Following are Sunday’s Montana State football notes as provided by the MSU Sports Information Department …
INJURY REPORT
OUT – SEASON: DE Odin Coe, OL Christian Williams, OL Charles Lee. OUT – INDEFINITELY: TE Tiai Salanoa. DOUBTFUL: OG Matthew Devereux
PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEES
Offense – RB Cody Kirk (5-10, 208, Jr, Frenchtown, MT)
After missing two games with an injury, Cody Kirk scored three touchdowns and rushed for 160 yards in Montana State’s 55-10 win over North Dakota Saturday. Kirk’s three-yard touchdown run gave the Bobcats a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter, and his one-yard run early in the second quarter pushed the lead to 21-7. He gained at least 30 yards in each quarter.
Defense – LB Jody Owens (6-0, 218, Sr, Mesquite, TX)
Jody Owens led a Bobcat defense that held the league’s most prolific offense entering the game (472.9 yards per game, first in the league, and 37.4 points per game, second) to just 180 yards and nine first downs in a decisive 55-10 Montana State victory. Owens logged five tackles, including four solo stops, but was instrumental in the effort to keep UND quarterback Braden Hanson off balance. Owens logged two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Special Teams – none
Freshman – LT John Weidenaar (6-7, 267, Fr, Manhattan, MT)
Montana State’s starting left tackle in all eight games thus far, John Weidenaar anchored a dynamic offensive performance Saturday. The freshman from Manhattan, Mont., paved the way for a 436-yard MSU ground game, the third-highest output in school history. That production included a pair of 100-yard rushers – Cody Kirk gained 160 and Orenzo Davis 145 – along with a career-high 68 yards by Shawn Johnson. The Bobcats offensive line allowed no sacks on the afternoon, helping produce a school-record 695 yards of total offense.
BOBCAT NOTES
• Montana State’s 695 yards and 39 first downs against North Dakota were school records Saturday, while the 436 rushing yards was third-best in MSU history
• Rob Ash’s 46th win as MSU’s head coach draws him to within one of Sonny Holland’s school record
• DeNarius McGhee’s three touchdown passes raises his school-record career total to 64
• Cody Kirk’s 160 rushing yards pushes his career total to 2,002, making him the ninth Bobcat to pass the 2,000-yard mark
• Kirk’s three rushing touchdowns moves him into third in school history with 25
• Montana State remains the Big Sky team with the best conference record since the beginning of 2010 (18-3), while Eastern Washington is second (17-5)
• Lee Perkins caught his second touchdown in as many games for the Bobcats Saturday, and two of his six catches this season have been for paydirt
• Senior receiver Chase Young caught his first career pass on Saturday
• Montana State continues to lead the Big Sky in rushing defense, pass defense efficiency, and total defense, and is second in scoring defense and pass defense
• MSU leads the Big Sky in scoring offense
TEAM AWARDS
OFFENSIVE MVP: Offensive unit
DEFENSIVE MVP: Defensive unit
KICK TEAMS MVP: Eryon Barnett (Euless, TX)
OFFENSIVE SCOUT: Dillon Fraley (Bigfork, MT)
DEFENSIVE SCOUT: LB Robert Walsh (Twin Bridges, MT)
SPECIAL TEAMS SCOUT: Cody Dopps (Bigfork, MT)
— MSU Sports Information
