BOZEMAN — There's a lot of elements to credit in Montana State's 35-31 comeback win over New Mexico last Saturday.
Between the clutch passes in the fourth quarter, a running back room that was determined to find the end zone and poise from both sides of the ball, the list goes on.
Montana State wide receiver Ty McCullouch made his mark with seven receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown in the team's win.
But it was his leadership off the field last Saturday that mattered just as much as his performance on it.
"Ty McCullouch stepped up in the locker room and kind of got the guys together and just kind of rallied us together around the offense, around him," Montana State linebacker McCade O'Reilly said after the game. "That just inspires the defense so much more to play hard for them."
On Monday, McCullouch reflected back on that moment at halftime.
"Going into the locker room, we needed something to pick us up a little bit," he said. "And I felt like I was in position to do that. I told them how I still had the taste in my mouth from North Dakota State, and I’m sure they did too. And I wanted to get that taste out of our mouths."
McCullouch was referring to the 2023 second round playoff exit versus NDSU.
He put his words spoken to the team at halftime to action. In the two-minute drill that won the Bobcats the game, McCullouch made an incredible catch through hard contact around the 5-yard line that set up the game-winning touchdown from Scottre Humphrey the next play.
"Tommy put a catchable ball in his vicinity," Montana State coach Brent Vigen said. "It was closely guarded, so the ball brought Ty down like I’m sure Tommy intended. You know, we needed to make that play. That’s why Ty’s out there. To make those catches."
"Yeah, we were joking, like, 'Why do we always do two-minute (drill) after practice, we’re tired,' and after we pulled that off, we’re like, 'That’s why we do it,'" McCullouch said. "You know, when you’re in that situation, you’re not panicked. It felt like even though there was a minute (and) fifty seconds on the clock, we had so much time."
What came across on Saturday is something McCullouch seems to stand for — his hunger to win.
That’s why he transferred to the Bobcats in December of 2022. It’s why he gave a halftime speech to the team last Saturday. It’s why he has an ability to come up big when the team needs it most.
"Ty’s a really fierce competitor, and you know, I think Ty coming here to Montana State, a lot of it had to do with his competitive spirit, as much as we was motivated to catch passes and all of that kind of thing," Vigen said. "Ty wanted to win."
"It felt great, you know, coming from a program where I didn’t win a lot, that was a big boost to my confidence," McCullouch explained the motivation the team got from their comeback win at New Mexico. "Because being able to trail like that and comeback, it just does wonders for a team I think. And we’re going to see that in the next couple games."
There’s a place where that edge and that confidence comes from, which he brings into every game.
"I view myself as someone who’s one of the best, and I guess the polls, the media, whoever it was, didn’t really think that," McCullouch said. "So I take that as a knock. I take that as a knock on my room as a whole. And honestly, we’re out to prove a lot. Not just me, it’s my room as well. Within this team, within the conference, and within the nation as well."
McCullouch and the Bobcats head to Utah Tech on Saturday for an 8 p.m. kickoff at Greater Zion Stadium in St. George, Utah, and is available for streaming on ESPN+.
