Saturday, November 19
Bozeman, MT
12:05 PM
Montana State University
vs
MONTANA
Alex Terrien and MSU's strong offensive line faces UM's stout defensive front Saturday
Bobcats, Grizzlies Get Together for 111th Time
11/16/2011 3:42:00 PM | Football
MSU faces in-state rivals with piece of Big Sky title on the line
After an electric regular season and an agonizing - for fans, anyway - open week, Cat-Griz is here. And as has been the case several times in the past decade, it pits the top two teams in the Big Sky Conference. This year's matchup in the storied rivalry plays out with a share of the Big Sky title at stake, with Montana looking to join the Bobcats as 2011 league champions. In conference games, The Bobcats and Grizzlies stand 1-2 in eight statistical categories, including scoring offense and scoring defense. Montana is hitting its stride as the Big Sky's de facto title tilt and NCAA FCS post-season approach, winning six straight games, most of them easily. The Bobcats own nine straight wins.
MSU Game Notes vs. Montana
UM Game Notes vs. Montana State
FOR OPENERS
• Rob Ash's 38th MSU win places him fourth on MSU's career victories list, two behind Mike Kramer and three behind Cliff Hysell
• MSU is ranked #1 in the nation during the regular season for the first time since 1978
STADIUM STUFF
• MSU averages 41.3 points and 504.2 yards in its five home games this season
• Cody Kirk has rushed for 678 yards in five games in Bobcat Stadium this year
BIG SKY BULLET POINTS
• Jason Cunningham (second, 9.4 points per game) and Cody Kirk (fifth, 8.4) rank in the top five of the Big Sky's scoring leaders, with UM's Brody McKnight fourth (8.5)
• MSU leads the Big Sky in scoring defense, total defense, and rush defense
THIS WEEK'S GAME
KICKOFF: 12:05 pm
SITE: Bozeman, MT
STADIUM: Bobcat Stadium
RADIO: Bobcat Radio Network (Jeff Lasky, Dan Davies, Tyler Wiltgen-SL)
TELEVISION: Montana's News Network (Dennis Patchin, Mike Callaghan, Grady Bennett, Derek Buerkle-SL, Chet Layman-SL)
2011 MSU SCHEDULE
Sept 1 at Utah, L, 10-27
Sept 10 UC Davis, W, 38-14
Sept 17 Minot State, W, 43-7
Sept 24 *at Eastern Wash., W, 36-21
Oct 1 *Sacramento St, W, 31-21
Oct 8 *at Portland St, W, 38-36
Oct 15 *Northern Arizona, W, 41-24
Oct 22 *at Northern Colo., W, 31-21
Oct 29 *Idaho State, W, 54-13
Nov 5 *at Weber St, W, 44-24
Nov 19 *Montana, 12:05 pm
HIGHLIGHTS
• Weber held MSU to 158 rushing yards, its lowest output since the opener at Utah
• Cody Kirk and Tray Robinson have rushed for over 100 yards each in two different games this year, the second set of Bobcat backs to do so
• MSU has gained at least 500 yards 10 times over the past two seasons, one more than from 1992-2009 combined
STREAKS
• WR Elvis Akpla has caught a pass in each of his 32 games at MSU, but his eight-game TD streak ended at Weber
• Alex Terrien's 36 straight starts include games at all three O-line positions
• The Cats have scored 30+ points in a school-record nine straight games
• MSU now owns back-to-back 9-win seasons for the first time
MILESTONES
• DeNarius McGhee's 44 career TD passes is 4th in Bobcat history, and his 21 in 2011 is MSU's 4th-best season
• The Bobcats have won their first seven Big Sky games for the first time
SHINING
• The Bobcat D-Line owns 29.5 of MSU's league-leading 37 sacks
• RB Cody Kirk has rushed for 602 yards in the last four games
• LB Clay Bignell has registered a sack, interception, blocked kick and fumble recovery in the last two games
MSU Game Notes vs. Montana
UM Game Notes vs. Montana State
FOR OPENERS
• Rob Ash's 38th MSU win places him fourth on MSU's career victories list, two behind Mike Kramer and three behind Cliff Hysell
• MSU is ranked #1 in the nation during the regular season for the first time since 1978
STADIUM STUFF
• MSU averages 41.3 points and 504.2 yards in its five home games this season
• Cody Kirk has rushed for 678 yards in five games in Bobcat Stadium this year
BIG SKY BULLET POINTS
• Jason Cunningham (second, 9.4 points per game) and Cody Kirk (fifth, 8.4) rank in the top five of the Big Sky's scoring leaders, with UM's Brody McKnight fourth (8.5)
• MSU leads the Big Sky in scoring defense, total defense, and rush defense
THIS WEEK'S GAME
KICKOFF: 12:05 pm
SITE: Bozeman, MT
STADIUM: Bobcat Stadium
RADIO: Bobcat Radio Network (Jeff Lasky, Dan Davies, Tyler Wiltgen-SL)
TELEVISION: Montana's News Network (Dennis Patchin, Mike Callaghan, Grady Bennett, Derek Buerkle-SL, Chet Layman-SL)
2011 MSU SCHEDULE
Sept 1 at Utah, L, 10-27
Sept 10 UC Davis, W, 38-14
Sept 17 Minot State, W, 43-7
Sept 24 *at Eastern Wash., W, 36-21
Oct 1 *Sacramento St, W, 31-21
Oct 8 *at Portland St, W, 38-36
Oct 15 *Northern Arizona, W, 41-24
Oct 22 *at Northern Colo., W, 31-21
Oct 29 *Idaho State, W, 54-13
Nov 5 *at Weber St, W, 44-24
Nov 19 *Montana, 12:05 pm
HIGHLIGHTS
• Weber held MSU to 158 rushing yards, its lowest output since the opener at Utah
• Cody Kirk and Tray Robinson have rushed for over 100 yards each in two different games this year, the second set of Bobcat backs to do so
• MSU has gained at least 500 yards 10 times over the past two seasons, one more than from 1992-2009 combined
STREAKS
• WR Elvis Akpla has caught a pass in each of his 32 games at MSU, but his eight-game TD streak ended at Weber
• Alex Terrien's 36 straight starts include games at all three O-line positions
• The Cats have scored 30+ points in a school-record nine straight games
• MSU now owns back-to-back 9-win seasons for the first time
MILESTONES
• DeNarius McGhee's 44 career TD passes is 4th in Bobcat history, and his 21 in 2011 is MSU's 4th-best season
• The Bobcats have won their first seven Big Sky games for the first time
SHINING
• The Bobcat D-Line owns 29.5 of MSU's league-leading 37 sacks
• RB Cody Kirk has rushed for 602 yards in the last four games
• LB Clay Bignell has registered a sack, interception, blocked kick and fumble recovery in the last two games
This week's game preview is brought to you by Montana Disaster and Emergency Services.
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