Bobcat History Lesson: Cal Poly
9/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
The evening was pleasant, the skies clear, and the setting spectacular for Montana State’s game at Cal Poly on September 16, 1995. More than a decade later, that 13-10 Bobcat win is Montana State’s last win in this series, but it stands the test of time as something far more significant. That Bobcat win remains one of the high-water marks of Cliff Hysell’s eight-year tenure as MSU’s head coach, and stands as a prototype of Cliff Hysell football. It also remains a coming out party for one of Montana State’s most popular student-athletes of the ‘90s.
In early 1995, Ground Cliff had yet to evolve into Air Hys. The Bobcats were a two-back team, fully dedicated to running the football on offense and stopping the run on defense. MSU’s trip to Mustang Stadium pitted a pair of revived programs similarly built on power football philosophies, and featured intense defense and savage hitting all around. Cal Poly scored midway through the first quarter on a 26-yard Mike Fisher touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead, but two Geoff Groshelle field goals trimmed that lead to one. A 23-yard field goal late in the half gave the Mustangs a 10-6 halftime edge.
Montana State’s offenses of the early and mid-‘90s never struck fear in the heart of Big Sky defenses, not with the likes of Jamie Martin and Doug Nussmeier and Dave Dickenson peppering the Big Sky with all varieties of aerial assaults. Jeff Tuss began 1995 as MSU’s starter, but Hysell wasn’t about to ask his quarterback to win football games, and Montana State’s defense began to take command in the second half.
The Bobcats thwarted a 25-yard field goal attempt on Poly’s first drive of the third quarter, then Jared Lucero intercepted a Fisher pass in the end zone on the next drive. After four straight three-and-out Mustang possessions, MSU began the game’s most impressive drive at its own 20 with 7:46 left in the third quarter. Tuss salvaged the drive from almost immediate termination by finding tight end Aaron Wilkins on a third-down pass for 32 yards, then tailback Matt Engelking ripped off an 11-yard run to push the Bobcats to the Poly 36. Runs of eight and four by Engelking, set up the game’s dramatic play, a third-down 10-yard touchdown pass from Tuss to sophomore tight end Scott Harry. Groshelle’s extra point gave the Bobcats what would prove to be the winning margin, 13-10. All-America defensive end Neal Smith ended Cal Poly’s last real threat with a third-down sack, and the Bobcats iced the game by holding the ball for 13 minutes in the fourth quarter.
When sophomore Scott Harry crossed the goal line for MSU’s only touchdown that night, his Bobcat career took off. Harry started half of MSU’s games as a redshirt freshman walk-on the year before, and would become an important part of MSU’s offense over the next three years as Rob Compson came into his own as MSU’s quarterback. But Harry’s star would shine brightest when the 6-3 tight end joined the Bobcat basketball team as a power forward a couple of months later, answering the call for help when injuries threatened to derail what would become a championship team.
In many ways, Scott Harry typified Bobcat football in the ‘90s, a tough, smart player whose career amounted to so much more than his limited talent indicated. Harry earned honorable mention all-conference honors in football and basketball, and also graduated with an engineering degree. Like that Bobcat win over Cal Poly 10 years ago, Scott Harry remains a shining example of what Montana State Athletics can be.
In early 1995, Ground Cliff had yet to evolve into Air Hys. The Bobcats were a two-back team, fully dedicated to running the football on offense and stopping the run on defense. MSU’s trip to Mustang Stadium pitted a pair of revived programs similarly built on power football philosophies, and featured intense defense and savage hitting all around. Cal Poly scored midway through the first quarter on a 26-yard Mike Fisher touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead, but two Geoff Groshelle field goals trimmed that lead to one. A 23-yard field goal late in the half gave the Mustangs a 10-6 halftime edge.
Montana State’s offenses of the early and mid-‘90s never struck fear in the heart of Big Sky defenses, not with the likes of Jamie Martin and Doug Nussmeier and Dave Dickenson peppering the Big Sky with all varieties of aerial assaults. Jeff Tuss began 1995 as MSU’s starter, but Hysell wasn’t about to ask his quarterback to win football games, and Montana State’s defense began to take command in the second half.
The Bobcats thwarted a 25-yard field goal attempt on Poly’s first drive of the third quarter, then Jared Lucero intercepted a Fisher pass in the end zone on the next drive. After four straight three-and-out Mustang possessions, MSU began the game’s most impressive drive at its own 20 with 7:46 left in the third quarter. Tuss salvaged the drive from almost immediate termination by finding tight end Aaron Wilkins on a third-down pass for 32 yards, then tailback Matt Engelking ripped off an 11-yard run to push the Bobcats to the Poly 36. Runs of eight and four by Engelking, set up the game’s dramatic play, a third-down 10-yard touchdown pass from Tuss to sophomore tight end Scott Harry. Groshelle’s extra point gave the Bobcats what would prove to be the winning margin, 13-10. All-America defensive end Neal Smith ended Cal Poly’s last real threat with a third-down sack, and the Bobcats iced the game by holding the ball for 13 minutes in the fourth quarter.
When sophomore Scott Harry crossed the goal line for MSU’s only touchdown that night, his Bobcat career took off. Harry started half of MSU’s games as a redshirt freshman walk-on the year before, and would become an important part of MSU’s offense over the next three years as Rob Compson came into his own as MSU’s quarterback. But Harry’s star would shine brightest when the 6-3 tight end joined the Bobcat basketball team as a power forward a couple of months later, answering the call for help when injuries threatened to derail what would become a championship team.
In many ways, Scott Harry typified Bobcat football in the ‘90s, a tough, smart player whose career amounted to so much more than his limited talent indicated. Harry earned honorable mention all-conference honors in football and basketball, and also graduated with an engineering degree. Like that Bobcat win over Cal Poly 10 years ago, Scott Harry remains a shining example of what Montana State Athletics can be.
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