Eastern Washington Stuns Northern Colorado, Other Big Sky Football Recaps
Eagles wide receiver Cooper Kupp sets multiple Big Sky records
Jon Oglesby, Football Communications Director
OGDEN, UTAH (October 24, 2015)- Eastern Washington receiver Cooper Kupp entered this season as one of the all-time Big Sky greats.
He left an
exciting 43-41 win over Northern Colorado as the conference’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns, career catches and receiving yards, as the Eagles came from behind to get a win over the Bears.
The junior receiver caught a key third-down pass on Eastern Washington’s final drive, helping move the Eagles into field-goal range. Then, kicker Jordan Descalo hit a 44-yard field goal to help the seventh-ranked Eagles get a win as time expired.
Kupp finished with 275 receiving yards and three touchdowns, including a score with 5:22 left that gave Eastern Washington a 40-28 lead. However, Bears quarterback Jacob Knipp threw two touchdowns to Michael McCauley to give Northern Colorado a 41-40 lead with 1:23 left.
Cooper Kupp now has 281 career catches, 4,338 receiving yards and 52 receiving touchdowns. Kupp is second all-time in FCS receiving touchdowns, after passing Jerry Rice earlier in the day.
MONTANA 42, NORTH DAKOTA 16- In his first career start, Montana quarterback Makenna Simis tied a school-record with six touchdown passes, as the Griz got a win at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Simis threw three touchdown passes in the first half, completing 15-of-22 passes for 321 yards. He threw three scores in the first half, including two to Ellis Henderson, to help overcome an early 7-0 UND lead.
Montana outgained North Dakota 488-380, and the Griz defense also forced two turnovers in the win.
Other notable performers included Montana receiver Jamaal Jones, who caught four passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
North Dakota running back John Santiago finished with 178 yards and a touchdown.
MONTANA STATE 63, EAST TENNESSEEE STATE 7- Montana State led wire-to-wire in a blowout win over independent East Tennessee State.
Montana State quarterback Dakota Prukop completed 15-of-21 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns, leaving the game in the third quarter. Backup quarterback Jake Bleskin completed 7-of-12 passes for 87 yards in second-half action.
Bobcats running back Chad Newell rushed for 42 yards and two touchdowns, as Montana State registered 514 yards.
The Bobcats defense also made several contributions, forcing four turnovers.
NORTHERN ARIZONA 52, WEBER STATE 36- Northern Arizona held off another late Weber State comeback attempt, as the Lumberjacks’ Ryan Hawkins hit a field goal with 4:16 to ice the game.
The Lumberjacks held a 42-9 lead after an interception return for a touchdown by Eddie Horn with 14:53 left in the third quarter. After that, the Wildcats went on a 27-0 scoring run, until Hawkins’ field goal.
Northern Arizona quarterback Case Cookus completed 28-of-38 passes for 353 yards and four touchdowns.
With the win, Lumberjacks coach Jerome Souers set the record for Big Sky Conference wins as head coach, with 69 conference wins.
SOUTHERN UTAH 34, UC DAVIS 6- Southern Utah quarterback Ammon Olsen threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, as the Thunderbirds pushed their conference mark to 4-0.
Olsen completed 26-of-41 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns, as Southern Utah outgained UC Davis 531-235.
A critical defensive play came from Southern Utah defensive end James Cowser, who forced a fumble that led to a 13-yard pass from Olsen to Justin Brown.
SACRAMENTO STATE 38, IDAHO STATE 13- Sacramento State quarterback Nate Ketteringham completed 20-of-26 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns, as the Hornets earned their first Big Sky win of the season.
Ketteringham threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter, overcoming an early 7-0 Idaho State lead. The Hornets held a 17-10 lead at halftime.
Sacramento State’s defense played a large role in the victory, as the Hornets forced five Bengals turnovers. They got a score off one turnover, as Joey Banks returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown that gave Sacramento State a 38-13 lead.
PORTLAND STATE 38, CAL POLY 35- In an offensive struggle that went back-and-forth all game, Portland State kicker Jonathan Gonzalez proved to make the difference, as he hit a 27-yard field goal with 33 seconds left to give the Vikings the win.
Vikings quarterback Alex Kuresa contributed to four touchdowns, throwing two and rushing for two. Kuresa led the team in rushing, with 101 yards and two touchdowns. He also passed for 16-of-25 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns.
Cal Poly outgained Portland State 536-386, but four turnovers were the undoing for the Mustangs.