FARMINGTON, Utah (Sept. 26, 2021) - Conference play began this past weekend for Big Sky football, as six teams start out at 1-0 following Saturday's action.
The biggest win of the weekend came in Ogden, as UC Davis won a 17-10 game at Weber State to win the ranked showdown. The Aggies move to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play, continuing their best season start since 2004.
EWU Improved to 4-0 as well, which is its best start since 1997, as Eric Barriere reached another career milestone in the first quarter when he passed the 10,000 career passing yards mark, joining an elite group of Eastern Washington quarterbacks in Matt Nichols, Vernon Adams Jr. and Erik Meyer. Now sitting at 10,437 career yards, the senior breaks into the Top 10 on the Big Sky's all-time list as well.
Below is a recap of each game from this past week.
Montana 39, Cal Poly 7
UM RECAP
MISSOULA, Montana (Sept. 25, 2021) – The Montana Grizzlies rode several explosive plays and a dominant defense to a second-straight blowout victory, defeating Cal Poly 39-7 in UM's 101st Homecoming game. The win started Big Sky play off on the right foot for Montana and improved the Griz to 3-0 on the season, the best start for UM since 2013. Montana didn't allow a score until the fourth quarter - when the game was 39-0 - ending their streak at 165 minutes and over 10 full quarters without giving up a single point.
Northern Colorado 17, NAU 10 (OT)
UNC RECAP
GREELEY, Colorado (Sept. 25, 2021) – For the second-straight week, Northern Colorado had a game go to overtime, but this time the Bears were victorious as they won 17-10 against visiting NAU. The Lumberjacks faced a 4th and 1 in their overtime possession, as the UNC defense stuffed NAU's rush attempt to secure the thrilling 17-10 win at home.
Sac State 23, Idaho State 21
Sac State Recap
POCATELLO, Idaho (Sept. 25, 2021) — The Sacramento State defense shut out Idaho State in the second half, and the Hornets used three Kyle Sentkowski field goals to claim a 23-21 come-from-behind win on Saturday at Holt Arena. The defense came up big during the final two quarters with a pair of interceptions. The first from Munchie Filer III in the third quarter and then from Marte Mapu who stepped in front of a Hunter Hays pass with just under two minutes remaining to seal the game.
Montana State 30, Portland State 17
MSU Recap
PORTLAND (Sept. 25, 2021) — Montana State dialed in during the second half of its Big Sky Conference opener and closed out a 30-17 road victory over the Portland State Vikings on Saturday, Sept. 25, at Hillsboro Stadium. MSU outgained PSU 479-351 in total yards, which included a 133-26 edge in the fourth quarter, as the Bobcat defense held the Vikings to just seven points in the second half.
UC Davis 17, Weber State 10
UC Davis Recap
OGDEN, Utah (Sept. 25, 2021) — Defensive tackle Bryce Rodgers contributed on two of three Aggie takeaways while redshirt freshman Trent Tompkins scored the game-winning touchdown with 27 seconds left, lifting UC Davis to a 17-14 road win over Weber State. Weber State actually outdueled UC Davis in total offense (411-314), rushing yards (186-165) and passing yards (225-149), but the Aggies forced three key turnovers. The Aggies move to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play, continuing their best season start since 2004.
EWU 50, Southern Utah 21
EWU Recap
CEDAR CITY, Utah (Sept. 25, 2021) — Eastern Washington amassed 673 yards of total offense, 554 of which came through the air to set a new school record, as the Eagles raced past Southern Utah 50-21. Eric Barriere completed 30 of his 43 passes for 518 yards and four touchdowns as he surpassed 10,000 yards passing for his prolific career. EWU is now 4-0 for the first time since 1997 and the third time overall since joining the FCS.
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