BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Two big plays kept it close. In the end, Montana State's high- powered offense kept NAU at arm's length.
Anders Battle's 60-yard interception return and an 80-yard touchdown reception by Khalil Paden helped wiped out a good chunk of what had been a 24-point deficit. But 10 points was as close as the Lumberjacks got in a 41-24 loss on Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Stadium.
Montana State, which won its sixth game in a row, held the nation's 10th-ranked offense to 49 rushing yards to drop NAU to 2-4, 1-3 in the Big Sky Conference.
NAU quarterback Cary Grossart was sacked five times after entering the game seventh in the Football Championship Subdivision in pass efficiency.
"They did a lot of things they didn't show on film," said Grossart, who also threw an interception. "They had me panicking a little back there and got me out of my comfort zone. They played a great game."
MSU totaled 543 yards, earned 30 first downs and did not have to punt. Sophomore quarterback DeNarius McGhee threw three touchdown passes in a 12-minute span in the first half.
The Bobcats' defense was just as productive.
Zach Bauman, the Big Sky's second-leading rusher, managed just 37 yards on the ground, partly due to MSU's defense but also because NAU was forced to go to the passing game after falling behind 21-7 early in the second quarter.
"Offensively we need to be able to run the ball," NAU head coach Jerome Souers said. "Our passing game has been effective, but it wasn't today."
The Lumberjacks were held in check through three quarters, totaling just 160 yards. And it took Grossart nearly 20 minutes to complete his first pass of the second half. But one play after his long-awaited connection, he hit a wide-open Paden for an 80-yard touchdown to make it 34-24 with just over 10 minutes to play.
MSU (6-1, 4-0) answered with an 82-yard drive and capped the scoring on Everett Gilbert's 8-yard touchdown run. Na'a Moeakiola's interception of Grossart with 2:06 left ended NAU's comeback hopes.
"Montana State played a great ball game," Souers said. "They have an excellent success model that keeps you off-balance. They did a great job in the second half. It's not like we didn't know it; we knew they were going to do it and they did it successfully."
NAU needed eight plays and just under three minutes after kickoff to score the game's first points when Grossart hit Dejzon Walker for a 31-yard touchdown. The Bobcats responded with a touchdown pass 66 seconds later, and by the opening minute of the second quarter, MSU was up 21-7 when McGhee threw his third TD pass.
After a Matt Myers field goal made it 21-10, MSU's Jason Cunningham missed from 36 yards. But NAU was forced to punt on its next possession before Cody Kirk (24 carries, 142 yards) capped a 75-yard drive with a 2-yard run. Kirk's 43-yard reception was the key in putting Montana State ahead 28-10 at the half.
After the Bobcats scored on the first series of the third quarter, Grossart was sacked twice and the Lumberjacks lost 18 yards in a three-and-out possession.
MSU's Tray Robinson also cracked the 100-yard mark for Montana State, while NAU, which hosts Montana next Saturday, never got a run game going.
"We count on Zach Bauman and Gio Dixon to get going, and they didn't do what they usually do," Grossart said. "When that happens, we try to go to passing more and keep that balance and today we weren't able to do that. Hats off to Montana State."
