MSU vs. Stephen F. Austin Game Notes
9/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
A week after battling Oklahoma State on even terms for most of the evening last Saturday, Montana State hosts traditional power Stephen F. Austin to open its home season. The Bobcats and Lumberjacks kick off at 1:05 pm Saturday afternoon. Stephen F. Austin exploded for 49 points against Henderson State last week, overcoming an early deficit for the home win. Veteran SFA quarterback Zeke Dixon threw for 338 yards against the Reddies, including three touchdowns. Bobcat quarterback Travis Lulay tossed 205 yards worth of passes in MSU’s loss at Stillwater.
GAME FACTS
KICKOFF: 1:05 pm MDT
SITE: Bozeman, MT
STADIUM: Bobcats Stadium
MSU PRESS BOX: 406/994-6180
RADIO: State Farm Bobcat Network (Kris Atteberry, Dan Davies)
TELEVISION: Montana Sports Network (Chris Byers, Dean Alexander, Chris Bach)
HIGHLIGHTS
* Montana State moves up to 16th in The Sports Network poll this week
STREAKS
* Montana State has lost four straight games, three of those on the road
* MSU’s losing streak against Division I-A competition reached 17 games with the loss at OSU
* Travis Lulay’s string of six straight 300-yard passing days ended Saturday
MILESTONES
* Travis Lulay broke Montana State’s career passing record in Saturday’s opener, and now has 8,322 career passing yards
* MSU’s five-point loss was its closest game against a I-A school since the 1984 win over Fresno
SHINING
* QB TRAVIS LULAY, a four-time Big Sky player of the week last year, earned his first such award this season for averaging 42.7 yards a punt at Oklahoma State last week
* PK Jeff Hastings hit both his kicks Saturday, a PAT and a 35-yard field goal
* SS Ryan Force had eight tackles, one sack, and caught a 37-yard pass
ABOUT THE ‘CATS...
MSU in ‘05 0-1
Conf./Record Big Sky/0-0
Home/Road 0-0/0-1
Grass/Turf 0-0/0-1
Day/Night 0-0/0-1
HEAD COACH Mike Kramer
Alma Mater Idaho/’76
Overall/Years 62-67/12th
At MSU/Years 25-35/6th
vs SFA 0-1
Home/Road 0-0/0-1
SERIES MSU leads 2-1
At MSU 1-0
At SFA 1-1
At Neutral 0-0
Current Streak SFA 1W
ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN...
SFA in ‘05 1-0
Conf./Record Southland/0-0
Home/Road 1-0/0-0
Grass/Turf 0-0/1-0
Day/Night 0-0/1-0
HEAD COACH Robert McFarland
Alma Mater McNeese St/’85
Overall/Years 1-0/1st
At School/Years same
vs MSU 0-0
Home/Road 0-0/0-0
ABOUT SFA The Lumberjacks
Colors Purple, white
Location Nacogdoches, TX
Enrollment 11,000
Stadium Homer Bryce
OPPONENT ‘04 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
S1 Henderson State W 49-38
S10 at Montana State
S17 Western Illinois
S24 at Southern Utah
O8 Nicholls State
O15 at McNeese State
O22 at Sam Houston
O29 SE La
N5 UC Davis
N12 Texas State
N19 Northwestern State
BOBCAT 2005 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
S3 at Oklahoma St L 10-15 First-ever game vs. Big 12 opponent
S10 Stephen F. Austin 1:05 pm Lumberjacks’ first trip to MSU since ‘92
S17 at Cal Poly 7:05 pm Bobcats have lost six straigt to Mustangs
S24 North Dakota St 1:05 pm Bobcats face old rival for first time since ‘80
O1 *Idaho State 1:35 pm MSU, oldest out-of-state rivals open league
O8 *at Weber State 1:35 pm Ron McBride leads rejuvenated Wildcats
O15 *at Portland State 7:05 pm Bobcats face league’s top D
O29 *NAU 12:05 pm MSU’s first two-game streak vs. NAU since ‘79
N5 *Sac State 12:05 pm ‘Cats look to avenge 38-28 loss
N12 *at Eastern Wash. 3:05 pm Bobcats face preseason Big Sky faves
N19 *Montana 12:05 pm The 105th ‘Cat-Griz game
What to Watch
F Opening Big... Montana State has opened its season against Division I-A competition 11 times in the 25 years since joining Division I-AA in 1979, but rarely has it opened with a big-time program, as did against Oklahoma State this year. The Bobcats have now opened against a current BCS-level opponent only five times, six if you count Utah (1982), which played in a BCS game last year -- Washington State (1981 and ‘83), Florida (‘88), and Kansas (’89).
