Rob Ash's Bobcats will face his former school, Drake, in 2012
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Bobcats Host Old, New Rivals in 2012
12/22/2011 3:55:00 PM | Football
Football slate features home games against Stephen F. Austin, Chadron State
Three occasional non-conference rivals return to Bobcat Stadium next fall, one as a newly-minted Big Sky foe, MSU Head Coach Rob Ash announced Wednesday.
Montana State hosts Southland Conference entry Stephen F. Austin and NCAA Division II power Chadron State in non-conference action, a pair of non-conference foes making return visits to Bobcat Stadium. The Long-ago rival North Dakota, which MSU battled 29 times from 1948 to 1983, also comes to Bozeman during its first year as a full-fledged Big Sky Conference member.
Ash is pleased with the challenging nature of his team's 2012 slate. “I'm very excited about playing 10 FCS opponents, and very excited for our six home games,” he said. “We have six strong teams coming to Bozeman, and I think our fans will love that. I really like that home-and-home series with Stephen F. Austin. That will be a good game for our fans in Bozeman to see, and a fun trip for our guys when we play down there.”
The Bobcats visit a pair of first-time league entries, Southern Utah and UC Davis, in back to back weeks. MSU topped the Aggies 38-14 in September, but hasn't faced SUU since a home win in 2007. Montana State also travels to Drake, marking Rob Ash's return to the campus where he worked as Bulldogs head football coach for 18 years. The Bobcats topped Drake 48-21 in Bozeman during the 2010 season in Ash's first meeting with his former squad.
“The other highlight of the schedule for me is our game in Des Moines,” Ash said. “Drake is a very good team, they finished 9-2 (in 2011), and they play in a nice stadium.”
While the Big Sky portion of MSU's 2012 schedule does not include long-time rivals Idaho State or Weber State, two fellow charter members of the conference, it opens with Northern Colorado on Sept. 22, MSU's Homecoming date, and also features 2010 FCS National Champion Eastern Washington (Oct. 13) and a revitalized Portland State (Nov. 3) program visiting Bobcat Stadium. In addition to the two new league arrivals, SUU and UC Davis, MSU visits Sacramento State, and closes the regular season with a trip to Missoula for the annual Cat-Griz clash.
2012 MSU SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
Sep 1 Chadron State (Gold Rush) TBA
Sep 8 at Drake TBA
Sep 15 Stephen F. Austin (Hall of Fame) TBA
Sep 22 *Northern Colo. (Homecoming) TBA
Sep 29 *at Southern Utah TBA
Oct 6 *at UC Davis TBA
Oct 13 *Eastern Wash. (Parent/Family Weekend) TBA
Oct 27 *North Dakota TBA
Nov 3 *at Sacramento State TBA
Nov 10 *Portland State TBA
Nov 17 *at Montana TBA
Montana State hosts Southland Conference entry Stephen F. Austin and NCAA Division II power Chadron State in non-conference action, a pair of non-conference foes making return visits to Bobcat Stadium. The Long-ago rival North Dakota, which MSU battled 29 times from 1948 to 1983, also comes to Bozeman during its first year as a full-fledged Big Sky Conference member.
Ash is pleased with the challenging nature of his team's 2012 slate. “I'm very excited about playing 10 FCS opponents, and very excited for our six home games,” he said. “We have six strong teams coming to Bozeman, and I think our fans will love that. I really like that home-and-home series with Stephen F. Austin. That will be a good game for our fans in Bozeman to see, and a fun trip for our guys when we play down there.”
The Bobcats visit a pair of first-time league entries, Southern Utah and UC Davis, in back to back weeks. MSU topped the Aggies 38-14 in September, but hasn't faced SUU since a home win in 2007. Montana State also travels to Drake, marking Rob Ash's return to the campus where he worked as Bulldogs head football coach for 18 years. The Bobcats topped Drake 48-21 in Bozeman during the 2010 season in Ash's first meeting with his former squad.
“The other highlight of the schedule for me is our game in Des Moines,” Ash said. “Drake is a very good team, they finished 9-2 (in 2011), and they play in a nice stadium.”
While the Big Sky portion of MSU's 2012 schedule does not include long-time rivals Idaho State or Weber State, two fellow charter members of the conference, it opens with Northern Colorado on Sept. 22, MSU's Homecoming date, and also features 2010 FCS National Champion Eastern Washington (Oct. 13) and a revitalized Portland State (Nov. 3) program visiting Bobcat Stadium. In addition to the two new league arrivals, SUU and UC Davis, MSU visits Sacramento State, and closes the regular season with a trip to Missoula for the annual Cat-Griz clash.
2012 MSU SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
Sep 1 Chadron State (Gold Rush) TBA
Sep 8 at Drake TBA
Sep 15 Stephen F. Austin (Hall of Fame) TBA
Sep 22 *Northern Colo. (Homecoming) TBA
Sep 29 *at Southern Utah TBA
Oct 6 *at UC Davis TBA
Oct 13 *Eastern Wash. (Parent/Family Weekend) TBA
Oct 27 *North Dakota TBA
Nov 3 *at Sacramento State TBA
Nov 10 *Portland State TBA
Nov 17 *at Montana TBA
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