BOBCAT CALENDAR: Today in 2003 Bobcat Stadium was Off the Hook as the Cats Beat the Grizzlies, Presented by Inland NW Toyota Dealers
11/22/2020 1:19:00 PM | Football
Corey Smith and Kenny Qualls recorded touchdown returns, and the Bobcats beat the Grizzlies
A day-by-day look at Bobcat football history...
November 22
SPOTLIGHT: The crowd had barely settled into Bobcat Stadium today in 2003, still edgy in hopes of Montana State's first home win over the Grizzlies since 1985.
The air was crisp, just six degrees, the fresh snow bright and crusted on the field. The yard lines had been cleared, and at 12:07 pm UM's Kris Snyder skipped the opening kickoff down the middle of the field to Corey Smith at the 10-yard line.
Having already compiled the greatest season of any return specialist in Big Sky history and on his way to First Team All-America honors, Smith brok to the middle of the field, and...
Let's allow Bobcat play-by-play man Kris Atteberry, calling his first Cat-Griz football game, to take us the rest of the way: "Smith to the fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty, thirty, (voice rising) thirty-five, forty. He's at the forty five! He's at the fifty! He's down the sideline to the twenty! To the ten! HE'LL WALK INTO THE END ZONE!
"THIS PLACE IS OFF THE HOOK!!! Corey! Smith! No flags!"
Corey Smith had returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown for the first, and still only, time in Cat-Griz history. Bobcat Stadium shook. The crowd roared. It was a thrilling, surreal moment.
The giddiness lingered, but the Grizzlies were unbowed. UM marched down the field, chewing up almost nine minutes, but Snyder missed a short field goal. The Cats went three-and-out, and the Grizzlies rode the powerful ground game, fueled by Justin Green and Lex Hilliard, down the field. This time, Snyder's field goal was good and the Cats led 7-3.
After another Bobcat punt, UM struck quickly. Hilliard carried 38, then 16, then Green crashed in from one yard out and the visitors took the lead with 9:55 to play in the half.
After an exchange of punts, the Grizzlies were near midfield when the game changed. Craig Ochs flipped a pass into the flat, and Bobcat safety Kenneth Qualls stepped into its path and returned the interception 54 yards for a touchdown.
Again, the crowd roared. The Grizzlies took over and again moved the ball into Bobcat territory. Again, the Bobcat defense rose up. Star cornerback Joey Thomas, who had wrecked UM and quarterback John Edwards one season earlier in Montana State's win in Missoula, picked off an Ochs pass, and the half ended two plays later.
Montana State went to the locker having been completely dominated, but with a 13-10 lead. UM had 12 first downs, the Cats one. The Grizzlies had run a stunning 44 plays, gaining 193 yards, to Montana State's 43 yards on 14 plays.
On the opening drive of the second half, things had obviously changed. Kane Ioane and Roger Cooper combined on a third down tackle-for-loss to force a Grizzly punt, and then, the MSU offense stirred to life. Bruce Molock carried five times for 40 yards, Travis Lulay found Blake Wolf on a 14-yard third down conversion, and Molock scored from one yard out on a fourth-and-goal to give MSU a 20-10 lead.
This game was a long way from finished, but it felt for all the world like Montana State had absorbed the best the Grizzlies had to offer, and stood in the middle of the ring ready to finish the fight. On the fifth play of the fourth quarter, Montana State landed a haymaker. Lulay tossed a little swing pass for Ryan Elliott for 17 yards to the UM one, then Lulay finished the drive with a touchdown. Cats 27, Griz 10.
UM drove deep into Bobcat territory on its next drive, but again had to settle for a Snyder field goal. After forcing a three-and-out UM took possession, and marched 54 yards for a touchdown. MSU led 27-20 with four-and-a-half minutes to play.The Grizzlies got the stop they needed, but Lulay pinned them at their own 12. The Cats forced Ochs to throw incomplete on fourth down, taking over on downs, and ran the clock down to seven seconds from the Grizzly 45-yard line. Lulay lined up in deep punt formation. The best player in the Big Sky Conference accepted the snap, eluded the oncoming rush, and booted it away.
The ball bounced around, and settled 44 yards from the line of scrimmage at the field's southwest corner. The Bobcats downed it. The clock showed three zeroes.
The game was finished. The long spell of futility at 11th and Kagy was finished. And any pretense of invincibility the Grizzlies held in this series, any air of inferiority Bobcat fans had carried around for years and years, was finished.
At the same end of the field UM's fans had stormed six years earlier, trying unsuccessfully to tear down the goal posts, Montana State's fans now reveled. Smith and Lulay were carried off the field. The goal posts - successfully taken down this time - were carried into the oncoming evening, down Willson and to a fine local establishment, where part of it resides yet today.
It was a glorious day, preceding a glorious night. But it also marked a new era in the Cat-Griz rivalry. Beginning the year before, Montana State beat UM three times in Lulay's four years. Since the Bobcats ended a 16-game losing streak in the series on that blustery day in Missoula in 2002, the ancient rivals have played 18 times. exactly half of them, something that seemed inconceivable not all that long ago.
BONUS: Corey Smith's 2003 season was one for the ages. The Federal Way, Washington, product returned two kickoffs and four punts for touchdowns that season. He became the only man in Bobcat history to return a punt and kickoff for a touchdown in the same game. He was consensus First Team All-America as a return specialist.
BOBCAT GAMES TODAY IN HISTORY
2014 - at #13 UM 34, MSU 7
2008 - UM 35, MSU 3
2003 - MSU 27, UM 20
1997 - UM 25, MSU 27
1952 - at Colorado Mines 25, MSU 19
1941 - Idaho 39, MSU 0 at Boise
1924 - MSU 86, at Montana Tech 0
FINIS: Today in 1924, Montana State scored a school record 86 points against Montana Tech. That record would be matched in 1985, when the Cats beat East Oregon State by the same score, 86-0.
