Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
BOBCAT FOOTBALL SUNDAY NOTEBOOK #12: Bobcats Win the Decade
11/24/2019 2:53:00 PM | Football
MSU won six of 10 Cat-Griz games in the 2010s, and enters the NCAA playoffs for the 11th time
A quick look back at Montana State's 48-14 win against the Grizzlies on Saturday...
PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINATIONS
OFFENSE: Isaiah Ifanse, RB (5-10, 202, So, Bellevue, WA)
Isaiah Ifanse rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, leading eighth-ranked Montana State to a 48-14 win over third-ranked Montana in Bozeman. Ifanse's rushing total was the second-highest of his career, and the fifth-most by any Bobcat in Cat-Griz series history. He scored on a 38-yard run late in the second quarter to give MSU a 31-7 lead, the helped seal Montana State's fourth straight win with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Ifanse raised his season rushing total to 518 yards in eight games.
DEFENSE: Amandre Williams, LB (6-2, 235, Jr, Maple Valley, WA)
Amandre Williams registered six tackles, 2.5 for a loss, with two sacks and a forced fumble in Montana State's 48-14 win over Montana. Williams led a swarming Bobcat defense that limited the Grizzlies to a season-low 241 total yards, and to their lowest scoring output against an FCS opponent this season. Williams raised his season total to 14.5 tackles-for-loss, fourth in the Big Sky Conference. The Bobcats held Montana to a season-low 241 yards, the fewest by a Grizzly team against the Cats since 2005.
POST-GAME NEWS & NOTES
• Montana State has won the decade. The Cats beat the Grizzlies six times in the 2010s, with UM nabbing four (or three, taking into account the Grizzlies' vacated win of 2011). It's the first decade MSU has won in the series since the 1970s.
• The Bobcats earned the fifth seed in the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs. In two weekends, the Cats host either Albany or Central Connecticut State. It is the team's 11th overall playoff appearance.
• MSU's ninth victory of 2019 gives the Bobcats that many wins against Division I opponents during the regular season for the first time in school history.
• Montana State has posted winning margins of 30 points or more four times this season, the first time that's happened against same-division opponents since 1973 (42-7 vs. Idaho State, 38-6 vs. Fresno State, 33-0 vs. Weber State, 45-0 vs. NAU).
• Jeff Choate and Jim Sweeney (5-0 vs. UM) are the only Bobcat coaches in history to begin their careers with four straight wins in the rivalry. Choate joins Tony Storti as the only Bobcat coaches in history with two eight-win seasons out of their first four.
• Since the point in the 2018 Cat-Griz game when MSU trailed 22-0, the Bobcats outscored the Grizzlies 77-17.
• Montana State's 48 points Saturday was the most it has ever scored against the Grizzlies.
• MSU's 382 rushing yards against Montana was the Bobcats' most in series history and 11th-most by any Bobcat team.
• Brayden Konkol's interception against Montana gave him crucial picks in two consecutive games. He has six in his MSU career, with two each in three straight seasons.
• UM's 241 yards of total offense on Saturday – less than half what the Bobcats gained – marked the Grizzlies' low-water mark in the series since the 2005 Cats held them to 220.
• The Bobcat rushed for more yards in the first half on Saturday 207) than Montana had previously allowed in a full game in 2019 against any FCS opponent.
• Montana State held the Grizzlies to 241 yards, UM's lowest offensive output 2019, and only Oregon (three points) held the Griz to fewer points.
• Saturday's game marked Montana State's seventh straight against an opponent coming off of a victory, and by definition that holds true for every game the Cats play moving forward in 2019. It was also the fourth straight for MSU against an opponent with the reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINATIONS
OFFENSE: Isaiah Ifanse, RB (5-10, 202, So, Bellevue, WA)
Isaiah Ifanse rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, leading eighth-ranked Montana State to a 48-14 win over third-ranked Montana in Bozeman. Ifanse's rushing total was the second-highest of his career, and the fifth-most by any Bobcat in Cat-Griz series history. He scored on a 38-yard run late in the second quarter to give MSU a 31-7 lead, the helped seal Montana State's fourth straight win with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Ifanse raised his season rushing total to 518 yards in eight games.
DEFENSE: Amandre Williams, LB (6-2, 235, Jr, Maple Valley, WA)
Amandre Williams registered six tackles, 2.5 for a loss, with two sacks and a forced fumble in Montana State's 48-14 win over Montana. Williams led a swarming Bobcat defense that limited the Grizzlies to a season-low 241 total yards, and to their lowest scoring output against an FCS opponent this season. Williams raised his season total to 14.5 tackles-for-loss, fourth in the Big Sky Conference. The Bobcats held Montana to a season-low 241 yards, the fewest by a Grizzly team against the Cats since 2005.
POST-GAME NEWS & NOTES
• Montana State has won the decade. The Cats beat the Grizzlies six times in the 2010s, with UM nabbing four (or three, taking into account the Grizzlies' vacated win of 2011). It's the first decade MSU has won in the series since the 1970s.
• The Bobcats earned the fifth seed in the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs. In two weekends, the Cats host either Albany or Central Connecticut State. It is the team's 11th overall playoff appearance.
• MSU's ninth victory of 2019 gives the Bobcats that many wins against Division I opponents during the regular season for the first time in school history.
• Montana State has posted winning margins of 30 points or more four times this season, the first time that's happened against same-division opponents since 1973 (42-7 vs. Idaho State, 38-6 vs. Fresno State, 33-0 vs. Weber State, 45-0 vs. NAU).
• Jeff Choate and Jim Sweeney (5-0 vs. UM) are the only Bobcat coaches in history to begin their careers with four straight wins in the rivalry. Choate joins Tony Storti as the only Bobcat coaches in history with two eight-win seasons out of their first four.
• Since the point in the 2018 Cat-Griz game when MSU trailed 22-0, the Bobcats outscored the Grizzlies 77-17.
• Montana State's 48 points Saturday was the most it has ever scored against the Grizzlies.
• MSU's 382 rushing yards against Montana was the Bobcats' most in series history and 11th-most by any Bobcat team.
• Brayden Konkol's interception against Montana gave him crucial picks in two consecutive games. He has six in his MSU career, with two each in three straight seasons.
• UM's 241 yards of total offense on Saturday – less than half what the Bobcats gained – marked the Grizzlies' low-water mark in the series since the 2005 Cats held them to 220.
• The Bobcat rushed for more yards in the first half on Saturday 207) than Montana had previously allowed in a full game in 2019 against any FCS opponent.
• Montana State held the Grizzlies to 241 yards, UM's lowest offensive output 2019, and only Oregon (three points) held the Griz to fewer points.
• Saturday's game marked Montana State's seventh straight against an opponent coming off of a victory, and by definition that holds true for every game the Cats play moving forward in 2019. It was also the fourth straight for MSU against an opponent with the reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week.
Players Mentioned
Leon Costello Press Conference: Kennedy-Stark Athletic Center
Thursday, July 31
A Conversation with President Dr. Waded Cruzado | Montana State Athletics
Monday, May 19
Big Cats, Little Trucks - Willie Patterson
Wednesday, May 03
Matt Houk Introductory Press Conference
Wednesday, May 03
