BOBCAT CALENDAR: A Special Win on EWU's Red Turf Highlights September 24 in Bobcat History
9/24/2020 2:00:00 PM | Football
Montana State earned two big victories over North Dakota State on this day in Bobcat history
A look at Bobcat football history day-by-day...
September 24
SPOTLIGHT: Rob Ash ended his first three seasons as Montana State's head coach with a glaring hole in his program's resume. He hadn't beaten either of MSU's primary 21st century rivals. And so he made the decision that rather than soft-selling the issue, he'd go right after it. He circled September 25, 2010, on the schedule.
He put the target squarely on Eastern Washington.
And it worked. Montana State knocked off Eastern 30-7 in Bozeman (more on that tomorrow). Fast forward a year, and the Bobcats faced a major challenge by traveling to Cheney for the team's first game on EWU's red turf.
And again, the Bobcats found a way to earn an inspiring victory. Jason Cunningham booted five field goals, Cody Kirk rushed for 112 yards, and Caleb Schreibeis each logged 10 tackles (Owens' 2.0 sacks topped Schreibeis' 1.5). The Bobcats trailed for only four minutes of game time - 14-10 after Jordan Talley's six-yard run in the second quarter - and after Talley's fourth quarter touchdown pulled the Eagles withing 26-21 the Bobcats put the hammer down. Elvis Akpla caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from DeNarius McGhee, and then Cunningham set the MSU record with his fifth field goal to propel the Cats to the victory.
Cunningham's performance - which netted him national special teams player of the week honors - deserves some attention. He hit a 55-yarder early in the second quarter, then nailed one of that exact length to close the first half. His three second-half field goals helped the Cats hold Eastern at bay. Cunningham's 69 career field goals is by far the most in school history, and his 22 in 2011 is also a school record. He also has the most field goals over 50 yards in a career and a season, and that performance at EWU remains tied for the most in MSU history.
And where does that win rank in MSU annals? It was the team's 10th and most recent victory against Eastern Washington. The Bobcats currently stand 10-31 all-time against Eastern, the program's lowest winning percentage against a Big Sky opponent.
Coupled with the team's win in Missoula in 2010, Montana State's back-to-back victories against Eastern Washington in 2010 and 2011 put Bobcat football squarely on the map. It boosted Ash's programs to three straight Big Sky titles (2010-12), and cemented a legacy for all involved.
BONUS: Montana State and North Dakota State first met on the gridiron in 1914, an 18-0 Bobcat win that marked the program's final game at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds. Between that game and the most recent post-season renewals, a pair of NDSU wins in Fargo, the longest absence of games between these ancient, intermittent rivals was a quarter-century beginning with a 21-19 Bobcat win in 1980 that came after MSU's move to Division I. The Bison eventually came to rule Division II, while MSU enjoyed only occasional success as a I-AA program. That was the setting when a Bison program transitioning to Division I arrived in Bobcat Stadium in 2005.
In a back-and-forth thriller befitting this long-time rivalry, Travis Lulay led his fifth career fourth quarter comeback as MSU topped North Dakota State 20-17 in Bozeman. Justin Domineck plunged into the end zone from one yard out with 1:41 to play to seal Montana State's win. Lulay threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 46 yards, while NDSU's Kyle Steffes rushed for 117 yards. While NDSU and the Bobcats haven't met in a regular season game since - MSU canceled its scheduled return trip to Fargo - they have become reacquainted in the post-season. Five years later the Bison, in their first FCS Playoff appearance, beat MSU in Bozeman, and repeated those victories in 2018 and 2019 in Fargo.
There is no scheduled series on the books between Montana State and NDSU, but with the three-time defending National Champions no threat to vacate the scene any time the Bison provide a formidable road block on the way to a Bobcat run at the national title.
DOUBLE BONUS: At a quick glance the 1927 Bobcats don't seem to hold a place among the school's all-time great teams, and that's a fair assessment, but it's a squad that is at least worth examining. That year's squad beat Colorado, Utah State and Wyoming, traveled further east than any previous Montana State squad to give Purdue a fair scrap, and narrowly missed an upset of the Grizzlies. That team featured names familiar to every Bobcat fan - such as Brick Breeden and Fred Chez - and a few that their contemporaries held in extremely high esteem. Team captain Tenney Babcock, local product Jason Preston who would become a beloved figure on campus as the team's athletic trainer until his untimely death in a hunting accident, and dazzling end Jim Ario all fall into that category.
It all began with an exciting 22-0 win over North Dakota State to open the season. Quarterback Ott Gardner returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown, and a line anchored by Rip Wilson, Joe Dobeus, Ario, and Arthur Olson kept the Bison off the scoreboard all afternoon.
GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2016 - North Dakota 17, MSU 15 - Homecoming
2011 - MSU 36, at Eastern Washington 21
2005 - MSU 20, North Dakota State 17
1994 - Northern Arizona 47, MSU 30
1988 - at Central Michigan 48, MSU 10
1983 - at Northern Arizona 33, MSU 16
1977 - MSU 24, Fresno State 14
1966 - MSU 24, Idaho 10
1960 - at South Dakota State 20, MSU 14
1955 - MSU 0, at Colorado Mines 0
1949 - Eastern Washington 29, MSU 6
1940 - San Jose State 32, MSU 0 at Butte
1927 - MSU 22, North Dakota State 0
September 24
SPOTLIGHT: Rob Ash ended his first three seasons as Montana State's head coach with a glaring hole in his program's resume. He hadn't beaten either of MSU's primary 21st century rivals. And so he made the decision that rather than soft-selling the issue, he'd go right after it. He circled September 25, 2010, on the schedule.
