BOBCAT CALENDAR: Today in 2001 the Bobcats Earned their Second and Final Win at Joe Albi Stadium
10/6/2020 10:00:00 AM | Football
Junior Adams and Joey Thomas starred for the Bobcats
October 6
SPOTLIGHT: An era ended quietly this fall, when Spokane's 70-yaer old Joe Albi Stadium, aged out of use and now in disrepair, sat empty, awaiting demolition with the site to be repurposed. Since 1950, when it opened with the Apple Cup between Washington State and Washington, Spokane-area high schools filled the structure near the Spokane River and just off of Riverside State Park with cheers and groans, shoulder pads popping and high school bands blaring.
And enough of the Inland Empire's college teams made Joe Albi Stadium an occasional home that the Bobcats played six games there. MSU's most recent victory at Joe Albi - one of only two such results - remains memorable, a 48-38 win over Eastern Washington today in 2001.
Second-year Bobcat coach Mike Kramer brought a much-improved MSU team back to the Palouse to face the EWU program he helped establish as a perennial Big Sky contender before returning to Montana State in 2000. The 2001 contest pitted MSU against a talented Eastern team led by Kramer's close friend Paul Wulff. In the weeks leading up to the football season, Wulff's wife Tammy suffered a relapse of the cancer that had been in remission for several months. The news was devastating to the EWU football program, and those close to the Wulff family, such as Mike Kramer and his clan. Add the recent trauma from the September 11 attacks on the U.S. and emotions ran high in the week leading to the MSU-Eastern Washington game.
Against that backdrop, on a beautiful autumn evening, the football game delivered on the promise that it would be a dandy.
Midway through the first quarter, Bobcat Junior Adams returned a punt 84 yards to open the scoring. He also caught eight passes for 108 yards, and his 42-yard touchdown gave MSU a fourth-quarter lead. As spectacular as Adams was for the Bobcats, Lamont Brighful amazed for Eastern. He returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown, his fifth kick return TD tied a I-AA record. He also caught three passes for 78 yards.
EWU jumped in front 17-7 after the first quarter, but in the second Ryan Johnson scored two touchdowns for MSU and the game reached halftime 24-24.Brightful's scoring kick return opened the second half, and midway through the third quarter the game reached a turning point. Eastern Washington had the ball at its own four-yard line after an Aaron Rich (yes, the Aaron Rich who starred for the Bobcat basketball team) punt pinned the Eagles deep. On third down a Fred Salanoa swing pass squirted out of the Eastern receiver's hands, rolled onto his back, and was picked cleanly there by Bobcat cornerback Joey Thomas. Momentarily shocked that he possessed the ball, Thomas sprinted toward the end zone to tie the game at 31.
Injuries were a major storyline for both teams in this game, and MSU star running back Ryan Johnson was sidelined for the second half. That pressed reserve Nic Tognetti into action just weeks after he moved into the offensive backfield from safety. The Stevensville product was up to the challenge, gaining 38 yards on 12 carries and helping the Bobcats maintain possession the fourth quarter.
Trailing 38-34, Bobcat quarterback Tyler Thomas turned the game around by firing the 42-yard touchdown pass to Adams. Both those players had transferred to MSU from Oregon State in January. With MSU leading 41-38 later in the fourth quarter, Eastern attempted to punt from deep in their own territory but a missed connection on the snap gave MSU the ball at the four. Thomas snuck into the end zone moments later, and the Bobcats had achieved what would be the margin of victory.
After the game, players and coaches from both teams circled up at midfield in prayer for Tammy Wulff. She continued to fight throughout the winter before passing away the next spring.
Individual highlights from that game seemed to plentiful to adequately capture. Adams and Brightful each returned kicks for touchdowns. Jesse Chatman rushed for 176 yards and two TDs for Eastern, while Adams caught eight passes for 108 yards for the Cats. Kane Ioane had 13 tackles and forced a fumble, while Jon Montoya and John Taylor each had two tackles-for-loss.
The win was enormous in Kramer's work to build Bobcat football back into a Big Sky power. The Cats shut out Sacramento State at home a week later. The team would then lose four of its last five to finish 5-6, but the talent on MSU's was beginning to coalesce. A talented, young offensive line was rounding into a formidable unit. The 2001 season would be the final sub-.500 season at the school until 2015. Throughout the remainder of the season, that win against Eastern Washington seemed to be the heartbeat to MSU's revival.
Here are Montana State's games at Joe Albi Stadium through the years:
9/12/81 Washington State 33, MSU 21
9/3/83 Washington State 27, MSU 7
11/15/86 Eastern Wash. 27, MSU 14
9/17/88 MSU 35, Eastern Washington 13
10/6/01 MSU 48, Eastern Washington 38
11/8/03 Eastern Washington 34, MSU 25
GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2012 - MSU 48, at UC Davis 41
2007 - MSU 7, Southern Utah 3
2001 - MSU 48, at Eastern Washington 38
1990 - MSU 70, NAU 37 HC
1984 - MSU 48, at Weber State 0
1980 - MSU 40, Weber State 21
1973 - MSU 43, at Idaho State 21
1962 - Utah State 41, MSU 13
1956 - MSU 62, Colorado Mines 6
1951 - Idaho State 19, MSU 6
1939 - at Omaha 12, MSU 0
1934 - at Utah State 6, MSU 0
1928 - at Colorado Coll 32, MSU 14
1923 - MSU 41, at Idaho St 0
1917 - at Denver 33, MSU 7
1910 - MSU 3, Butte High 0
SPOTLIGHT: An era ended quietly this fall, when Spokane's 70-yaer old Joe Albi Stadium, aged out of use and now in disrepair, sat empty, awaiting demolition with the site to be repurposed. Since 1950, when it opened with the Apple Cup between Washington State and Washington, Spokane-area high schools filled the structure near the Spokane River and just off of Riverside State Park with cheers and groans, shoulder pads popping and high school bands blaring.
