Montana State University
1-1
South Dakota State
1-0
South Dakota State Handles Bobcats in Brookings Saturday
9/8/2018 8:05:00 PM | Football
Jackrabbits defense staunch against injury-depleted MSU
South Dakota State officially opened its football season by racking up 512 yards of total offense. Senior quarterback Taryn Christion completed 21 passes and threw for 319 yards passing. His four touchdown passes were all to sophomore wide receiver Cade Johnson who finished the contest with nine receptions and 138 yards receiving.
The Bobcats hung tough defensively in the early going, but the offense was unable to get on track. The team's initial first down came midway through the second quarter, and MSU finished the first half with 44 yards and the single first down.
While the Jackrabbits held Montana State's offense at bay, SDSU began to roll. A two-time Payton Award finalist, Christion threw a two-yard pass on a third-and-goal to Johnson for a touchdown with 2:30 left in the first quarter, and found Johnson on scoring strikes of 24 yards and 19 yards in the first seven minutes of the second quarter.
Montana State's offense moved the ball effectively at times in the second half. Tucker Rovig, MSU's starting quarterback in his Bobcat debut, found Kevin Kassis on a 33-yard completion that set up a two-yard touchdown run by Maleek Barkley, and Rovig's 40-yarder to Kassis on the next Bobcat drive set up a three-yard scoring strike to Lance McCutcheon.
In the end, though, South Dakota State proved to be too much for a Bobcat team playing without starting quarterback Troy Andersen, relegated to linebacker and running back by a hand injury. Rovig completed the game by going 13-for-25 through the air for 164 yards passing. His touchdown pass to McCutcheon was the first of his career which went along with two interceptions. MSU's Kassis, Willie Patterson and Travis Jonsen each had three catches. Kassis led the group with 74 yards receiving.
Brayden Konkol and Tucker Yates tied for a game-high 7 tackles with the Jackrabbits' Dalton Cox. Yates was also the Bobcats' defensive leader with 2.5 tackles for loss.
Montana State returns to Bobcat Stadium next Saturday to host Wagner of the Northeast Conference at 1 p.m.
Team Stats
MSU 0, SDSU 7
SDSU - Cade Johnson 2 yd pass from Taryn Christion (Chase Vinatieri kick) 5 plays, 43 yards, TOP 2:12
MSU 0, SDSU 14
SDSU - Cade Johnson 24 yd pass from Taryn Christion (Chase Vinatieri kick) 10 plays, 64 yards, TOP 3:46
MSU 0, SDSU 21
SDSU - Cade Johnson 19 yd pass from Taryn Christion (Chase Vinatieri kick) 5 plays, 60 yards, TOP 2:10
MSU 0, SDSU 24
SDSU - Chase Vinatieri 42 yd field goal 6 plays, 45 yards, TOP 1:31
MSU 0, SDSU 31
SDSU - Taryn Christion 1 yd run (Chase Vinatieri kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 6:24
MSU 8, SDSU 31
MSU - BARKLEY, Maleek 2 yd run (JONSEN, Travis rush), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:54
MSU 8, SDSU 38
SDSU - Mikey Daniel 2 yd run (Chase Vinatieri kick), 6 plays, 77 yards, TOP 3:06
MSU 14, SDSU 38
MSU - McCUTCHEON, L. 3 yd pass from ROVIG, Tucker (BAILEY, Tristan kickblocked) 9 plays, 77 yards, TOP 3:28
MSU 14, SDSU 45
SDSU - Cade Johnson 7 yd pass from Taryn Christion (Chase Vinatieri kick) 3 plays, 6 yards, TOP 1:27
