Tommy Mellott’s remarkable career reached a new milestone on Saturday night when he was named the winner of the 2024 Walter Payton Award, given to the best offensive player in the FCS.
Mellott received the honor at the FCS national awards banquet at the Hyatt Regency in Frisco. He was selected as the winner over finalists Cam Miller (QB, North Dakota State) and Targhee Lambson (RB, Southern Utah).
Mellott is the second player from Montana’s NCAA Division I FCS schools to win the prestigious award. The first was University of Montana quarterback Dave Dickenson, who won it in 1995. Mellott is also the first player from Montana State University to receive the award.
“It’s a surreal moment for sure,” Mellott said. “Three years ago I was on the sideline after being injured in the national championship game, and I was talking on the mic to the quarterback coach at the time, coach (Taylor) Housewright, and he said, ‘If you don’t become the Walter Payton Award winner, we failed you.’
So I think it’s just a testament to what we’ve done as a program.
“But just having the opportunity to be out here today and be representing obviously such a great award, and winning it is a great honor. So (it’s a) very humbling moment, and I’m very, very honored to have it.”
Montana State senior quarterback Tommy Mellott is MTN Sports’ male athlete of the year for 2024
Mellott, who is from Butte, is the 27th quarterback to win the Walter Payton Award and the eighth in a row. He is also the 10th player from the Big Sky Conference to earn the award and the first since Eastern Washington’s Eric Barriere in 2021.
This season, Mellott has had an impressive performance over 15 games, completing 68.8% of his passes for 2,564 yards, with 29 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also rushed for 915 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 8.4 yards per carry.
NDSU’s Miller has thrown for 3,052 yards, 31 touchdowns, and four interceptions while rushing for 510 yards and 10 touchdowns. Southern Utah’s Lambson led the FCS in rushing yards with 1,922 and 23 touchdowns.
Mellott’s Walter Payton Award is the second national FCS honor he has received in the past two years. Last year, he won the Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award.
Earlier on Saturday, he was named the NCAA’s Elite 90 Award winner, which goes to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at the final site for each of the NCAA’s 90 championships. Mellott has a perfect 4.0 GPA in financial engineering at MSU.
Also on Saturday, Central Arkansas defensive end David Walker won the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in the FCS.
Montana State’s head coach, Brent Vigen, was also honored as the 2024 Eddie Robinson Award winner for FCS Coach of the Year, becoming the first Bobcat coach to earn the award.
Montana State senior quarterback Tommy Mellott
Mellott is the third Montana State player to win one of the major FCS MVP awards, following Caleb Schreibeis and Brad Daly, who won the Buck Buchanan Award in 2012 and 2013. Last season, Montana running back Eli Gillman won the Jerry Rice Award as the best freshman in the FCS.
Other Payton Award winners from the Big Sky Conference include Idaho’s John Friesz (1989), Weber State’s Jamie Martin (1991), Idaho’s Doug Nussmeier (1993), Northern Arizona’s Archie Amerson (1996), and Eastern Washington’s Erik Meyer (2005), Bo Levi Mitchell (2011), and Cooper Kupp (2015).
Other national winners for this season include North Carolina Central kicker/punter Juan Velarde, who won the Doris Robinson Award, NDSU running back CharMar Brown, who won the Jerry Rice Award, and South Carolina State quarterback Eric Phoenix, who was named the inaugural HBCU+ National Player of the Year, recognizing the best player from the 21 FCS programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Mellott and Montana State (15-0) will play North Dakota State (13-2) in the FCS National Championship game on Monday night at Toyota Stadium. The game will start at 5 p.m. Mountain Time and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier topped 20 points for the third consecutive game and seventh time this season in Saturday's win over Arkansas in Knoxville
Chaz Lanier scored 29 points to lead No. 1 Tennessee to a 76-52 victory over No. 23 Arkansas on Saturday, tying for the best start to a season in the program’s history.
The Volunteers (14-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) now match the 1922-23 team for the best start, according to the school.
Igor Milicic Jr. added 13 points and 18 rebounds, while Zakai Zeigler contributed 12 points and 7 assists.
Tennessee nearly shot better from 3-point range (38.5%, 10 of 26) than from the field (39.1%, 27 of 69).
For Arkansas (11-3, 0-1), D.J. Wagner had 17 points, and Boogie Fland scored 12.
Arkansas: Freshman guard Karter Knox has been a key player for the Razorbacks this season. With Johnell Davis dealing with a wrist injury, Knox has stepped into a larger role and is becoming more comfortable as a scorer.
