Bobcats Make History in Boulder
9/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
On Colorado's first play from scrimmage on Saturday, quarterback James Cox found Patrick Williams for a 42-yard gain, the longest opening play in Buffalo history.
From that point on, history shifted to Montana State's side and never left.
Most historic of all, Montana State's win gave the Bobcats their first triumph over a Division I-A opponent for the first time since 1984, and for only the third time in since the Division I-AA classification formed in 1979. It was MSU's first win over a BCS-level school since that system began a decade ago.
Kramer said MSU earned the win by playing its game. "The one thing we didn't do is that we didn't fracture on a play," he said. The first play we got a little snookered, but we responded calmly, methodically, with passion and energy."
A pair of individuals made history for the Bobcats on Saturday. Senior kicker Jeff Hastings, MSU's single-season record-holder (he hit 16 last year), made four field goals Saturday, matching a school record. Cory Carpenter made his first start at quarterback since he was a senior at The Dalles High in Oregon in 2002, and responded supremely. Carpenter threw for the second-most yards ever by a Bobcat making his starting debut (since such records became available in 1956).
That history stood on Montana State's side for most of Saturday afternoon was not just a figure of speech. Perhaps the greatest player in Bobcat history, Montana State's all-time passing and total offense leader Travis Lulay, stood on the MSU sideline throughout the game. A few rows above him, MSU's all-time leading rushing Ryan Johnson watched. And Kane Ioane, one of the school's all-time tackles leader, is and MSU assistant.
The significance was not lost on Kramer. "I think that first gropu of players that led us to the Big Sky Championship in 2002 had ownership in (Saturday's) game," said the man who recruited most of those players to Bozeman and forged them into a championship squad. "That ownership made it an obligation for the very talented team that went to Boulder to live up to what those guys have done."
Even in the afterglow of one of the program's biggest wins, Kramer was quick to put things in context. "We'll play bigger games," he said simply.
From that point on, history shifted to Montana State's side and never left.
Most historic of all, Montana State's win gave the Bobcats their first triumph over a Division I-A opponent for the first time since 1984, and for only the third time in since the Division I-AA classification formed in 1979. It was MSU's first win over a BCS-level school since that system began a decade ago.
Kramer said MSU earned the win by playing its game. "The one thing we didn't do is that we didn't fracture on a play," he said. The first play we got a little snookered, but we responded calmly, methodically, with passion and energy."
A pair of individuals made history for the Bobcats on Saturday. Senior kicker Jeff Hastings, MSU's single-season record-holder (he hit 16 last year), made four field goals Saturday, matching a school record. Cory Carpenter made his first start at quarterback since he was a senior at The Dalles High in Oregon in 2002, and responded supremely. Carpenter threw for the second-most yards ever by a Bobcat making his starting debut (since such records became available in 1956).
That history stood on Montana State's side for most of Saturday afternoon was not just a figure of speech. Perhaps the greatest player in Bobcat history, Montana State's all-time passing and total offense leader Travis Lulay, stood on the MSU sideline throughout the game. A few rows above him, MSU's all-time leading rushing Ryan Johnson watched. And Kane Ioane, one of the school's all-time tackles leader, is and MSU assistant.
The significance was not lost on Kramer. "I think that first gropu of players that led us to the Big Sky Championship in 2002 had ownership in (Saturday's) game," said the man who recruited most of those players to Bozeman and forged them into a championship squad. "That ownership made it an obligation for the very talented team that went to Boulder to live up to what those guys have done."
Even in the afterglow of one of the program's biggest wins, Kramer was quick to put things in context. "We'll play bigger games," he said simply.
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