Travis Lulay vs. UM, 2005
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
BOBCAT CALENDAR: Travis Lulay's Time as MSU's Quarterback Ended Today in 2005 with a Win over the Grizzlies, Presented by Inland Northwest Toyota Dealers Association
11/19/2020 10:09:00 AM | Football
With a home win over UM, Travis Lulay and a tremendous group of seniors put a punctuation mark on MSU's football revival
A day-by-day look at Bobcat football history...
November 19
SPOTLIGHT: This was a pretty good way to wrap up an amazing four years - four years that revitalized Montana State football, re-energized the team's fans, re-engaged the student body. It was a four year run that included unimaginable wins and unthinkable losses.
And those four years, the period that Travis Lulay and his amazing classmates resuscitated Bobcat football and led it to the top of the Big Sky Conference, came to an end today in 2005.
That's the day that, on a muddy Bobcat Stadium Field, the Cats beat the Grizzlies 16-6 and a redheaded quarterback (metaphorically) rode out of town on the shoulders of his admirers like a hero from an old western movie.
A few things were known when the sun rose today in 2005. Everyone knew the Cats had a chance to win a share of the Big Sky crown if they could beat the Grizzlies, but it was also widely understood that a 7-4 record wouldn't likely be enough to wangle for MSU a post-season invitation unless an unusual chain of events pushed the team into the automatic berth.
And it was known that this game would be the last for Travis Lulay and 14 other seniors in the stadium they helped fill.
On a day that was about the seniors, all of MSU's scoring was done by underclassmen. Freshman running back Evin Groves scored the game's first points late - and MSU's only touchdown - in the first quarter, and then junior Jeff Hastings kicked two field goals in the second quarter. MSU led 13-0 at the intermission, and extended that to 16-0 on the first play of the fourth quarter with another Hastings field goal.
The Bobcats dominated the game throughout. MSU led in total yards 161 to 30 after the first quarter, 232 to 100 at halftime, and 343 to 160 after Hastings' final field goal. But the mood turned from tumultuous to tepid on the next drive. UM's Cole Bergquist marched the Grizzlies down the field and threw a 10-yard touchdown to Mike Ferriter with 10:27 to play. After a Bobcat time out, Bergquist's pass fell incomplete and what could have been a one score lead was still 10.
The Bobcats went three-and-out on the next possession, running just a couple of minutes off the clock, but by this time the Bobcat defense was ready to roll. UM had gained its last first down of the day.
The Cats forced a three-and-out on the next possession, and the Cats took possession with 6:38 to play. Groves and Lulay combined to gain a first down, but even after the Bobcats punted the math of the situation was clear. Down 10, the Grizzlies took over with 2:53 to play and 55 yards to cover just to get a crack at the win. The plot on this drive was easy to follow: Bergquist threw incomplete, then Bergquist threw incomplete, then Bergquist threw incomplete, then Bergquist threw incomplete.
Then the Bobcats took over with 2:27 to play. It would be the last series of downs Lulay would ever play in the Blue and Gold. He gave it to Groves for a five yard gain, then to Groves for a one yard loss, then after UM exhausted its allotment of time outs Groves carried for eight yards and a first down.
The crowd erupted. Everyone knew. The game was over. Lulay kneeled three times, and he had pulled it off. He had become the first Bobcat quarterback to beat the Grizzlies three times since Kelly Bradley in the early 1980s, and the first MSU signal caller to lead the team to three straight Big Sky titles since Dennis Erickson in the late 1960s.
The circus atmosphere of the playing field soon gave way to the relative solitude of the Bobcat Stadium team room at the northeast corner. That's when the emotion flowed. After speeches, after interviews, after hugs and everything else, the last players to enjoy a long embrace were Lulay and Bolton, the quarterback and his center, a couple of out-of-staters who will forever be tied to the fortunes of Montana State football. It was a beautiful moment at the end of an absolutely beautiful day.
BONUS: Montana State pretty much decimated the Grizzlies in 2005. The Cats rushed for 199 yards and threw for 171 on a muddy field. The home team out-gained their rivals 370 yards to 220 yards. Freshman Evin Groves ran for 43 yards and a touchdown and Lulay, on a damaged ankle that may have ended his season even had the NCAA playoff committee decided to extend it, ran for 52 and threw for 171. He also punted three times for a 43.0 yards-per-kick average. It was vintage Lulay.
It's worth remembering here the four-year players who finished their careers in muddy Bobcat Stadium 15 years ago today: C Jeff Bolton, CB Kahiam Hunter, QB Travis Lulay, DE Nick Marudas, LB Mac Mollohan, C Zach Wolf. Others Bobcat fans said goodbye to that day: RB Justin Domineck, OG Lawrence Figueroa, WR Rick Gatewood, RB Jason Gathing, WR Chaz Guinn, WR Jevon Miller, WR Tramaine Murray, DT Daryl Rogers.
