Kelly Bradley
BOBCAT CALENDAR: An Amazing Group of Seniors and a Beloved Bobcat Head Coach Won in Reno H. Sales Stadium for One Last Time Today in 1986
11/1/2020 9:00:00 AM | Football
Dave Arnold led Montana State to a win over Northern Iowa, which featured a future Bobcat offensive coordinator
A look at Bobcat football history, one day at a time...
November 1
SPOTLIGHT: It wasn't officially known at the time, but Montana State's game today in 1986 marked the end of an era.
Northern Iowa was the opponent for Senior Day 1986, and it proved to be not only the final home game for some of Montana State's all-time great players but also for head coach Dave Arnold and his staff. The school would part ways with the man who led it to the 1984 National Championship in the coming weeks, turning the page not just on Arnold's time in Bozeman but on something of a thru-way leading all the way back to the 1950s. Much of the talent that MSU rode through the magical 1984 season was assembled by the staff of Sonny Lubick, who was fired after the 1981 season. Lubick had served on Sonny Holland's staff, and Holland's first year on the Montana State campus was 1956, the Blue & Gold's first national title campaign.
None of that was important today in 1986, when the Bobcats scrapped with Northern Iowa on a day that was remarkable for both offenses. The Bobcats won 46-25, piling up 508 yards and 26 first downs. MSU's six touchdown passes was a school record, and so was the seven - that is not a typo - passes intercepted.
The Panthers offense also amazed, with their 95 plays producing 554 total yards and 30 first downs. But those seven interceptions, man, it's so hard for a team to overcome that. The Panthers threw for 429 yards on 28-for-55 passing. Bob Kimball snagged three interceptions for the Cats that day, tying a school record, while Bob Rielly, Ken Lang, Mark Rinehart and Ron Hanson each snagged one.
The back-and-forth first half ended with the teams tied at 18, but Kelly Bradley led a drive that tipped things toward the Bobcats. MSU marched 80 yards in five plays, with a 30-yarder to Duane Baker and a 28-yard connection with Tony Moore. Eric Miller caught an 18-yard TD pass to give MSU a lead it wouldn't surrender.
The Bobcat defense suddenly stiffened, forcing a three-and-out, picking off a pass, then putting up another three-and-out. One of Kimball's interceptions gave MSU the ball at the UNI 12, and Bradley found Davis for the score to give MSU a 32-18 lead.
The fourth-quarter pace didn't slow. Hanson's interception in the end zone set up another 80-yard scoring drive to give MSU a 39-18 lead, and then things got really ugly with turnovers. Three of the next four drives ended in turnovers, and Northern Iowa finally punched one into the end zone with 6:03 to play. MSU finished the scoring with 1:09 to play on a Bradley pass to Joel Grace.
The win was MSU's third of the season, and its final one, and it was also the home finale for players that had accomplished so much in Reno H. Sales Stadium - Kelly Bradley, Derrick Abell, Duane Baker, Kelly Davis, and Kirk Timmer, among others.
GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2014 - at Cal Poly 35, MSU 27
2008 - MSU 20, UNC 7
2003 - MSU 56, Sac St 17
1997 - MSU 28, Weber State 14
1986 - MSU 46, Northern Iowa 25
1980 - MSU 24, at UM 7
1975 - at Idaho 41, MSU 23
1969 - UM 7, MSU 6
1958 - MSU 39, St. Ambrose 18
1952 - at UM 35, MSU 12
1947 - Utah State 28, MSU 13 HC
1919 - at Utah 66, MSU 0
1913 - UM 7, MSU 0
FINIS: One notable player for Northern Iowa that day was safety Courtney Messingham, who had no stats. Bobcat fans will remember Coach Mess as Jeff Choate's first offensive coordinator, who now holds that position at Kansas State.
November 1
SPOTLIGHT: It wasn't officially known at the time, but Montana State's game today in 1986 marked the end of an era.
Northern Iowa was the opponent for Senior Day 1986, and it proved to be not only the final home game for some of Montana State's all-time great players but also for head coach Dave Arnold and his staff. The school would part ways with the man who led it to the 1984 National Championship in the coming weeks, turning the page not just on Arnold's time in Bozeman but on something of a thru-way leading all the way back to the 1950s. Much of the talent that MSU rode through the magical 1984 season was assembled by the staff of Sonny Lubick, who was fired after the 1981 season. Lubick had served on Sonny Holland's staff, and Holland's first year on the Montana State campus was 1956, the Blue & Gold's first national title campaign.
None of that was important today in 1986, when the Bobcats scrapped with Northern Iowa on a day that was remarkable for both offenses. The Bobcats won 46-25, piling up 508 yards and 26 first downs. MSU's six touchdown passes was a school record, and so was the seven - that is not a typo - passes intercepted.
The Panthers offense also amazed, with their 95 plays producing 554 total yards and 30 first downs. But those seven interceptions, man, it's so hard for a team to overcome that. The Panthers threw for 429 yards on 28-for-55 passing. Bob Kimball snagged three interceptions for the Cats that day, tying a school record, while Bob Rielly, Ken Lang, Mark Rinehart and Ron Hanson each snagged one.
The back-and-forth first half ended with the teams tied at 18, but Kelly Bradley led a drive that tipped things toward the Bobcats. MSU marched 80 yards in five plays, with a 30-yarder to Duane Baker and a 28-yard connection with Tony Moore. Eric Miller caught an 18-yard TD pass to give MSU a lead it wouldn't surrender.
The Bobcat defense suddenly stiffened, forcing a three-and-out, picking off a pass, then putting up another three-and-out. One of Kimball's interceptions gave MSU the ball at the UNI 12, and Bradley found Davis for the score to give MSU a 32-18 lead.
The fourth-quarter pace didn't slow. Hanson's interception in the end zone set up another 80-yard scoring drive to give MSU a 39-18 lead, and then things got really ugly with turnovers. Three of the next four drives ended in turnovers, and Northern Iowa finally punched one into the end zone with 6:03 to play. MSU finished the scoring with 1:09 to play on a Bradley pass to Joel Grace.
The win was MSU's third of the season, and its final one, and it was also the home finale for players that had accomplished so much in Reno H. Sales Stadium - Kelly Bradley, Derrick Abell, Duane Baker, Kelly Davis, and Kirk Timmer, among others.
GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2014 - at Cal Poly 35, MSU 27
2008 - MSU 20, UNC 7
2003 - MSU 56, Sac St 17
1997 - MSU 28, Weber State 14
1986 - MSU 46, Northern Iowa 25
1980 - MSU 24, at UM 7
1975 - at Idaho 41, MSU 23
1969 - UM 7, MSU 6
1958 - MSU 39, St. Ambrose 18
1952 - at UM 35, MSU 12
1947 - Utah State 28, MSU 13 HC
1919 - at Utah 66, MSU 0
1913 - UM 7, MSU 0
FINIS: One notable player for Northern Iowa that day was safety Courtney Messingham, who had no stats. Bobcat fans will remember Coach Mess as Jeff Choate's first offensive coordinator, who now holds that position at Kansas State.
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