The swarming Bobcat defense was too much for Austin Peay on Friday night.
Photo by: Garrett Becker
Bobcats roll to FCS semifinals
12/13/2019 9:24:00 PM | Football, General
With a balanced offense paced by running back Isaiah Ifanse and quarterback Tucker Rovig, Montana State rolled to a 24-10 win over visiting Austin Peay State Friday night. With the win, the fifth-ranked Bobcats advance to the FCS semifinals next weekend against the winner of Saturday's North Dakota State vs. Illinois State game. The last time the Bobcats were in the semifinals was 1984, when they won the national championship.
Ifanse put the Bobcats (11-3) on the scoreboard first, breaking a tackle near the line of scrimmage before sprinting 60 yards to make it 7-0. A Tristan Bailey 45-yard field goal gave MSU a 10-0 lead in a first quarter that saw the Bobcats hold the Governors from Clarksville, Tenn., to just one total yard in 12 plays.
Logan Birchfield's 38-yard field goal made it 10-3 at halftime. But the Governors (11-4) were stymied by a pair of tackles behind the line of scrimmage by Derek Marks and a sack by Tyrel Thomas on a cornerback blitz. Austin Peay totaled just three first downs and averaged 2.5 yards per play in the opening half.
The third quarter started with a Brayden Konkol interception that resulted in a 5-yard scoring pass from Rovig to Kevin Kassis. Later in the quarter, Ifanse faked a run before jumping into the air and tossing a 2-yard scoring pass to 300-pound Jason Scrempos who normally lines up at nose tackle for the Bobcats defense, but occasionally is inserted in the offensive line in short-yardage situations. Konkol's pick marked the 24th straight game the Bobcats created a takeaway.
Up 24-3, the Bobcats defense pinned its ears back and continued to harass the Austin Peay offense. Josh Hill, Ty Okada and Callahan O'Reilly led the attack with repeated tackles for loss. The Governors managed a late scoring pass from JaVaughn Craig to DeAngel Wilson that covered 76 yards and accounted for the final score. Any hope the Governors may have had ended when Thomas intercepted Vaughn midway through the fourth quarter to end Austin Peay's seven-game win streak while the Bobcats won their sixth straight.
Ifanse finished with 196 yards on the ground while Rovig managed the game, completing 13 pass in 20 attempts for 114 yards and the touchdown to Kassis. Against the seventh-best rushing defense in FCS, the Bobcats had 279 of their 386 yards on the ground. Both teams' offensive flow was hampered by penalties with nine being called against each team. In front of a loud and excited crowd of 14,017, the Governors managed just 215 total yards.
Ifanse put the Bobcats (11-3) on the scoreboard first, breaking a tackle near the line of scrimmage before sprinting 60 yards to make it 7-0. A Tristan Bailey 45-yard field goal gave MSU a 10-0 lead in a first quarter that saw the Bobcats hold the Governors from Clarksville, Tenn., to just one total yard in 12 plays.
Logan Birchfield's 38-yard field goal made it 10-3 at halftime. But the Governors (11-4) were stymied by a pair of tackles behind the line of scrimmage by Derek Marks and a sack by Tyrel Thomas on a cornerback blitz. Austin Peay totaled just three first downs and averaged 2.5 yards per play in the opening half.
The third quarter started with a Brayden Konkol interception that resulted in a 5-yard scoring pass from Rovig to Kevin Kassis. Later in the quarter, Ifanse faked a run before jumping into the air and tossing a 2-yard scoring pass to 300-pound Jason Scrempos who normally lines up at nose tackle for the Bobcats defense, but occasionally is inserted in the offensive line in short-yardage situations. Konkol's pick marked the 24th straight game the Bobcats created a takeaway.
Up 24-3, the Bobcats defense pinned its ears back and continued to harass the Austin Peay offense. Josh Hill, Ty Okada and Callahan O'Reilly led the attack with repeated tackles for loss. The Governors managed a late scoring pass from JaVaughn Craig to DeAngel Wilson that covered 76 yards and accounted for the final score. Any hope the Governors may have had ended when Thomas intercepted Vaughn midway through the fourth quarter to end Austin Peay's seven-game win streak while the Bobcats won their sixth straight.
Ifanse finished with 196 yards on the ground while Rovig managed the game, completing 13 pass in 20 attempts for 114 yards and the touchdown to Kassis. Against the seventh-best rushing defense in FCS, the Bobcats had 279 of their 386 yards on the ground. Both teams' offensive flow was hampered by penalties with nine being called against each team. In front of a loud and excited crowd of 14,017, the Governors managed just 215 total yards.
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