his five kicks traveling more than 50 yards.
Next Up
Idaho State (2–5, 1–2 Big Sky) heads into its bye week before returning home for Homecoming against Northern Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 25 inside the ICCU Dome. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. MT, with coverage available on ESPN+ and KISU 91.1 FM.
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