OGDEN, Utah (October 1, 2016) – The North Dakota Fighting Hawks have taken flight at the right time.
The Fighting Hawks, who started the season 0-2, entered a game against nationally-ranked Cal Poly, in need of a signature win to prove their start was more an aberration than a trend.
North Dakota made the necessary plays to earn the win,
picking up a 31-24 over the No. 16 Cal Poly Mustangs.
The Fighting Hawks jumped out to a 10-0 lead, before Cal Poly came back to take a 14-10 lead, on two Dano Graves touchdown passes. However, the quarterback who made the biggest impact on the game was UND quarterback Keaton Studsrud, who threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns.
Cal Poly had an opportunity to tie the game late, but a Graves pass on third-and-goal was intercepted by North Dakota’s Torrey Hunt in the end zone.
North Dakota coach Bubba Schweigert is now on a three-game winning streak, and opens Big Sky play 2-0.
Sacramento State 41, Montana State 38 – The Sacramento State Hornets have been searching for a win in 2016, falling short in a variety of fashions.
In a home game against the Montana State Bobcats, the Hornets finally weren’t the team feeling the heartbreak, scoring on a last-minute touchdown to earn a thrilling win.
It was a back-and-forth battle from the beginning, with the Hornets taking a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Bobcats would take a narrow 24-21 lead into halftime.
The third quarter belonged to the Bobcats, as Montana State took a 38-21 lead into the final quarter. However, the final period belonged to the Hornets, as Sacramento State went on a 21-0 run, with Jaelin Ratliff making two over-the-shoulder grabs on laser-like throws from Hornets quarterback Nate Ketteringham.
Ketteringham threw for 356 yards and four touchdowns, while Jaelin Ratliff had 89 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Montana State quarterback Chris Murray rushed for 187 yards and three touchdowns.
Northern Colorado 21, Northern Arizona 18 – The Northern Colorado Bears have waited awhile for a big season to come to Greeley.
Coming of a 6-5 record in 2015, all indicators pointed towards 2016 being a big opportunity for the Bears. All indications are that’s true, as Northern Colorado opened Big Sky play with a 21-18 win over Northern Arizona.
It was a lower-scoring game, by all accounts, but Northern Arizona racked up 493 yards of offense. The Lumberjacks scored first, leading 7-0 with 7:45 left in the first quarter. From there, the Bears would start their offense, going on a 21-3 run, taking a 21-10 lead into halftime.
Scoring would be at a premium in the second half, with Northern Arizona cutting into the Bears’ lead, on an Elijah Marks touchdown with 2:34 remaining. However, with the Lumberjacks driving with under a minute left, UNC forced a four-and-out, kneeling out for the win.
Northern Colorado running back Trae Riek rushed for 107 yards, while also catching two passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. Northern Arizona quarterback Blake Kemp, starting in place of an injured Case Cookus, threw for 273 yards and a touchdown.
Northern Colorado is 3-1 for the first time since 2003, before the program was a member of the Big Sky Conference.
Eastern Washington 63, UC Davis 30 – The UC Davis Aggies held a 23-14 lead over the No. 4/5 Eastern Washington Eagles, setting the stage for an upset on national television.
However, the Eagles weren’t interested in seeing that show, tearing down the stage by outscoring the Aggies 35-7 in the third quarter, on the way to a dominating home win.
Eastern Washington quarterback Gage Gabrud threw for 486 yards and six touchdowns, as Eagles receiver Cooper Kupp became the FCS all-time leader in receiving yards, with 12 catches for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Kupp caught the game’s first score- a 32-yard strike from Gabrud.
The Eagles led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, before UC Davis went on a 23-0 scoring run in the second quarter. Aggies running back Manusamoa Luuga scored two touchdowns in the quarter, and three in the game.
Luuga’s one-yard run in the third quarter gave UC Davis a 30-28 lead, but that would be the end of UC Davis’ success. From there, Eastern Washington scored 35 unanswered points, sealing the game.
Eastern Washington had 627 yards of offense in the win.
Montana 43, Southern Utah 20 – An early showdown between the defending #BigSkyFB champion Southern Utah Thunderbirds, and perennial playoff participant Montana was knotted up midway through the second quarter, with Southern Utah holding a narrow 14-9 lead.
The Grizzlies responded with a 34-0 run, utilizing the big arm of quarterback Brady Gustafson, on the way to a blowout Homecoming win over the Thunderbirds.
Gustafson passed for 415 yards and four touchdowns, connecting on 27-of-50 passes. The senior quarterback found four different receivers for scores.
Southern Utah led 14-9, midway through the second quarter, after Thunderbirds quarterback Patrick Tyler found Mike Sharp for a 22-yard score. Sharp finished with two scores, and 78 receiving yards.
The Grizzlies posted 627 yards of offense.
Portland State 45, Idaho State 20 – The Portland State Vikings posted 531 yards of offense against the Idaho State Bengals, with every single one coming on the ground.
Vikings quarterback Alex Kuresa didn’t complete a pass, but it didn’t matter in the least bit. Portland State had two players rush for 90 yards or more, with Nate Tago rushing for 199 yards and a touchdown. Paris Penn rushed for 184 yards and four touchdowns.
Idaho State’s Jakori Ford scored on a two-yard run, taking a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. From there, the Vikings scored 35 unanswered points.
Bengals quarterback Tanner Gueller completed 22 passes for 212 yards, and two touchdowns.
Portland State is the first Big Sky team to earn a league win without completing a single pass, since Sacramento State beat Northern Colorado in a 2011 game.