Montana Close to Clinching

Backup quarterback John Edwards passed for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead Montana to a 33-21 victory over Portland State on Saturday in Hillsboro, Ore.

Montana (7-1, 5-0 in conference play), ranked fourth in Division I-AA, has the inside track to the Big Sky Conference championship. Every other Big Sky team has at least two conference losses. Portland State (6-2, 3-2) falls to third place.

A sophomore filling in for injured Drew Miller, Edwards completed 13 of 25 passes for 196 yards.

Yohance Humphery rushed for 194 yards in 37 carries and wide receiver Jimmy Farris caught three passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns for Montana.

Montana held potent Portland State to 271 yards. Charles Dunn, the leading rusher in I-AA, was held to 49 yards in 19 carries.

Weber State 16, Idaho State 13--Mike Minnoch kicked a 37-yard field goal with 10 seconds to play for the Wildcats (6-3, 5-2), who moved into second place. Host Idaho State is 4-4, 3-3.

Northern Arizona 32, Montana State 9--Francis St. Paul returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown and caught a four-yard scoring pass to help the Lumberjacks (3-5, 2-4) send the Bobcats (0-8, 0-5) to their 14th consecutive defeat at Flagstaff, Ariz.

UC Davis 13, Cal State Sacramento 10--Charles Roberts rushed for 118 yards and became the career rushing leader in Division I-AA, but the host Hornets (5-4) fell to the Aggies (8-0) in a nonleague game.

Roberts, a senior, has 6,209 yards,breaking the record of 6,193 set by Jerry Azumah of New Hampshire in 1998.