And enough of the Inland Empire's college teams made Joe Albi Stadium an occasional home that the Bobcats played six games there. MSU's most recent victory at Joe Albi - one of only two such results - remains memorable, a 48-38 win over Eastern Washington today in 2001.
Second-year Bobcat coach Mike Kramer brought a much-improved MSU team back to the Palouse to face the EWU program he helped establish as a perennial Big Sky contender before returning to Montana State in 2000. The 2001 contest pitted MSU against a talented Eastern team led by Kramer's close friend Paul Wulff. In the weeks leading up to the football season, Wulff's wife Tammy suffered a relapse of the cancer that had been in remission for several months. The news was devastating to the EWU football program, and those close to the Wulff family, such as Mike Kramer and his clan. Add the recent trauma from the September 11 attacks on the U.S. and emotions ran high in the week leading to the MSU-Eastern Washington game.
Against that backdrop, on a beautiful autumn evening, the football game delivered on the promise that it would be a dandy.
Midway through the first quarter, Bobcat Junior Adams returned a punt 84 yards to open the scoring. He also caught eight passes for 108 yards, and his 42-yard touchdown gave MSU a fourth-quarter lead. As spectacular as Adams was for the Bobcats, Lamont Brighful amazed for Eastern. He returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown, his fifth kick return TD tied a I-AA record. He also caught three passes for 78 yards.
EWU jumped in front 17-7 after the first quarter, but in the second Ryan Johnson scored two touchdowns for MSU and the game reached halftime 24-24.Brightful's scoring kick return opened the second half, and midway through the third quarter the game reached a turning point. Eastern Washington had the ball at its own four-yard line after an Aaron Rich (yes, the Aaron Rich who starred for the Bobcat basketball team) punt pinned the Eagles deep. On third down a Fred Salanoa swing pass squirted out of the Eastern receiver's hands, rolled onto his back, and was picked cleanly there by Bobcat cornerback Joey Thomas. Momentarily shocked that he possessed the ball, Thomas sprinted toward the end zone to tie the game at 31.
Injuries were a major storyline for both teams in this game, and MSU star running back Ryan Johnson was sidelined for the second half. That pressed reserve Nic Tognetti into action just weeks after he moved into the offensive backfield from safety. The Stevensville product was up to the challenge, gaining 38 yards on 12 carries and helping the Bobcats maintain possession the fourth quarter.
Trailing 38-34, Bobcat quarterback Tyler Thomas turned the game around by firing the 42-yard touchdown pass to Adams. Both those players had transferred to MSU from Oregon State in January. With MSU leading 41-38 later in the fourth quarter, Eastern attempted to punt from deep in their own territory but a missed connection on the snap gave MSU the ball at the four. Thomas snuck into the end zone moments later, and the Bobcats had achieved what would be the margin of victory.
After the game, players and coaches from both teams circled up at midfield in prayer for Tammy Wulff. She continued to fight throughout the winter before passing away the next spring.
Individual highlights from that game seemed to plentiful to adequately capture. Adams and Brightful each returned kicks for touchdowns. Jesse Chatman rushed for 176 yards and two TDs for Eastern, while Adams caught eight passes for 108 yards for the Cats. Kane Ioane had 13 tackles and forced a fumble, while Jon Montoya and John Taylor each had two tackles-for-loss.
The win was enormous in Kramer's work to build Bobcat football back into a Big Sky power. The Cats shut out Sacramento State at home a week later. The team would then lose four of its last five to finish 5-6, but the talent on MSU's was beginning to coalesce. A talented, young offensive line was rounding into a formidable unit. The 2001 season would be the final sub-.500 season at the school until 2015. Throughout the remainder of the season, that win against Eastern Washington seemed to be the heartbeat to MSU's revival.
Here are Montana State's games at Joe Albi Stadium through the years:
9/12/81 Washington State 33, MSU 21
9/3/83 Washington State 27, MSU 7
11/15/86 Eastern Wash. 27, MSU 14
9/17/88 MSU 35, Eastern Washington 13
10/6/01 MSU 48, Eastern Washington 38
11/8/03 Eastern Washington 34, MSU 25
GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2012 - MSU 48, at UC Davis 41
2007 - MSU 7, Southern Utah 3
2001 - MSU 48, at Eastern Washington 38
1990 - MSU 70, NAU 37 HC
1984 - MSU 48, at Weber State 0
1980 - MSU 40, Weber State 21
1973 - MSU 43, at Idaho State 21
1962 - Utah State 41, MSU 13
1956 - MSU 62, Colorado Mines 6
1951 - Idaho State 19, MSU 6
1939 - at Omaha 12, MSU 0
1934 - at Utah State 6, MSU 0
1928 - at Colorado Coll 32, MSU 14
1923 - MSU 41, at Idaho St 0
1917 - at Denver 33, MSU 7
1910 - MSU 3, Butte High 0
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