Big Sky Week 3 Scores & Recap

Cal Poly 56 Western Oregon 7 (San Luis Obispo, CA)

The Mustangs were back at home this weekend, taking on D2 Western Oregon, just the second meeting between the two programs all-time. The first was last year’s tilt in San Luis Obispo that saw Cal Poly pull out a 31-14 victory. The Mustangs offense shone bright and often in this one, including 376 yards through the air and 4 touchdowns. Redshirt senior WR Michael Briscoe nabbed all 4 touchdowns on 6 catches for 148 yards on the day. Cal Poly rotated through their QB room, giving reps to redshirt sophomore Ty Dieffenbach, redshirt junior Anthony Grigsby, Jr., redshirt sophomore Jackson Akins, and redshirt junior Bo Kelly.The Cal Poly running back room had their say, as well, logging 140 net yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground. On defense, redshirt sophomore CB Kresean Kizzy capped off the Mustangs’ performance with a 74 yard pick six with just 2:43 left in the game. The defense held Western Oregon to just 68 net yards on the ground, but 261 yards and a touchdown through the air. Both teams were penalized heavily, with the Mustangs committing 9 for 100 yards and the Wolves at 10 for 90 yards. Cal Poly will hit the road for one more out of conference matchup at Stephen F. Austin on Saturday before beginning conference play the following at Sacramento State.

Northern Iowa 17 Eastern Washington 14 (Cedar Falls, IA)

The Eags were on the road again this week, visiting the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s Northern Iowa Panthers at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, IA. The Eastern offense had a tough time finding its feet, being held scoreless through 3 quarters, down 17-0. But, a UNI fumble gave the Eags life, setting up a short 37 yard drive for a touchdown by redshirt sophomore QB Nate Bell on the ground. Eastern gave the Panthers a little more heartburn on the next drive, blocking a UNI punt to give themselves another short field. That set up Bell for another touchdown scamper, this time for 40 yards. With the game now 17-13 and 8:30 left, UNI took a long drive to eat up 6 plus minutes of clock before turning it over on downs. The Eags marched down the field, giving Bell the chance for a 3rd touchdown of the day on the ground. But, the play was nullified by an illegal formation penalty. As time wound down, Eastern went for the 42 yard field goal attempt, missing with just 8 seconds left. Bell was the Eags hero for the day, clocking 159 yards through the air with 89 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. On defense, the Eastern secondary had a hard time containing UNI QB Matthew Scheklman, allowing 359 yards and 2 touchdowns. EWU will have their home opener next weekend, hosting the OVC’s Western Illinois on the red turf.

#6 Idaho 20 Utah Tech 6 (Moscow, ID)

The Vandals celebrated the 50th anniversary of their iconic Kibbie Dome, hosting the UAC’s Utah Tech. Tech has looked feisty in their last 2 games, giving UC Davis and Northern Arizona a run for their money before ultimately falling short. The Vandals aimed to set the tone early, jumping out to a 10-0 lead before the Trailblazers kicked a field goal as time expired to go into the locker room down 10-3 at the half. After giving up another Utah Tech field goal in the second half, Idaho found a rhythm in the 4th quarter, capping a 12 play, 94 yard drive with a Joshua Wood touchdown on the ground to put the game out of reach. Redshirt sophomore RB Art Williams was the star, piling up 144 net yards on the ground. He was joined by Wood, who contributed 85 yards of his own. The Vandals ended the day with a whopping 286 yards rushing and a touchdown. The Idaho defense showed true grit when it needed to, ending the final Trailblazer drive with an interception after 14 plays and 44 yards. But, first year head coach Thomas Ford may push them a little harder next week, as the defense failed to record a single QB sack. Overall, the Vandals played a very clean game, committing just a single penalty for 5 yards. They’ll hit the road again next week for another FBS matchup, this time with San Jose State of the Mountain West. The following week, they’ll renew the rivalry with Montana, taking on the Griz in Missoula for the Little Brown Stein to open Big Sky play.

Idaho State BYE

The Bengals had the week off, preparing for their home opener against D2 Lincoln this weekend.

