Saturday, November 23
BOZEMAN
12:00 noon
Montana State University
vs
Montana
Travis Lulay
BOBCAT GAME DAY NOTEBOOK #12: Cats Look to Make More Positive History on November 23
11/23/2024 11:22:00 AM | Football
Bobcats, Grizzlies get together for 123rd time
BOZEMAN, Montana – If Montana State fans have a warm feeling waking up for a Cat-Griz on November 23, it's understandable. On this date 22 years ago, the Bobcats staged one of the most memorable victories in program history. And today five years ago, MSU logged a win that was historic for different reasons. More on those two games below…
* * * * *
A pair of Bobcat reserves remain out for today's game. Backup safeties Tyson Pottenger and Taki Uluilakepa remain unavailable with injuries. Tayden Gray backs up both spots.
* * * * *
Today's contest offers a showcase of two of the top running backs in the FCS, sophomores Scottre Humphrey of the Cats and UM's Eli Gillman. Gillman is 5th in the FCS with 7.25 rushing yards per carry and 33rd at 83.7 yards per game. Humphrey is 3rd in the FCS at 7.40 yards per carry and 7th with 111.0 yards per game.
* * * * *
In 2002, the Cats and Griz battled on a frigid day beneath Mt. Sentinel with Montana State looking to end 16 years of misery. The season had alternated between mystifying and magical for the Bobcats, with improbable wins and implausible losses scattered smong some truly impressive performances. The Bobcats arrived at Washington-Grizzly Stadium that morning with a 6-5 record overall but a 4-2 league mark and a chance to capture a share of the Big Sky title and the league's automatic berth in the FCS Playoffs. Most outsiders felt that a nice little turnaround by MSU would end where so many Bobcat dreams had died through the years, but Mike Kramer had assembled a veteran team, forged by the fire of three challenging seasons of stop-and-start progress. Those guys believed they'd win.
In 2019, the Bobcats took the home turf with an air of swagger, but moreso with such a strong belief in the coaches and their teammates that it was clearly displayed, embraced, internalized. And the game was over before it really started. MSU pinned the Griz deep in their own territory on the opening kickoff, watched as the visitors jumped offside, and on the first snap Jahque Alleyne jarred the ball loose from Samori Toure and Derek Marks recovered the fumble. In fact, that made two consecutive Cat-Griz snaps that MSU had knocked the ball loose from a Grizzly ball carrier with Marks jumping on the loose ball.
It's worth pointing out the disparate paths the two principles in that play took to the southeast corner of Bobcat Stadium. Alleyne began his career at Virginia Tech, moved to Bozeman sight unseen, paid his own way in school for a year before officially joining the team, all for a chance at a moment just like that. Marks, whose grandfather played for the Cats, grew up in Blue and Gold. He spent so many hours just a few yards away, in the stadium's south bleachers, cheering for his team.
The Bobcats fumbled on two of their first four plays, but were fortunate enough to recover both. But then, on the fifth play, receiver Kevin Kassis took the ball on an end-around. He appeared to be looking to pass, but saw an opening and dashed for the pylon. He made it into the end zone, and the excellent student celebrated with his peers, MSU students, deleriously rejoicing in the stunning turn of events.
From that moment on, it wasn't really a matter of if. It was a matter of by how many.
The Cats kicked a field goal on their next possession, then scored another touchdown, then scored another touchdown. Montana State led 24-0 at that point, and 31-14 at halftime, and the game was never in the slightest bit of doubt in the second half. Without key cog, Montana State rolled up 27 first downs to UM's 12, gained 382 yards on the ground, and more than doubled the Grizzlies 488 yards to 241. The 48-14 win marked the most points and second-largest margin of victory ever by MSU in this series.
It was a remarkable performance by the home team. Isaiah Ifanse rambled for 171 yards, and Logan Jones gained 121. Jones capped an amazing career that included a brillitant freshman season, periods of personal growth that included coming to grips with the discipline involved in playing for Jeff Choate, several painful injuries and the subsequent difficult rehabs. He traded the opportunity to play in the 2018 post-season for the right to enjoy a day like November 23, 2019, when the final moments of his final regular season game were greeted with an ear-to-ear grin and the adulation of the student body.
