Montana State Roars Back From Deficit, Beats New Mexico

© Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Things looked awfully bleak for Montana State with 13 minutes remaining in the third quarter of the Bobcats' game against New Mexico on Aug. 24.

At the end of the day, however, it was the Bobcats who were victorious, storming back from a 17-point second half deficit to stun the Lobos, 35-31, in Albuquerque during the first week of the 2024 college football season.

Game Recap

It was New Mexico who came out of the gates hot at University Stadium, opening up a 17-point lead early in the second quarter. The Lobos' early charge was spearheaded by a fumble return by safety Christian Ellis, as well a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Devon Dampier to tight end Trace Bruckler.

Montana State would then go on a 14-0 run of its own. A touchdown toss from quarterback Tommy Mellott to tight end Rylan Schlepp opened the scoring for the Bobcats, with another touchdown pass to wide receiver Ty McCullouch making it a three-point game.

A Dampier touchdown run for New Mexico gave the Lobos a 10-point lead. Just as they did in the opening half, New Mexico would start the second half with another fumble return for a touchdown, with cornerback Noah Avinger doing the honors.

The final 28 minutes of Saturday's game were controlled by the Bobcats and aided by two consecutive drives for New Mexico that ended in missed field goals.

Montana State's Late Heroics

Still down 17 with 14 minutes remaining, Montana State's offense started to pull out a litany of late-game heroics. A touchdown run with 13:39 to play cut the deficit to 10, and a 93-yard sprint from running back Adam Jones suddenly made it a three-point game with four-and-a-half minutes remaining.

On the ensuing drive, New Mexico would suffer a second consecutive heartbreaking drop, with wide receiver Caleb Medford seeing a pass from Dampier slip through his fingers.

After punting the ball back to Montana State, the Bobcats would embark on their best drive of the day, going 89 yards on 11 plays to score the winning touchdown—a 4-yard go-ahead touchdown by running back Scottre Humphrey with just 10 seconds left.

Turning Point

New Mexico made plenty of mistakes in the second half, but none were bigger than Medford's third-down drop that could've iced the game. Of course, New Mexico's defense can't be exonerated for a poor final drive of their own, but without Medford's drop, the outcome of the game likely flips. Without the drop, Montana State's surgical game-winning drive doesn't have a chance to happen.

Scottre Humphrey would close out Montana State's winning drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. On a day where Montana State's offensive line constantly paved the way, it was a fitting way for the Bobcats to pull ahead.

© Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

What It Means

FCS 1, FBS 0. Montana State's win marks a monumental upset for the Bobcats, and gives them a boatload of momentum ahead of their contest on Aug. 31 against Utah Tech. The Bobcats will have to go into enemy territory against Trailblazers, making their big game experience against New Mexico that much more important.

Few things in college football are as deflating as a home loss to a lesser opponent, and contrary to Montana State, the Lobos' momentum tank is running on empty as they prepare for a road trip to Arizona on Aug. 31. New Mexico will likely be big underdogs in Tucson, and they'll need a big performance in order to avoid an 0-2 start.