Sam Houston's remarkable 22-game winning streak is over with a FCS playoff loss at Montana State

HUNTSVILLE -- Sam Houston didn't play like the No. HUNTSVILLE - Sam Houston did not play like the No. 1 team in the country, much less the unit that won this past May's FCS national championship.

Sam Houston's remarkable 22-game winning streak is over with a FCS playoff loss at Montana State

Montana State put an end to the Bearkats' season. They played poorly throughout and lost for the first time in 2019 The Bearkats lost their first round game at Bowers Stadium, where they had won 17 of their previous playoff games.

Montana State used a quick start to defeat Sam Houston 42-19 in quarterfinals. This ended Sam Houston's 22-game winning streak. Average 43 points were scored by the Bearkats (11-0).

Sam Houston's K.C. said, "You don’t want it ending this way, but I lost to a very good football team." After 31 consecutive wins, Keeler lost a playoff game at home as coach. "We ran out of gas. It has been a long season. It took its toll on us."

Saturday was Sam Houston's 22nd spring football game over a nine-month span.

Sam Houston won quickly, having won 21 consecutive games in 2021. Within four minutes, the Bobcats were leading 14-0 and then scored 14 more points to win.

Montana State (11-2), of the Big Sky, won the game and will now host South Dakota State (unseeded) in the semifinals.

Brent Vigen, first-year coach of the Bobcats, stated that "They (Sam Houston), won the championship in spring and that's exactly what we want be about." "Our guys were not intimidated by their success but we knew that we had to play well. It was important to get off to a good start. We were able to find a way of getting the ball into the end zone.

Eric Schmid completed a pair of touchdown passes from 61 yards to Ife Adeyi. He caught nine balls for 184 yard, but it wasn’t enough for the Bearkats.

Schmid, who was 25-0 when Sam Houston became Sam Houston's starting quarterback, passed for 354 yard. He did throw three interceptions and sometimes had trouble figuring out the zone of Bobcats who were able to handle the Bearkats offensive line defensively.

Sam Houston lost because of early turnovers and penalties. The Bobcats scored 14 points when Schmid threw 2 interceptions in the first half. The defense gave a strong effort and quarterback Tommy Mellott had a big impact on the Bobcats' win. The Bobcats defended a suspect secondary.

Although the Bearkats showed some spark, it was too late. Schmid won a double reverse and the ball ended up in his hands. Adeyi was able to score a touchdown screen pass of 61 yards to Schmid, bringing the Bearkats within 16 points at the end of the fourth quarter. Adeyi was blocked by five people on the right sideline.

Mellott orchestrated a 99-yard drive to win the third quarter, giving the game a lead of 35-12. Mellott's 68-yard pass to Lance McCutcheon was the key to the score.

Montana State made the most out of its 14 first downs. Sam Houston defeated MSU 433-359.

Schmid had very little time to throw, so the Bobcats kept putting pressure on him.

Adeyi stated, "We knew their front seven is good." "At the end, we didn't execute."

Mellott, a true freshman, was his second college quarterback start. He rushed for 76 yards and passed for 165 yards.

Sam Houston came back strong to open the second period, despite being down 28-6 at halftime. The Bearkats closed the gap to 28-12 with a touchdown on the third play in the third quarter. Adeyi was hit by Schmid on a 61 yard scoring pass. The Bearkats were unable to convert a 2-point conversion pass, just like their first touchdown.

Sam Houston scored a crucial touchdown in the second quarter to pull within 28-6. Schmid scored on a 1-yard keeper after Dalton Myers blocked him. He converted a fourth down run to keep the drive alive. On fourth-and-8 at the MSU 29, Schmid jumped a defender to gain a 12-yard gain.

On the opening series, visitors from Bozeman (Montana) scored. They ran 75 yards, with 30 yards of penalties. Willie Patterson, who was at the 4-yard line took a direct snap to find Mellot on the right side.

Sam Houston's first series opener saw Schmid get pushed out of the pocket and throw an interception to Tre Webb. Mellot's 30-yard touchdown pass to McCutcheon was completed one play later. This stunned the Bearkats, and put the Bobcats up 14-0 after Blake Gessner's extra score with 11:43 left in the first quarter.

Trevor Williams, Sam Houston's linebacker, said that it gave the team momentum and energy for the remainder of the game.

Sam Houston lost the last time he was in trouble on November 16, 2019, at Northwestern State, 31-28.