THIS WEEK’S SKY HIGHLIGHTS
For the first time this season, the schedule features all conference games...Northern Arizona plays its fourth straight game on the road when it travels to “The Inferno” at Eastern Washington. EWU won a wild 49-45 game in 2009 in Flagstaff when it faced the Lumberjacks...Montana returns home looking for its 19th straight conference home victory when it takes on Idaho State. UM needed a last-second field goal to beat the Bengals in 2009 in Pocatello...Montana State celebrates homecoming in Bozeman against Nigel Burton and the Portland State Vikings...Northern Colorado heads to California looking for its first ever win over the Sacramento State Hornets...All four games can be seen for free on Big Sky TV...Weber State has the week off.
PDF of This Week's Notes
THIS WEEK’S SKY SCHEDULE
Saturday, Oct. 9 Time
*No. Arizona (1-0, 2-1) at E. Washington (2-1, 3-2) 1:05
Series History: EWU leads 17-10.
Last Meeting: EWU won 49-45 in 2009.
Series Streak: EWU has won 3.
TV: SWX (Spokane)
Internet: Big Sky TV
*Idaho State (0-3, 1-4) at Montana (2-1, 3-2) 1:05
Series History: UM leads 39-13.
Last Meeting: UM won 12-10 in 2009.
Series Streak: UM has won six.
TV: Montana’s News Stations (Montana)
Internet: Big Sky TV
*Portland St. (1-0, 2-2) at Montana St. (2-0, 3-1) 1:35
Series History: MSU leads 15-9.
Last Meeting: MSU won 28-10 in 2009.
Series Streak: MSU has won four.
TV: Max Media (Montana)
Internet: Big Sky TV
*No. Colorado (1-2, 2-3) at Sac.State (1-2, 2-3) 2:05
Series History: Sac leads 4-0.
Last Meeting: Sac won 38-35 in 2009.
Series Streak: Sac has won four
Internet: Big Sky TV
*Big Sky Conference Game.
Times Local to Site/Subject to Change
AROUND THE BIG SKY
IT AINT OVER: Montana State led Sacramento State 37-10 at halftime on Saturday, and the Bobcats appeared well on their way to its fourth win of the season. It was Montana State, however, that needed a last-minute touchdown just to force overtime. Montana State ended up winning a wild 64-61 contest against the Hornets. The game featured 1,270 yards of total offense. MSU amassed 646, while Sacramento State netted 624. Sacramento State scored 51 points in the second half, including 35 in the third quarter. Sacramento State scored 28 points in less than nine minutes to turn the 27-point deficit into a one-point lead. Sac State’s Morris Norrise caught three TD passes from Jeff Fleming in the quarter. Fleming also had a 1-yard TD run. Bryan Hilliard started the barrage with a 1-yard TD run. Hilliard broke off a 70-yard touchdown run with 6:44 to play to put the Hornets ahead 53-47. Fleming threw a 45-yard TD pass to Chase Deadder with 3:12 to play, putting the Hornets ahead 61-54. MSU’s Julius Lloyd caught his third TD of the game, an 8-yarder with 1:17 to play to the tie game. MSU’s Jason Cunningham made a 25-yard field goal to give the Bobcats a 64-61 lead. Sacramento State’s Chris Diniz, who hadn’t missed a kick all season, missed wide left from 43 yards to end the game. The combined 125 points set an MSU school record for combined points. The previous mark with 107 when MSU beat NAU in 1990. MSU freshman Denarius McGhee completed 26-of-43 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 35 yards. Lloyd caught eight passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns. C.J. Palmer and Orenzo Davis combined for 236 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Ten different Bobcat player caught passes. Fleming threw for 348 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 45 and a score. Hilliard finished with 194 rushing yards. Deadder had six catches for 145 yards.
200 FOR ASH: Montana State’s Rob Ash earned his 200th career NCAA coaching victory on Saturday with the Bobcats’ overtime win over Sacramento State. Ash has 24 victories in his fourth season with the Bobcats. He won 51 games at Juniata from 1980-88. Ash then won 125 games in 18 seasons at Drake. Ash is the first coach in Big Sky history to win his 200th career game coaching in the league. Ash is one of seven active coaches at the FCS level with 200 career wins. Ash is one of three coaches to have coached in the Big Sky to reach 200 career wins. Nevada’s Chris Ault currently has 211 career wins. Jim Sweeney, who coached Montana State from 1963-67, finished his career with 200 victories, earning the milestone at Fresno State. Ault won 111 games while coaching in the Big Sky, a league record.
ROAD WINS - FINALLY: Northern Arizona, Eastern Washington, Montana and Montana State all earned road victories on Saturday. During the first four weeks of the season, the only road victories by Big Sky teams came by Portland State (at UC Davis) and Northern Arizona (at Idaho State). Portland State was the only home team to win on Saturday. The Vikings opened their home schedule with a 38-3 win over Idaho State at Hillsboro Stadium. Idaho State has lost 17 straight road conference games and 24 straight overall away from Pocatello.
NO JONES: Eastern Washington’s Taiwan Jones sat out the Eagles’ 35-24 road win over Weber State with an injury. The Eagles rode the arm of Bo Levi Mitchell to the win with the nation’s all-purpose leader watching from the sideline. Mitchell threw for 377 yards and four touchdowns. Brandon Kaufman and Ashton Grant each had more than 100 receiving yards. Grant caught two touchdowns. Jones is expected to play on Saturday at home against Northern Arizona.
ROSTER TALK: It was announced last week that Montana quarterback Andrew Selle suffered a season-ending injury to his throwing shoulder. Selle was injured in the Grizzlies’ 28-25 win over Sacramento State on Sept. 25. Also, Portland State announced that quarterback Drew Hubel will redshirt this season. Sacramento State announced that wide receivers Brandyn Reed and John Hendershott will also sit out the season as redshirts.
RETURN OF 300: Entering Saturday, Weber State’s Cameron Higgins was the only Big Sky QB to throw for 300 yards in a game this season. Higgins was one of four quarterbacks to accomplish the feat on Saturday. Montana State’s Denarius McGhee recorded his first career 300-yard game, throwing for 385 yards and four touchdowns against Sacramento State. Sacramento State’s Jeff Fleming also had his first 300-yard game at the NCAA level. Fleming threw for 348 yards and five touchdowns in the overtime loss. Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 377 and four touchdowns for Eastern Washington. Mitchell had six 300-yard games in two seasons at SMU, including 420 last season against Washington State. Higgins threw for 315 in a loss, the 17th time he’s thrown for at least 300. Portland State’s Connor Kavanaugh didn’t throw for 300, but he finished with 341 yards of total offense in the Vikings’ 38-3 win over Idaho State. Kavanaugh completed 15-of-19 passes for a career-high 216 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a career-high 125 yards and a touchdown.
HIGGINS WATCH: Weber State quarterback Cameron Higgins threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns, and finished with 325 yards of total offense in the Wildcats’ loss to Eastern Washington. Higgins moved into a tie for third place on the Big Sky’s career touchdown list with 94. He is two away from tying the all-time record. Higgins also moved up to fourth on the passing yardage list with 11,152. The Wildcats have a bye this week. Higgins need to average 244 passing yards per game over the final six games to become the league’s all-time leading passer.