Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Knight shines in MSU win
9/13/2014 8:58:00 PM | Football, General
Anthony Knight made the most of his time on the field, Saturday. The transfer from Nevada ran the ball 12 times for Montana State, finding the end zone on three of those scampers as the Bobcats held off a determined Central Arkansas 43-33 in nonconference action in Bozeman.
MSU saw its 23-6 halftime lead shrink to 23-13 after UCA went on a 98-yard drive following Trevor Bolton's 56-yard punt that pinned the Bears on their own 2-yard line. The series ended on a 5-yard scoring pass from Ryan Howard to Desmond Smith.
In the third quarter was when Knight took over the scoring duties from quarterback Dakota Prukop. Knight, a junior, helped the Bobcats (2-1) answer the Bears' drive with an 81-yard drive of their own. Knight's 10-yard score gave MSU some breathing room. Then, after defensive tackle Taylor Sheridan knocked down a key third-down pass by UCA forcing the Bears to punt, Knight bumped the MSU edge to a seemingly comfortable 37-13 edge with a 5-yard touchdown burst as the third quarter was coming to an end.
But the Bears (1-2) of the Southland Conference weren't done. Howard threw three more second half scores. A 3-yarder to Justin Dickey was followed by a 14-yarder to Smith, on a play that should have been blown dead early. TV replays showed Smith's knee touching down at the 11-yard line, but while the action slowed on the field, Smith kept going full speed since there was no whistle until he reached the end zone. While Central Arkansas was getting touchdowns, it was unable to score on extra points, and still trailed 37-25.
On the ensuing kickoff, MSU's Shawn Johnson caught the ball over his shoulder on the 2-yard line but his momentum carried him into the end zone where he promptly took a knee. That turned out to be a safety for the team from Conway, making it a 10-point game with 6:43 left in the game.
Luckily for MSU, Knight chose Bozeman over a host of other schools that wanted him after he chose to leave Reno, because the 230-pound running back squelched the UCA hopes with his third and final touchdown, this one on a 2-yard rush on a gutsy fourth down call. Knight finished with 61 yards on 12 carries.
Howard's fifth and final touchdown pass, this one to Damien Watts, ended the scoring. Howard completed 26 of 47 passes for 265 yards.
The Bobcats built their 17-point halftime lead behind the dazzling play of Prukop. On the game's opening drive, MSU twice went for it on fourth down, both times successfully scratching out the necessary yardage. Prukop finished the drive with a 3-yard scoring run. Moments later, Luke Daly's 28-yard field goal made it 10-0.
In the second quarter, Prukop hit Brian Flotkoetter from 46 yards out to put MSU up 16-0. The senior receiver had a career-best nine catches for 132 yards. The score came despite the early arrival of a UCA tackler who planted his helmet in Flotkoetter's chest prior to the impressive scoring catch. Not surprisingly, MSU declined the pass interference penalty, opting for the touchdown.
On the next series, MSU cornerback Deonte Flowers came up with a huge defensive play, recovering in time to knock away a sure-touchdown pass. The Bears settled for a field goal, but the 33-yarder was wide right, marking the first time this season UCA failed to score from inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
UCA reached the end zone in the second quarter when the Howard-to-Smith combination worked for the first time. Prukop answered with a 39-yard gallop on a quarterback sweep, picking up a key block from running back Shawn Johnson to spring the sophomore and make it 23-6 at the half.
Prukop finished the day with 91 yards rushing and the two scores. He connected on 19 of 27 passes for 289 yards and the touchdown to Flotkoetter.
The Bobcats close out the nonconference part of its schedule on Sept. 20 when second-ranked Eastern Washington and its high-powered offense comes to Bozeman for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Central Arkansas plays host to Missouri State.
MSU saw its 23-6 halftime lead shrink to 23-13 after UCA went on a 98-yard drive following Trevor Bolton's 56-yard punt that pinned the Bears on their own 2-yard line. The series ended on a 5-yard scoring pass from Ryan Howard to Desmond Smith.
In the third quarter was when Knight took over the scoring duties from quarterback Dakota Prukop. Knight, a junior, helped the Bobcats (2-1) answer the Bears' drive with an 81-yard drive of their own. Knight's 10-yard score gave MSU some breathing room. Then, after defensive tackle Taylor Sheridan knocked down a key third-down pass by UCA forcing the Bears to punt, Knight bumped the MSU edge to a seemingly comfortable 37-13 edge with a 5-yard touchdown burst as the third quarter was coming to an end.
But the Bears (1-2) of the Southland Conference weren't done. Howard threw three more second half scores. A 3-yarder to Justin Dickey was followed by a 14-yarder to Smith, on a play that should have been blown dead early. TV replays showed Smith's knee touching down at the 11-yard line, but while the action slowed on the field, Smith kept going full speed since there was no whistle until he reached the end zone. While Central Arkansas was getting touchdowns, it was unable to score on extra points, and still trailed 37-25.
On the ensuing kickoff, MSU's Shawn Johnson caught the ball over his shoulder on the 2-yard line but his momentum carried him into the end zone where he promptly took a knee. That turned out to be a safety for the team from Conway, making it a 10-point game with 6:43 left in the game.
Luckily for MSU, Knight chose Bozeman over a host of other schools that wanted him after he chose to leave Reno, because the 230-pound running back squelched the UCA hopes with his third and final touchdown, this one on a 2-yard rush on a gutsy fourth down call. Knight finished with 61 yards on 12 carries.
Howard's fifth and final touchdown pass, this one to Damien Watts, ended the scoring. Howard completed 26 of 47 passes for 265 yards.
The Bobcats built their 17-point halftime lead behind the dazzling play of Prukop. On the game's opening drive, MSU twice went for it on fourth down, both times successfully scratching out the necessary yardage. Prukop finished the drive with a 3-yard scoring run. Moments later, Luke Daly's 28-yard field goal made it 10-0.
In the second quarter, Prukop hit Brian Flotkoetter from 46 yards out to put MSU up 16-0. The senior receiver had a career-best nine catches for 132 yards. The score came despite the early arrival of a UCA tackler who planted his helmet in Flotkoetter's chest prior to the impressive scoring catch. Not surprisingly, MSU declined the pass interference penalty, opting for the touchdown.
On the next series, MSU cornerback Deonte Flowers came up with a huge defensive play, recovering in time to knock away a sure-touchdown pass. The Bears settled for a field goal, but the 33-yarder was wide right, marking the first time this season UCA failed to score from inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
UCA reached the end zone in the second quarter when the Howard-to-Smith combination worked for the first time. Prukop answered with a 39-yard gallop on a quarterback sweep, picking up a key block from running back Shawn Johnson to spring the sophomore and make it 23-6 at the half.
Prukop finished the day with 91 yards rushing and the two scores. He connected on 19 of 27 passes for 289 yards and the touchdown to Flotkoetter.
The Bobcats close out the nonconference part of its schedule on Sept. 20 when second-ranked Eastern Washington and its high-powered offense comes to Bozeman for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Central Arkansas plays host to Missouri State.
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