BOBCAT SUNDAY NOTEBOOK #1: Jered Padmos' Brilliant Punting Has Bobcat Senior High on National Charts

Saturday, August 31

Lubbock, TX

2 p.m.

Montana State University

0-1

Texas Tech

1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Montana State

Texas Tech

Bryce Sterk

Photo by: Garrett Becker

BOBCAT SUNDAY NOTEBOOK #1: Jered Padmos' Brilliant Punting Has Bobcat Senior High on National Charts

9/1/2019 7:34:00 PM | Football

Box Score

The sun rose, the sun set, and Bryce Sterk logged another sack on Saturday

By: Bill Lamberty

A quick look at Montana State's season-opener at Texas Tech...

PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINATIONS
OFFENSE: none

DEFENSE: none

SPECIAL TEAMS: Jered Padmos, P (6-2, 204, Sr, Boulder, MT)
Senior punter Jered Padmos turned in possibly the best performance of his brilliant Bobcat career at Texas Tech on Saturday, punting nine times for a 51.4 yards-per-punt average. He allowed only three returns (21 yards) against a team that averaged over 10 yards per return a season ago, pinned Tech inside its own 20-yard line three times, and nailed a long of 63 yards. Texas Tech's average starting field position after MSU punts was its own 23-yard line. After the season's first week, Padmos is 2^nd in the FCS in punting (51.4 yards per punt), and the Bobcats stand 3^rd nationally in net punting (46.89).

POST-GAME NEWS & NOTES
Injury Report: Out Indefinitely – CB Greg Filer III

• The recorded temperature at 3 pm CT in Lubbock on Saturday was 99 degrees, the hottest kickoff temperature for a Bobcat game in at least 20 years. The other games that began at least 90 degrees since 1999: 91 at Sacramento State in 2014, 98 at SMU in 2013, 91 at Oklahoma State in 2005, 92 at Sacramento State in 1999. It's worth noting that each of the three earliest games on that list all kicked off after 5 pm, so the temperatures cooled during the games.
• Montana State has forced at least one turnover in 11 consecutive games.
• Saturday's loss drops the Cats to 3-10 in the state of Texas all-time, including seven straight losses, and 1-4 against the Big 12
• Casey Bauman and Coy Steel connected on a touchdown Saturday, the first TD pass for MSU's redshirt freshman quarterback and the first TD catch for Steel.
• Montana State played a clean game in terms of turnovers Saturday, after doing so three times in 2018. MSU has lost just six fumbles in the last 25 games.
• The Cats surrendered just one sack to Texas Tech after allowing a Big Sky-low 11 sacks (in 13 games) a season ago.
• Of Montana State's six coaches in the Division I era that spent more than one season at MSU, only Mike Kramer (five in eight seasons) faced a Division I opponent in his team's home opener more than Jeff Choate (this week makes it four seasons, four DI home openers).
• In Jeff Choate's first four seasons at Montana State, his teams will play only one non-Division I opponent (which was scheduled before Choate arrived).

STAT SNIPPETS
The punting performance offered by Jered Padmos on Saturday was second-best in the FCS (51.4 yards per punt), and has MSU 3^rd in the FCS in net punting (46.89). Texas Tech returned only three of his nine punts, which is exactly his average over the last three seasons… in his 12 games at Montana State, Jahque Alleyne has intercepted five passes and forced three fumbles… sensational senior defensive end Bryce Sterk registered six tackles and Montana State's only sack against Texas Tech in his first start at defensive end (after playing Buck, a hybrid linebacker position, last season). He now has at least one tackle-for-loss in four straight regular season games, and at least one sack in three straight regular season contests.

FIRST LOOK: Montana State at South Dakota State
Game Details: Date – September 7 Kickoff – 6 pm MT Special Promotions – Gold Rush Audio – Statewide on the Bobcat Radio Network and msubobcats.com Video – SWX Montana ABC Streaming – msubobcats.com ($)