BSC Week 11 Review
Lance Berndt & Kris Kallem, BSC Contributors | November 17, 2015
Kris Says-
North Dakota 45 Northern Colorado 14
North Dakota churned out 408 yards rushing including John Santiago’s 180 to lead 45-0 at half. Iwarri Smith and Kyle Norberg chipped in with scores of their own and the North Dakota defense did their part holding the Bears to just 275 yards of total offense. With quality wins over FBS Wyoming and Portland State, North Dakota has built a solid resume for an at-large bid.
Northern Arizona 49 Sacramento State 35
Lumberjack quarterback Case Cookus continues his impressive season passing for 408 yards and 6 touchdowns against the Hornets. Sacramento State had some success as well with Nate Ketteringham throwing for 4 touchdowns and the Hornets gaining a total of 472 yards in total offense.
Cal Poly 55 UC Davis 38
Cal Poly rolls up an impressive 669 yards of total offense as quarterback Chris Brown throws for 3 scores, rushes for one, and catches a touchdown pass for another. With one of the toughest schedules in the FCS, Cal Poly might be the best 4-6 team in the country.
Lance says-
Montana 57 Eastern Washington 16
The last time Eastern Washington lost by more than 40 points to an FCS team was 20 years ago in a 63-7 loss to, you guessed it, Montana. It’s rare to see such a blowout loss for the Eagles, but that’s what happened last Saturday. The Grizzlies jumped on Eastern early and often, getting off to a 27-3 lead before 20 minutes had passed in the game. Griz RB Jeremy Calhoun scored the first three TDs of the game on short runs. A steady combination of backfield pressure from the Montana defense and QB Brady Gustafson, who played his game in nearly two months, helped Montana step on the gas pedal rather than let Eastern back into the game. It was a sloppy game when it came to turnovers. Both teams lost 3 fumbles, but the Eagles also threw 3 interceptions. JR Nelson hand one of those interceptions and returned it for a touchdown for the second straight game. Herbert Gamboa also had a fumble recovery return for a touchdown. Of all the people happy that Gustafson was back, Jamaal Jones had to be right up there as he hauled in 6 receptions for 156 yards and 1 TD.
Montana State 44 Idaho State 20
Is Montana State’s defense finally figuring out what to do to stop the other team? It sure looked like they had things figured out for most of the game holding the Bengals scoreless through the first 34 minutes. It was a very efficient game on both sides of the ball for the Bobcats. Dakota Prukop passed for 4 touchdowns to 4 different receivers. Chad Newell ran for 110 yards on 18 carries. Mac Bignell led the defense with 9 total tackles, 4 of those for a loss, and one sack. Xavier Finney had a good running game for the Bengals tallying 145 yards on just 15 carries. Back to Montana State, kicker Luke Daly had arguably the best game an FCS kicker has had this season. He was 3 for 3 on field goals from distances of 57, 53, and 29 yards. He also was a perfect 5 for 5 on extra points. The 57 yard field goal is tied for the longest an FCS kicker has had this season.
Portland State 24 Southern Utah 23
It was set up to be the game of the week, and the matchup did not disappoint the fans. Neither team led by more than a touchdown in this back and forth battle. Southern Utah did seem to be more successful on offense, doubling Portland State in first downs and out-gaining them by 173 yards. The Viking defense held strong once the T-Birds reached their end of the field, though. The Portland State defense made big plays all game. As a team they racked up 4 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 9 tackles for loss. DB Patrick Onwuasor had one of those INTs and leads the FCS with 9 on the season. For Southern Utah, QB Ammon Olsen had a pretty good game passing for 384 yards and 2 TDs. He had those 3 INTs, but still a chance to take the lead with just over a minute to play on a two point conversion attempt. He had a wide open receiver in the middle of the field, but he fired a 98 mph fastball at his feet and the Vikings held on for the big win. WR Mike Sharp had a big game for the Thunderbirds hauling in 10 passes for 197 yards and 2 TDs.
Players of the Week:
Offense
For the offense it is once again freshman QB Case Cookus from Northern Arizona. He was 25 of 33 for 407 yards and 6 TDs pushing his season total to 33, which is an FCS Freshman Record. He also ran for a TD. It’s safe to say, the rest of the Big Sky is hoping he gets a call up to a big FBS school.
Defense
On defense we have a shared title. First is Xavier Coleman from Portland State. The Viking DB made two key interceptions, both near the PSU goal line, in the big win over Southern Utah.
The other winner is Montana Defensive Lineman Tyrone Holmes. He swarmed the backfield all game and racked up 3 sacks adding up to 14 on the season, which leads the FCS.
Special Teams
On special teams, it is of course the aforementioned Luke Daly of MSU. His 57 yard field goal was the longest ever kicked by a visitor at Idaho State. Daly is also the only FCS kicker this season to record two 50 plus yard field goals in one game. He’s just a sophomore, but he’s 8 for 9 on the season and 50 for 50 on extra points.