And on the anniversary of his final game in the Blue and Gold, here is a brief retrospective of Travis' accomplishments: he was First Team Academic All-America, 2005; set four MSU career records (including 10,746 passing yards), and finished fifth in Big Sky history in passing yards and second in total offense (12,205 yards); finished 11th in NCAA Division I-AA career passing yards, seventh in total offense; one of seven players in college football history today in 2005 to throw for at least 10,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in his career; co-First Team All-Big Sky in 2004, when he earned Honorable Mention All-America honors. He did it all with a smile on his face, never walked by an autograph-seeking fan or blew off an appointment or a meeting, and will remain universally revered by Bobcats for as long as football is played at Montana State University.
BOBCAT GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2016 - MSU 24, at #22 UM 17
2011 - #7 UM 36, MSU 10
2006 - MSU earned its first-ever at-large berth to the NCAA Playoffs when the committee announced the Bobcats would host Furman in a first round game on November 25.
2005 - MSU 16, UM 6
1994 - at UM 55, MSU 20
1983 - at Nevada 33, MSU 3
1977 - at Portland State 56, MSU 35
1961 - MSU 22, at Fresno State 20
1955 - at Whitworth 20, MSU 0
1927 - UM 6, MSU 0 at Butte
1910 - MSU 2, Butte Columbias 0
1904 - MSU 41, College of Montana 6
FINIS: It was a quiet Sunday morning the day after a disappointing Bobcat loss to the Grizzlies in 2006 when the unthinkable happened. On ESPN News' broadcast of the FCS Playoff field, right toward the end, the broadcast crew mentioned a matchup out west - the Furman Paladins would visit Montana State.
Montana State?!?
MONTANA STATE!!!!
One MSU athletics staffer called Mike Kramer at his office. When presented the news, in neither neutral language or a calm tone, Kramer's response was simple.
"If you're joking," the man known as The Large Human said, his voice rising, "I'll kill you."
This was no joke. There was no killing. For the first time in its history, Montana State received an at-large bid to the post-season, and the Cats took advantage. MSU rode the emotion of an electric crowd to a 31-13 win over Furman, then lost a competitive game at top-seeded Appalachian State.
That game in Boone marked Kramer's final appearance leading the Bobcats, but earning an at-large berth tied a tidy bow on his seven-season tenure. During that time the Bobcats rose from the ashes of an 0-11 season to beat the Grizzlies for the first time in 16 seasons, win the Big Sky three times in four years, advanced to the playoffs three times, and won a playoff game for the first time since 1984.
ONE MORE THING: Today's game in 2005 also closed the remarkable career of Jeff Bolton. A brilliant offensive lineman, one of the best in Bobcat history, moved from guard to tackle during his career, and during the 2005 season moved to center when injuries decimated the Bobcats there. He was so dominant that he won that year's Dave Rimington Award as the top center in Division I-AA, an amazing accomplishment for a truly great player.
November 19
SPOTLIGHT: This was a pretty good way to wrap up an amazing four years - four years that revitalized Montana State football, re-energized the team's fans, re-engaged the student body. It was a four year run that included unimaginable wins and unthinkable losses.
And those four years, the period that Travis Lulay and his amazing classmates resuscitated Bobcat football and led it to the top of the Big Sky Conference, came to an end today in 2005.
That's the day that, on a muddy Bobcat Stadium Field, the Cats beat the Grizzlies 16-6 and a redheaded quarterback (metaphorically) rode out of town on the shoulders of his admirers like a hero from an old western movie.
A few things were known when the sun rose today in 2005. Everyone knew the Cats had a chance to win a share of the Big Sky crown if they could beat the Grizzlies, but it was also widely understood that a 7-4 record wouldn't likely be enough to wangle for MSU a post-season invitation unless an unusual chain of events pushed the team into the automatic berth.
And it was known that this game would be the last for Travis Lulay and 14 other seniors in the stadium they helped fill.
On a day that was about the seniors, all of MSU's scoring was done by underclassmen. Freshman running back Evin Groves scored the game's first points late - and MSU's only touchdown - in the first quarter, and then junior Jeff Hastings kicked two field goals in the second quarter. MSU led 13-0 at the intermission, and extended that to 16-0 on the first play of the fourth quarter with another Hastings field goal.
The Bobcats dominated the game throughout. MSU led in total yards 161 to 30 after the first quarter, 232 to 100 at halftime, and 343 to 160 after Hastings' final field goal. But the mood turned from tumultuous to tepid on the next drive. UM's Cole Bergquist marched the Grizzlies down the field and threw a 10-yard touchdown to Mike Ferriter with 10:27 to play. After a Bobcat time out, Bergquist's pass fell incomplete and what could have been a one score lead was still 10.
The Bobcats went three-and-out on the next possession, running just a couple of minutes off the clock, but by this time the Bobcat defense was ready to roll. UM had gained its last first down of the day.
The Cats forced a three-and-out on the next possession, and the Cats took possession with 6:38 to play. Groves and Lulay combined to gain a first down, but even after the Bobcats punted the math of the situation was clear. Down 10, the Grizzlies took over with 2:53 to play and 55 yards to cover just to get a crack at the win. The plot on this drive was easy to follow: Bergquist threw incomplete, then Bergquist threw incomplete, then Bergquist threw incomplete, then Bergquist threw incomplete.