This afternoon in 2019 featured sunshine and smiles. In 2002, today's game was the kind picture a novelist or artist would paint for an important late-season game in Montana - blustery, very cold, snow flurries. At times during pregame warmups the snow obscured MSU's all-white uniforms. Against this backdrop, Montana State looked to clinch its first winning season since 1998, its first conference title since 1984, its first win against the Griz since 1985, and its first win ever in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. And MSU had to do so against the reigning national champions.
The game was a slugfest dominated by two excellent defenses. The University's football success was well-chronicled and universally understood in the fall of 2002, but even after an exhilarating resuscitation the Cats began this day mostly a curiosity, a once-proud program struggling to rise up again.
Montana State opened the scoring late in the first quarter when Nate Cook nailed a 27-yard field goal, but MSU's early offensive success was indicative that the Bobcats would at least function on this day. Freshman quarterback Travis Lulay was five-for-six passing for 43 yards in the first quarter, and MSU rushed for 35 yards in the opening period.
The day's two strongest storylines also emerged early. Senior running back Ryan Johnson rushed for 27 yards in the first quarter, a slow and steady pace that would prove important. It would also serve as the final real chapter in an amazing and historic career.
More noticeable, though, was the dominance of Montana State's defense. The Cats held UM to 37 total yards in the first quarter, all on the ground. The only Grizzly pass that didn't fall incomplete was intercepted by current UM defensive coordinator Roger Cooper to set up Cook's short field goal. By halftime UM had completed one of 19 pass attempts. Head coach Joe Glenn and the Grizzlies stubbornly tried to attack Bobcat cornerbacks, particularly Joey Thomas, all day. It never worked. John Edwards finished his afternoon's work 8-for-33 passing for only 106 yards. Thomas and Kahiam Hunter, MSU's other corner, dominated the day. Safeties Kane Ioane and Kenneth Qualls limited UM to only one completion of longer than 19 yards. The Bobcat defense sacked Edwards twice, and allowed UM only 3.4 yards per play on the afternoon.
MSU led 3-0 at halftime, but changed the game on the first drive of the third quarter. In a half-empty stadium, Johnson gained one yard then Lulay hit senior receiver Junior Adams for an eight-yard gain. Johnson gained one yard, then five more, then Lulay hit Scott Turnquist for a short gain. Turnquist fumbled but MSU recovered, and facing a third-and-three from the MSU 37 Lulay hit Adams again for a five yard gain. Johnson ran for five more, then David Mayfield was stopped for no gain.
Then it happened. 31 Mix Empty Left. Lulay lined up alone in the backfield, with Junior Adams in the slot to theleft and Corey Smith flanked right. Lulay knew one would be open, and Adams got off the line clean. Lulay hit him in stride, and Adams raced past Trey Young. He was in the clear, and near the goal line he took a look over his shoulder to confirm what he knew.
Touchdown Bobcats.
Staked to a 10-0 lead, Montana State's staples under Kramer - a physical ground game and pressuring defense, took over. UM's only score of the day came after a Bobcat fumble on a drive that covered 32 yards. UM gained six first downs and 134 yards in the second half, mounting only one drive of more than five plays and none longer than 39 yards.
While the Grizzlies didn't do much offensively in the second half, Johnson did. He rushed for 12 yards on the first drive of the second half, 14 yards on the second, 21 on the third, six on the fifth, and 13 on the sixth. When MSU took over with two minutes to play after the Bobcat defense harrassed Edwards into a fourth down incompletion, Johnson and Lulay ran out the clock. Johnson finished the day with 132 yards rushing and helped the Bobcats hold the ball for eight seconds short of 40 minutes. As Lulay fell on the ball for the final time, Voice of the Cats Dean Alexander counted down the seconds, as Bobcat fans around the world - literally - celebrated gleefully, Kramer just smiled. He knew what that moment meant to so many.
