BSC Week 1 Review
Lance Berndt & Kris Kallem, BSC Contributors | September 8, 2015
Lance says-
#23 Portland State 24, FBS Washington State 17
The Vikings were picked to finish in the bottom fourth of the conference, but they may be turning a lot of heads in the Big Sky with this win. Anytime a team can hold a Mike Leach offense under 20 points, praise deserves to be handed out. The final game winning drive showcased PSU’s desire to run the ball with David Jones, Alex Kuresa, Paris Penn, and Steven Long all having significant carries. Aaron Sibley stamped the win for Portland State with an interception ending Wazzu’s final drive.
(ORV) North Dakota 24, FBS Wyoming 13
Many of us in the Big Sky knew North Dakota had a strong defense, but we didn’t know it was that good. UND shut out Wyoming for 3 quarters and held the Cowboys to just 41 rushing yards. When Bubba Schweigert took the head coaching job last season, he promised he would reignite UND’s rushing attack. They made that clear rushing for 276 yards, which helped them control the time of possession holding the ball for over 37 minutes. Freshman John Santiago led the rushing attack with 148 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 carries.
(ORV) Northern Arizona 34, Stephen F. Austin 28
Now I’ll have to admit, this game surprised me just a little bit. Not necessarily with NAU winning, but rather them winning with very strong offensive numbers. Casey Jahn led a strong rushing attack with 157 yards on 21 carries, but the real story was the connection that developed between true freshman QB Case Cookus and sophomore receiver Emmanuel Butler. Cookus finished the game with 267 yards through the air, while Butler caught 7 passes for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns.
#10 Cal Poly 20, #8 Montana 19
The week of surprise performances in the Big Sky was capped off by Cal Poly’s impressive win at Washington-Grizzly stadium. The Mustangs held Brady Gustafson and the Montana offense in check by simple containment. The Griz were able to pick up short gains and the occasional 15+ yard reception, but anytime they slipped up just slightly, the Cal Poly D was there to capitalize hauling in 3 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. Chris Brown and the Cal Poly option attack helped control the time of possession throughout the game and utilized patience in gaining the yards they needed on their key final drive which resulted in Alex Vega kicking an impressive game-winning 49 yard field goal. Mustang defensive back B.J. Nard came away with all 3 interceptions, while Griz linebacker Kendrick Van Ackeren led the team with 20 total tackles.
Kris Says-
Northern Colorado 42 Western State 34
Northern Colorado gave up 587 yards to the Division II Mountaineers including 285 on the ground but managed to avoid the embarrassing loss.
# 22 Idaho State 55 Black Hills State 0
Transfer quarterback Michael Sanders had a very efficient debut for the Bengals going 15-18 for 278 yards and five touchdowns. Junior running back Jakori Ford out-shined last season’s big sky rushing champion Xavier Finney with 201 yards on the ground. Idaho state was also solid on defense giving up just 155 yards.
Oregon 61 #9 Eastern Washington 42
Eastern lost the turnover battle and the defense got gashed as expected but 42 points were the most put on Oregon in Autzen Stadium since USC’s 51 back in 2012. The Eagles kept things respectable with quarterbacks Jordan West and Reilly Hennessey combining for 438 yards and 5 touchdowns. Wide Receiver Cooper Kupp was outstanding, setting stadium records for receptions with 15 and yards with 246.
Sacramento State 41 Eastern Oregon 20
The Hornets played solid on both sides of the ball led by Darnell Sankey’s 11 tackles, and a two touchdown, 296 yard throwing performance by new quarterback Daniel Kniffin.
Big Sky Conference Players of the Week
Offensive Player Of The Week – Cooper Kupp & Emmanuel Butler
Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp and Northern Arizona wide receiver Emmanuel Butler shared the honors. Kupp set personal and Autzen Stadium records of 15 receptions for 246 yards to go along with 2 touchdowns. Butler caught 7 balls for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns against Stephen F. Austin.
Defensive Player Of The Week – Aaron Sibley
Portland State’s corner Aaron Sibley tallied 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, a broke up pass, a blocked field goal, and the game clinching interception.
Special Teams Player of the Week – Alex Vega
Cal Poly’s Alex Vega who’s 49 yard field goal was the game winner against the Griz.
