MSU reversed an alarming trend of handing the ball to the other team at the most inopportune times by turning the table on Sacramento State.
The Bobcats forced three turnovers, including a fumble inside the Sac State 20, and blocked a punt for a touchdown on their way to a 31-20 victory.
“It really is exciting for me that this happened because this is what we talked about all week,” Ash added. “We talked about connecting turnovers and special teams plays with scores and we talked about protecting the football. Both were much better (Saturday) and I think that made the key difference in the game.”
Montana State finds itself in the middle of the Big Sky Conference pack at 2-2, 4-4 overall, but the mood was certainly brighter than a week ago after the Cats dropped consecutive home games to Weber State and Eastern Washington.
“We have to win but we still control our own destiny,” junior cornerback Cory Nicol said. “We can use this as a springboard and we're excited for our last four games.”
Nicol, getting his first career start, made a key interception for MSU in the second quarter, stepping in front of a Jason Smith pass inside the Bobcat 20-yard line.
Nicol was starting in place of corner David Taylor, who was recently dismissed from the team, allegedly for his behavior during the Eastern Washington loss.
Taylor removed his helmet with a couple of minutes left in the game and left the sideline, walking back to the team's locker room in Brick Breeden Field House. A source told the Chronicle that Taylor, a senior who led the team in pass breakups, left the sideline of his own accord.
It was a homecoming of sorts for two California Bobcats, running back Demetrius Crawford and DeAndre Green, both of whom had big games.
Crawford, from nearby Fairfield, Calif., rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown.
“I know (Sac State linebackers) Cyrus (Mulitalo) and Mike Brannon were keying on me. I know they wanted to come up to me when I come back in December and be able to say, ‘We stopped you.' But they can't now,” Crawford said. “My offensive line made it real easy for me to just go out there and run the ball hard.”
Green, a receiver from Concord, Calif., blocked the punt that was recovered by Kevin Retoriano for the TD, and caught his first touchdown since the third week of the season.
“It was great coming back home and seeing my family in the stands,” Green said. “It felt like old times.”
The Hornets, meanwhile, fell to 1-4 in league, 3-5 overall, and suffered their third consecutive loss.
“We struggled offensively, to say the least,” Sac State coach Marshall Sperbeck told the Sacramento Bee. “We're not moving the ball very well. It's been three weeks.”
The Hornets travel to Eastern Washington on Saturday, while Montana State hosts Northern Colorado.
Of Bengals and bungles
For the first time in several weeks of what has been a very dark season, the Idaho State Bengals had a ray of hope late in the third quarter Saturday in Portland, Ore.
And then the sun got in their eyes.
Trailing 19-13, ISU's JD Ponciano fumbled a kickoff at the 20-yard line that eventually ended up in the arms of Portland State.
One play later, PSU quarterback Drew Hubel connected with Raymond Fry from 28 yards out to give the Vikings a comfortable 26-13 lead.
“I felt like the ball was right in the sun, but I just flat-out blew it,” Ponciano told the Idaho State Journal. “I killed our momentum.”
Portland State went on to score 10 more points to post a 36-13 victory. For the second time in as many road games, ISU (0-5, 0-8) failed to score in the second half.
“It just unraveled,” said Bengals coach John Zamberlin, who saw his team's losing streak grow to 12, now the second longest in the Bowl Championship Subdivision.
ISU's sophomore quarterback Russel Hill threw for 276 yards but also had two interceptions.
Portland State, now 2-2, 3-4, managed to pull away despite turning the ball over four times.
The Vikings' defense played a strong game after Idaho State surprised PSU with its early play-calling.
“Idaho State's first drive, they didn't do anything that we got ready for,” Vikings coach Jerry Glanville told the Oregonian. “They changed everything from the scouting report ... so then we had to change.
“Everything we practiced, we threw out and said, ‘Let's play like we don't have a scouting report.' We have base stuff that we do without a scouting report, and we kicked it right to that and they never scored another touchdown.”
Portland State averaged 8.5 yards a play, and finished with a 547-383 edge. The Vikings' defense held ISU to just eight first downs in the second half.
“We were mad at halftime,” Glanville said. “We weren't letting them score, but we really weren't smackin' them.”
Idaho State travels to No. 4 Cal Poly on Saturday, while Portland State visits Weber State.
Mixed signals
Northern Colorado coach Scott Downing was still a little unclear following the game why starting quarterback Bryan Waggener sat out the second half against Montana.
The transfer from Florida was “dinged,” Downing told the Greeley Tribune, even though Waggener wasn't showing a noticeable injury and was moving up and down the sideline in the second half, the Tribune reported.
“To his credit, Wags probably got hurt earlier in the half and just didn't even admit anything and was just out there playing because he probably wasn't doing what he normally does, which is throw the ball on target,” Downing said. “He was pulling it down to run a little more than we would like, and what he usually does, so obviously we took a look at him at halftime and had decided to hold him out in the second half.”
Players of the week
Offense: Trevyn Smith, RB, Weber State. Smith, junior from Springville, Utah, rushed for 103 yards and scored three touchdowns in then-No. 16 Weber State's 42-14 win at then-No. 16 Northern Arizona. Defense: Beau Hadley, S, Weber State. Hadley, a junior from Taylor, Utah, tallied 11 total tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in Weber State's win at NAU. Both of his forced fumbles led to Wildcat scores. Special teams: Danny Urrego K/P, Portland State. Urrego, a senior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., made three field goals and three extra points in Portland State's 36-13 victory over Idaho State.
Quote of the week
“I saw Chase (Reynolds) cutting back and we almost made eye contact, I felt like, on the field. He was like, ‘Go! Go get him!' and I was like, ‘All right, I'll go get this guy as long as you put it in the end zone.' It was kind of weird.”
- UM receiver Mike Ferriter on his block to help spring Reynolds on his 43-yard touchdown run
Game to watch
Northern Arizona at Montana, Saturday: NAU's loss to Weber State doesn't diminish the importance of this game a bit. Both teams are fighting for playoff positioning and possibly even their playoff lives ... depending on how things shake out the rest of the season.
Power poll
1 Weber State (7-2): It's looking more and more like the Wildcats could cruise through the Big Sky undefeated. Very impressive.
2 Montana (7-1): UM's rebound after losing to WSU is just as impressive. Griz offense is clicking, which will be important against the Jacks and their injured pride.
3 N. Arizona (6-2): We warned NAU last week not to get too emotional, and, according to Jerome Souers, they did. Bad Jacks, bad Jacks. Coming to Missoula usually doesn't help the situation.
4 E. Washington (3-4): After a week off, Eastern gets a limping Sacramento State. Eagles could be the spoiler in Weber's perfect plans if they can get healthy.
5 Montana State (4-4): Defense played another solid game against the Hornets, but offense scored just two touchdowns on their own.
6 Portland State (3-4): Vikings disappeared against Northern Arizona's defense two weeks ago. Now they get another great D to throw that crazy passin' game at.
7 N. Colorado (1-6): Still think this is a decent team. Took a step back against UM, but Grizzlies have that effect on people sometimes.
8 Sac State (3-5): Losers of three straight and going nowhere fast.
9 Idaho State (0-8): Started feeling sorry for Bengals about three weeks ago. Now it's just hard to watch.
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