Kelly Bradley
BOBCAT CALENDAR: Montana State used a big comeback against Fresno State as a springboard to the Division I-AA National Championships
11/24/2020 3:37:00 PM | Football
Kelly Bradley led the Cats to a win over some old friends in Bulldog Stadium today in 1984
A day-by-day look at Bobcat football history...
November 24
SPOTLIGHT: As significant as Montana State's thrilling 35-31 win at Fresno State seemed in the moments and days after the victory, it would loom much larger as November and December passed in Bozeman.
Facing a strong Fresno State team led by former Bobcat head coach Jim Sweeney and defensive coordinator Cliff Hysell, himself a former MSU player, the Bobcats certainly faced an uphill struggle. And nothing that happened in the game's first 45 minutes dispelled that notion. After Kevin Sweeney's second touchdown pass late in the third quarter to cap a 98-yard drive, Fresno State led 24-7.
At some point after that touchdown, something small happened that the Bobcat sideline noticed. Fresno State's coaches took off their headsets. In coaching ranks, that is a sign that the game is considered out of reach.
But the Bobcats were enjoying a magical season, leaving a 2-2 start well in the rear view mirror by carrying a six-game win streak into Bulldog Stadium on that chilly, overcast late autumn afternoon. So when Kelly Bradley answered Fresno State's score with a 19-yard TD pass to Kelly Davis only 72 seconds later, Bobcat fans had to feel the team was stirring to life.
Then, Mark Carter's kickoff was bobbled and recovered at the FSU four, and the Bobcat defense forced a three-and-out. It was the second of the half and third of the day, and gave the Cats possession 41 yards from paydirt. On third-and-eight, Bradley connected with Tommy White for 16 yards, then Davis caught a 21-yarder, David Pandt gained one yard, then Pandt caught a two-yard touchdown pass and all of a sudden the Bobcats trailed only 24-21.
The Bulldogs re-exerted themselves immediately, marching 79 yards in only eight plays, using both power running and Sweeney's precision passing. Every play gained positive yards, and the Bulldogs led 31-21 with 10:28 to play.
But back came the Bobcats. Bradley got the drive going with a 13-yard completion to Darren Dietrich, and and 10 plays later the Bobcats had moved the ball 80 yards over 6:24 to again draw within three, 31-28.
Fresno State took over at its own 30 with 6:18 left, and the Bobcats forced a timely three-and-out. After fumbling the punt, Doug Kimball collected ball and advanced it to the Bobcat 32.
Bradley moved the Cats into Bulldog territory, but was intercepted on the drive's sixth play. Fresno State took over with 3:22 to play, and after MSU emptied its holster of time outs the Bulldogs punted. Montana State took over with a three-point deficit, 66 seconds to play, and 73 yards to cover. No time outs? No problem.
Bradley completed a 23-yard pass, then after two incomplete passes found White for a 19-yard gain to the Bulldog 32. With 40 seconds to play Bradley feathered an arcing pass to Bateman, who stepped out of bounds at the 20. With 30 seconds remaining, Bignell gathered in a pass in the middle of the field at around the five, and dragged a Bulldog into the end zone with him. Bignell put on full display the collective will of the 1984 team. He would not be denied.
The crowd was stunned. Jim Sweeney was stunned. The Bobcats celebrated. Even years later, Hysell did not entertain questions about that game. In 39 seconds, Montana State had marched 73 yards in six plays, leaving Fresno State 27 seconds to pull themselves together for one last rally.
That rally did not materialize. After an incompletion Sweeney connected on a 23-yard pass, with Clete Linebarger on the stop, but with 10 seconds left the Bulldogs signal caller threw two incomplete passes from midfield, and the game was over.
It was a jubilant Bobcat team that traveled back to Bozeman with a 9-2 record, raising the team's stock from playoff participant to highly-seeded team with a first round bye.
The rest, of course, is history. The Bobcats won a couple of home playoff games, then traveled to South Carolina and won the Division I-AA National Championship. It wouldn't be possible to parse out the significance of one regular season win as being more important than any other, but the players and coaches of that team insist that Montana State's regular season-ending win over Fresno State was incredibly important.
BONUS: Today in 1904 the University, undoubtedly stung by five straight losses to the College, administered a 79-0 whooping on Montana State. That remains the most points and largest margin of victory in series history. While accusations of using professional players circulated, Tom Donovan outlines in his excellent and detailed book Montana's Greatest Rivalry that UM hired coach Hiram Conibear before the 1903 season. The new UM Athletics Director and football coach had served an apprenticeship under legendary coach Amos Alonzo Stagg at the University of Chicago, and in addition to establishing a training table and enlisting a physician he also recruited aggressively and brought players from other four-year schools to Missoula without honoring the informal agreement that players not participate in varsity athletics for a year after transferring from another institution. (College football transfer and eligibility standards were fluid at best at the dawn of the 20th century.)
