Chad Newell rushed for 95 yards Saturday
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
First Look: Eastern Washington 55, Montana State 50
9/19/2015 6:40:00 PM | Football
Eagles fly away from Bobcats in dizzying contest
Nzuzi Webster intercepted a Dakota Prukop pass with eight seconds to play, sealing a 55-50 Eastern Washington win over Montana State in Cheney on Saturday. Eastern Washington scored on its first three possessions and never relinquished the lead, although a late Bobcat rally put MSU in position to score a winning touchdown in the game's final 33 seconds. An injury-depleted Eastern squad – the Eagles were without three defensive starters and two on offense – managed to slow the Bobcat offense enough to allow its own dynamic offense to win the game by scoring eight touchdowns on the 13 possessions that didn't end in the victory formation.
Team Records: Eastern Washington grabbed its first win of the season, and is now 1-2. Montana State falls to 1-1.
The Numbers at a Glance: The numbers are staggering. The teams combined for 1,385 yards, 58 first downs and 105 points.
Records Watch: Dakota Prukop's 549 yards of total offense was the second-most in in school history (behind Travis Lulay's 556) and a career-high... he logged his sixth 100-yard rushing game and his third 300-yard passing game… his 196 yards rushing was the most ever by a Bobcat quarterback… the 105 combined points makes it the fifth-highest scoring in MSU history.
Where it Turned: While popular consensus may hold that being stopped on down twice in the first quarter was a major turning point, there were two other plays that were crucial involving turmplenovers and official replay. MSU got one when Mac Bignell stripped Malcom Williams and Fletcher Collins midway through the fourth quarter. The play was originally called down, but replay showed otherwise. On the other, a pass from Prukop to Jayshawn Gates was ruled a completion and fumble on the field, but overturned as an incomplete pass. MSU scored touchdowns after both those replays.
What it Means: Nothing in the Big Sky standings except a potential tie-breaker. But, it extends Eastern's win streak against the Cats to four games and 11 or 13.
What's Next: Montana State hosts nationally-ranked Cal Poly next Saturday at 1:35 pm for Homecoming. Eastern Washington visits Sacramento State.
Team Records: Eastern Washington grabbed its first win of the season, and is now 1-2. Montana State falls to 1-1.
The Numbers at a Glance: The numbers are staggering. The teams combined for 1,385 yards, 58 first downs and 105 points.
Records Watch: Dakota Prukop's 549 yards of total offense was the second-most in in school history (behind Travis Lulay's 556) and a career-high... he logged his sixth 100-yard rushing game and his third 300-yard passing game… his 196 yards rushing was the most ever by a Bobcat quarterback… the 105 combined points makes it the fifth-highest scoring in MSU history.
Where it Turned: While popular consensus may hold that being stopped on down twice in the first quarter was a major turning point, there were two other plays that were crucial involving turmplenovers and official replay. MSU got one when Mac Bignell stripped Malcom Williams and Fletcher Collins midway through the fourth quarter. The play was originally called down, but replay showed otherwise. On the other, a pass from Prukop to Jayshawn Gates was ruled a completion and fumble on the field, but overturned as an incomplete pass. MSU scored touchdowns after both those replays.
What it Means: Nothing in the Big Sky standings except a potential tie-breaker. But, it extends Eastern's win streak against the Cats to four games and 11 or 13.
What's Next: Montana State hosts nationally-ranked Cal Poly next Saturday at 1:35 pm for Homecoming. Eastern Washington visits Sacramento State.
Players Mentioned
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WR
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QB
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