Bobcats Sting Hornets
11/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Travis Lulay threw for 238 yards and a touchdown and Evin Groves posted Montana State's first 100-yard rushing game by a Bobcat this season, as MSU dispatched Sacramento State 37-16 in Bozeman on Saturday.
"We played good defense and we ran the ball effectively," Bobcat head coach Mike Kramer said with a smile after the game. "That's the kind of football we want to play."
Groves, a redshirt freshman who entered Saturday's game with 109 yards this year, more than doubled that total against the Hornets. He carried 20 times for 112 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, but was eager to share the credit.
"It was a real group effort," he said. "Bolts (Jeff Bolton) and Fig (Lawrence Figueroa) and the whole group of offensive line opened up huge holes. When you have a great passing game it opens up the running game, and when we ran the ball effectively it opened up the passing game. It was a very balanced effort."
Lulay capped the first drive of the game with a one-yard touchdown run to give MSU the lead, but for the second straight year a three-and-out stop by the Bobcat defense turned into a long Hornet scoring drive because of a kicking game gaffe. MSU roughed Sac State kicker Mitch Lively on fourth-and-13 to extend the first Hornet drive, and Kris Daniels scored on a 20-yard run.
Daniels answered Jeff Hastings' 27-yard field goal with a five-yard run midway through the second quarter to give the Hornets a short-lived lead, but Groves scored two touchdowns in the next four-and-a-half minutes to give MSU a 23-14 halftime lead.
Lulay threw a three-yard scoring strike early in the fourth quarter, and Groves followed with a two-yard run to seal the win. Sac State benefitted from a safety late.
"We played very well defensively," Kramer said. "Our defensive success had a lot to do with how we played at safety. Those guys (Toph Grenfell and Ryan Force) did a nice job."
Montana State's win sets up a huge showdown next week between Montana State and Eastern Washington. The 3:05 contest in Cheney, WA, shapes up as an elimination game in the Big Sky Conference between 4-1 MSU and 4-2 Eastern.
"We played good defense and we ran the ball effectively," Bobcat head coach Mike Kramer said with a smile after the game. "That's the kind of football we want to play."
Groves, a redshirt freshman who entered Saturday's game with 109 yards this year, more than doubled that total against the Hornets. He carried 20 times for 112 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, but was eager to share the credit.
"It was a real group effort," he said. "Bolts (Jeff Bolton) and Fig (Lawrence Figueroa) and the whole group of offensive line opened up huge holes. When you have a great passing game it opens up the running game, and when we ran the ball effectively it opened up the passing game. It was a very balanced effort."
Lulay capped the first drive of the game with a one-yard touchdown run to give MSU the lead, but for the second straight year a three-and-out stop by the Bobcat defense turned into a long Hornet scoring drive because of a kicking game gaffe. MSU roughed Sac State kicker Mitch Lively on fourth-and-13 to extend the first Hornet drive, and Kris Daniels scored on a 20-yard run.
Daniels answered Jeff Hastings' 27-yard field goal with a five-yard run midway through the second quarter to give the Hornets a short-lived lead, but Groves scored two touchdowns in the next four-and-a-half minutes to give MSU a 23-14 halftime lead.
Lulay threw a three-yard scoring strike early in the fourth quarter, and Groves followed with a two-yard run to seal the win. Sac State benefitted from a safety late.
"We played very well defensively," Kramer said. "Our defensive success had a lot to do with how we played at safety. Those guys (Toph Grenfell and Ryan Force) did a nice job."
Montana State's win sets up a huge showdown next week between Montana State and Eastern Washington. The 3:05 contest in Cheney, WA, shapes up as an elimination game in the Big Sky Conference between 4-1 MSU and 4-2 Eastern.
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