November 22
SPOTLIGHT: The crowd had barely settled into Bobcat Stadium today in 2003, still edgy in hopes of Montana State's first home win over the Grizzlies since 1985.
The air was crisp, just six degrees, the fresh snow bright and crusted on the field. The yard lines had been cleared, and at 12:07 pm UM's Kris Snyder skipped the opening kickoff down the middle of the field to Corey Smith at the 10-yard line.
Having already compiled the greatest season of any return specialist in Big Sky history and on his way to First Team All-America honors, Smith brok to the middle of the field, and...
Let's allow Bobcat play-by-play man Kris Atteberry, calling his first Cat-Griz football game, to take us the rest of the way: "Smith to the fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty, thirty, (voice rising) thirty-five, forty. He's at the forty five! He's at the fifty! He's down the sideline to the twenty! To the ten! HE'LL WALK INTO THE END ZONE!
"THIS PLACE IS OFF THE HOOK!!! Corey! Smith! No flags!"
Corey Smith had returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown for the first, and still only, time in Cat-Griz history. Bobcat Stadium shook. The crowd roared. It was a thrilling, surreal moment.
The giddiness lingered, but the Grizzlies were unbowed. UM marched down the field, chewing up almost nine minutes, but Snyder missed a short field goal. The Cats went three-and-out, and the Grizzlies rode the powerful ground game, fueled by Justin Green and Lex Hilliard, down the field. This time, Snyder's field goal was good and the Cats led 7-3.
After another Bobcat punt, UM struck quickly. Hilliard carried 38, then 16, then Green crashed in from one yard out and the visitors took the lead with 9:55 to play in the half.
After an exchange of punts, the Grizzlies were near midfield when the game changed. Craig Ochs flipped a pass into the flat, and Bobcat safety Kenneth Qualls stepped into its path and returned the interception 54 yards for a touchdown.
Again, the crowd roared. The Grizzlies took over and again moved the ball into Bobcat territory. Again, the Bobcat defense rose up. Star cornerback Joey Thomas, who had wrecked UM and quarterback John Edwards one season earlier in Montana State's win in Missoula, picked off an Ochs pass, and the half ended two plays later.
Montana State went to the locker having been completely dominated, but with a 13-10 lead. UM had 12 first downs, the Cats one. The Grizzlies had run a stunning 44 plays, gaining 193 yards, to Montana State's 43 yards on 14 plays.
On the opening drive of the second half, things had obviously changed. Kane Ioane and Roger Cooper combined on a third down tackle-for-loss to force a Grizzly punt, and then, the MSU offense stirred to life. Bruce Molock carried five times for 40 yards, Travis Lulay found Blake Wolf on a 14-yard third down conversion, and Molock scored from one yard out on a fourth-and-goal to give MSU a 20-10 lead.
This game was a long way from finished, but it felt for all the world like Montana State had absorbed the best the Grizzlies had to offer, and stood in the middle of the ring ready to finish the fight. On the fifth play of the fourth quarter, Montana State landed a haymaker. Lulay tossed a little swing pass for Ryan Elliott for 17 yards to the UM one, then Lulay finished the drive with a touchdown. Cats 27, Griz 10.
UM drove deep into Bobcat territory on its next drive, but again had to settle for a Snyder field goal. After forcing a three-and-out UM took possession, and marched 54 yards for a touchdown. MSU led 27-20 with four-and-a-half minutes to play.The Grizzlies got the stop they needed, but Lulay pinned them at their own 12. The Cats forced Ochs to throw incomplete on fourth down, taking over on downs, and ran the clock down to seven seconds from the Grizzly 45-yard line. Lulay lined up in deep punt formation. The best player in the Big Sky Conference accepted the snap, eluded the oncoming rush, and booted it away.
The ball bounced around, and settled 44 yards from the line of scrimmage at the field's southwest corner. The Bobcats downed it. The clock showed three zeroes.
The game was finished. The long spell of futility at 11th and Kagy was finished. And any pretense of invincibility the Grizzlies held in this series, any air of inferiority Bobcat fans had carried around for years and years, was finished.
At the same end of the field UM's fans had stormed six years earlier, trying unsuccessfully to tear down the goal posts, Montana State's fans now reveled. Smith and Lulay were carried off the field. The goal posts - successfully taken down this time - were carried into the oncoming evening, down Willson and to a fine local establishment, where part of it resides yet today.
It was a glorious day, preceding a glorious night. But it also marked a new era in the Cat-Griz rivalry. Beginning the year before, Montana State beat UM three times in Lulay's four years. Since the Bobcats ended a 16-game losing streak in the series on that blustery day in Missoula in 2002, the ancient rivals have played 18 times. exactly half of them, something that seemed inconceivable not all that long ago.
BONUS: Corey Smith's 2003 season was one for the ages. The Federal Way, Washington, product returned two kickoffs and four punts for touchdowns that season. He became the only man in Bobcat history to return a punt and kickoff for a touchdown in the same game. He was consensus First Team All-America as a return specialist.
BOBCAT GAMES TODAY IN HISTORY
2014 - at #13 UM 34, MSU 7
2008 - UM 35, MSU 3
2003 - MSU 27, UM 20
1997 - UM 25, MSU 27
1952 - at Colorado Mines 25, MSU 19
1941 - Idaho 39, MSU 0 at Boise
1924 - MSU 86, at Montana Tech 0
FINIS: Today in 1924, Montana State scored a school record 86 points against Montana Tech. That record would be matched in 1985, when the Cats beat East Oregon State by the same score, 86-0.
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