F QB Comparison... Saturday’s game could come down to a pair of veteran quarterbacks managing their offensive systems
Career School Pass Years as
Passing Ranking Starter
Lulay 8,322 1st 4th
Dixon 3,090 8th 3rd
F Glad to Have Ya... The addition of senior transfer receivers Jevon Miller and Tramaine Murray to an already-seasoned receiving crew bolstered MSU’s offense last night. Without Rick Gatewood (suspension), Murray, Miller and Chaz Guinn combined for 15 catches and 143 yards.
Pinpoint Punting
After becoming Montana State’s punter early in 2003, Travis Lulay used a rugby-like roll punt to average 36.2 yards a punt, and pinned the opponent inside the 20 nine times. In his two seasons as MSU’s full-season, full-time punter, Lulay has been consistent his terms of distance:
1-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79
2005 0 1 3 0 0 0
2004 6 14 19 6 4 1
Sixty percent (33 total) of Lulay’s 54 punts in the past two seasons have traveled at least 40 yards.
Pins
Travis Lulay has become proficient at Punter Pins, or pinning the opponent inside the 20 as the result of a punt. In the opener, he nailed OSU deep twice on six punts. Last season, Lulay nailed the opponent inside its own 20 a dozen times on 50 punts.
3rd Quarter Nightmare
MSU surrendered only 33 points in the first eight third quarters of 2004. In the last four, including this year’s opener against OSU, MSU has allowed 47 points.
Not So Special
The 2004 season marked only the second time in Mike Kramer’s career as a head coach at any level that his teams didn’t return at least one punt or kickoff for a touchdown. The other season was 2000, MSU’s 0-11 campaign. Between 2001 and ‘03, MSU return 11 punts or kickoffs to the paint.
Moving the Sticks
Montana State piled up 246 first downs last season, the third-highest total in school history. The Bobcats had 268 first downs in 1984, and 248 in 1976. Both those teams won National Championships.
The Young Ones
Montana State enters the 2005 season with a new defensive alignment, but also with new personnel filling out the odd-man front. The Bobcats start a pair of freshmen (Louis Saucedo at nose and Chris Kolone at end), and a sophomore (Aaron Papich at tackle). Junior David Siataga is Saucedo’s backup at the nose, while senior Daryl Rogers is in the rotation at tackle and end. His junior season last year is the only varsity season to the credit of any player on MSU’s defensive front.
Opening Information
Montana State is now a 54-44-5 in season openers since the Bobcat program began playing as the Montana State A&M Aggies in 1897. The Bobcats have won two of Mike Kramer’s season openers, with three of the four losses at Division I-A opponents. Montana State is 35-8-2 when opening the season in Bozeman, 12-29-2 when opening on the road, and 3-4-1 when opening on a neutral field. (The location of six Bobcat openers is unknown.) Montana State has not won a season opener away from Bozeman since beating Western Illinois to open the 1993 season.
Home Opener Facts
Montana State is 66-24-4 in home openers throughout its history... after losing Mike Kramer’s first two home openers, the Bobcats have won the last three... Montana State is 7-2 all-time when opening the home season the week after a game at a Division I-A opponent... Montana State’s latest home opener came in the 1939 season, when the Bobcats played its first home game on October 20, the team’s fifth home game of the season... MSU is 5-2 in home openers in Bobcat Stadium’s current configuration.
10 is Not Enough
Montana State’s 10 points Saturday night at Oklahoma State marked the second time in three years the ‘Cats have opened the season with only 10 points. Mike Kramer’s Bobcats have scored two touchdowns or less in three of Mike Kramer’s season openers.
They’re Tight
Montana State has a special situation brewing at tight end. All four Bobcat tight ends are in-state players, with only one from a Class AA school. Starter Elliott Barnhart played at Powder River in Broadus, Nick Parker played at Missoula Loyola, Ty McDonald at Geyser, and Brandon Bostick at Missoula Big Sky.
Single Stars, the Southland, and Such
Montana State holds a 5-5 record all-time against current members of the Southland Conference, including a 3-1 record in Bozeman. The Bobcats are 6-7 against schools from Texas, 3-2 in Bozeman.
Mike Kramer in OT
When the ‘Cats split a pair of overtime decisions last fall, it marked the first time Mike Kramer’s Bobcats had played extra football. Below is a look at MSU’s all-time overtime encounters...
