CHENEY, Wash. (October 29, 2016) – Most of the superlatives to describe Eastern Washington receiver Cooper Kupp have already been used. However, Kupp is doing his part to add to the superlatives that can be used to describe his No. 3 Eagles.
The senior receiver scored three touchdowns, as
Eastern Washington powered to a 35-16 victory over No. 16 Montana, avenging a blowout 2015 loss to the Grizzlies.
Montana came out with the mindset of extending that 2015 rout, with Grizzlies quarterback Brady Gustafson throwing a 16-yard touchdown to Colin Bingham to open the scoring. From there, Kupp took over, getting Eastern Washington’s first score on a 69-yard pass from Gage Gubrud.
Kupp caught a five-yard pass from Gubrud late in the second quarter, giving the Eagles a 21-7 lead. Kupp’s final touchdown came on a 40-yard pass from Gubrud midway through the third quarter.
After throwing for over 500 yards in a win over Montana State, Gubrud threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns, with two interceptions. Gustafson completed 45 passes for 398 yards, attempting 63 passes.
North Dakota 27, Weber State 19 – North Dakota is now 6-0 in #BigSkyFB play, after a comeback win against the previously undefeated Weber State Wildcats.
It took a mixture of explosive plays, timely hits and well-executed defensive moments to get a win over the Wildcats. One of the explosive plays gave the Fighting Hawks an early 7-0 lead, as John Santiago returned the opening kickoff for 100 yards.
Weber State responded by going on a 13-0 run, taking a 13-7 halftime lead. However, the Wildcats were consistently caught by turnovers, with four giveaways, including three interceptions of quarterback Jadrian Clark.
The Wildcats still had an opportunity late, after Clark found Tui Satuala on a 16-yard connection, cutting the UND lead to 24-19 with 4:46 left.
North Dakota has two weeks remaining, with a bye week last week.
Northern Colorado 56, Portland State 49 OT – A helter-skelter offensive contest ended with the Northern Colorado Bears leaving the Rose City with a Big Sky road win.
The Bears scored 28 points in the third quarter, with UNC quarterback Kyle Sloter throwing two touchdowns, and rushing for another. Northern Colorado held a 49-42 lead, until Portland State’s Austin Holman caught a ten-yard pass from Alex Kuresa to tie the game with 1:12 remaining.
The Bears’ defense also stepped up in the win, forcing two turnovers. In spite of that performance, both offenses ruled, with the two teams combining for 1,107 yards. Northern Colorado was the high earner, finishing with 558 yards.
Southern Utah 52, Idaho State 27 – The Southern Utah Thunderbirds got off a two-game losing streak, earning a valuable road win over the Idaho State Bengals.
The Thunderbirds had 610 yards of offense in the win, outscoring the Bengals 35-14 in the second half. The second half surge powered SUU by Idaho State, after the Bengals briefly led 13-7, after Tanner Gueller found KW Williams on a 36-yard pass.
Southern Utah quarterback Patrick Tyler completed 32-of-45 passes, throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns. Thunderbirds running back Malik Brown rushed for 103 yards and two scores.
Cal Poly 59, Sacramento State 47 – Cal Poly flexed its offensive muscles, earning an impressive win over in-state rival Sacramento State.
The Mustangs finished with 678 yards, scoring 42 points in the second half. Cal Poly trailed 21-17 at halftime, before the Mustangs scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter.
Cal Poly running back Joe Protheroe rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Dano Graves threw three touchdown passes. Sacramento State quarterback Nate Ketteringham threw four touchdowns.
The Mustangs rushed for 548 yards, and remain the Big Sky’s top rushing offense. Cal Poly will host the Big Sky’s top passing offense, Eastern Washington, next weekend in San Luis Obispo.