Bobcats Top Vikings in Muddy Masterpiece
10/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Believe Mike Kramer when he says he knows a lot of words, and could have used a number of them after Montana State's 14-0 whitewashing of Portland State in Bobcat Stadium on Saturday.
But he settled on one almost immediately.
"Magnificent," MSU's seventh-year head coach said of the Bobcats' Homecoming win. "It was a magnificent job by the defense. It started with the defensive line getting pressure on the quarterback, the linebackers were all over the field, and it rolled right through the secondary."
Saturday's win marked the return to action of two starters, defensive end Aaron Papich and safety Ryan Force. "Certainly the return of Aaron Papich and Ryan Force made a big difference," he said. "The return of Ryan and the continued improvement of Tyrone (Henderson) allowed us to play literally error-free at safety, something we weren't able to do earlier in the year."
Montana State's defense dominated on the muddy field, a product of 18 hours or so of rain in the Bozeman area. MSU limited the Vikings to just 132 yards of total offense, the fourth-lowest total of Mike Kramer's six-plus years at MSU. The 'Cats held PSU to 2-for-13 on third down conversions, 0-for-2 on fourth down, and dominated the time of possession 37:01 to 22:59. MSU benefited from a highly efficient offense, featuring true freshman running back Aaron Mason's 128 yards.
MSU scored the game's only points on short Aaron Mason touchdowns. The San Diego native scored from one yard out with 2:58 to play in the first quarter, and caught a three-yard pass from Jack Rolovich early in the fourth quarter to essentially ice the game. Rolovich replaced junior starter Cory Carpenter, who left after the third quarter (ankle).
After Carpenter finished the day 10-for-16 with an interception and 68 yards, Rolovich was 5-for-8 for 55 yards with a touchdown. "Jack played OK," Kramer said. "He came off the bench and played OK. He's not yet completely comfortable with the offense... We'll tailor what we do to what he can do." Carpenter is likely to miss at least next week's contest at Sacramento State.
Portland State's most serious scoring threats came early in the second half. On PSU's first possession, after intercepting Carpenter, Eric Azorr missed a 49-yard field goal. On the team's next possession, from the Bobcat 28-yard line, Bobby Daly intercepted a Sawyer Smith pass at the MSU 25. The Vikings didn't possess the ball in Bobcat territory again.
"He gave it to me," Daly said of his interception, "it went right through (the Viking receiver's) hands. I was ready to tackle him, and it went right into my lap."
With two serious Portland State threats squelched, the Bobcat offense settled in. The 'Cats held the ball 3:33 on its ensuing possession, which ended in a punt. The team then held the ball 6:15 in the scoring drive that spanned the third and fourth quarters, and had it for 6:53 on an 11-play drive that ended on downs with 3:06 to play and the Bobcats at the PSU 25.
"It was a throwback game," Kramer said of the teams' slug-it-out style. "What feels best is to play well in front of our fans."
Montana State's home win was its first in four tries this year, but it also raised the team's record to 3-3 overall, 2-1 in conference play. Portland State, which hosts Idaho State next week, is 3-3 overall, 2-2 in the league.
But he settled on one almost immediately.
"Magnificent," MSU's seventh-year head coach said of the Bobcats' Homecoming win. "It was a magnificent job by the defense. It started with the defensive line getting pressure on the quarterback, the linebackers were all over the field, and it rolled right through the secondary."
Saturday's win marked the return to action of two starters, defensive end Aaron Papich and safety Ryan Force. "Certainly the return of Aaron Papich and Ryan Force made a big difference," he said. "The return of Ryan and the continued improvement of Tyrone (Henderson) allowed us to play literally error-free at safety, something we weren't able to do earlier in the year."
Montana State's defense dominated on the muddy field, a product of 18 hours or so of rain in the Bozeman area. MSU limited the Vikings to just 132 yards of total offense, the fourth-lowest total of Mike Kramer's six-plus years at MSU. The 'Cats held PSU to 2-for-13 on third down conversions, 0-for-2 on fourth down, and dominated the time of possession 37:01 to 22:59. MSU benefited from a highly efficient offense, featuring true freshman running back Aaron Mason's 128 yards.
MSU scored the game's only points on short Aaron Mason touchdowns. The San Diego native scored from one yard out with 2:58 to play in the first quarter, and caught a three-yard pass from Jack Rolovich early in the fourth quarter to essentially ice the game. Rolovich replaced junior starter Cory Carpenter, who left after the third quarter (ankle).
After Carpenter finished the day 10-for-16 with an interception and 68 yards, Rolovich was 5-for-8 for 55 yards with a touchdown. "Jack played OK," Kramer said. "He came off the bench and played OK. He's not yet completely comfortable with the offense... We'll tailor what we do to what he can do." Carpenter is likely to miss at least next week's contest at Sacramento State.
Portland State's most serious scoring threats came early in the second half. On PSU's first possession, after intercepting Carpenter, Eric Azorr missed a 49-yard field goal. On the team's next possession, from the Bobcat 28-yard line, Bobby Daly intercepted a Sawyer Smith pass at the MSU 25. The Vikings didn't possess the ball in Bobcat territory again.
"He gave it to me," Daly said of his interception, "it went right through (the Viking receiver's) hands. I was ready to tackle him, and it went right into my lap."
With two serious Portland State threats squelched, the Bobcat offense settled in. The 'Cats held the ball 3:33 on its ensuing possession, which ended in a punt. The team then held the ball 6:15 in the scoring drive that spanned the third and fourth quarters, and had it for 6:53 on an 11-play drive that ended on downs with 3:06 to play and the Bobcats at the PSU 25.
"It was a throwback game," Kramer said of the teams' slug-it-out style. "What feels best is to play well in front of our fans."
Montana State's home win was its first in four tries this year, but it also raised the team's record to 3-3 overall, 2-1 in conference play. Portland State, which hosts Idaho State next week, is 3-3 overall, 2-2 in the league.
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