The following account from the December 1904 Exponent is offered without comment:
"It is customary for the defeated party in any contest to 'register a kick' so we will register one in regard to the Thanksgiving Foo-ball game in Missoula. If 79 to 0 and a few dozen wounds and bruises were all the hard treatment our boys had received over there we would say nothing, and we do not intend to say anything in regard to that. That is part of the game and we realize we must be defeated some time, but during the years that Missoula has gone down to defeat in Bozeman they always stayed in the best hotel in town, and we expected to be treated likewise. The story of Missoula's hospitality is as follows; these are facts and not opinions.
First Mr. Conibear did not send transportation on Wednesday morning as per agreement, and (MAC) Professor paid it out of his own pocket and took chances on retting it back. When the team arrived Wednesday evening they were immediately taken out to the University grounds, and lodged in the gymnasium, where they were put to rest on cots with just two blankets on the cot. Presiden Craig promised to have the steam kep on all night but by eleven o'clock it had gone down leaving the building as cold as a barn. None of the boys could sleep any more that night and everyone of them arose next morning with a severe cold. The next evening after the game, which lasted three hours, the boys were pretty badly used up and three of them were in need of medical assistance, but Coach Conibear refused to send them to the hotel, because as he said they were not prepared too, and could not afford it. (The attendance at the game had been, according to their own estimate, the largest ever assembled to an interscholastic meet in Montana.) At this juncture Mr. Geo. Farrall and Mr. Ward both of the University, took matters in their own hands and sent the boys to the hotel and ordered a doctor, offering to pay the bill themselves. meanwhile Coach Conbear was treating the Missoula boys to a turkey dinner at The Florence.
Such is the story. We add no comment except to thank Mr. Farral and Mr. Ward, and to suggest that for our next intercollegiate foot-ball game we might adopt the rules of civilized warfare."
BOBCAT GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
1984 - MSU 35, at Fresno St 31
1962 - MSU 21, at Fresno St 20
1938 - MSU 0, Northern Colorado 0
1923 - MSU 48, at Northern Colorado 12
1910 - at UM 10, MSU 0
1909 - at UM 15, MSU 5
1904 - UM 79, MSU 0
1900 - MSU 6, Butte High 0
1898 - at UM 18, MSU 0
November 24
SPOTLIGHT: As significant as Montana State's thrilling 35-31 win at Fresno State seemed in the moments and days after the victory, it would loom much larger as November and December passed in Bozeman.
Facing a strong Fresno State team led by former Bobcat head coach Jim Sweeney and defensive coordinator Cliff Hysell, himself a former MSU player, the Bobcats certainly faced an uphill struggle. And nothing that happened in the game's first 45 minutes dispelled that notion. After Kevin Sweeney's second touchdown pass late in the third quarter to cap a 98-yard drive, Fresno State led 24-7.
At some point after that touchdown, something small happened that the Bobcat sideline noticed. Fresno State's coaches took off their headsets. In coaching ranks, that is a sign that the game is considered out of reach.
But the Bobcats were enjoying a magical season, leaving a 2-2 start well in the rear view mirror by carrying a six-game win streak into Bulldog Stadium on that chilly, overcast late autumn afternoon. So when Kelly Bradley answered Fresno State's score with a 19-yard TD pass to Kelly Davis only 72 seconds later, Bobcat fans had to feel the team was stirring to life.
Then, Mark Carter's kickoff was bobbled and recovered at the FSU four, and the Bobcat defense forced a three-and-out. It was the second of the half and third of the day, and gave the Cats possession 41 yards from paydirt. On third-and-eight, Bradley connected with Tommy White for 16 yards, then Davis caught a 21-yarder, David Pandt gained one yard, then Pandt caught a two-yard touchdown pass and all of a sudden the Bobcats trailed only 24-21.
The Bulldogs re-exerted themselves immediately, marching 79 yards in only eight plays, using both power running and Sweeney's precision passing. Every play gained positive yards, and the Bulldogs led 31-21 with 10:28 to play.
But back came the Bobcats. Bradley got the drive going with a 13-yard completion to Darren Dietrich, and and 10 plays later the Bobcats had moved the ball 80 yards over 6:24 to again draw within three, 31-28.
Fresno State took over at its own 30 with 6:18 left, and the Bobcats forced a timely three-and-out. After fumbling the punt, Doug Kimball collected ball and advanced it to the Bobcat 32.