Arkansas and No. 14 Michigan
Tennessee: Coach Rick Barnes is working to manage heavy minutes for his eight-player rotation. Freshman guard Bishop Boswell, the only other scholarship player, has been limited by a shoulder injury but is working to get back into game shape.
The game was tied at 12 midway through the first half when Lanier scored seven consecutive points. The Vols went on a nine-point run and gained a lead they would hold onto for the rest of the game.
Tennessee dominated the rebounding battle with a 27-12 advantage in the first half and finished the game with a 51-29 edge.
Arkansas will host No. 24 Ole Miss on Wednesday, while Tennessee will travel to No. 6 Florida on Tuesday.
Graham Ike scored 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Khalif Battle added a season-high 26 points to help No. 19 Gonzaga beat Loyola Marymount 96-68 on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Ike made 12 of 16 field goals, and Battle was 10 of 12 from the floor, including 4 of 5 from three-point range. Michael Ajayi contributed 15 points, and Ryan Nembhard had 10 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds for the Bulldogs (12-4, 3-0 WCC).
Will Johnston scored 18 points, and Jevon Porter added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Lions (9-7, 1-3). Loyola Marymount has now lost 13 consecutive home games to Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs shot 52.8 percent overall, including 7 of 16 from three-point range. Battle had three steals, helping Gonzaga score 17 points off Loyola Marymount’s turnovers.
No. 18 UConn and No. 8 Gonzaga
Loyola Marymount shot 38.2 percent from the field and made 8 of 24 from behind the arc. The Lions committed 14 turnovers.
Gonzaga led by 18 points at halftime and quickly extended their lead in the second half. Nembhard’s layup made it 59-35 with 15:20 left, and Battle followed with a three-pointer to give Gonzaga a 65-38 lead.
The Lions managed to cut the gap to 69-52 after a three-pointer from Porter with 8:48 remaining. However, Gonzaga responded with a 10-3 run to push the lead to 24 points.
Battle’s three-point play extended the margin to 88-60 with 4:07 to go, sealing the win for the Zags.
At halftime, Gonzaga led 46-28, with Ike scoring 14 points, Ajayi adding 11, and Battle contributing 10. The game was tied at 7-7 before Gonzaga went on an 18-6 run to take a 25-13 lead. Ajayi’s dunk capped the run with 8:50 left in the first half. Later, Battle scored five consecutive points to spark a 9-0 run that gave Gonzaga a 44-22 lead with 1:59 remaining in the first half.
Ishmael Leggett scored 21 points on Saturday night, helping Pitt stay unbeaten in Atlantic Coast Conference play with an 83-68 victory over Stanford at home.
Leggett also grabbed six rebounds for the Panthers (12-2, 3-0 ACC), who shot 56.4% from the field. Jaland Lowe contributed 16 points, five assists, and four steals, while Guillermo Diaz Graham scored 12 points, and Pitt held a 34-23 advantage in rebounds.
Maxime Raynaud led the Cardinal (9-5, 1-2) with 21 points, but didn’t get enough support. Chisom Okpara came off the bench to score 14 points, while the rest of the Stanford starters, excluding Raynaud, only managed 18 points. The Cardinal struggled with their shooting, making just 35.3% of their attempts, including 9 of 28 from 3-point range.
Pitt’s turning point came late in the first half and carried over into the first few minutes of the second half. Raynaud hit a 3-pointer with 5:11 left in the first half to give Stanford a 28-26 lead, but the Panthers responded with a 12-2 run to end the half.
Pitt (NCAAB)
Lowe nailed a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining, putting Pitt ahead 38-30 at the break.
In the second half, Pitt quickly built a bigger lead, using an 11-2 run that was capped by a 3-pointer from Diaz Graham. This gave the Panthers a 49-32 lead with 16:07 left. Pitt later pushed the lead to as much as 21 points in the final five minutes.
Zack Austin added 11 points for Pitt, who will face No. 4 Duke on Tuesday in their next ACC matchup. The Panthers have won five games in a row, scoring 83 or more points in four of them.
Stanford stayed competitive for most of the first half behind Raynaud, who scored nine of his team’s first 11 points. The Cardinal led 18-9 after a 3-pointer from Jaylen Blakes at the 12:16 mark. Stanford still led by nine with 8:02 left in the first half before Pitt took control for the remainder of the period.
