Grizzlies and Bobcats win big, advance in playoffs

Josh Swogger passed for 259 yards and four touchdowns Saturday to lead second-ranked Montana to a 31-6 NCAA Division I-AA first-round playoff victory over McNeese State in Missoula.

Montana (11-1), which won its 11th consecutive game, is at home next Saturday against Southern Illinois (9-3), a 36-30 winner over Tennessee-Martin.

Blak Bercegeay kicked first-half field goals of 42 and 38 yards for McNeese State (7-5).

Swogger’s touchdown passes were a 50-yarder to Dan Beaudin, a 14-yarder to Eric Allen and third-quarter scoring passes of 8 and 11 yards to Craig Chambers.

McNeese State went up 3-0 on Bercegeay’s 42-yard field goal with 10:11 left in the first quarter, before Montana answered with the 50-yard TD pass from Swogger to Beaudin.

Montana State 31, Furman 13: At Bozeman, Mont., Jack Rolovich passed for 272 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a third score as the Bobcats (8-4) upset the Paladins (8-4) in the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

It was Montana State’s first home playoff game since 1984, the year the Bobcats won the I-AA national championship.

Massachusetts 35, Lafayette 14: At Amherst, Mass., Liam Coen passed for three touchdowns – including his team’s last three scores – to lift the Minutemen (11-1) to a victory over Lafayette (6-6).

Illinois State 24, Eastern Illinois 13: At Charleston, Ill., Pierre Rembert rushed for 122 yards and the game-winning touchdown, leading the Redbirds (9-3) to a victory over the Panthers (8-5). The Redbirds had 339 total yards of offense while holding the Panthers to just 138 total yards.

Southern Illinois 36, Tennessee-Martin 30: At Carbondale, Ill., Nick Hill connected with Alan Turner for a 45-yard touchdown pass with :57 seconds left to give the Salukis (9-3) a come-from-behind win over the Skyhawks (9-3).

Appalachian State 45, Coastal Carolina 28: At Boone, N.C., Armanti Edwards passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more to lead the Mountaineers (10-1) to a win over the Chanticleers (9-3). Edwards ran for 172 yards, setting a school record for rushing by a quarterback.

Youngstown State 35, James Madison 31: At Youngstown, Ohio, Marcus Mason scored on a 1-yard run with 1:12 remaining as the Penguins (10-2) overcame an 11-point deficit en route to a victory over the Dukes (9-3).

New Hampshire 41, Hampton 38: At Hampton, Va., Chad Kackert caught a 25-yard TD pass from quarterback Ricky Santos with 4:40 left to give the Wildcats (9-3) a win over the Pirates (10-2).

Hampton had fought back from a 34-21 halftime deficit, scoring two third quarter touchdowns and adding a field goal in the fourth for a 38-34 lead with 8:59 remaining. But the Wildcats took the ensuing kickoff and put together a 12-play, 72-yard drive that ended with Kackert’s touchdown.