Bradley moved the Cats into Bulldog territory, but was intercepted on the drive's sixth play. Fresno State took over with 3:22 to play, and after MSU emptied its holster of time outs the Bulldogs punted. Montana State took over with a three-point deficit, 66 seconds to play, and 73 yards to cover. No time outs? No problem.
Bradley completed a 23-yard pass, then after two incomplete passes found White for a 19-yard gain to the Bulldog 32. With 40 seconds to play Bradley feathered an arcing pass to Bateman, who stepped out of bounds at the 20. With 30 seconds remaining, Bignell gathered in a pass in the middle of the field at around the five, and dragged a Bulldog into the end zone with him. Bignell put on full display the collective will of the 1984 team. He would not be denied.
The crowd was stunned. Jim Sweeney was stunned. The Bobcats celebrated. Even years later, Hysell did not entertain questions about that game. In 39 seconds, Montana State had marched 73 yards in six plays, leaving Fresno State 27 seconds to pull themselves together for one last rally.
That rally did not materialize. After an incompletion Sweeney connected on a 23-yard pass, with Clete Linebarger on the stop, but with 10 seconds left the Bulldogs signal caller threw two incomplete passes from midfield, and the game was over.
It was a jubilant Bobcat team that traveled back to Bozeman with a 9-2 record, raising the team's stock from playoff participant to highly-seeded team with a first round bye.
The rest, of course, is history. The Bobcats won a couple of home playoff games, then traveled to South Carolina and won the Division I-AA National Championship. It wouldn't be possible to parse out the significance of one regular season win as being more important than any other, but the players and coaches of that team insist that Montana State's regular season-ending win over Fresno State was incredibly important.
BONUS: Today in 1904 the University, undoubtedly stung by five straight losses to the College, administered a 79-0 whooping on Montana State. That remains the most points and largest margin of victory in series history. While accusations of using professional players circulated, Tom Donovan outlines in his excellent and detailed book Montana's Greatest Rivalry that UM hired coach Hiram Conibear before the 1903 season. The new UM Athletics Director and football coach had served an apprenticeship under legendary coach Amos Alonzo Stagg at the University of Chicago, and in addition to establishing a training table and enlisting a physician he also recruited aggressively and brought players from other four-year schools to Missoula without honoring the informal agreement that players not participate in varsity athletics for a year after transferring from another institution. (College football transfer and eligibility standards were fluid at best at the dawn of the 20th century.)
The following account from the December 1904 Exponent is offered without comment:
"It is customary for the defeated party in any contest to 'register a kick' so we will register one in regard to the Thanksgiving Foo-ball game in Missoula. If 79 to 0 and a few dozen wounds and bruises were all the hard treatment our boys had received over there we would say nothing, and we do not intend to say anything in regard to that. That is part of the game and we realize we must be defeated some time, but during the years that Missoula has gone down to defeat in Bozeman they always stayed in the best hotel in town, and we expected to be treated likewise. The story of Missoula's hospitality is as follows; these are facts and not opinions.
First Mr. Conibear did not send transportation on Wednesday morning as per agreement, and (MAC) Professor paid it out of his own pocket and took chances on retting it back. When the team arrived Wednesday evening they were immediately taken out to the University grounds, and lodged in the gymnasium, where they were put to rest on cots with just two blankets on the cot. Presiden Craig promised to have the steam kep on all night but by eleven o'clock it had gone down leaving the building as cold as a barn. None of the boys could sleep any more that night and everyone of them arose next morning with a severe cold. The next evening after the game, which lasted three hours, the boys were pretty badly used up and three of them were in need of medical assistance, but Coach Conibear refused to send them to the hotel, because as he said they were not prepared too, and could not afford it. (The attendance at the game had been, according to their own estimate, the largest ever assembled to an interscholastic meet in Montana.) At this juncture Mr. Geo. Farrall and Mr. Ward both of the University, took matters in their own hands and sent the boys to the hotel and ordered a doctor, offering to pay the bill themselves. meanwhile Coach Conbear was treating the Missoula boys to a turkey dinner at The Florence.
Such is the story. We add no comment except to thank Mr. Farral and Mr. Ward, and to suggest that for our next intercollegiate foot-ball game we might adopt the rules of civilized warfare."
BOBCAT GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
1984 - MSU 35, at Fresno St 31
1962 - MSU 21, at Fresno St 20
1938 - MSU 0, Northern Colorado 0
1923 - MSU 48, at Northern Colorado 12
1910 - at UM 10, MSU 0
1909 - at UM 15, MSU 5
1904 - UM 79, MSU 0
1900 - MSU 6, Butte High 0
1898 - at UM 18, MSU 0
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