BOBCAT FOOTBALL SUNDAY NOTEBOOK: Newell, Seniors Close Home Careers in Style

Saturday, November 12

BOZEMAN

1:30 pm

Montana State University

3-7 , 1-6

UC Davis

2-8 , 1-6

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

UC Davis

Montana State

Photo by: Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez

BOBCAT FOOTBALL SUNDAY NOTEBOOK: Newell, Seniors Close Home Careers in Style

11/13/2016 8:38:00 PM | Football

Box Score

MSU visits Montana in the 116th Cat-Griz game next Saturday

By: Bill Lamberty

Running back Chad Newell followed his long-time friend and offensive guard JP Flynn, rushing for 132 yards and a touchdown in their last game in Bobcat Stadium to lead Montana State to a 27-13 Senior Day win over UC Davis Saturday. The victory snapped a six-game losing skid and a four-game string without a takeaway for MSU, but all the frustrations of the last six weeks were wiped away on a sun-splashed afternoon when the Cats picked up their third win of the season (3-7). Freshman quarterback Chris Murray rushed for 98 yards and threw for another 66.

Big Sky & National Player of the Week Nominees
Offense – RB Chad Newell (6-2, 220, Sr, Billings, MT): In his final Bobcat Stadium appearance, senior running back Chad Newell gained a career-best 132 yards, surpassing the 2,000-yard mark for his career and leading the Bobcats to a 27-13 win over UC Davis. Newell also scored a touchdown, the 28^th rushing touchdown of his career which is one away from moving him into second in school history. His 2,039 career rushing yards is 10^th. On Saturday, Newell's 10-yard touchdown run tied the game at 10 midway through the second quarter and he gained 30 of the team's 63 yards on the scoring drive before halftime that put the Cats ahead for good. He also gained 39 yards on the 70-yard drive that netted a field goal at the outset of the fourth quarter. Saturday was the third 100-yard rushing day of Newell's senior season, and the seventh of his career. That total is tied for ninth in school history.
Defense – LB Mac Bignell (6-1, 205, Jr, Drummond, MT): Junior linebacker Mac Bignell logged seven tackles (three solo) and two quarterback hurries Saturday, but his biggest play of the day ended an agonizing streak for the Cats and launched the team toward victory. With just over 13 minutes to play and UC Davis driving in its own territory, Bignell tackled Aggies running back Joshua Kelley and in the process snatched the ball from his hands. The turnover gave Montana State possession at the UCD 37, and four plays later Chris Murray scampered 22 yards for a touchdown that gave MSU a 27-13 lead and closed the day's scoring. The takeaway was MSU's first since game five at Sacramento State, and in the ensuing four games MSU has been -17 in turnovers. The fumbled caused was the eighth of Bignell's career, which ties a school record, and his four fumbles recovered is tied for eighth in MSU history.
Special Teams – RS Jayshawn Gates (5-8, 150, Jr, Palo Alto, CA): The Bobcat junior returned four kickoffs for 109 yards Saturday. His second return was the most important, as he took the kick from the MSU end zone to the UC Davis 53-yard line after the Aggies had scored the game's first touchdown. Trailing 7-0, MSU used that converted that starting field position into a field goal. After UC Davis' next score, a field goal, Gates returned the kickoff to the MSU 37. That launched a 63-yard touchdown drive to tie the game. Gates' 53-yard return was the longest of his season, and matched MSU's season-long return.
Freshman of the Week – QB Chris Murray (6-2, 180, Fr, Inglewood, CA): Montana State's freshman quarterback played the cleanest game of his young career, rushing for 98 yards and throwing for 66 more in Montana State's 27-13 win over UC Davis Saturday. Most importantly, the Bobcats didn't turn the ball over for the first time since game three. Murray broke MSU's single-season rushing total by a freshman, and now has 718. His 1,459 yards of total offense is third among Bobcat freshmen. The true freshman scored one rushing touchdown against UC Davis, his 10^th of the season which leaves him one from the school single-season top 10 in rushing touchdowns.
Offensive Lineman of the Week – none

