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ST. GEORGE — The Utah Tech football season opener was a tough watch for the home crowd.
The Trailblazers took on the Montana State Bobcats, the No. 4 team in the FCS, and battled to a 31-7 loss on Saturday night.
It was the Trailblazers' first game with head coach Lance Anderson at the helm, and the Bobcats spoiled his debut. Montana State controlled the ball for 45 minutes, chewing up the clock with their 56 rushing attempts.
Utah Tech hoped to limit the Bobcats' run game, but gave up 329 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. Scottre Humphrey led the charge with 107 yards on the ground, and quarterback Tommy Mellott contributed 80 of his own, along with two touchdowns.
Mellott also had 147 passing yards despite throwing the ball less than a third of the time.
In what little time the Trailblazers had, the Utah Tech offense collected a total of six first downs. Quarterback Deacon Hill threw for 107 yards, with Eni Falayi being his favorite target. Falayi had 64 yards on five receptions to lead the team.
The Bobcats scored all 31 of their points — four touchdowns and a field goal — before the Trailblazers could ruin the shutout. In fact, Utah Tech did not even earn a first down until the fourth quarter. Their sole score came from Hill, as all 258 pounds of him chugged down the sideline for a 24-yard touchdown run. It was the team's longest run of the game and made Hill the Trailblazers' leading rusher.
Defensively, Utah Tech had a few bright spots. They excited the crowd by blocking a field goal attempt in the second quarter, and had a few tackles for loss, including a sack by Laytan Tanuvasa that took 9 yards from the Bobcats.
Punter Andy Day was also a highlight. In 10 punts, he kicked for 412 yards with two that traveled over 50 yards. His longest, a 61-yarder, was the farthest punt since his freshman season in 2021.
The Trailblazers will continue the season next Saturday at UNLV. The afternoon matchup will be the first time the two programs will meet.
