Montana State University
5-2 , 2-1
Sacramento State
4-2 , 2-0
Bobcats fall to Sacramento State
10/12/2019 5:03:00 PM | Football, General
Thomson, a sixth-year junior, finished with 23 completions in 30 attempts for 260 yards while adding 74 more yards on the ground. With the score 21-14 at halftime, the Hornets (4-2 overall, 2-0 Big Sky) upped their lead on a Thomson run and a Thomson pass to Marshall Martin to make it 34-14 after three quarters.
In front of a Homecoming crowd of 19,437, the Bobcats couldn't close the gap until the end of the game when Tucker Rovig hit Kevin Kassis for a 2-yard touchdown. Prior to that, MSU twice came close to scoring in the fourth quarter. The first followed a Tyrel Thomas interception of Thomson in the end zone. Two long passes from Rovig to Kassis put the ball inside the 10-yard line, but the Hornets held on fourth down. Later, the Bobcats were stopped on downs from the Sac State 13-yard line. Overall, MSU (5-2, 2-1) was five of eight on fourth down and four of 15 on third down as its five-game win streak came to an end. Sac State was a combined 10 of 14 and had the ball for five minutes more than MSU.
Rovig completed 16 of 29 passes for 262 yards. Kassis was his favorite receiver, hauling in six balls for 119 yards. Travis Jonsen caught five passes for 109 yards. Logan Jones topped the Bobcat ground game with 60 yards. Overall, MSU totaled 403 yards to 378 for Sac State.
The sixth-ranked Bobcats fell behind early as Thomson scored his first touchdown to open the scoring in the first quarter. But Jones' 40-yard sprint set up a 17-yard game-tying jaunt by Jonsen who took the direct snap and got a key block downfield from Rovig. Another short run by Thomson and a short scoring pass from Thomson to Pierre Williams put the Hornets up 21-7. In the waning moments of the first half, the Bobcats went for it on 4th and 3 from the Sac State 6-yard line. This time Troy Andersen took the direct snap and followed the blocking of his old high school teammate R. J. Fitzgerald to make it 21-14 at the half. Andersen's touchdown was the 30th of his career on the ground, the second most ever for a Bobcat.
MSU has this week off before traveling to North Dakota on Oct. 26. Southern Utah comes to Bozeman on Nov. 2. Sac State plays host to Montana this week.
Team Stats
SAC 7, MSU 0
SAC - THOMSON, Kevin 7 yd run (MEDEIROS, Devon kick), 3 plays, 38 yards, TOP 1:13
SAC 7, MSU 7
MSU - JONSEN, Travis 17 yd run (BAILEY, Tristan kick), 8 plays, 86 yards, TOP 4:31
SAC 14, MSU 7
SAC - THOMSON, Kevin 1 yd run (MEDEIROS, Devon kick), 13 plays, 75 yards, TOP 6:07
SAC 21, MSU 7
SAC - WILLIAMS, P. 7 yd pass from THOMSON, Kevin (MEDEIROS, Devon kick) 10 plays, 45 yards, TOP 4:36
SAC 21, MSU 14
MSU - ANDERSEN, Troy 6 yd run (BAILEY, Tristan kick), 11 plays, 77 yards, TOP 4:51
SAC 27, MSU 14
SAC - PERKINSON, BJ 6 yd pass from THOMSON, Kevin (MEDEIROS, Devon kickfailed) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:02
SAC 34, MSU 14
SAC - MARTIN, Marshel 26 yd pass from THOMSON, Kevin (MEDEIROS, Devon kick) 10 plays, 94 yards, TOP 5:47
SAC 34, MSU 21
MSU - KASSIS, Kevin 2 yd pass from ROVIG, Tucker (BAILEY, Tristan kick) 11 plays, 64 yards, TOP 2:08