Then the Bobcats took over with 2:27 to play. It would be the last series of downs Lulay would ever play in the Blue and Gold. He gave it to Groves for a five yard gain, then to Groves for a one yard loss, then after UM exhausted its allotment of time outs Groves carried for eight yards and a first down.
The crowd erupted. Everyone knew. The game was over. Lulay kneeled three times, and he had pulled it off. He had become the first Bobcat quarterback to beat the Grizzlies three times since Kelly Bradley in the early 1980s, and the first MSU signal caller to lead the team to three straight Big Sky titles since Dennis Erickson in the late 1960s.
The circus atmosphere of the playing field soon gave way to the relative solitude of the Bobcat Stadium team room at the northeast corner. That's when the emotion flowed. After speeches, after interviews, after hugs and everything else, the last players to enjoy a long embrace were Lulay and Bolton, the quarterback and his center, a couple of out-of-staters who will forever be tied to the fortunes of Montana State football. It was a beautiful moment at the end of an absolutely beautiful day.
BONUS: Montana State pretty much decimated the Grizzlies in 2005. The Cats rushed for 199 yards and threw for 171 on a muddy field. The home team out-gained their rivals 370 yards to 220 yards. Freshman Evin Groves ran for 43 yards and a touchdown and Lulay, on a damaged ankle that may have ended his season even had the NCAA playoff committee decided to extend it, ran for 52 and threw for 171. He also punted three times for a 43.0 yards-per-kick average. It was vintage Lulay.
It's worth remembering here the four-year players who finished their careers in muddy Bobcat Stadium 15 years ago today: C Jeff Bolton, CB Kahiam Hunter, QB Travis Lulay, DE Nick Marudas, LB Mac Mollohan, C Zach Wolf. Others Bobcat fans said goodbye to that day: RB Justin Domineck, OG Lawrence Figueroa, WR Rick Gatewood, RB Jason Gathing, WR Chaz Guinn, WR Jevon Miller, WR Tramaine Murray, DT Daryl Rogers.
And on the anniversary of his final game in the Blue and Gold, here is a brief retrospective of Travis' accomplishments: he was First Team Academic All-America, 2005; set four MSU career records (including 10,746 passing yards), and finished fifth in Big Sky history in passing yards and second in total offense (12,205 yards); finished 11th in NCAA Division I-AA career passing yards, seventh in total offense; one of seven players in college football history today in 2005 to throw for at least 10,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in his career; co-First Team All-Big Sky in 2004, when he earned Honorable Mention All-America honors. He did it all with a smile on his face, never walked by an autograph-seeking fan or blew off an appointment or a meeting, and will remain universally revered by Bobcats for as long as football is played at Montana State University.
BOBCAT GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2016 - MSU 24, at #22 UM 17
2011 - #7 UM 36, MSU 10
2006 - MSU earned its first-ever at-large berth to the NCAA Playoffs when the committee announced the Bobcats would host Furman in a first round game on November 25.
2005 - MSU 16, UM 6
1994 - at UM 55, MSU 20
1983 - at Nevada 33, MSU 3
1977 - at Portland State 56, MSU 35
1961 - MSU 22, at Fresno State 20
1955 - at Whitworth 20, MSU 0
1927 - UM 6, MSU 0 at Butte
1910 - MSU 2, Butte Columbias 0
1904 - MSU 41, College of Montana 6
FINIS: It was a quiet Sunday morning the day after a disappointing Bobcat loss to the Grizzlies in 2006 when the unthinkable happened. On ESPN News' broadcast of the FCS Playoff field, right toward the end, the broadcast crew mentioned a matchup out west - the Furman Paladins would visit Montana State.
Montana State?!?
MONTANA STATE!!!!
One MSU athletics staffer called Mike Kramer at his office. When presented the news, in neither neutral language or a calm tone, Kramer's response was simple.
"If you're joking," the man known as The Large Human said, his voice rising, "I'll kill you."
This was no joke. There was no killing. For the first time in its history, Montana State received an at-large bid to the post-season, and the Cats took advantage. MSU rode the emotion of an electric crowd to a 31-13 win over Furman, then lost a competitive game at top-seeded Appalachian State.
That game in Boone marked Kramer's final appearance leading the Bobcats, but earning an at-large berth tied a tidy bow on his seven-season tenure. During that time the Bobcats rose from the ashes of an 0-11 season to beat the Grizzlies for the first time in 16 seasons, win the Big Sky three times in four years, advanced to the playoffs three times, and won a playoff game for the first time since 1984.
ONE MORE THING: Today's game in 2005 also closed the remarkable career of Jeff Bolton. A brilliant offensive lineman, one of the best in Bobcat history, moved from guard to tackle during his career, and during the 2005 season moved to center when injuries decimated the Bobcats there. He was so dominant that he won that year's Dave Rimington Award as the top center in Division I-AA, an amazing accomplishment for a truly great player.
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