Montana St. 41, N. Colorado 16

Published Sep. 22, 2012 8:43 p.m. ET

foxsports

Montana State scored on six of its first eight possessions en route to a 41-16 victory over Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Conference opener for both teams Saturday.

The Bobcats (4-0) went ahead 21-0 in the first quarter behind touchdown runs of 14 and 2 yards by Cody Kirk. Northern Colorado (1-3) cut the lead to 21-10, but Montana State answered with a 7-yard touchdown run by quarterback DeNarius McGhee and a 45-yard field goal by Rory Perez.

McGhee connected on 34 of 44 passes for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Kirk added 89 yards rushing on 19 carries and Tanner Bleskin had 10 receptions for 116 yards.

Montana State finished with 564 yards, while holding the Bears to just 266. Northern Colorado, which has lost 14 of its last 15 games, managed just 52 yards rushing.