He put the target squarely on Eastern Washington.
And it worked. Montana State knocked off Eastern 30-7 in Bozeman (more on that tomorrow). Fast forward a year, and the Bobcats faced a major challenge by traveling to Cheney for the team's first game on EWU's red turf.
And again, the Bobcats found a way to earn an inspiring victory. Jason Cunningham booted five field goals, Cody Kirk rushed for 112 yards, and Caleb Schreibeis each logged 10 tackles (Owens' 2.0 sacks topped Schreibeis' 1.5). The Bobcats trailed for only four minutes of game time - 14-10 after Jordan Talley's six-yard run in the second quarter - and after Talley's fourth quarter touchdown pulled the Eagles withing 26-21 the Bobcats put the hammer down. Elvis Akpla caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from DeNarius McGhee, and then Cunningham set the MSU record with his fifth field goal to propel the Cats to the victory.
Cunningham's performance - which netted him national special teams player of the week honors - deserves some attention. He hit a 55-yarder early in the second quarter, then nailed one of that exact length to close the first half. His three second-half field goals helped the Cats hold Eastern at bay. Cunningham's 69 career field goals is by far the most in school history, and his 22 in 2011 is also a school record. He also has the most field goals over 50 yards in a career and a season, and that performance at EWU remains tied for the most in MSU history.
And where does that win rank in MSU annals? It was the team's 10th and most recent victory against Eastern Washington. The Bobcats currently stand 10-31 all-time against Eastern, the program's lowest winning percentage against a Big Sky opponent.
Coupled with the team's win in Missoula in 2010, Montana State's back-to-back victories against Eastern Washington in 2010 and 2011 put Bobcat football squarely on the map. It boosted Ash's programs to three straight Big Sky titles (2010-12), and cemented a legacy for all involved.
BONUS: Montana State and North Dakota State first met on the gridiron in 1914, an 18-0 Bobcat win that marked the program's final game at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds. Between that game and the most recent post-season renewals, a pair of NDSU wins in Fargo, the longest absence of games between these ancient, intermittent rivals was a quarter-century beginning with a 21-19 Bobcat win in 1980 that came after MSU's move to Division I. The Bison eventually came to rule Division II, while MSU enjoyed only occasional success as a I-AA program. That was the setting when a Bison program transitioning to Division I arrived in Bobcat Stadium in 2005.
In a back-and-forth thriller befitting this long-time rivalry, Travis Lulay led his fifth career fourth quarter comeback as MSU topped North Dakota State 20-17 in Bozeman. Justin Domineck plunged into the end zone from one yard out with 1:41 to play to seal Montana State's win. Lulay threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 46 yards, while NDSU's Kyle Steffes rushed for 117 yards. While NDSU and the Bobcats haven't met in a regular season game since - MSU canceled its scheduled return trip to Fargo - they have become reacquainted in the post-season. Five years later the Bison, in their first FCS Playoff appearance, beat MSU in Bozeman, and repeated those victories in 2018 and 2019 in Fargo.
There is no scheduled series on the books between Montana State and NDSU, but with the three-time defending National Champions no threat to vacate the scene any time the Bison provide a formidable road block on the way to a Bobcat run at the national title.
DOUBLE BONUS: At a quick glance the 1927 Bobcats don't seem to hold a place among the school's all-time great teams, and that's a fair assessment, but it's a squad that is at least worth examining. That year's squad beat Colorado, Utah State and Wyoming, traveled further east than any previous Montana State squad to give Purdue a fair scrap, and narrowly missed an upset of the Grizzlies. That team featured names familiar to every Bobcat fan - such as Brick Breeden and Fred Chez - and a few that their contemporaries held in extremely high esteem. Team captain Tenney Babcock, local product Jason Preston who would become a beloved figure on campus as the team's athletic trainer until his untimely death in a hunting accident, and dazzling end Jim Ario all fall into that category.
It all began with an exciting 22-0 win over North Dakota State to open the season. Quarterback Ott Gardner returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown, and a line anchored by Rip Wilson, Joe Dobeus, Ario, and Arthur Olson kept the Bison off the scoreboard all afternoon.
GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2016 - North Dakota 17, MSU 15 - Homecoming
2011 - MSU 36, at Eastern Washington 21
2005 - MSU 20, North Dakota State 17
1994 - Northern Arizona 47, MSU 30
1988 - at Central Michigan 48, MSU 10
1983 - at Northern Arizona 33, MSU 16
1977 - MSU 24, Fresno State 14
1966 - MSU 24, Idaho 10
1960 - at South Dakota State 20, MSU 14
1955 - MSU 0, at Colorado Mines 0
1949 - Eastern Washington 29, MSU 6
1940 - San Jose State 32, MSU 0 at Butte
1927 - MSU 22, North Dakota State 0
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