2004 44-51 Eastern Washington+
2004 31-24 Portland State+
1994 31-34 Eastern Washington++
1990 28-25 Eastern Washington+
1984 44-41 Nevada+
1982 30-27 Idaho State+
MSU When Leading After...
1st Qtr: 0-0/2nd Qtr: 0-1/3rd Qtr: 0-0
MSU When Trailing After...
1st Qtr: 0-1/2nd Qtr: 0-0/3rd Qtr: 0-1
By the Numbers
6
Number of consecutive 300-yard plus passing games Travis Lulay posted to end the 2004 season, a school record
9
The number of career 300-yard plus passing games Travis Lulay has registered in his career as MSU’s quarterback
8,322
Travis Lulay’s career passing total, a new school record set last week in Stillwater, OK
4
Montana State’s current losing streak, the longest since the infamous school-record 18-game streak from 1999-2001
KRAMER’S QUOTES
On the Oklahoma State game: “The score was indicative of how close the game was. Oklahoma State never took total control the game. They played very well at times, but we always punched back. That’s a reflection on the leadership on the team and in the coaching staff. We were a little gassed in the fourth quarter and we came up just a couple of plays short. We don’t feel any better for the fact that the team we let off the hook was a Big 12 opponent. There was never a moment when we were hyped by the crowd, the opponent, the heat, the stadium. It was a good experience for our football team, but it only becomes a significant performance if we push ourselves to get better this week and play this Saturdy with tremendous hunger and desire.”
On Stephen F. Austin: “Stephen F. Austin is obviously very athletic, led by senior quarterback Zeke Dixon. They have a lot of playmakers. Traditionally, Stephen F. Austin is one of the most physically impressive teams we see, and this team appears to be in that mold. They are no stranger to the Big Sky Conference or to this state. This should be an outstanding showdown between two teams with strong self-concepts and strong senses of what they want to accomplish.”
On the Bobcats: “I think we’re going to be a pretty substantial offensive team. Don Bailey (offensive coordinator) and Travis Lulay did an excellent job managing the game, understanding what we could and could not do. Defensively we understand that no defense is based on 3-4 or 4-3, on man or zone. Defense is based on guts and heart and attitude. We filled up our tank attitude-wise (at OSU), and it happened on the sequence of plays right after our botched fake punt. It was like a NASCAR pit stop. Until that point our defense had accomplished nothing, but when they went out on the 17-yard line and kept Oklahoma State scoring they really established themselves. I think that defensive unit will continue to ascend.”
GAME FACTS
KICKOFF: 1:05 pm MDT
SITE: Bozeman, MT
STADIUM: Bobcats Stadium
MSU PRESS BOX: 406/994-6180
RADIO: State Farm Bobcat Network (Kris Atteberry, Dan Davies)
TELEVISION: Montana Sports Network (Chris Byers, Dean Alexander, Chris Bach)
HIGHLIGHTS
* Montana State moves up to 16th in The Sports Network poll this week
STREAKS
* Montana State has lost four straight games, three of those on the road
* MSU’s losing streak against Division I-A competition reached 17 games with the loss at OSU
* Travis Lulay’s string of six straight 300-yard passing days ended Saturday
MILESTONES
* Travis Lulay broke Montana State’s career passing record in Saturday’s opener, and now has 8,322 career passing yards
* MSU’s five-point loss was its closest game against a I-A school since the 1984 win over Fresno
SHINING
* QB TRAVIS LULAY, a four-time Big Sky player of the week last year, earned his first such award this season for averaging 42.7 yards a punt at Oklahoma State last week
* PK Jeff Hastings hit both his kicks Saturday, a PAT and a 35-yard field goal
* SS Ryan Force had eight tackles, one sack, and caught a 37-yard pass
ABOUT THE ‘CATS...
MSU in ‘05 0-1
Conf./Record Big Sky/0-0
Home/Road 0-0/0-1
Grass/Turf 0-0/0-1
Day/Night 0-0/0-1
HEAD COACH Mike Kramer
Alma Mater Idaho/’76
Overall/Years 62-67/12th
At MSU/Years 25-35/6th
vs SFA 0-1
Home/Road 0-0/0-1
SERIES MSU leads 2-1
At MSU 1-0
At SFA 1-1
At Neutral 0-0
Current Streak SFA 1W
ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN...
