Troy Andersen's first quarter touchdown contributed to the victory.
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Big plays spark Bobcats in win
10/28/2017 5:20:00 PM | Football, General
In a game of big plays by both the offense and the defense, it might have been Montana State punter Jered Padmos who made the biggest difference on Saturday in the Bobcats 28-14 win over Idaho State.
Chris Murray threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Mac Bignell returned an interception for the final score as the Bobcats improved to 4-4 overall and 4-2 in Big Sky Conference action in front of a crowd of 17,097.
Murray hit Mitch Herbert for the game's first score, a 2-yarder. It was the senior's 19th career scoring grab, putting him second on the all-time MSU list, trailing only Kelly Davis who tops the list with 21 scores during his playing days in the 1980s. After Josh Hill broke up a fourth-down pass attempt by ISU, Murray engineered a two-play drive. First he dashed 28 yards and then found Troy Andersen on a 43-yard score to give MSU a 14-0 lead after one quarter.
The second quarter belonged to the Bengals (4-5, 2-4) as they scored twice while gaining 182 yards on 25 plays and controlling the ball for over 10 minutes in the period. Meanwhile, MSU's offense struggled, but Padmos kept pinning ISU on multiple punts that landed inside the 10-yard line. The game was tied at 14 at halftime.
The Bobcat defense dominated the second half, shutting out the Bengals, while holding them to 20 points below their season average. The Bobcats took the lead for good on a three-play drive keyed by Murray's 77-yard pass to Nick LaSane. The senior running back lumbered to the 2-yard line where Murray ran it in one play later. The catch and run by LaSane was the longest pass play in the young career of the sophomore signal caller.
Still, ISU's running attack moved the ball. At one time midway through the game, ISU had run 66 plays to MSU's 30. The final tallies of 80 and 57 don't reflect the total yardage: MSU finished with 422 while ISU gained 394.
Hoping to tie the score in the third quarter, ISU had a first and goal but was unable to get in the end zone. On third down, Tyrel Thomas made a nifty defensive play when he tipped away on a would-be scoring pass. On fourth down from the 3-yard line, Zach Wright barreled into ISU quarterback Tanner Gueller forcing an incomplete pass. Overall, ISU failed three times on fourth down plays.
Nursing the 21-14 lead, a Bobcat drive stalled deep in their end of the field with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. That's when Padmos was at his best, unleashing a 70-yard punt, forcing the Bengals to start the next drive from their own 8-yard line. Overall, Padmos dropped four punts inside the ISU 10-yard line.
Hoping to march the length of the field, ISU started throwing the ball. Bignell, a senior linebacker, took advantage of the field position, grabbing an errant Gueller throw and returning the interception 18 yards for the clinching touchdown. It was the first pick-6 by MSU since Deonte Flowers ran one back in 2014. Moments later, after yet another Padmos boot dropped inside the 10, Bignell tipped a pass that Bryson McCabe hauled in and the Bobcats has their second straight win.
At this point last season, MSU was 2-6 overall. Next week, Kennesaw State comes to Bozeman for a non-conference game, giving MSU a chance to go over .500 for the first time this season.
LaSane led MSU's rushers with 83 yards while Murray totaled 67. He also completed 10 of 20 passes for 231 yards. ISU's James Madison finished with 105 yards, but it took him 30 carries to get there as his longest run was just 9 yards. Gueller completed 17 of 28 passes for 193 yards one touchdown.
Chris Murray threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Mac Bignell returned an interception for the final score as the Bobcats improved to 4-4 overall and 4-2 in Big Sky Conference action in front of a crowd of 17,097.
Murray hit Mitch Herbert for the game's first score, a 2-yarder. It was the senior's 19th career scoring grab, putting him second on the all-time MSU list, trailing only Kelly Davis who tops the list with 21 scores during his playing days in the 1980s. After Josh Hill broke up a fourth-down pass attempt by ISU, Murray engineered a two-play drive. First he dashed 28 yards and then found Troy Andersen on a 43-yard score to give MSU a 14-0 lead after one quarter.
The second quarter belonged to the Bengals (4-5, 2-4) as they scored twice while gaining 182 yards on 25 plays and controlling the ball for over 10 minutes in the period. Meanwhile, MSU's offense struggled, but Padmos kept pinning ISU on multiple punts that landed inside the 10-yard line. The game was tied at 14 at halftime.
The Bobcat defense dominated the second half, shutting out the Bengals, while holding them to 20 points below their season average. The Bobcats took the lead for good on a three-play drive keyed by Murray's 77-yard pass to Nick LaSane. The senior running back lumbered to the 2-yard line where Murray ran it in one play later. The catch and run by LaSane was the longest pass play in the young career of the sophomore signal caller.
Still, ISU's running attack moved the ball. At one time midway through the game, ISU had run 66 plays to MSU's 30. The final tallies of 80 and 57 don't reflect the total yardage: MSU finished with 422 while ISU gained 394.
Hoping to tie the score in the third quarter, ISU had a first and goal but was unable to get in the end zone. On third down, Tyrel Thomas made a nifty defensive play when he tipped away on a would-be scoring pass. On fourth down from the 3-yard line, Zach Wright barreled into ISU quarterback Tanner Gueller forcing an incomplete pass. Overall, ISU failed three times on fourth down plays.
Nursing the 21-14 lead, a Bobcat drive stalled deep in their end of the field with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. That's when Padmos was at his best, unleashing a 70-yard punt, forcing the Bengals to start the next drive from their own 8-yard line. Overall, Padmos dropped four punts inside the ISU 10-yard line.
Hoping to march the length of the field, ISU started throwing the ball. Bignell, a senior linebacker, took advantage of the field position, grabbing an errant Gueller throw and returning the interception 18 yards for the clinching touchdown. It was the first pick-6 by MSU since Deonte Flowers ran one back in 2014. Moments later, after yet another Padmos boot dropped inside the 10, Bignell tipped a pass that Bryson McCabe hauled in and the Bobcats has their second straight win.
At this point last season, MSU was 2-6 overall. Next week, Kennesaw State comes to Bozeman for a non-conference game, giving MSU a chance to go over .500 for the first time this season.
LaSane led MSU's rushers with 83 yards while Murray totaled 67. He also completed 10 of 20 passes for 231 yards. ISU's James Madison finished with 105 yards, but it took him 30 carries to get there as his longest run was just 9 yards. Gueller completed 17 of 28 passes for 193 yards one touchdown.
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