Bobcats Fall at Eastern Washington Saturday

Saturday, November 9

Cheney, WA

12:05 PM (PDT)

Montana State University

7-3 , 5-1

at Eastern Washington

8-2 , 6-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Montana State

Eastern Washington

DeNarius McGhee's 300-yard passing game Saturday wasn't enough for MSU

Photo by: Kelly Gorham

11/9/2013 5:59:00 PM | Football

Box Score

Eagles offense piles up nearly 600 yards

By: Bill Lamberty

Fourth-ranked Montana State played well offensively Saturday, but No. 3 Eastern Washington was nearly perfect in the Eagles' 54-29 victory.

EWU quarterback Vernon Adams was 16-for-18 passing for 300 yards and four touchdowns, while Quincy Forte rushed for a career-high 123 yards and Shaquille Hill caught four passes for 172 yards. "I've never seen anything like it," said Bobcat coach Rob Ash. "Throwing the ball, running the ball, they were very, very impressive. They made every play."

Bobcat quarterback DeNarius McGhee completed 31-of-37 passes with a touchdown and an interception, his best passing day of the season. Cody Kirk rushed for 100 yards for the Bobcats and caught seven passes for 63 yards, while Tanner Bleskin posted 116 receiving yards for an MSU offense that logged 504 yards and 30 first downs.

Eastern Washington took advantage of MSU's few offensive miscues, forcing two stops in the first half and one on Montana State's first drive of the second half which allowed the Eagles to build a 33-21 lead with 26 minutes to play.

"We knew we had to score points," Bobcat quarterback DeNarius McGhee said of the separation Eastern was able to secure. "It's not on our defense, it's on our team."

The early portion of the game played according to each team's offensive script. Montana State marched 81 yards in 12 plays to open the game, with Kirk plunging into the end zone from three yards to give MSU an early lead. The drive used nearly six minutes, and in style and substance was everything Ash had hoped for.

"People thought I was kidding all week," he said, "but I really did want 14-to-16 play drives that all ended in touchdowns."

Eastern answered emphatically. Mario Brown gained 40 yards on EWU's first play from scrimmage, Adams completed three straight passes to convert a first down, then after a four-yard Forte run Adams found Hill for a 17-yard score. Six plays, 76 yards, 2:46 off the clock, and even when Alex Singleton blocked the PAT the Eagles offense had made a statement.

The ensuing kickoff was big for both teams, as MSU returned the ball only to the 16, and an illegal block moved it back to the nine. The poor field position contributed to the only three-and-out possession of the game, and Eastern Washington capitalized on the opportunity. The Eagles moved 58 yards in seven plays, with Adams converting a fourth-and-one from the Bobcat two into a touchdown on a short pass to Jake Withnell.

A theme familiar to Bobcat fans resurfaced on the ensuing drive. McGhee found Tanner Bleskin four times for 70 yards on that trip down the field, with the seniors hooking up on an eight-yard touchdown pass to put the Bobcats up 14-13. The teams traded touchdowns on the next two possessions, with Adams scoring himself from five yards out and Kirk barreling into the end zone from the one.

With the score 21-20 and 1:56 left in the half, Adams went back to work. The sophomore found Cory Mitchell for 44 yards to move into Bobcat territory, and after Cole Moore broke up a pass on a near-interception Quincy Forte rambled in from 25 yards out to give Eastern a 26-21 halftime advantage.

While Adams is no secret in the FCS football world, Eastern Washington's running game might be, if not for long. "It bothered me that most of their runs popped through for big plays," he said. "We usually don't allow that to happen. We didn't get the run stopped today."

The Eagles exploded for two touchdowns in the third quarter, including a 68-yard pass from Adams to Hill on second-and-19 as the MSU front four caved in Eastern's protection. Until that play, Ash felt the Bobcats remained part of the game.

"I felt at that point if we could just get a stop we'd be OK," Ash said. I told the defense that two stops wins the football game. But we couldn't get them."

Eastern Washington's offensive numbers defy probability. The Eagles gained 591 yards on 48 plays, for 12.3 yards a play. Eastern rushed for 244 yards and threw for 347. EWU gained more than 10 yards on 27 different plays.

The win puts Eastern in the catbird's seat in the Big Sky Conference, all alone at the top with a 6-0 record. MSU and Northern Arizona stand 5-1, while Montana and Southern Utah check in at 4-2. The Bobcats and SUU meet next Saturday in Bobcat Stadium at 4 pm, while Eastern visits Cal Poly at 4:35 pm.