Sam Houston State at Montana State

 
The Records: Montana State brings an 11-1 overall record and a five-game winning streak into the quarterfinals. The Bobcats’ only loss came on Oct. 13 at home to Eastern Washington, 27-24. Montana State finished 7-1 in the Big Sky, sharing the regular-season title with Eastern Washington and Cal Poly. The Bobcats earned an at-large bid out of the Big Sky....Sam Houston State brings a 9-3 record to Bozeman. The Bearkats earned an at-large bid out of the Southland Conference. Sam Houston State went 6-1 in conference play, losing 24-20 at Central Arkansas on Sept. 22. Sam Houston State also lost to FCS teams Baylor and Texas A&M.
 
The Series: Sam Houston State leads 3-2. This is the second straight season the teams have met in the quarterfinals. Sam Houston State beat Montana State 49-13 in the 2011 quarterfinals in Huntsville. The teams have met four times in the regular season, with both teams winning two games. Sam Houston State beat Montana State 23-6 in 1986 in Huntsville. Montana State won 52-48 in 1987 in Bozeman. Montana State won 15-10 in 1989 on the road. Sam Houston State won 26-23 in Bozeman in 1991.
 
Last Meeting: Sam Houston State rushed for 428 yards and had 501 yards of total offense in a 49-13 win over Montana State in the 2011 quarterfinals. Richard Sincere led the way with 160 rushing yards. DeNarius McGhee had 21 of 36 passes for 272 yards with one touchdown in the loss.
 
The Coaches: Montana State’s Rob Ash is 50-21 in his sixth season with the Bobcats. He is the school’s all-time leader in victories. Ash is 2-2 in the playoffs. Ash has an overall coaching record of 226-120-5 in his 33rd season as a head coach. Ash was named the 2010 Big Sky Coach of the Year, and the 2011 Liberty Mutual 2011 FCS Coach of the Year....Sam Houston State’s Willie Fritz 29-9 in his third season. He is 4-1 in the playoffs. Fritz compiled a 97-47 record as the head coach at Central Missouri from 1997-2009. He went 39-5-1 in four seasons at Blinn College, winning JC national championships in 1995 and 1996.
 
Big Sky vs. the Southland: The Big Sky is 25-13 against the Southland in the Playoffs. Sam Houston is 5-2 all-time vs. Big Sky teams in the playoffs. Sam Houston State was the last Southland team to win a conference game in a Big Sky stadium. The Bearkats beat Eastern Washington 35-34 in Cheney in a 2004 quarterfinal.  Big Sky teams hold a 21-3 edge against Southland teams in playoff games played in Big Sky stadiums. Big Sky teams are 6-1 against Southland teams in quarterfinal games played at Big Sky stadiums. Montana State has not hosted a Southland Conference team at Bobcat Stadium since 1984 when the Bobcats beat Arkansas State 31-14 in a quarterfinal game. Both of Sam Houston’s playoff losses to Big Sky teams came at Montana. The Bearkats lost a 2001 quarterfinal game in Missoula 49-24, and lost to Montana 34-13 in a 2004 semifinal game. Montana State is 2-2 all-time against Southland Teams in the playoffs. MSU is 1-0 at home against Southland teams in the playoffs, 1-0 at a neutral site, and 0-2 on the road. The Big Sky is 1-2 against Southland teams this year. Montana State beat Stephen F. Austin 43-35 on Sept. 15. Weber State lost to McNeese State. Cal Poly lost last week to Sam Houston State.
 
MSU In The Quarters: MSU is 1-2 all-time in quarterfinal games. The Bobcats beat Rhode Island 32-20 in the 1984 quarterfinal. In 2006, the Bobcats lost on the road to Appalachian State 38-17. In 2011, the Bobcats lost at Sam Houston State.
 
Sam Houston in the Quarters: Sam Houston State is 2-1 all-time in the quarterfinals. The Bearkats lost to Montana in 2001, beat Eastern Washington in 2004, and beat Montana State 49-13 last season.
 
Up Next: Saturday’s winner advances to the semifinals against the winner of Saturday’s Eastern Washington-Illinois State game.  The semifinal game will be played on Friday, Dec. 14 or Saturday, Dec. 15.
 
Notes: Montana State is 6-1 at home this season. The Bobcats are 18-3 at home over the past three seasons...Sam Houston State is 4-3 on the road this season...MSU coach Rob Ash earned his 50th career win at Montana State last week. Ash is the 14th coach in Big Sky history to win 50 games while coaching in the league...Montana State defensive end Caleb Schreibeis leads the nation with eight forced fumbles. He is a candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award...Sam Houston State safety Darnell Taylor is a candidate for the Buchanan. Taylor has been named the Southland Defensive Player of the Year two straight seasons...Montana State’s Jody Owens was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year...MSU QB DeNarius McGhee has named the Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in three seasons...Sam Houston State RB Tim Flanders was named the Southland Player of the Year for the second straight season...McGhee has completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 2,726 yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions. McGhee has thrown a TD pass in 36 of the 36 games he’s played, and has 70 total for his career...Flanders has 1,252 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns touchdowns...Montana State is converting 49.47 percent of its third downs, which ranks 11th in the nation and third among remaining playoff games...Montana State’s defense is fourth in the nation in 3rd down conversion percentage, allowing opponents to convert just 28.98 percent of the time. Sam Houston State is eighth at 30.51 percent...Montana State has 14 players on its roster from Texas...Montana State has allowed eight rushing touchdowns this season. Sam Houston State has scored 41 rushing touchdowns...Sam Houston State averages 273.9 rushing yards per game. Montana State allows 98.2 rushing yards per game...Sam Houston State ranks third in the nation against the rush, allowing 88.7 rushing yards per game. MSU ranks seventh in the nation against the rush...Sam Houston State lost to North Dakota State in last year’s national championship game...Sam Houston FG kicker Miguel Antonio has made 15-of-19 with a long of 42 yards...Montana State FG kicker Rory Perez has made 13-of-16 with a long of 45...MSU ranks seventh in the nation in tackles for loss per game at 7.67...Both teams beat Stephen F. Austin this season. Sam Houston beat the Lumberjacks 51-43 at home on Oct. 6. MSU beat SFA 43-35 on Sept. 15 in Bozeman...Montana State’s 11 wins is its most in a season since winning 12 in 1984 en route to the national title. MSU also won 12 in 1976 en route to a Division II national title...Sam Houston State has gained 25 turnovers this season. Montana State has gained 24.