Following are game notes for the Montana State football team’s game at Southern Utah on Saturday provided by the MSU Sports Information Department. Click below for a PDF of the MSU-SO media game notes.
THE STORYLINE
Montana State hits the road this week, beginning a two-game stretch of games against new Big Sky schools in stadiums which the Cats have never visited. Southern Utah is first up. The Thunderbirds rallied from a 21-3 deficit for a 49-42 win at Portland State last week. Quarterback Brad Sorensen throws for 242.0 yards per game, with an 11-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio, while MSU has allowed 943 passing yards in the past three games. Bobcat signal caller DeNarius McGhee has thrown for 271 yards a game.
THIS WEEK’S GAME
KICKOFF: 1:35 p.m.
SITE: Cedar City, Utah
STADIUM: Eccles Coliseum
RADIO: Bobcat Radio Network (Tyler Wiltgen, Dan Davies)
TELEVISION: ROOT Sports (Tom Glasgow, Jason Stiles, Jen Mueller)
FOR OPENERS
• For the third time in the last four games, a Bobcat assistant coach – Kevin McGiven in this instance – faces a school at which he previously coached
• Rob Ash’s 43 wins at MSU moves him to within four of the school’s all-time wins record (47, Sonny Holland), which would put him on top of the wins list at three different schools
STADIUM STUFF
• MSU averages 418.7 yards and 32.2 yards per game in four-plus seasons on its turf
• Montana State makes its first appearance at Southern Utah’s Eccles Coliseum this week, and at UC Davis’ Aggie Stadium next week
BIG SKY BULLET POINTS
• So far in 2012, Big Sky teams have wins over the Pac 12 (Sac State beat Colorado), Mountain West (NAU topped UNLV, Cal Poly beat Wyoming), and WAC (EWU beat Idaho)
• MSU leads the Big Sky in third down offense (57.4%) and defense (23.6%)
2012 MSU SCHEDULE
Aug. 30 — Chadron State, W, 33-6
Sept.8 — at Drake, W, 34-24
Sept. 15 — Stephen F. Austin, W, 43-35
Sept. 22 — *Northern Colorado, W, 41-16
Sept. 29 — *at Southern Utah, 1:35 p.m.
Oct 6 . — *at UC Davis, 5:05 p.m. MT
Oct. 13 —*Eastern Wash., 1:35 p.m.
Oct. 27 — *North Dakota, 2:05 p.m.
Nov. 3 — *at Sacramento St, 5:05 p.m. MT
Nov. 10 — *Portland State, 1:35 p.m.
Nov. 17 — *at Montana, 1:35 p.m.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Montana State’s 4-0 start is its best since winning its first eight games of 1978
• Montana State has four scoring drives of 85 yards or longer in 2012
STREAKS
• DeNarius McGhee has started – and completed a touchdown pass in – each of his first 29 games as a Bobcat
• Montana State’s back-to-back 40-point games marks only the seventh time in school history for that feat
• The Bobcats have scored at least 30 points in the first four games of a season for the first time since 1956
MILESTONES
• DeNarius McGhee‘s 56 career TD passes is 4th in Bobcat history, third in school history and four from Kelly Bradley’s career mark of 60
• Cody Kirk’s 22 career rushing TDs is fifth in MSU history
SHINING
• WR Tanner Bleskin caught 10 balls and topped the 100-yard receiving mark for the second straght game, and his 105.0 receiving yards a game is 12th in the FCS
• DE Caleb Schreibeis logged a game-clinching sack, giving him 2.5 on the season and 16 in his career, vs. SFA
• RB Tray Robinson has nine catches for 80 yards in the last two games, and has a TD catch in three of the four games
ROOT SPORTS
DIRECTV customers may locate the Big Sky Game of the Week on ROOT SPORTS Channel 687 in the Northwest region and Channel 683 in the Rocky Mountain region. The game is also available in the outer market on Audience Network Channel 239-1. On Dish Network, games air on Channel 426 in the Northwest Region and Channel 414 in the Rocky Mountain Region. ROOT SPORTS is available on cable throughout Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington Wyoming, New Mexico, and parts of Nevada, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas.
