BOZEMAN, Montana – With 17,000 Montana State fans bearing down on him, and nearly as many cowbells ringing in his ears, Tanner Gueller dropped back to pass with his team in need of a touchdown.
Idaho State’s quarterback is consistently poised, building a streak of 165 consecutive passes without an interception. He’d need a few more to pull his team into scoring range from its own 7-yard line.
He never got to No. 166.
Gueller’s short pass over the middle was intercepted by Bobcats star linebacker Mac Bignell and returned 18 yards for a back-breaking touchdown. The score put MSU up 28-14 with 8 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in the final quarter. Idaho State made enough defensive stops down the stretch to have a chance at a late comeback, but couldn’t scramble out of its two-score hole. Gueller threw another pick with 3:00 to play, sealing the Bengals’ 28-14 loss Saturday at Bobcat Stadium.
It was Gueller’s first multi-interception game since Sept. 7 at Utah State. He and the Bengals’ offense ended four scoreless drives in enemy territory, including a 15-play drive in the third quarter that would have tied the score 21-21, but instead gave MSU the ball on its own 4-yard line after a failed fourth-down play.
The 14 points ISU (4-5, 2-4 Big Sky Conference) scored Saturday mark its lowest output against an FCS opponent this season.
“Gotta put more points on the board as an offense,” Gueller said. “That’s our job, and we didn’t do it well enough today.”
Montana State (4-4, 4-2 Big Sky) built a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Bobcats dual-threat quarterback and Big Sky rushing leader Chris Murray led his team on a 10-play, 79-yard TD drive to open the game, and contributed all 71 yards on MSU’s two-play touchdown drive to close the quarter.
Murray finished the game with 67 yards rushing and one touchdown on 14 carries, while completing 10 of 20 passes for 231 yards, two TDs and one interception. It was the third time this season he was held under 100 yards rushing, but his 231 yards passing are the second-most in his career.
“(Our defense) did a good job of containing him when they needed,” ISU coach Rob Phenicie said. “I thought our defense did a real good job.”
Idaho State climbed back into the game riding its rushing attack. James Madison and Ty Flanagan combined to rack up 46 carries for 185 yards, limiting Gueller’s early pass attempts to well-timed change-of-pace throws that kept the Bobcats’ defense honest.
Either Madison or Flanagan rushed on 29 of ISU’s 43 first-half plays. Montana State entered the game with the Big Sky’s second-ranked rush defense at 134.9 yards per game. Idaho State’s 201 yards rushing (Gueller had 16) are the second-most accumulated by an MSU opponent this season.
“That was a great defense,” Madison said. “I feel like we didn’t do good. We got the ball enough times to rush, I guess, for over (200) yards. … We took what the defense gave us.”
Idaho State punted three times and attempted three fourth-down plays – all three of which failed inside MSU’s 30-yard line. Phenicie said kicker Zak Johnson declared himself unable to kick sometime after his second-quarter PAT, leaving punter Sean Cheney as the team’s only available kicker. Parker Johnson, who started the season as ISU’s kicker, pulled himself from the Sacramento State game Oct. 14 and hasn’t played since.
Cheney converted his lone point-after try, but Phenicie said he was forced to keep his offense on the field on fourth downs in scoring range.
“We left nine points out on the field due to our kicking situation, and we weren’t able to convert the fourth downs,” Phenicie said. “We were forced to go into a four-down situation for most of the game.”
Montana State’s special teams, which had been shaky all season, shined thanks to punter Jered Padmos. The sophomore rugby-style roll punter booted five kicks a total of 260 yards (52 yards per punt), pinning ISU inside its 20-yard line four times. His 70-yard punt in the fourth quarter put ISU at its own 8-yard line. Gueller threw his pick-six two plays later.
The loss extends the Bengals’ winless streak against the Bobcats to 11 games, the team’s second-longest active streak against Big Sky competition. ISU hasn’t won a conference game on the road since beating North Dakota in 2015, and sits in no man’s land in the league standings at 2-4. The Bengals send off nine seniors next week in their home finale against UC Davis, and end the season Nov. 18 at Weber State.
“We’re going to come back, have a tougher week of practice, and hopefully end with a great result, end the season with a great two wins and prepare for next year,” Madison said. “Let our seniors go out with a couple wins.”