SFA in ‘05 1-0
Conf./Record Southland/0-0
Home/Road 1-0/0-0
Grass/Turf 0-0/1-0
Day/Night 0-0/1-0
HEAD COACH Robert McFarland
Alma Mater McNeese St/’85
Overall/Years 1-0/1st
At School/Years same
vs MSU 0-0
Home/Road 0-0/0-0
ABOUT SFA The Lumberjacks
Colors Purple, white
Location Nacogdoches, TX
Enrollment 11,000
Stadium Homer Bryce
OPPONENT ‘04 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
S1 Henderson State W 49-38
S10 at Montana State
S17 Western Illinois
S24 at Southern Utah
O8 Nicholls State
O15 at McNeese State
O22 at Sam Houston
O29 SE La
N5 UC Davis
N12 Texas State
N19 Northwestern State
BOBCAT 2005 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
S3 at Oklahoma St L 10-15 First-ever game vs. Big 12 opponent
S10 Stephen F. Austin 1:05 pm Lumberjacks’ first trip to MSU since ‘92
S17 at Cal Poly 7:05 pm Bobcats have lost six straigt to Mustangs
S24 North Dakota St 1:05 pm Bobcats face old rival for first time since ‘80
O1 *Idaho State 1:35 pm MSU, oldest out-of-state rivals open league
O8 *at Weber State 1:35 pm Ron McBride leads rejuvenated Wildcats
O15 *at Portland State 7:05 pm Bobcats face league’s top D
O29 *NAU 12:05 pm MSU’s first two-game streak vs. NAU since ‘79
N5 *Sac State 12:05 pm ‘Cats look to avenge 38-28 loss
N12 *at Eastern Wash. 3:05 pm Bobcats face preseason Big Sky faves
N19 *Montana 12:05 pm The 105th ‘Cat-Griz game
What to Watch
F Opening Big... Montana State has opened its season against Division I-A competition 11 times in the 25 years since joining Division I-AA in 1979, but rarely has it opened with a big-time program, as did against Oklahoma State this year. The Bobcats have now opened against a current BCS-level opponent only five times, six if you count Utah (1982), which played in a BCS game last year -- Washington State (1981 and ‘83), Florida (‘88), and Kansas (’89).
F QB Comparison... Saturday’s game could come down to a pair of veteran quarterbacks managing their offensive systems
Career School Pass Years as
Passing Ranking Starter
Lulay 8,322 1st 4th
Dixon 3,090 8th 3rd
F Glad to Have Ya... The addition of senior transfer receivers Jevon Miller and Tramaine Murray to an already-seasoned receiving crew bolstered MSU’s offense last night. Without Rick Gatewood (suspension), Murray, Miller and Chaz Guinn combined for 15 catches and 143 yards.
Pinpoint Punting
After becoming Montana State’s punter early in 2003, Travis Lulay used a rugby-like roll punt to average 36.2 yards a punt, and pinned the opponent inside the 20 nine times. In his two seasons as MSU’s full-season, full-time punter, Lulay has been consistent his terms of distance:
1-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79
2005 0 1 3 0 0 0
2004 6 14 19 6 4 1
Sixty percent (33 total) of Lulay’s 54 punts in the past two seasons have traveled at least 40 yards.
Pins
Travis Lulay has become proficient at Punter Pins, or pinning the opponent inside the 20 as the result of a punt. In the opener, he nailed OSU deep twice on six punts. Last season, Lulay nailed the opponent inside its own 20 a dozen times on 50 punts.
3rd Quarter Nightmare
MSU surrendered only 33 points in the first eight third quarters of 2004. In the last four, including this year’s opener against OSU, MSU has allowed 47 points.
Not So Special
The 2004 season marked only the second time in Mike Kramer’s career as a head coach at any level that his teams didn’t return at least one punt or kickoff for a touchdown. The other season was 2000, MSU’s 0-11 campaign. Between 2001 and ‘03, MSU return 11 punts or kickoffs to the paint.
Moving the Sticks
Montana State piled up 246 first downs last season, the third-highest total in school history. The Bobcats had 268 first downs in 1984, and 248 in 1976. Both those teams won National Championships.
The Young Ones
Montana State enters the 2005 season with a new defensive alignment, but also with new personnel filling out the odd-man front. The Bobcats start a pair of freshmen (Louis Saucedo at nose and Chris Kolone at end), and a sophomore (Aaron Papich at tackle). Junior David Siataga is Saucedo’s backup at the nose, while senior Daryl Rogers is in the rotation at tackle and end. His junior season last year is the only varsity season to the credit of any player on MSU’s defensive front.