It was pretty much mirrored Jeff Choate's reaction 17 years later almost to the minute, when Montana State won a drastically different but equally historic game in 2019.
#GoCatsGo
* * * * *
A pair of Bobcat reserves remain out for today's game. Backup safeties Tyson Pottenger and Taki Uluilakepa remain unavailable with injuries. Tayden Gray backs up both spots.
* * * * *
Today's contest offers a showcase of two of the top running backs in the FCS, sophomores Scottre Humphrey of the Cats and UM's Eli Gillman. Gillman is 5th in the FCS with 7.25 rushing yards per carry and 33rd at 83.7 yards per game. Humphrey is 3rd in the FCS at 7.40 yards per carry and 7th with 111.0 yards per game.
* * * * *
In 2002, the Cats and Griz battled on a frigid day beneath Mt. Sentinel with Montana State looking to end 16 years of misery. The season had alternated between mystifying and magical for the Bobcats, with improbable wins and implausible losses scattered smong some truly impressive performances. The Bobcats arrived at Washington-Grizzly Stadium that morning with a 6-5 record overall but a 4-2 league mark and a chance to capture a share of the Big Sky title and the league's automatic berth in the FCS Playoffs. Most outsiders felt that a nice little turnaround by MSU would end where so many Bobcat dreams had died through the years, but Mike Kramer had assembled a veteran team, forged by the fire of three challenging seasons of stop-and-start progress. Those guys believed they'd win.
In 2019, the Bobcats took the home turf with an air of swagger, but moreso with such a strong belief in the coaches and their teammates that it was clearly displayed, embraced, internalized. And the game was over before it really started. MSU pinned the Griz deep in their own territory on the opening kickoff, watched as the visitors jumped offside, and on the first snap Jahque Alleyne jarred the ball loose from Samori Toure and Derek Marks recovered the fumble. In fact, that made two consecutive Cat-Griz snaps that MSU had knocked the ball loose from a Grizzly ball carrier with Marks jumping on the loose ball.
It's worth pointing out the disparate paths the two principles in that play took to the southeast corner of Bobcat Stadium. Alleyne began his career at Virginia Tech, moved to Bozeman sight unseen, paid his own way in school for a year before officially joining the team, all for a chance at a moment just like that. Marks, whose grandfather played for the Cats, grew up in Blue and Gold. He spent so many hours just a few yards away, in the stadium's south bleachers, cheering for his team.
The Bobcats fumbled on two of their first four plays, but were fortunate enough to recover both. But then, on the fifth play, receiver Kevin Kassis took the ball on an end-around. He appeared to be looking to pass, but saw an opening and dashed for the pylon. He made it into the end zone, and the excellent student celebrated with his peers, MSU students, deleriously rejoicing in the stunning turn of events.
From that moment on, it wasn't really a matter of if. It was a matter of by how many.
The Cats kicked a field goal on their next possession, then scored another touchdown, then scored another touchdown. Montana State led 24-0 at that point, and 31-14 at halftime, and the game was never in the slightest bit of doubt in the second half. Without key cog, Montana State rolled up 27 first downs to UM's 12, gained 382 yards on the ground, and more than doubled the Grizzlies 488 yards to 241. The 48-14 win marked the most points and second-largest margin of victory ever by MSU in this series.
It was a remarkable performance by the home team. Isaiah Ifanse rambled for 171 yards, and Logan Jones gained 121. Jones capped an amazing career that included a brillitant freshman season, periods of personal growth that included coming to grips with the discipline involved in playing for Jeff Choate, several painful injuries and the subsequent difficult rehabs. He traded the opportunity to play in the 2018 post-season for the right to enjoy a day like November 23, 2019, when the final moments of his final regular season game were greeted with an ear-to-ear grin and the adulation of the student body.
