'Cats Stun #10 NAU
10/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Montana State scored two touchdowns in the last 67 seconds after trailing all day Saturday, stunning 10th-ranked Northern Arizona 21-17 in Bozeman.
Sophomore quarterback Travis Lulay threw for 69 yards and rushed for 51 on the last two Bobcat scoring drives, taking the ball into the end zone himself both times, in MSU's improbable win. On the afternoon, Lulay was 26-for-37 with two interceptions for 260 yards. He was also MSU's leading rusher, gaining 56 yards on 14 carries despite being sacked twice.
"That's a three-percent play," MSU coach Mike Kramer said of the on-side kick that the Bobcats recovered to set up the winning touchdown. "Three percent of on-side kicks are recovered by the kicking team. It's a pool shot, a trick shot, and I'm not very good at pool. But I'm glad we won."
Northern Arizona was the dominant team for much of the afternoon. The Lumberjacks gained 480 yards of total offense, 150 yards more than any other team has compiled against MSU this year, and forced four Bobcat turnovers. The Lumberjacks limited MSU to 332 yards.
The game appeared salted away from NAU when Paul Ernster nailed a 30-yard field goal to extend its lead to 17-7 with just over two minutes to play. But Lulay capped a 69-yard scoring drive with a 32-yard touchdown run to bring the 'Cats within three, 17-14, with 1:07 to play.
"That was a great call by Coach (Don) Bailey," Lulay said. "Against a zone defense you're just looking for the open spot. I saw a lot of green in front of me, and I went."
Kramer concurred. "NAU pins their ears back and they're going to go get the quarterback," Kramer said. "We hadn't showed them that play, and Travis got rolling downhill. He's faster than you think."
After the score, Nate Cook's kick skipped and flattened out rather than bounding into the air, and Corey Smith recovered it. "It usually bounces, but this one didn't, so I just fell on it," Smith said.
After finding Turnquist on completions of 20 and six yards, Lulay's legs took the 'Cats to the 10-yard line on a scramble. Two plays later, the sophomore snuck in over the pile for the game's winning score with just 15 seconds to play.
"It was a tremendous effort by our defense not to give up points," Kramer said. "We never did get pressure on Murrietta, but we found a way to keep them out of the end zone."
Montana State raises its record to 4-4 with the win, while #10 NAU falls to 6-2. The Bobcats are 2-1 in Big Sky play, while NAU is 4-1.
Sophomore quarterback Travis Lulay threw for 69 yards and rushed for 51 on the last two Bobcat scoring drives, taking the ball into the end zone himself both times, in MSU's improbable win. On the afternoon, Lulay was 26-for-37 with two interceptions for 260 yards. He was also MSU's leading rusher, gaining 56 yards on 14 carries despite being sacked twice.
"That's a three-percent play," MSU coach Mike Kramer said of the on-side kick that the Bobcats recovered to set up the winning touchdown. "Three percent of on-side kicks are recovered by the kicking team. It's a pool shot, a trick shot, and I'm not very good at pool. But I'm glad we won."
Northern Arizona was the dominant team for much of the afternoon. The Lumberjacks gained 480 yards of total offense, 150 yards more than any other team has compiled against MSU this year, and forced four Bobcat turnovers. The Lumberjacks limited MSU to 332 yards.
The game appeared salted away from NAU when Paul Ernster nailed a 30-yard field goal to extend its lead to 17-7 with just over two minutes to play. But Lulay capped a 69-yard scoring drive with a 32-yard touchdown run to bring the 'Cats within three, 17-14, with 1:07 to play.
"That was a great call by Coach (Don) Bailey," Lulay said. "Against a zone defense you're just looking for the open spot. I saw a lot of green in front of me, and I went."
Kramer concurred. "NAU pins their ears back and they're going to go get the quarterback," Kramer said. "We hadn't showed them that play, and Travis got rolling downhill. He's faster than you think."
After the score, Nate Cook's kick skipped and flattened out rather than bounding into the air, and Corey Smith recovered it. "It usually bounces, but this one didn't, so I just fell on it," Smith said.
After finding Turnquist on completions of 20 and six yards, Lulay's legs took the 'Cats to the 10-yard line on a scramble. Two plays later, the sophomore snuck in over the pile for the game's winning score with just 15 seconds to play.
"It was a tremendous effort by our defense not to give up points," Kramer said. "We never did get pressure on Murrietta, but we found a way to keep them out of the end zone."
Montana State raises its record to 4-4 with the win, while #10 NAU falls to 6-2. The Bobcats are 2-1 in Big Sky play, while NAU is 4-1.
Justine Lamontagne Interview
Wednesday, June 10
WBB - Montana State vs Portland - Behind the Mic
Friday, March 27
2025 Code of a Champion
Monday, March 23
Spring Football Preview Press Conference
Friday, March 13
