#27 Clete Linebarger, here with Greg Wilks (99), harassed Arkansas State today in 1984
BOBCAT CALENDAR: Clete Linebarger and the Bobcat Defense had an amazing game today in 1984
12/1/2020 11:22:00 AM | Football
Clete Linebarger recovered three fumbles and intercepted an Arkansas State pass to help MSU advance in the I-AA Playoffs
A day-by-day look at Bobcat football history...
December 1
SPOTLIGHT: If you're going to set a record, you might as well do it in an important game. That's what Clete Linebarger did today in 1984, helping lead Montana State to a 31-14 Division I-AA Playoff win over Arkansas State in Reno H. Sales Stadium.
ASU started quickly. Billy Ray Bowers intercepted a Kelly Bradley pass on MSU's first drive of the game and returned it for a 25-yard touchdown. On MSU's first drive of the second quarter, Bowers was at it again. He picked off another Bradley toss and returned this one 45 yards for a touchdown, handing Arkansas State a 14-0 lead before the Bobcats had moved farther than the ASU 42 yard line.
Midway through the second quarter, the Bobcat offense finally finished a drive without self-inflicted misery. Bradley threw a six yard pass to Darren Dietrich to cut ASU's lead in half with 6:24 to play in the second quarter. On the ensuing drive, facing a second-and-four, ASU's fullback fumbled on a dive play and Linebarger recovered. The Bobcats punted, then Arkansas State ran out of the half with a 14-7 lead. Even trailing, MSU had gained 175 yards to Arkansas State's 135 yards at the intermission.
Early in the third quarter, the Bobcats leveled the score. Bradley marched the team 80 yards, finishing the drive with a 10-yard pass to Kelly Davis. On the next play from scrimmage Linebarger forced an errant pitch that Mark Fellows recovered. That drive resulted in a missed field goal.
Three plays into the fourth quarter, Bradley hit Dietrich again for a touchdown, this one covering 12 yards, and the Bobcats had their first lead of the day. On the next drive, Linebarger delivered a death blow to ASU's option offense. A mishandled handoff between the quarterback and fullback resulted in a loose ball, and Linebarger recovered at the ASU 48. On a fourth-and-goal from inside the one, Bradley plunged in and the Bobcats led 28-14 with 8:37 to play.
ASU drove to midfield on its next drive, but as if to prove his versatility Linebarger stepped in front of an Arkansas State pass at the Bobcat 43 and returned it to the ASU 36. The Bobcats punted to close that drive, but on ASU's fourth play of the next drive Linebarger jumped on his third fumble of the day at the ASU 25. Mark Carter kicked a field goal, and the Cats owned a 31-14 lead that would prove to be the final score.
It was an amazing day for Linebarger. His three fumbles recovered still stands as a Bobcat single-game record, and were the only fumbles he recovered all season. His pass interception was his fourth (although at the time post-season statistics didn't count in official season records), and in the National Championship game Linebarger forced his third fumble of the season.
The Conrad product was a Bobcat legacy. His father, Clayton Linebarger, played for the Bobcats (1957-60), while his son Conner played baseball at Hawaii and MSU Billings.
BONUS: For a laid-back kid from California, Rory Perez found himself in some fairly harrowing situations by college football standards. One of them occurred today in 2012, when he kicked three field goals and added a pair of punts to help Montana State past Stony Brook 16-10 in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.
Perez's field goals on a windy evening came from 48, 21, and 45 yards. His punts averaged 38.0 yards, but one of them pinned the Seawolves inside their own 20.
The heavy lifting on this night was done by the usual strongmen. Quarterback DeNarius McGhee ran for 75 yards to lead the Cats, and threw for 208. Of those, 130 were to Tanner Bleskin. Defensively, Caleb Schreibeis forced a fumble, the eighth and final of that season which still stands as a school record. That strip-sack, forced with Brad Daly, was recovered by Daly to terminate Stony Brook's final possession. Na'a Moeakiola's 11 tackles led the Cats, and Jody Owens had 2.5 tackles-for-loss and one forced fumble.
