This Week’s Sky Highlights
Just five Big Sky Conference teams are in action during the third week of the season....No. 5 Montana makes its home debut against Southern Utah...Montana State travels to Minnesota to face the Golden Gophers of the Big Ten Conference for the first time...Weber State returns home to take on Division II Dixie State of St. George, Utah...Portland State treks to California to take on UC Davis...The Weber State, Sacramento State, and Montana games can be viewed for free at www.bigskytv.org...Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Northern Arizona, and Northern Colorado all have this Saturday off...The Montana State game will be televised on the Big Ten Network. Portland State’s came will be on Comcast Sports Net West & Northwest.
This Week’s Sky Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 13.......................................................................... Time
Series: First Meeting. TV: Big Ten Network
Series: UM leads 3-1. Last Meeting: UM won 37-17 in 2007.
Series Streak: UM has won 2. TV: CW-Missoula.
Video Stream: www.bigskytv.org.
Series: SAC leads 4-1. Last Meeting: SO won 21-7 in 1962
Series Streak: Southern Oregon has won one.
Video Stream: www.bigskytv.org.
Series: First Meeting
Video Stream: www.bigskytv.org.
Series: PSU leads 6-2. Last Meeting: UC Davis won 26-17 in 2007..
Series Streak: UC Davis has won 1.
TV: Comcast Sports Net West & Comcast Sports Net Northwest
Times Local to Site/Subject to Change
Around the Big Sky
ETEUATI SETS LEAGUE RETURN YARDAGE RECORD: Weber State’s Bryant Eteuati became the Big Sky’s all-time leader in kickoff return yardage late Saturday night against Hawaii. Eteuati returned the opening kickoff 44 yards, giving him 2,072 career kick return yards. He surpassed the previous mark of 2,041 set by Weber State’s Wiley King from 2002-05. Eteuati has 74 career kick returns and two touchdowns. In 2007, he set a Big Sky single-season record with 43 returns for a record 1,199 yards.
SOOOO CLOSE: Eastern Washington and Sacramento State were both on the brink of upsetting Colorado Football Bowl Subdivision schools on Saturday, before falling in the final minutes. Sacramento State took a 20-17 lead on Colorado State with 10:03 to play when Tony Washington caught a 40-yard touchdown from Jason Smith. CSU tied the game 20-20 with 1:29 to play on a 36-yard Ben Deline field goal. Sacramento State’s Evander Wilkins fumbled on the Hornets’ second offense play after the field goal when he was met by James Morehead. CSU recovered, and Deline made a 20-yard field goal to win the game as time expired…Down the road in Boulder, Eastern Washington led Colorado 24-17 with under three minutes to play. Colorado tied the game 24-27 with 2:05 left when Cody Hawkins threw a 2-yard TD pass to Jake Behrens. Colorado won the game when Cha’pelle Brown intercepted a Matt Nichols pass and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown with 1:44 to play. Nichols threw for 303 yards in the loss.
FINALLY A BREAK: Unlike Eastern Washington and Sacramento State, who couldn’t catch a break late in games on Saturday, Montana got one in its 30-28 road victory over 11th-ranked Cal Poly. Cal Poly’s Andrew Gardner, who beat San Diego State with a field goal in the final seconds last week, missed a 27-yard field goal with 43 seconds to play, securing UM’s victory…In 2006, Montana beat Cal Poly 10-9 on a last-second field goal by Dan Carpenter…Montana extended its string of regular-season victories to 22 with the victory…Senior Andrew Schmidt rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown in his first career start for Montana.
NAU OFFENSE EXPLODES: Northern Arizona rolled up a school record 752 yards of total offense in its 68-10 victory over Division II New Mexico Highlands. The 752 yards of offense surpassed the previous mark of 674 set in 1989 against Nevada. Good things seemed to come in two on offense for the Lumberjacks. Two running backs – Alex Henderson (120) and Derrick Johnson (118) - each rushed for more than 100 yards. Quarterbacks Michael Herrick and Lance Kriesien each threw two touchdown passes. Receivers Conrad Meadows and Skyler Moore each caught two touchdown passes. Henderson had two rushing touchdowns. Meadows had 134 receiving yards. The Big Sky record for total offense in a game is 876 by Weber State in a 1985 game against Idaho State.
THOMPSON NABS 17: Idaho State senior receiver Eddie Thompson set a school record with 17 catches in the Bengals’ 42-27 loss at Idaho. Thompson suffered a dislocated finger in the second half, but kept playing. Thompson’s 17 catches broke the previous mark of 15 set by Ed Bell in a 1969 game against Montana. The league record for catches in a game is 21 set by Montana State’s David Prandt in 1985 against Eastern Washington. The 17 catches ties for the fourth-most in league history. EWU’s Aaron Boyce caught 17 in a loss to Montana in 2007. Idaho’s Jerry Hendren caught 17 against Southern Mississippi in 1969.
Extra-points: Big Sky teams led Bowl Subdivision teams at halftime of three of the six contests on Saturday. Weber State led Hawai’i 17-7, Sacramento State led Colorado State 10-7, Eastern Washington led Colorado 21-7. All three Big Sky teams lost…Montana State surrendered 69 points against Kansas State, the most points allowed by the Bobcats since a 69-0 loss to Emmitt Smith and Florida in the 1988 season. It was tied for the third-largest point total MSU has ever allowed…Northern Colorado trailed Purdue 14-0 at the half. UNC finished with 22 first downs, compared to 17 for Purdue. UNC also had more rushing yards than Purdue, 122-116, and dominated the time of possession, 37:20 to 22:40...Northern Arizona’s Robbie Dehaze became the school’s all-time leading scrorer..Dehaze scored 12 points in the win over New Mexico Highlands, and how has 244 career points...Montana remained fifth in this week’s Sports Network Top 25, but moved up to third in the Coaches’ Poll. Eastern Washington dropped to 14th in the Coahes’ Poll, and 16th in the Sports Network Poll. Northern Arizona was the top team receiving votes not in the top 25 in both polls.