Koby Brea came off the bench to score 23 points and hit seven 3-pointers, both career highs, as No. 10 Kentucky began Southeastern Conference play with a 106-100 win over No. 6 Florida on Saturday in Lexington, Ky.
The fifth-year guard was one of six Wildcats (12-2, 1-0 SEC) to score in double figures. Kentucky shot 48.3 percent (14-for-29) from 3-point range and 57.8 percent overall. Lamont Butler added 19 points and a career-high eight assists, while Otega Oweh finished with 16 points for Kentucky.
Walter Clayton Jr. tied his career high with 33 points to lead Florida (13-1, 0-1). Alijah Martin also scored 26 points for the Gators. Saturday was only the fourth time Florida lost a game after scoring at least 100 points.
Florida scored seven straight points to cut Kentucky’s lead to 89-87 with 4:16 left, with Clayton scoring five of his 23 second-half points during that run. Butler responded with five points of his own, and Florida never got within four points for the rest of the game.
No. 1 Tennessee 76, No. 23 Arkansas 52
Chaz Lanier scored 29 points as Tennessee won easily over Arkansas in the SEC opener for both teams in Knoxville, Tenn.
Zakai Zeigler had 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals for Tennessee (14-0, 1-0 SEC), matching their best start in program history, which was first achieved in 1922-23. Igor Milicic Jr. added 13 points and a career-best 18 rebounds for the Volunteers, who had a 51-29 advantage in rebounds, including a 24-9 lead in offensive rebounds.
D.J. Wagner led Arkansas (11-3, 0-1) with 17 points. Boogie Fland scored 12 points and had three steals for the Razorbacks, who shot just 37.7 percent from the field and made 6-of-29 from 3-point range.
Arkansas and No. 14 Michigan
No. 2 Auburn 84, Missouri 68
Johni Broome scored 24 points and blocked four shots as Auburn opened SEC play with a strong home win over Missouri.
Chad Baker-Mazara and Chaney Johnson each added 13 points for Auburn (13-1, 1-0 SEC), which started the second half with a 12-1 run to extend its lead to 57-34. Bruce Pearl earned his 213th coaching victory at Auburn, tying him for the all-time lead at the school with Joel Eaves.
Marques Warrick led Missouri (11-3, 0-1) with 19 points. Marcus Allen had nine points and five rebounds as Missouri coach Dennis Gates rotated 14 players, with 11 scoring in the game.
No. 3 Iowa State 74, No. 25 Baylor 55
Keshon Gilbert scored 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and had five assists to help Iowa State pull away from Baylor in a Big 12 Conference matchup in Ames, Iowa.
Milan Momcilovic added 15 points for Iowa State (12-1, 2-0 Big 12), which won its ninth straight game and stayed perfect at home with an 8-0 record. Curtis Jones contributed 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting in the dominant win.
Jeremy Roach led Baylor (9-4, 1-1) with 16 points. Josh Ojianwuna scored 13, and Robert Wright III had 10 points despite making only 4 of 17 shots. Ojianwuna also added 10 rebounds and three steals, and Norchad Omier had nine points and 10 rebounds.
No. 4 Duke 89, SMU 62
Freshman Cooper Flagg scored 24 points as Duke defeated SMU in Dallas without their coach, Jon Scheyer, who missed the game due to illness.
Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor each scored 14 points for Duke (12-2, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). Flagg also had 11 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in the win. Associate head coach Chris Carrawell filled in for Scheyer.
Boopie Miller, who played against Duke last season at Wake Forest, led SMU (11-3, 2-1) with 21 points. Matt Cross added 11 points, and Samet Yigitoglu finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds, but SMU shot just 34.3 percent from the field.
Duke’s Tyus Jones reacts following a play against North Carolina during the second half in Durham
No. 5 Alabama 107, No. 12 Oklahoma 79
Mark Sears scored 22 points and had 10 assists to lead Alabama to a win over Oklahoma in the SEC opener for both teams in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Labaron Philon scored 16 points, Grant Nelson added 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Clifford Omoruyi and Aden Holloway each contributed 10 points for Alabama (12-2, 1-0 SEC).
Jalon Moore led Oklahoma with 20 points. Jeremiah Fears added 16 points, and Sam Godwin had 15 points. Kobe Elvis scored 13 points, and Duke Miles added 10 points for Oklahoma (13-1, 0-1 SEC).