This afternoon in 2019 featured sunshine and smiles. In 2002, today's game was the kind picture a novelist or artist would paint for an important late-season game in Montana - blustery, very cold, snow flurries. At times during pregame warmups the snow obscured MSU's all-white uniforms. Against this backdrop, Montana State looked to clinch its first winning season since 1998, its first conference title since 1984, its first win against the Griz since 1985, and its first win ever in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. And MSU had to do so against the reigning national champions.
The game was a slugfest dominated by two excellent defenses. The University's football success was well-chronicled and universally understood in the fall of 2002, but even after an exhilarating resuscitation the Cats began this day mostly a curiosity, a once-proud program struggling to rise up again.
Montana State opened the scoring late in the first quarter when Nate Cook nailed a 27-yard field goal, but MSU's early offensive success was indicative that the Bobcats would at least function on this day. Freshman quarterback Travis Lulay was five-for-six passing for 43 yards in the first quarter, and MSU rushed for 35 yards in the opening period.
The day's two strongest storylines also emerged early. Senior running back Ryan Johnson rushed for 27 yards in the first quarter, a slow and steady pace that would prove important. It would also serve as the final real chapter in an amazing and historic career.
More noticeable, though, was the dominance of Montana State's defense. The Cats held UM to 37 total yards in the first quarter, all on the ground. The only Grizzly pass that didn't fall incomplete was intercepted by current UM defensive coordinator Roger Cooper to set up Cook's short field goal. By halftime UM had completed one of 19 pass attempts. Head coach Joe Glenn and the Grizzlies stubbornly tried to attack Bobcat cornerbacks, particularly Joey Thomas, all day. It never worked. John Edwards finished his afternoon's work 8-for-33 passing for only 106 yards. Thomas and Kahiam Hunter, MSU's other corner, dominated the day. Safeties Kane Ioane and Kenneth Qualls limited UM to only one completion of longer than 19 yards. The Bobcat defense sacked Edwards twice, and allowed UM only 3.4 yards per play on the afternoon.
MSU led 3-0 at halftime, but changed the game on the first drive of the third quarter. In a half-empty stadium, Johnson gained one yard then Lulay hit senior receiver Junior Adams for an eight-yard gain. Johnson gained one yard, then five more, then Lulay hit Scott Turnquist for a short gain. Turnquist fumbled but MSU recovered, and facing a third-and-three from the MSU 37 Lulay hit Adams again for a five yard gain. Johnson ran for five more, then David Mayfield was stopped for no gain.
Then it happened. 31 Mix Empty Left. Lulay lined up alone in the backfield, with Junior Adams in the slot to theleft and Corey Smith flanked right. Lulay knew one would be open, and Adams got off the line clean. Lulay hit him in stride, and Adams raced past Trey Young. He was in the clear, and near the goal line he took a look over his shoulder to confirm what he knew.
Touchdown Bobcats.
Staked to a 10-0 lead, Montana State's staples under Kramer - a physical ground game and pressuring defense, took over. UM's only score of the day came after a Bobcat fumble on a drive that covered 32 yards. UM gained six first downs and 134 yards in the second half, mounting only one drive of more than five plays and none longer than 39 yards.
While the Grizzlies didn't do much offensively in the second half, Johnson did. He rushed for 12 yards on the first drive of the second half, 14 yards on the second, 21 on the third, six on the fifth, and 13 on the sixth. When MSU took over with two minutes to play after the Bobcat defense harrassed Edwards into a fourth down incompletion, Johnson and Lulay ran out the clock. Johnson finished the day with 132 yards rushing and helped the Bobcats hold the ball for eight seconds short of 40 minutes. As Lulay fell on the ball for the final time, Voice of the Cats Dean Alexander counted down the seconds, as Bobcat fans around the world - literally - celebrated gleefully, Kramer just smiled. He knew what that moment meant to so many.
It was pretty much mirrored Jeff Choate's reaction 17 years later almost to the minute, when Montana State won a drastically different but equally historic game in 2019.
#GoCatsGo
Players Mentioned
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DB
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