FARMINGTON, Utah (Oct. 3, 2021) - Big Sky football shined bright on the national stage this weekend, as Eastern Washington and Montana's thriller on ESPN2 highlighted another great week for the conference.
Despite trailing 21-10 entering the fourth quarter, No. 6 EWU stormed back to take a 34-28 win at home against No. 4 Montana and preserve The Inferno's 19-game home winning streak. EWU improves to 5-0 on the year, equaling its best start in program history since 1984.
Also improving to 5-0 this past Saturday was UC Davis, who staved off an upset bid from Idaho. UC Davis trailed 20-13 before scoring twice in the fourth quarter to down the Vandals 27-20. The 5-0 start matches the 2004 team for the best start by a UC Davis team in the program's past 20 years.
Below is a recap of each game from this past week.
Montana State 40, UNC 7
MSU RECAP
BOZEMAN, Montana (Oct. 2, 2021) – No. 12 Montana State improved to 4-1 after Isaiah Ifanse rushed for 114 and a touchdown while Elijah Elliott added 107 yards, lifting the Bobcat to a 40-7 win over Northern Colorado on Saturday afternoon. Overall, the Bobcats totaled 276 yards on the ground and 276 more through the air, while holding UNC to 233 combined yards.
NAU 48, Idaho State 17
NAU RECAP
FLAGSTAFF, Arizona (Oct. 2, 2021) – Freshman quarterback RJ Martinez made quite the impression in his first appearance in front of Northern Arizona's fans in the Walkup Skydome, as the Lumberjacks rolled up more than 600 yards of offense to race past Idaho State, 48-17. Martinez passed for 369 yards and scored four touchdowns, with three coming through the air and one on the ground.
Portland State 20, Southern Utah 13
PSU RECAP
CEDAR CITY, Utah (Oct. 2, 2021) – Portland State defeated Southern Utah 20-13 to earn its first conference win of the season, as Davis Alexander's fourth-quarter rushing score proved to be the difference. The win for PSU was its first road win since Oct. 19, 2019, a span of five road games.
Weber State 38, Cal Poly 7
WSU RECAP
SAN LUIS OBISPO, California (Oct. 2, 2021) – No. 18 Weber State dominated Cal Poly on the road, as the Wildcats got back into the winning column with a 38-7 victory. The Wildcats dominated the total yards as well, finishing with 363 yards of total offense and held the Mustangs to just 115 yards. With the win, Jay Hill recorded his 54th win in his eight years at Weber State and became WSU's all-time leader in coaching wins.
UC Davis 27, Idaho 20
UC DAVIS RECAP
DAVIS, California (Oct. 2, 2021) – Redshirt freshman quarterback Trent Tompkins completed all four of his passes for 45 yards and added a team-high 85 rushing yards, while wide receiver Carson Crawford hit tight end McCallan Castles for the go-ahead 30-yard touchdown pass with 8:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, leading No. 8 UC Davis to a 27-20 win over Idaho. The Aggies improve to 5-0 for the year, matching the 2004 team for the best start by a UC Davis team in the program's past 20 years.
EWU 34, Montana 28
EWU RECAP
CHENEY, Washington (Oct. 2, 2021) – No. 6 Eastern Washington trailed No. 4 Montana 21-10 entering the final quarter of play, but outscored the Grizzlies 24-7 in the final 15 minutes to win 34-28 on ESPN2. Eric Barriere completed 26 of his 42 passing attempts, throwing for 422 total yards and two touchdowns to earn his eighth career game with over 400 passing yards. With the victory, EWU improves to 5-0 on the year, equaling its best start in program history since 1984.
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