Mitchell Herbert makes a fine catch on Saturday against Sac State.
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Bobcats brush aside Hornets
10/10/2015 9:01:00 PM | Football, General
Using a balanced attack, Montana State methodically took care of business Saturday night, turning away Sacramento State 35-13 under the lights in Bozeman.
The 18th-ranked Bobcats rushed for 234 yards and threw for an additional 277 while holding the Hornets to just 385 total yards. The Bobcats won the opening coin toss in the key Big Sky Conference tilt and chose to receive the ball to start the game. The decision proved to be decisive as Dakota Prukop connected with Mitchell Herbert on the game's second offensive play. The pass and run covered 79 yards and the Bobcats (2-1 in Big Sky, 3-2 overall) never looked back.
Prukop also scored from the 3-yard line just before halftime to give MSU a 21-10 lead heading into the locker room. The game's final touchdown came on a 1-yard scamper by Prukop in the fourth quarter. For the night, Prukop rushed for 69 yards on 16 carries while Chad Newell added 68 yards on eight totes and Gunnar Brekke 61 yards on five.
The Hornets (0-3, 1-5) scored their only touchdown in the second quarter when Kolney Cassel found Nnamdi Agude on a 22-yard score. Sac State had three additional trips into the Bobcat red zone. Each time, the MSU defense stiffened, twice yielding field goals and once stopping Sac State on downs at the 1-yard line.
To the delight of the 19,402 fans in attendance, the Bobcats defense was particularly impressive in the second half. Sac State totaled 243 yards in the first half, but totaled only 142 in the second half. Jordan Robinson gained all of his 108 yards in the first half before leaving with an injury. Cassel also left the game and didn't return in the third quarter with an ailment to this throwing arm.
Besides the three scores that Prukop contributed to, the Bobcats benefited from a double reverse run by wide receiver Justin Paige that covered nine yards and gave MSU a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. After Sac State's second field goal, the Bobcats answered with an 8-yard scoring run by Brekke, his first rushing touchdown of the season that made it 28-13 late in the third quarter. That score came three plays after a scrambling Prukop hit tight end Beau Sandland on a 48-yard gain.
MSU had an uncomfortable 14-10 edge midway through the second quarter, when Brekke broke off a 47-yarder on a fourth-down-and-2 play. Two plays later, Prukop scored his first touchdown of the evening. Herbert collected four balls for a game-best 115 yards.
Next up for MSU is a road trip to Portland State, which is 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big Sky. MSU has yet to win this season when playing away from the friendly confines of Bobcat Stadium. Sac State, meanwhile travels to Southern Utah which didn't play on Saturday and remains tied with Eastern Washington atop the league standings. The Thunderbirds are 2-0 in the league and 3-2 overall.
The 18th-ranked Bobcats rushed for 234 yards and threw for an additional 277 while holding the Hornets to just 385 total yards. The Bobcats won the opening coin toss in the key Big Sky Conference tilt and chose to receive the ball to start the game. The decision proved to be decisive as Dakota Prukop connected with Mitchell Herbert on the game's second offensive play. The pass and run covered 79 yards and the Bobcats (2-1 in Big Sky, 3-2 overall) never looked back.
Prukop also scored from the 3-yard line just before halftime to give MSU a 21-10 lead heading into the locker room. The game's final touchdown came on a 1-yard scamper by Prukop in the fourth quarter. For the night, Prukop rushed for 69 yards on 16 carries while Chad Newell added 68 yards on eight totes and Gunnar Brekke 61 yards on five.
The Hornets (0-3, 1-5) scored their only touchdown in the second quarter when Kolney Cassel found Nnamdi Agude on a 22-yard score. Sac State had three additional trips into the Bobcat red zone. Each time, the MSU defense stiffened, twice yielding field goals and once stopping Sac State on downs at the 1-yard line.
To the delight of the 19,402 fans in attendance, the Bobcats defense was particularly impressive in the second half. Sac State totaled 243 yards in the first half, but totaled only 142 in the second half. Jordan Robinson gained all of his 108 yards in the first half before leaving with an injury. Cassel also left the game and didn't return in the third quarter with an ailment to this throwing arm.
Besides the three scores that Prukop contributed to, the Bobcats benefited from a double reverse run by wide receiver Justin Paige that covered nine yards and gave MSU a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. After Sac State's second field goal, the Bobcats answered with an 8-yard scoring run by Brekke, his first rushing touchdown of the season that made it 28-13 late in the third quarter. That score came three plays after a scrambling Prukop hit tight end Beau Sandland on a 48-yard gain.
MSU had an uncomfortable 14-10 edge midway through the second quarter, when Brekke broke off a 47-yarder on a fourth-down-and-2 play. Two plays later, Prukop scored his first touchdown of the evening. Herbert collected four balls for a game-best 115 yards.
Next up for MSU is a road trip to Portland State, which is 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big Sky. MSU has yet to win this season when playing away from the friendly confines of Bobcat Stadium. Sac State, meanwhile travels to Southern Utah which didn't play on Saturday and remains tied with Eastern Washington atop the league standings. The Thunderbirds are 2-0 in the league and 3-2 overall.
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