Bobcats roll in home opener
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Bobcats roll in home opener
9/6/2014 11:28:00 PM | Football, General
Not a bad night's work for Dakota Prukop: 177 yards passing and three touchdowns, 176 yards rushing and two more scores. And that all came in just the first two quarters of Montana State's 57-10 whipping of Black Hill State Saturday night in Bozeman.
Behind Prukop's explosive performance, the Bobcats led 42-10 at halftime in front of a capacity crowd of 19,187. The sophomore quarterback got the scoreboard working early. On MSU's first possession, Prukop hit senior tight end Tiai Salanoa for nine yards and then junior receiver Mitch Griebel for eight more.
Having shown his passing ability, Prukop next showed his running skills: on the Bobcats' third play of the game he took the ball around the right side for a 60-yard score. The nonconference win bumped MSU's record to 1-1 while Division II BHSU fell to 0-1.
And Prukop was just getting warmed up. MSU took the ball away on an interception by Nevada transfer Bryson Keeton on a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage by linebacker Cole Moore. Prukop got back to work, quickly hitting true freshman Justin Paige on a 43-yard bomb. MSU's beefy offensive line gave the quarterback plenty of time to operate in the pocket, but he didn't need much time as Paige raced past the Yellow Jacket defenders for the easy reception. Griebel's two-point conversion made it 15-0.
The first quarter came to an end on a 37-yard field goal by freshman kicker, Luke Daly.
The second quarter started much like the first. Prukop threw a tight spiral to Gunnar Brekke for 17 yards and Brekke then picked up another 11 on his own. On MSU's third play of the quarter, Prukop took the ball around the left side before trotting into the end zone on the 57-yard sprint.
The team from Spearfish, S.D., got on the scoreboard in the second quarter on a 39-yard field goal by Diego Carstens, but Prukop answered with a 6-yard dash to up the score to 32-3. That touchdown was set up by a 26-yard gallop by another newcomer, junior transfer Anthony Knight.
BHSU's bright spot on offense came on its next possession when Phydell Paris raced 49 yards for a score. Again Prukop and the Bobcats answered. This time the response was a 33-yard strike to junior wide receiver Tanner Roderick, the first college touchdown for the Bozeman product. Daly's 31-yard field goal put MSU up 42-10 at halftime.
Prukop played on MSU's opening series in the second half and finished with 176 yards on the ground and 202 through the air. He completed 14 of 16 passes. Overall, MSU rushed for 371 yards and gained another 266 yards via the pass. A crowd of Bobcats got additional yards on the ground: Chad Newell 55, Nick LaSane 54, Knight 53 and Brekke 46.
Behind Prukop, Jake Bleskin completed seven of eight throws for 55 yards and Quinn McQueary saw his first college action, hooking up with Mitchell Herbert on his only attempt.
In the second half, MSU got running touchdowns from Knight (five yards) and Brekke (2 yards) to complete the scoring.
Griebel was MSU's leading receiver, grabbing five balls for 44 yards while Paige hauled in two passes for 54 yards.
Senior linebacker Na'a Moeakiola, who sat out last season with a knee injury, led the Bobcats with eight tackles and he forced a fumble that was recovered by teammate Eryon Barnett. Chad Moore, another senior linebacker, was in on seven tackles.
Leading the Yellow Jackets was Paris with 81 yards rushing while quarterback Wade Anderson completed 16 of 33 passes for 132 yards. BHSU totaled 238 yards to MSU's 652.
The Bobcats continue their homestand next Saturday when perennial FCS power Central Arkansas of the Southland Conference comes to town.
Behind Prukop's explosive performance, the Bobcats led 42-10 at halftime in front of a capacity crowd of 19,187. The sophomore quarterback got the scoreboard working early. On MSU's first possession, Prukop hit senior tight end Tiai Salanoa for nine yards and then junior receiver Mitch Griebel for eight more.
Having shown his passing ability, Prukop next showed his running skills: on the Bobcats' third play of the game he took the ball around the right side for a 60-yard score. The nonconference win bumped MSU's record to 1-1 while Division II BHSU fell to 0-1.
And Prukop was just getting warmed up. MSU took the ball away on an interception by Nevada transfer Bryson Keeton on a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage by linebacker Cole Moore. Prukop got back to work, quickly hitting true freshman Justin Paige on a 43-yard bomb. MSU's beefy offensive line gave the quarterback plenty of time to operate in the pocket, but he didn't need much time as Paige raced past the Yellow Jacket defenders for the easy reception. Griebel's two-point conversion made it 15-0.
The first quarter came to an end on a 37-yard field goal by freshman kicker, Luke Daly.
The second quarter started much like the first. Prukop threw a tight spiral to Gunnar Brekke for 17 yards and Brekke then picked up another 11 on his own. On MSU's third play of the quarter, Prukop took the ball around the left side before trotting into the end zone on the 57-yard sprint.
The team from Spearfish, S.D., got on the scoreboard in the second quarter on a 39-yard field goal by Diego Carstens, but Prukop answered with a 6-yard dash to up the score to 32-3. That touchdown was set up by a 26-yard gallop by another newcomer, junior transfer Anthony Knight.
BHSU's bright spot on offense came on its next possession when Phydell Paris raced 49 yards for a score. Again Prukop and the Bobcats answered. This time the response was a 33-yard strike to junior wide receiver Tanner Roderick, the first college touchdown for the Bozeman product. Daly's 31-yard field goal put MSU up 42-10 at halftime.
Prukop played on MSU's opening series in the second half and finished with 176 yards on the ground and 202 through the air. He completed 14 of 16 passes. Overall, MSU rushed for 371 yards and gained another 266 yards via the pass. A crowd of Bobcats got additional yards on the ground: Chad Newell 55, Nick LaSane 54, Knight 53 and Brekke 46.
Behind Prukop, Jake Bleskin completed seven of eight throws for 55 yards and Quinn McQueary saw his first college action, hooking up with Mitchell Herbert on his only attempt.
In the second half, MSU got running touchdowns from Knight (five yards) and Brekke (2 yards) to complete the scoring.
Griebel was MSU's leading receiver, grabbing five balls for 44 yards while Paige hauled in two passes for 54 yards.
Senior linebacker Na'a Moeakiola, who sat out last season with a knee injury, led the Bobcats with eight tackles and he forced a fumble that was recovered by teammate Eryon Barnett. Chad Moore, another senior linebacker, was in on seven tackles.
Leading the Yellow Jackets was Paris with 81 yards rushing while quarterback Wade Anderson completed 16 of 33 passes for 132 yards. BHSU totaled 238 yards to MSU's 652.
The Bobcats continue their homestand next Saturday when perennial FCS power Central Arkansas of the Southland Conference comes to town.
Thursday, July 31
Monday, May 19
Wednesday, May 03
Wednesday, May 03
