Bobcat Football Sunday Notebook #7: MSU 63, ETSU 7

Saturday, October 24

2:35 pm

Montana State University

4-3

EAST TENNESSEE STATE

0-7

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

East Tennessee State

Montana State

Bobcat football players honored the U.S. Military on Saturday

Photo by: Kelly Gorham

10/26/2015 8:06:00 AM | Football

Box Score

MSU races past Buccaneers in non-league tilt

By: Bill Lamberty

Montana State scored touchdowns on its first five possessions and never looked back, cruising to a 63-7 win over non-conference FCS foe East Tennessee State in Bozeman Saturday. A program revived after more than a decade-long hiatus, the youthful Buccaneers proved fundamentally sound but physically overmatched by the Cats. Dakota Prukop threw for 226 yards and rushed for 31 more, throwing for three touchdowns to lead the Bobcats. Nick LaSane (56 yards rushing) and Matt Brownlow (first career forced fumble) were among the many Bobcats with personal highs. Jayshawn Gates returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, the first kick return score of his career.

Player of the Week Nominees
Offense – none
Defense – none
Special Teams – none
Freshman of the Week – none

Statistical Rankings
NCAA Team Rankings – T1st in fewest fumbles lost (0)… 3^rd in scoring offense (45.9)… 4^th in team passing efficiency (171.97), total offense (539.7) and turnovers lost (4)… 6^th in passing offense (315.7) and passing yards per completion (16.01)… 7^th in first downs (180)… 11^th in third down conversions (.500) and kickoff returns (25.31). NCAA Individual Rankings – Dakota Prukop: 2^nd in total offense (374.1) and yards per pass attempt (10.36)… 3^rd in passing efficiency (175.7)… 4^th in passing yards per completion (16.50) and points responsible for (156)… 9^th in passing yards per game (294.6). Zach Hutchins: 17^th in forced fumbles (0.40). Chad Newell: 8^th in rushing TDs (9). Mac Bignell: 6^th in solo tackles per game (6.3)… 30^th in forced fumbles (0.33). Mitchell Herbert: 19^th in receiving TDs (6).

Post-Game News and Notes
Injury Report: Doubtful – RB Gunnar Brekke, OG Kyle Godecke, LB Fletcher Collins, LS Rocky Hogue, DT Joe Naotala.

Records Watch: On Montana State's career records lists, Dakota Prukop is now: 18^th in rushing (1,523), 5^th in passing yards (4,621), 5^th in total offense (6,144), and 5^th in total touchdowns by QB (54).

• Senior linebacker Rob Walsh became the ninth player in school history to recover at least two fumbles in a game, and the first since Rob Marshall in 2013.
• Justin Paige has six catches in the last four games, all for at least 40 yards.
• Montana State has not lost a fumble in 2015 – fumbling only four times in seven games – and has lost onlyfour turnovers this season.
• In Dakota Prukop's 14 starts against FCS opponents, MSU has turned the ball over only 14 times, never more than two in a game, and has turned the ball over only six times in the last eight such games.
• After forcing one turnover against Portland State the week before – MSU's first takeaway since Sept. 19 vs. EWU – the Cats recovered three fumbles and intercepted a pass against East Tennessee State. The four takeaways Saturday matched MSU's total for the season's first six games.
• Eight of Montana State's last 29 opponents have scored at least 40 points, something only seven of its previous 75 foes had accomplished.
• East Tennessee State's seven points marked a season's best by the Bobcat defense, and ETSU's 376 total yards was second-fewest by a Bobcat opponent this season.
• Rob Ash has coached 104 games at Montana State, and his teams have scored at least 30 points in 54 of them
• Dakota Prukop has accounted for at least three touchdowns (rushing and passing combined) in each game this season.
• Jayshawn Gates' 97-yard kickoff return was the third-longest in Bobcat Stadium history.
• MSU's 63 points was tied for eighth-most in a single game in school history.

First Look: Montana State at North Dakota
Game Details: Date – Saturday, October 31 Kickoff – 1:05 pm CT/12:05 pm MT Audio – Statewide on the Bobcat Radio Network and msubobcats.com Video – Statewide on Cowles Media (ABC/Fox throughout the state, NBC in Billings) television, and on WatchBigSky.com

At A Glance: Montana State's high-powered offense (first in the Big Sky in points, second in yards) runs face-first into a stingy North Dakota defense (third in the league in yards allowed, fourth in points allowed).