BOBCAT GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2018 - at #1 NDSU, 52 MSU 10
2012 - MSU 16, #11 Stony Brook 10
2005 - Travis Lulay named First Team Academic All-America
1984 - MSU 31, Arkansas State 14
FINIS: Today in 2005, Travis Lulay capped his brilliant Bobcat career in fitting fashion when he was named First Team Academic All-America.
December 1
SPOTLIGHT: If you're going to set a record, you might as well do it in an important game. That's what Clete Linebarger did today in 1984, helping lead Montana State to a 31-14 Division I-AA Playoff win over Arkansas State in Reno H. Sales Stadium.
ASU started quickly. Billy Ray Bowers intercepted a Kelly Bradley pass on MSU's first drive of the game and returned it for a 25-yard touchdown. On MSU's first drive of the second quarter, Bowers was at it again. He picked off another Bradley toss and returned this one 45 yards for a touchdown, handing Arkansas State a 14-0 lead before the Bobcats had moved farther than the ASU 42 yard line.
Midway through the second quarter, the Bobcat offense finally finished a drive without self-inflicted misery. Bradley threw a six yard pass to Darren Dietrich to cut ASU's lead in half with 6:24 to play in the second quarter. On the ensuing drive, facing a second-and-four, ASU's fullback fumbled on a dive play and Linebarger recovered. The Bobcats punted, then Arkansas State ran out of the half with a 14-7 lead. Even trailing, MSU had gained 175 yards to Arkansas State's 135 yards at the intermission.
Early in the third quarter, the Bobcats leveled the score. Bradley marched the team 80 yards, finishing the drive with a 10-yard pass to Kelly Davis. On the next play from scrimmage Linebarger forced an errant pitch that Mark Fellows recovered. That drive resulted in a missed field goal.
Three plays into the fourth quarter, Bradley hit Dietrich again for a touchdown, this one covering 12 yards, and the Bobcats had their first lead of the day. On the next drive, Linebarger delivered a death blow to ASU's option offense. A mishandled handoff between the quarterback and fullback resulted in a loose ball, and Linebarger recovered at the ASU 48. On a fourth-and-goal from inside the one, Bradley plunged in and the Bobcats led 28-14 with 8:37 to play.
ASU drove to midfield on its next drive, but as if to prove his versatility Linebarger stepped in front of an Arkansas State pass at the Bobcat 43 and returned it to the ASU 36. The Bobcats punted to close that drive, but on ASU's fourth play of the next drive Linebarger jumped on his third fumble of the day at the ASU 25. Mark Carter kicked a field goal, and the Cats owned a 31-14 lead that would prove to be the final score.
It was an amazing day for Linebarger. His three fumbles recovered still stands as a Bobcat single-game record, and were the only fumbles he recovered all season. His pass interception was his fourth (although at the time post-season statistics didn't count in official season records), and in the National Championship game Linebarger forced his third fumble of the season.
The Conrad product was a Bobcat legacy. His father, Clayton Linebarger, played for the Bobcats (1957-60), while his son Conner played baseball at Hawaii and MSU Billings.
BONUS: For a laid-back kid from California, Rory Perez found himself in some fairly harrowing situations by college football standards. One of them occurred today in 2012, when he kicked three field goals and added a pair of punts to help Montana State past Stony Brook 16-10 in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.
Perez's field goals on a windy evening came from 48, 21, and 45 yards. His punts averaged 38.0 yards, but one of them pinned the Seawolves inside their own 20.
The heavy lifting on this night was done by the usual strongmen. Quarterback DeNarius McGhee ran for 75 yards to lead the Cats, and threw for 208. Of those, 130 were to Tanner Bleskin. Defensively, Caleb Schreibeis forced a fumble, the eighth and final of that season which still stands as a school record. That strip-sack, forced with Brad Daly, was recovered by Daly to terminate Stony Brook's final possession. Na'a Moeakiola's 11 tackles led the Cats, and Jody Owens had 2.5 tackles-for-loss and one forced fumble.
BOBCAT GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2018 - at #1 NDSU, 52 MSU 10
2012 - MSU 16, #11 Stony Brook 10
2005 - Travis Lulay named First Team Academic All-America
1984 - MSU 31, Arkansas State 14
FINIS: Today in 2005, Travis Lulay capped his brilliant Bobcat career in fitting fashion when he was named First Team Academic All-America.
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