BOBCAT FOOTBALL SUNDAY NOTEBOOK #2: Second-Half Spurt Falls Short vs. #4 SDSU
9/10/2017 1:23:00 PM | Football
Chris Murray logged a historic stat line, but missed on an epic comeback try
Bobcat Football Sunday Notebook
September 10, 2017 – South Dakota State 31, Montana State 27 in Bozeman
After trailing 4th-ranked South Dakota State 24-7 midway through the third quarter, Montana State just missed on a comeback for the ages in a 31-27 loss to the powerful Jackrabbits in sold out Bobcat Stadium on Saturday night. Quarterback Chris Murray's night perfectly encapsulated that of the MSU offense. The sophomore entered the locker room at halftime with 149 total yards, a touchdown and a turnover. From that point on he threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 51. Senior receiver Mitchell Herbert (nine catches, 111 yards, two touchdowns) and junior Jabarri Johnson (eight receptions, 116 yards, two touchdowns) were the main beneficiaries of Murray's breakout. But in the end SDSU had enough to hold on, the dagger arriving in the form of a fake field goal that was converted into a touchdown with four-and-a-half minutes to play.
Player of the Week Nominees
Offense – QB Chris Murray (6-2, 185, So, Inglewood, California): Montana State sophomore quarterback Chris Murray threw for a career-best 311 yards and four touchdowns, and added 107 yards on the ground in Montana State's near-upset of fourth-ranked South Dakota State on Saturday. After falling behind 24-7 midway through the third quarter, Murray and the MSU offense responded by converting the team's five second-half drives into three touchdowns and a missed field goal (the clock ended the team's final abbreviated possession). Murray threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns after the intermission. Murray became the fifth player in Bobcat history to throw for over 300 yards and rush for more than 100 in one game.
Defense – none
Special Teams – none
Freshman of the Week – none
Offensive Lineman of the Week – none
Post-Game News and Notes
Injury Report: Likely Out for Season – LB Lukas McCarthy.
• MSU failed to score for the season's first 89 minutes, 46 seconds, but then tallied 27 points in the next 30 minutes, 14 seconds.
• The crowd of 19,817 that jammed into Bobcat Stadium for the annual Gold Rush game on Saturday stands as the seventh-largest in MSU history.
• Mac Bignell's forced fumble in the fourth quarter Saturday was the ninth of his Bobcat career, a school record. He registered two tackles-for-loss against SDSU to raise his career total to 39, four from the MSU career top 10 in that category.
• The Bobcats gained 491 yards, the second-highest total in Jeff Choate's one-plus seasons as the team's head coach, and their 27 first downs is the most in a game in the past two seasons.
• After converting 11- of-19 4th down conversions a season ago, the Cats are 5-for-5 on fourth down in 2017.
• The Bobcats have turned the ball over just once in each of the season's first two games and are even in turnover margin this season, but MSU has forced four fumbles this season.
• Mitchell Herbert's 111 yards receiving marked his fourth career 100-yard receiving day, and his two touchdown catches gives him 17 in his career, fourth-most in MSU history.
• Herbert (111 yards) and Jabarri Johnson (116) combined to account for 227 of Chris Murray's 311 passing yards vs. SDSU.
• In eight of his 13 games as a Bobcat, sophomore quarterback Chris Murray has Montana State's long run from scrimmage.
• Chris Murray has led the Bobcats in rushing six times in his career.
