Chad Newell sparked the MSU offense on Saturday.
Bobcats fall short against NAU
10/8/2016 8:40:00 PM | Football, General
Fumble ends late drive
Battling to the end, Montana State came up a bit short on Saturday night, falling to Northern Arizona 20-14 in Bozeman.
The Bobcats were driving for the potential go-ahead score when Siupeli Anau recorded his third sack of the game, forcing quarterback Chris Murray to fumble the ball on the NAU 37-yard line with just 12 seconds to play. When NAU recovered the loose ball, the Lumberjacks had their first Big Sky Conference win of the season.
The Bobcats (2-4 overall, 0-3 Big Sky) fell behind 20-0 before Murray led them to two second-half scores. A 9-yard run by Chad Newell late in the third quarter trimmed the score to 20-7. It was Newell's 29th career touchdown, moving him into a tie with Don Haas for No. 2 on the all-time MSU list. In addition, the senior climbed into the top 10 for career yards after finishing with 68 yards.
MSU's defense continued to stymie NAU's offense and the Bobcats went to work again. This time Murray scampered into the end zone from 19 yards out, cutting the deficit to just six points. But despite a strong performance by the MSU defense, the Bobcats couldn't get any closer.
Freshman Joe Logan scored twice for the Lumberjacks (2-5, 1-2), including a 65-yard dash in the second quarter. Logan led all rushers with 147 yards. NAU finished with 405 total yards, taking advantage of three MSU fumbles and an interception. Meanwhile the Lumberjacks didn't lose the ball once.
Murray, who rushed for 187 yards and three scores last week at Sacramento State, gained 41 yards on the ground. The true freshman took over for starter Tyler Bruggman, completing seven of 16 passes for 88 yards. Bruggman totaled 22 yards on three completions in 10 attempts. Overall, MSU gained 281 yards.
Safety Bryson McCabe sparked the Bobcats' defense with a team-high nine tackles while freshman Josh Hill recorded a pair of tackles for loss.
The Bobcats were driving for the potential go-ahead score when Siupeli Anau recorded his third sack of the game, forcing quarterback Chris Murray to fumble the ball on the NAU 37-yard line with just 12 seconds to play. When NAU recovered the loose ball, the Lumberjacks had their first Big Sky Conference win of the season.
The Bobcats (2-4 overall, 0-3 Big Sky) fell behind 20-0 before Murray led them to two second-half scores. A 9-yard run by Chad Newell late in the third quarter trimmed the score to 20-7. It was Newell's 29th career touchdown, moving him into a tie with Don Haas for No. 2 on the all-time MSU list. In addition, the senior climbed into the top 10 for career yards after finishing with 68 yards.
MSU's defense continued to stymie NAU's offense and the Bobcats went to work again. This time Murray scampered into the end zone from 19 yards out, cutting the deficit to just six points. But despite a strong performance by the MSU defense, the Bobcats couldn't get any closer.
Freshman Joe Logan scored twice for the Lumberjacks (2-5, 1-2), including a 65-yard dash in the second quarter. Logan led all rushers with 147 yards. NAU finished with 405 total yards, taking advantage of three MSU fumbles and an interception. Meanwhile the Lumberjacks didn't lose the ball once.
Murray, who rushed for 187 yards and three scores last week at Sacramento State, gained 41 yards on the ground. The true freshman took over for starter Tyler Bruggman, completing seven of 16 passes for 88 yards. Bruggman totaled 22 yards on three completions in 10 attempts. Overall, MSU gained 281 yards.
Safety Bryson McCabe sparked the Bobcats' defense with a team-high nine tackles while freshman Josh Hill recorded a pair of tackles for loss.
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