Grizzlies beat Bobcats for share of title

Saturday, November 19

Bozeman, MT

12:05 PM

Montana State University

MONTANA

Rob Ash prepares his players.

Photo by: Neil Hetherington

11/19/2011 4:13:00 PM | Football, General

In a game between two heralded defenses, it was the team with the lesser renowned offense that prevailed on Saturday.

By: Paul Burns

In a game between two heralded defenses, it was the team with the lesser renowned offense that prevailed on Saturday.

Montana State, playing a regular season game ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time since 1978 when it was Division II power, was beaten 36-10 by archrival Montana to give each team a piece of the Big Sky Conference championship.

While winning its seventh straight game, Montana dominated every offensive statistic against the Bobcats who entered the game tops in the conference in scoring defense, total defense and rushing defense. The Grizzlies (9-2 overall, 7-1 in the conference) outgained MSU 473 to 250, ran 78 plays to MSU's 60, and, most telling, gained 309 yards on the ground to MSU's 79.

Along the way, the Bobcats (9-2, 7-1) were shut out in the first half for only the first time all season, as the Grizzlies led 12-0 at halftime on a field goal, a safety and a 2-yard pass from Jordan Johnson to Kavario Middleton. The Bobcats trimmed it 12-7 on their first possession of the third quarter with a 7-yard pass from DeNarius McGhee to Elvis Akpla.

On the first play after Apkla's score, with the record crowd of 20,247 now having something to celebrate during the 9-degree day, UM's Johnson calmly connected with Jabin Sambrano on a 79-yard catch and run to put the game out of reach, 19-7, and snapping MSU's nine-game win streak.

After Sambrano's score, the Grizzlies running game took over. Speedy Peter Nguyen finished with 123 yards and a touchdown and bruising Dan Moore tallied 116 yards and another score. Meanwhile, the Bobcats offense could only muster a Jason Cunningham 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

UM quarterback Johnson was shifty and elusive, completing 15 of 31 passes for 164 yards and the two touchdowns. The Bobcats, who entered the game with the most sacks in the conference, were never able to bring him down.

Besides having the top defense, MSU also led the conference in scoring offense and total offense, but the Grizzlies offense held the ball for nearly 34 minutes, preventing the Bobcats from getting in gear.

One of the few bright spots for MSU, which was decked out in new blue helmets adorned with the Bobcat logo and not the usual block M, was McGhee's scoring pass to Akpla. The sophomore continued his streak of throwing for a touchdown in every game he's played in as a Bobcat, now 23. For the day, McGhee hit on 16 of 33 passes for 171 yards, but he was sacked three times. Akpla was his favorite target, collecting six balls for 113 yards.

Cody Kirk entered the game averaging 118.8 yards on the ground, but the Grizzlies held him to a season-low 45 yards on just 11 carries.

The fates of both teams will be known Sunday morning when the Football Championship Subdivision playoff field is selected. Despite the outcome, both teams are expecting first-round byes.