No. 13 Texas A&M 80, Texas 60
Zhuric Phelps scored 18 points, including seven during a 15-2 run in the second half, as Texas A&M defeated Texas in College Station, Texas.
Pharrel Payne scored 15 points, and Wade Taylor IV added 13 points for Texas A&M (12-2, 1-0 SEC), which extended its winning streak to eight games.
Tramon Mark led Texas (11-3, 0-1) with 14 points. Arthur Kaluma scored 13, Jordan Pope had 12, and freshman Tre Johnson scored 11 points despite shooting just 2-of-13 from the field. Texas made only 6 of 24 shots in the second half.
No. 14 Houston 86, BYU 55
Emanuel Sharp scored 18 points, and Terrance Arceneaux added 15 points off the bench as Houston defeated BYU in its Big 12 home opener.
Sharp and Arceneaux combined for 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting in a strong first half for Houston (10-3, 2-0 Big 12), which extended its home winning streak to 30 games. L.J. Cryer and Milos Uzan made back-to-back 3-pointers to extend Houston’s lead to 57-32 with 12:43 remaining.
Trevin Knell led BYU (10-3, 1-1) with 12 points. Richie Saunders, who scored a career-high 30 points against Arizona State, only had nine points on 3-of-8 shooting.
Nebraska 66, No. 15 UCLA 58
Brice Williams scored 16 points, and Andrew Morgan added 12 as Nebraska defeated UCLA at home in Lincoln, Neb.
Rollie Worster had 11 points, and Juwan Gary scored 10 for Nebraska (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten), which won its 20th consecutive home game, tying a program record. This includes victories over No. 1 Purdue and No. 6 Wisconsin from last season.
Tyler Bilodeau scored 15 points for UCLA (11-3, 2-1), which suffered its first conference loss as a Big Ten member. The Bruins made only 4 of 28 3-pointers (14.3 percent).
No. 24 UCLA and Arizona
Arizona 72, No. 16 Cincinnati 67
Jaden Bradley led Arizona with 15 points as they held off a late rally by Cincinnati to win on the road.
Bradley made a layup with 43 seconds left to give Arizona a 66-64 lead. After Cincinnati’s Dan Skillings Jr. missed a 3-pointer, Bradley made two free throws to extend the lead to 68-64 with 24 seconds remaining.
Carter Bryant, a freshman, scored a season-high 14 points, and Caleb Love had 12 points and six rebounds for Arizona (8-5, 2-0 Big 12), which won its fourth straight game. Skillings led Cincinnati (10-3, 0-2) with 18 points, and Dillon Mitchell had 13 points and seven rebounds.
No. 17 Mississippi State 85, South Carolina 50
Josh Hubbard scored 21 points as Mississippi State defeated South Carolina in SEC play in Starkville, Miss.
Hubbard made 7 of 13 shots and hit five 3-pointers after shooting just 31.4 percent in his previous four games. Claudell Harris added 17 points and nine rebounds, while Riley Kugel and Keshawn Murphy each scored 12 points for Mississippi State (13-1, 1-0 SEC), which won its seventh straight game.
Zachary Davis scored 22 points for South Carolina (10-4, 0-1), but Collin Murray-Boyles, the team’s leading scorer, only had five points and committed six turnovers. South Carolina shot just 29.1 percent overall and went 2-of-19 from 3-point range.
No. 19 Gonzaga 96, Loyola Marymount 68
Graham Ike scored 27 points, and Khalif Battle added 26 points to lead Gonzaga to a win over Loyola Marymount in West Coast Conference play.
Ike made 12 of 16 shots, and Battle was 10-of-12, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Michael Ajayi added 15 points, and Ryan Nembhard had 10 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds for Gonzaga (12-4, 3-0 WCC).
Will Johnston scored 18 points, and Jevon Porter had 17 points and eight rebounds for Loyola Marymount (9-7, 1-3), which lost 13 straight home games to Gonzaga and 33 of the last 35 matchups.
No. 24 Ole Miss 63, Georgia 51
Jaemyn Brakefield and Matthew Murrell each scored 15 points to help Ole Miss defeat Georgia in Oxford, Miss.
Dre Davis added nine points for Ole Miss (12-2, 1-0 SEC), which bounced back from a loss at Memphis on Dec. 28.
Asa Newell had 13 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals for Georgia (12-2, 0-1), but the Bulldogs shot just 29.3 percent (17-for-58) from the field and 11.1 percent from 3-point range. Georgia’s seven-game winning streak ended.