Statistical Rankings
Top 20 in NCAA Team Rankings – 5. Red Zone Offense (.931), 17. Kickoff Returns (23.03), 18. Punt Return Defense (4.43), 18. Punt Returns (13.09), 19. Net Punting (38.13).
Top 15 in NCAA Individual Rankings –Mac Bignell: 7^th in Solo Tackles (6.4, which leads the Big Sky, 17^th in fumbles recovered (2); Fletcher Collins: 17^th in Fumbles Recovered (2); Bryson McCabe: 19^th in Forced Fumbles (0.3); Chris Murray: 14^th in Rush Yards per Carry (6.41), 14^th in Rushing Touchdowns (10); Gabe Peppenger: 15^th in Field Goal Percentage (.800)
.

Post-Game News and Notes
Injury Report: Out for Season – DE Devin Jeffries, DT Robert Wilcox, DE Tyrone Fa'anono, WR Brandon Brown.

• Junior linebacker Mac Bignell's strip of UC Davis running back Joshua Kelly in the third quarter Saturday snapped a four-game string without a takeaway by the Bobcat defense, and during that time MSU was -17 in turnover margin. The Cats were +1 Saturday.
• Bignell's forced fumble was his eighth as a Bobcat, tying him with Caleb Schreibeis for the school record. His fourth career fumble recovery leaves him tied for eighth in that category.
• Senior RB Chad Newell rushed for 132 yards (23 carries) and one touchdown Saturday. He moved past the 2,000-yard mark for his career (2,039) and his 28 rushing touchdowns is now one from second place, presently occupied by "The Iron Tumbleed" Don Hass.
• Freshman quarterback Chris Murray is 14^th in the FCS in rushing yards per carry, and only one freshman – Joe Logan of Northern Arizona, who is is 6^th – is ahead of him. Murray remains the only quarterback in the top 20.
• Chris Murray rushed for 98 yards on 14 carries in Saturday's win against UC Davis, narrowly missing his fourth 100-yard rushing game this season. Murray is Montana State's leading rusher with 718 yards, which is a freshman record at MSU.
• Chris Murray's 16 touchdowns accounted for by a quarterback (10 rushing, six passing) is five from joining MSU's top 10 single-season list – Travis Lulay (twice) and Paul Dennehy each registered 21 in a single campaign. Murray's 10 rushing touchdowns is one shy of joining the school's single-season top 10 in that category.
• Montana State has failed to take the ball away from its opponent in four straight games, and in that time the Bobcats' turnover ratio is -17.
• Montana State snapped a six-game losing streak on Saturday, which was the program's longest since breaking a 16-game skein in 2001.
• Freshman receiver Kevin Kassis threw a touchdown pass to fellow freshman receiver Cam Sutton on Saturday, the game-clinching score, giving Kassis more TD passes in his young career than catches. Sutton has a pair of TD catches.

First Look: Montana State vs. UC Davis
Game Details: Date – Saturday, November 19 Kickoff – 12 noon Audio – Statewide on the Bobcat Radio Network and msubobcats.com (Jay Sanderson, Dan Davies, Jason Alvine) Video – Regionally on ROOT Sports Northwest, nationally on DirecTV's Audience Network. There is no video streaming available.

At A Glance: The 116^th Cat-Griz game arrives Saturday when the Bobcats visit Missoula. Montana State erased a a month-and-a-half of misery Saturday, ending a six-game losing streak with a 27-13 win over UC Davis in Bobcat Stadium. That contest marked the end of the home careers of 13 MSU seniors. In Greeley, Montana dropped a 28-25 decision at Northern Colorado. The Grizzlies ran twice as many offensive plays (95 to 47) as UNC and nearly doubled the Bears in yards (400 to 241), but Theron Verna's five-year touchdown catch in the fourth quarter boosted Northern Colorado to its first Big Sky win over Montana. That sets the stage for Saturday's action, where the Cats look to snap a three-game losing streak against UM while the Grizzlies hope a win boosts the team into the FCS Playoffs.