Tommy Mellott, Montana State Bobcats QB, won't need surgery

BOZEMAN — The injury Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott suffered in last week's game against North Dakota State won't require surgery, MSU head football coach Brent Vigen told 406mtsports.com Thursday.

Vigen called it "a non-surgical lower body injury."

"He will be ok as we get going with workouts in January," Vigen wrote in an email.

Mellott got hurt on a run with 7 minutes, 36 seconds left in regulation of Saturday's second-round FCS playoff game at Bobcat Stadium. His right leg got tangled up as several Bison defenders tackled him for no gain on third down and 1. The junior from Butte grabbed his right knee area and writhed in pain after the play ended. He didn't put weight on his right leg as he left the field with help from teammates Sean Chambers and Clevan Thomas Jr.

Mellott didn't return to game, but he was able to walk around under his own power (with a limp) after MSU's 35-34 overtime loss.

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It was the second time in three seasons that Mellott started but didn't finish a season-ending game against NDSU. He injured his right ankle on the first drive of the 2021 FCS championship game and stood on the sidelines for the rest of the Bobcats' 38-10 loss. That injury required surgery. 

Mellott missed three games earlier in the season due to a right leg injury he sustained at South Dakota State. In 2022, a head injury in the first quarter of a 38-35 win at Eastern Washington forced him to miss the rest of that game and all of the next two.

Email Victor Flores at and follow him on Twitter/X at @VictorFlores406

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