OGDEN, Utah (Sept. 10, 2016) – There were several marquee matchups between the Big Sky Conference and the Missouri Valley Football Conference Saturday, with nearly all of them coming down to the wire.
The Montana Grizzlies found a way to hold on for a massive road win, earning a
victory over No. 3 Northern Iowa, 20-14.
Montana came out of the gates hot in Cedar Falls, Iowa, taking a 10-0 lead. The Griz would stretch it to 20-7 at halftime, with Tim Semenza hitting his second field goal late in the second quarter.
For a team built on offense, Montana’s defense controlled the game, holding the Panthers to 351 offensive yards, and also pitching a shutout in the second and third quarters.
The defense also hid a tough offensive performance for the Grizzlies, as Montana had only 206 yards of offense. Grizzlies quarterback Brady Gustafson threw for only 118 yards and a touchdown.
North Dakota State 50, Eastern Washington 44 – Two of the powerhouses of FCS football combined for a showing in Fargo, N.D., as Eastern Washington and North Dakota State had an overtime battle in the Fargodome.
However, the five-time defending national champs did what they frequently did, finding a way to beat a quality opponent, in a 50-44 win over Eastern Washington.
The Eagles held a 44-41 lead late in the fourth quarter, after a one-yard rush by Tamarick Pierce helped Eastern Washington claim its first lead. On the next drive, North Dakota State converted multiple third-downs, helping keep a drive alive that ended in a 28-yard field goal by Cam Pederson.
North Dakota State’s Lance Dunn scored the go-ahead score in overtime, a 25-yard run.
Eastern Washington receiver Cooper Kupp became the all-time leader in touchdowns in Division I football, either FBS or FCS. Kupp caught two touchdown passes in the game, including a 20-yard score that put points on the board for Eastern Washington.
The two teams combined for 1,093 yards of offense, with Eastern Washington finishing with 556 yards of offense. Eagles quarterback Gage Gubrud finished with 450 passing yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.
Southern Utah 28, Southeastern Louisiana 23 – The defending #BigSkyFB champions gave Southern Utah coach Demario Warren his first home victory, a 28-23 win over the Southland Conference’s Southeastern Louisiana.
The Lions led 17-10 at halftime, but the Thunderbirds went on a 14-6 run in the second half to earn the non-conference win.
Thunderbirds quarterback Patrick Tyler, who started in place of McCoy Hill, threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns. The first SUU score came on a six-yard pass to Brady Measom. Tyler would throw another touchdown to Measom in the second half, along with a scoring pass to Mike Sharp.
Southern Utah running back Malik Brown rushed for 146 yards in the win.
Northern Colorado 55, Abilene Christian 52 – Northern Colorado quarterback Kyle Sloter threw for 408 yards and six touchdowns, as the Bears earned a road non-conference win over the Abilene Christian Wildcats.
Abilene Christian scored the game’s first points, before Northern Colorado rattled off 28 straight points. However, the Wildcats outscored the Bears, 21-7, over the rest of the first half, giving Northern Colorado a narrow 35-28 halftime lead.
The Bears finished with 689 yards of offense, with Abilene Christian having 565 yards.
Cal Poly 38, San Diego 16 – The Cal Poly Mustangs scored 21 second-half points, on their way to a big home win over the San Diego Toreros.
The Mustangs opened with a 10-0 lead, before San Diego came back to take a 14-10 lead midway through the second quarter. However, Cal Poly quarterback Dano Graves found Kyle Lewis for a 57-yard touchdown.
Cal Poly had 484 yards of offense in the game, as Joe Protheroe rushed for 131 yards and two scores.
Montana State 27, Bryant 24 – The Montana State Bobcats survived a wild home opener, picking up a 27-24 victory over the Bryant Bulldogs in the “Gold Rush” game.
Bryant held a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, before Bobcats quarterback Tyler Bruggman responded with two touchdown passes, helping MSU to a 14-10 halftime lead.
Montana State opened the third quarter with a Gunnar Brekke rushing touchdown, before the Bulldogs returned the favor with a touchdown. The two teams would trade scores for the rest of the game.
The Bobcats forced five Bryant touchdowns. The Bulldogs finished with 452 yards of offense, while Montana State mustered only 265 offensive yards.
Bowling Green 27, North Dakota 26 – The North Dakota Fighting Hawks came back from 14-0 deficit, falling on a failed two-point conversion opportunity late against Bowling Green.
The Falcons held a 21-10 lead at halftime, before North Dakota opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run, including a 21-yard touchdown run by John Santiago. The run cut the deficit, 21-20, before the Falcons set up a 27-20 lead heading into the final quarter.
In the closing minutes, North Dakota quarterback Keaton Studsrud found Stetson Carr on a three-yard scoring pass, cutting the deficit to 27-26. However, the two-point conversion attempt failed, as UND fell just shy in its FBS upset attempt.
North Dakota forced three Bowling Green turnovers.
South Dakota 52, Weber State 49 2OT- The Coyotes scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, climbing to an overtime win over the Weber State Wildcats.
Weber State held a 42-21 lead early in the fourth quarter, until a Jadrian Clark interception gave the Coyotes new life. Coyotes quarterback Chris Streveler found Riley Donovan on an eight-yard touchdown on a short field, the first of three USD scores in the final period.
The Wildcats opened the game on a 21-0 run, started by Landon Slice returning an interception for 63 yards.
The game was mistake-filled, with the two teams combining for five touchdowns. Weber State quarterback Jadrian Clark finished with 207 passing yards, with two touchdown passes and two interceptions.
Western Illinois 34, Northern Arizona 20 – Northern Arizona scored the game’s first touchdown, before watching the Western Illinois Lumberjacks go on a 24-10 run to take control in a non-conference game.
The Lumberjacks’ first score came on a 42-yard pass from Case Cookus to Elijah Marks. Cookus finished with 263 yards and two touchdowns.
The Lumberjacks allowed 539 yards of offense, with Western Illinois earning 28 first-downs.
UC Davis 52, Southern Oregon 35 – A strong run in the mid-part of the game allowed the UC Davis Aggies to earn a convincing home win.
Tied at 21-21 early in the second quarter, the Aggies went on a 24-7 run, distancing themselves from Southern Oregon.
It was a strong game for several Aggies, with UC Davis quarterback Ben Scott throwing for 381 yards and four touchdowns. Also, Aggies running back Manusamoa Luuga rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns, and UC Davis receiver Ramon Vargas had six receptions for 208 yards and a touchdown.
UC Davis finished with 617 yards of offense.
San Jose State 66, Portland State 35 – The Portland State Vikings and the San Jose State Spartans were knotted up, 14-14, midway through the second quarter.
From there, the Spartans went on a 45-0 run, taking control of the FBS-FCS matchup. San Jose State registered 642 yards, as Portland State suffered six turnovers.
Portland State quarterback Alex Kuresa threw for 135 yards, and a touchdown. Kuresa also threw three interceptions.
Fresno State 31, Sacramento State 3 – A tight game turned into a runaway victory, as the Fresno State Bulldogs outlasted the visiting Sacramento State Hornets.
Fresno State held a narrow 10-3 lead over the Hornets entering the fourth quarter, before the Bulldogs went on a 21-0 run.
The Hornets forced two Bulldogs turnovers, one of which turned into a 44-yard field goal by Daniel Medeiros. Sacramento State receiver Cody Demps finished with two receptions for 50 yards.
Colorado 56, Idaho State 7 – The Colorado Buffaloes held a 49-0 halftime lead, on their way to a 56-0 win over the Idaho State Bengals.
The Bengals’ lone score came on a three-yard run by Jakori Ford, in the third quarter.