Bobcats Topple ISU on Soggy Day
9/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Demetrius Crawford rushed for 173 yards and Montana State's defense accounted for nine points, leading the Bobcats to a 40-20 win over Idaho State on Saturday.
A rain-soaked crowd of 14,427, the largest in school history for an opponent other than Montana, watched as the Bobcats fell behind 10-0 in the first 12 minutes of the game and 17-14 at halftime, then rally to outscore the Bengals 26-3 in the second half to secure the win. MSU compiled just 39 rushing yards as a team in the first half, but Demetrius Crawford rushed for 136 by himself after the break as MSU held the ball for over nine minutes in the fourth quarter.
"I was telling them that it's a long game," Ash said of the time after MSU fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter. "It's a marathon, not a sprint. When you can win going away, it eases the frustration of the first half."
Bobcat quarterback Jack Rolovich, who threw a pair of interceptions in the first half but led an MSU attack that didn't turn the ball over at all in the second, agreed. "In the second half we came out and played a lot better than in the first half. We looked like a completely different team."
Idaho state operated efficiently and effectively early, with Branden Jones converting a 42-yard field goal on the team's first drive and Clint Knickrehm scoring on a one-yard touchdown run on the next possession. MSU answered with an Aaron Mason two-yard run early in the second quarter, and Kevin Retoriano's 83-yard interception return midway through that period seemed to turn the tide.
"(ISU quarterback Luke Butler) just threw it right to me," Retoriano said. "They were in five wide (receivers), and I knew the quarterback wouldn't catch me."
With 2:21 to play in the first half, though, Idaho State's D.J. Clark picked off a Jack Rolovich pass and galloped 48 yards for a touchdown. That gave Idaho State the 17-14 lead it would carry into the intermission.
After the break, it was all Bobcats. Rolovich found Josh Lewis open for a 46-yard touchdown pass, and after Jones nailed a 41-yard field goal to cut MSU's lead to 21-20 the Bobcats marched 53 yards to the ISU 6. On third-and-8, Rolovich threw on the run and tossed a ball that was tipped and caught by Derek Green at the Bengal six. That set up a fourth-and-two, and Rolovich again rolled out, this time finding Elliott Barnhart in the end zone for a six-yard scoring strike that gave the Bobcats a 28-20 lead.
After Idaho State moved the ball into Bobcat territory on its ensuing possession, the Bobcat defense responded. Defensive end Paul Bartsch tipped a Butler pass, and linebacker Epikopo King made the interception to thwart the Bengals' drive.
Demetrius Crawford rushed for 51 yards on five carries after MSU took possession, and Michael Sweeney snuck a 29-yard field goal over the cross bar for a 31-20 MSU lead. After the teams traded punts, Eric Fisher pinned Idaho State at its own five with a punt. On second-and-seven from the ISU eight, Chase Gazzerro nailed Butler for a sack in the end zone. The safety increased MSU's lead to 33-20 with 4:24 left. Demetrius Crawford scored a touchdown with just over one minute left for the final margin.
The Bobcats raised their record to 3-1 with the win, 2-0 in Big Sky play, while Idaho State falls to 1-3, 0-2 in the league.
A rain-soaked crowd of 14,427, the largest in school history for an opponent other than Montana, watched as the Bobcats fell behind 10-0 in the first 12 minutes of the game and 17-14 at halftime, then rally to outscore the Bengals 26-3 in the second half to secure the win. MSU compiled just 39 rushing yards as a team in the first half, but Demetrius Crawford rushed for 136 by himself after the break as MSU held the ball for over nine minutes in the fourth quarter.
"I was telling them that it's a long game," Ash said of the time after MSU fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter. "It's a marathon, not a sprint. When you can win going away, it eases the frustration of the first half."
Bobcat quarterback Jack Rolovich, who threw a pair of interceptions in the first half but led an MSU attack that didn't turn the ball over at all in the second, agreed. "In the second half we came out and played a lot better than in the first half. We looked like a completely different team."
Idaho state operated efficiently and effectively early, with Branden Jones converting a 42-yard field goal on the team's first drive and Clint Knickrehm scoring on a one-yard touchdown run on the next possession. MSU answered with an Aaron Mason two-yard run early in the second quarter, and Kevin Retoriano's 83-yard interception return midway through that period seemed to turn the tide.
"(ISU quarterback Luke Butler) just threw it right to me," Retoriano said. "They were in five wide (receivers), and I knew the quarterback wouldn't catch me."
With 2:21 to play in the first half, though, Idaho State's D.J. Clark picked off a Jack Rolovich pass and galloped 48 yards for a touchdown. That gave Idaho State the 17-14 lead it would carry into the intermission.
After the break, it was all Bobcats. Rolovich found Josh Lewis open for a 46-yard touchdown pass, and after Jones nailed a 41-yard field goal to cut MSU's lead to 21-20 the Bobcats marched 53 yards to the ISU 6. On third-and-8, Rolovich threw on the run and tossed a ball that was tipped and caught by Derek Green at the Bengal six. That set up a fourth-and-two, and Rolovich again rolled out, this time finding Elliott Barnhart in the end zone for a six-yard scoring strike that gave the Bobcats a 28-20 lead.
After Idaho State moved the ball into Bobcat territory on its ensuing possession, the Bobcat defense responded. Defensive end Paul Bartsch tipped a Butler pass, and linebacker Epikopo King made the interception to thwart the Bengals' drive.
Demetrius Crawford rushed for 51 yards on five carries after MSU took possession, and Michael Sweeney snuck a 29-yard field goal over the cross bar for a 31-20 MSU lead. After the teams traded punts, Eric Fisher pinned Idaho State at its own five with a punt. On second-and-seven from the ISU eight, Chase Gazzerro nailed Butler for a sack in the end zone. The safety increased MSU's lead to 33-20 with 4:24 left. Demetrius Crawford scored a touchdown with just over one minute left for the final margin.
The Bobcats raised their record to 3-1 with the win, 2-0 in Big Sky play, while Idaho State falls to 1-3, 0-2 in the league.
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