Opening Information
Montana State is now a 54-44-5 in season openers since the Bobcat program began playing as the Montana State A&M Aggies in 1897. The Bobcats have won two of Mike Kramer’s season openers, with three of the four losses at Division I-A opponents. Montana State is 35-8-2 when opening the season in Bozeman, 12-29-2 when opening on the road, and 3-4-1 when opening on a neutral field. (The location of six Bobcat openers is unknown.) Montana State has not won a season opener away from Bozeman since beating Western Illinois to open the 1993 season.
Home Opener Facts
Montana State is 66-24-4 in home openers throughout its history... after losing Mike Kramer’s first two home openers, the Bobcats have won the last three... Montana State is 7-2 all-time when opening the home season the week after a game at a Division I-A opponent... Montana State’s latest home opener came in the 1939 season, when the Bobcats played its first home game on October 20, the team’s fifth home game of the season... MSU is 5-2 in home openers in Bobcat Stadium’s current configuration.
10 is Not Enough
Montana State’s 10 points Saturday night at Oklahoma State marked the second time in three years the ‘Cats have opened the season with only 10 points. Mike Kramer’s Bobcats have scored two touchdowns or less in three of Mike Kramer’s season openers.
They’re Tight
Montana State has a special situation brewing at tight end. All four Bobcat tight ends are in-state players, with only one from a Class AA school. Starter Elliott Barnhart played at Powder River in Broadus, Nick Parker played at Missoula Loyola, Ty McDonald at Geyser, and Brandon Bostick at Missoula Big Sky.
Single Stars, the Southland, and Such
Montana State holds a 5-5 record all-time against current members of the Southland Conference, including a 3-1 record in Bozeman. The Bobcats are 6-7 against schools from Texas, 3-2 in Bozeman.
Mike Kramer in OT
When the ‘Cats split a pair of overtime decisions last fall, it marked the first time Mike Kramer’s Bobcats had played extra football. Below is a look at MSU’s all-time overtime encounters...
2004 44-51 Eastern Washington+
2004 31-24 Portland State+
1994 31-34 Eastern Washington++
1990 28-25 Eastern Washington+
1984 44-41 Nevada+
1982 30-27 Idaho State+
MSU When Leading After...
1st Qtr: 0-0/2nd Qtr: 0-1/3rd Qtr: 0-0
MSU When Trailing After...
1st Qtr: 0-1/2nd Qtr: 0-0/3rd Qtr: 0-1
By the Numbers
6
Number of consecutive 300-yard plus passing games Travis Lulay posted to end the 2004 season, a school record
9
The number of career 300-yard plus passing games Travis Lulay has registered in his career as MSU’s quarterback
8,322
Travis Lulay’s career passing total, a new school record set last week in Stillwater, OK
4
Montana State’s current losing streak, the longest since the infamous school-record 18-game streak from 1999-2001
KRAMER’S QUOTES
On the Oklahoma State game: “The score was indicative of how close the game was. Oklahoma State never took total control the game. They played very well at times, but we always punched back. That’s a reflection on the leadership on the team and in the coaching staff. We were a little gassed in the fourth quarter and we came up just a couple of plays short. We don’t feel any better for the fact that the team we let off the hook was a Big 12 opponent. There was never a moment when we were hyped by the crowd, the opponent, the heat, the stadium. It was a good experience for our football team, but it only becomes a significant performance if we push ourselves to get better this week and play this Saturdy with tremendous hunger and desire.”
On Stephen F. Austin: “Stephen F. Austin is obviously very athletic, led by senior quarterback Zeke Dixon. They have a lot of playmakers. Traditionally, Stephen F. Austin is one of the most physically impressive teams we see, and this team appears to be in that mold. They are no stranger to the Big Sky Conference or to this state. This should be an outstanding showdown between two teams with strong self-concepts and strong senses of what they want to accomplish.”
On the Bobcats: “I think we’re going to be a pretty substantial offensive team. Don Bailey (offensive coordinator) and Travis Lulay did an excellent job managing the game, understanding what we could and could not do. Defensively we understand that no defense is based on 3-4 or 4-3, on man or zone. Defense is based on guts and heart and attitude. We filled up our tank attitude-wise (at OSU), and it happened on the sequence of plays right after our botched fake punt. It was like a NASCAR pit stop. Until that point our defense had accomplished nothing, but when they went out on the 17-yard line and kept Oklahoma State scoring they really established themselves. I think that defensive unit will continue to ascend.”
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