#5 Montana 24 #11 North Dakota 23 (Missoula, MT)

The game of the week in the Big Sky didn’t disappoint, seeing 2 ranked powerhouses tangle at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday afternoon. North Dakota with a big 84 pass play to score the game’s first touchdown. But, in a moment that would come back to haunt them, the Fighting Hawks missed the extra point. Another 1st quarter touchdown saw the UND lead grow to 13-0. The Griz answered at the end of the 1st quarter with a touchdown drive of their own. Another North Dakota field goal in the 2nd quarter saw the teams head to the locker room with a 16-7 advantage for UND. A back and forth 3rd quarter produced little until all-Big Sky LB Peyton Wing nabbed an interception to give the Griz offense a short field. They capitalized with a touchdown to bring the game to a 16-14 UND advantage. After a Fighting Hawks touchdown gave them some breathing room, the Griz went to work, scoring a field goal and the go-ahead touchdown with just 1:35 to go in the game. The missed UND PAT from the 1st quarter became the difference, ultimately leading the Griz to victory. Redshirt sophomore QB Keali’i Ah Yat led the way 300 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 INTs through the air. The Griz defense had a hard time containing Fighting Hawks QB Jerry Kaminski, giving up 85 yards on the ground along with 258 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air. The Griz will take the rank win into next week, where they’ll host another MVFC team in Indiana State at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

#3 Montana State 41 San Diego 7 (Bozeman, MT)

After the thrill of an overtime win over ranked Southern Utah last weekend, the Toreros were brought back down to earth by a Montana State squad hungry for a win after their own overtime loss to #2 South Dakota State. For the majority of the game, it was all Bobcats, building up a 38-0 lead with 5 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter. The Toreros put together their lone scoring drive early in the 4th quarter, scoring a touchdown after a 10 play, 65 yard drive. The Bobcat offense tallied 539 yards total, 321 yards through the air and 218 yards on the ground. Montana State transfer QB Justin Lamson logged 293 of those passing yards, along with 3 touchdowns and an INT. The MSU defense had a day of their own, holding the Toreros to 143 yards passing and 66 yards rushing. The Bobcats will continue their homestand next week, hosting Mercyhurst fresh off of their loss against Sacramento State.

#20 Northern Arizona 52, Southern Utah 49 (Cedar City, UT)

A back-and-forth affair had the Lumberjacks and the Thunderbirds tied up at halftime, 14-14. NAU caught the T-Birds sleeping to start the 2nd half, using an onside kick to immediately get the ball back and score a touchdown. A bad punt on the next SUU drive coupled with a 15-yard penalty put the Lumberjacks in position to add another touchdown, jumping out to a 28-14 lead just 5 and a half minutes into the 2nd half. SUU was just a step behind until they tied things up at 42-42 with 9:16 remaining in the game. Then, the Thunderbirds grabbed the lead, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 4:31 left in the game. NAU answered with a long 79-yard touchdown drive to take the lead back 50-49, sealing the victory. NAU junior QB Ty Pennington slung the pill for 366 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air, in spite of suffering 4 sacks. Pennington’s favorite target, redshirt senior WR Kolbe Katsis hauled in 135 of those yards and 2 touchdowns on 6 catches. Defensively, the Lumberjacks stacked 7 TFLs on the day for 28 total yards. NAU redshirt senior LB Travis Arena exploded for 3 sacks totaling 16 yards. The Lumberjacks will head home to Flagstaff this weekend, hosting Incarnate Word.

#14 South Dakota 24 OT Northern Colorado 17(Vermillion, SD)

The Bears continued their season trend of playing tough defense, this time against the MVFC’s South Dakota Coyotes. The Bears defense did a number on Yotes QB Aidan Bouman, allowing just 99 yards passing and a touchdown through the air. The UNC secondary also claimed an INT by junior S Darrell Bryant, Jr. However, the run defense was a different story. The Bears allowed a staggering 307 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground to sink their hopes of an upset. Offensively, UNC redshirt junior QB Eric Gibson, Jr. 336 yards through the air and a touchdown on the day. Graduate TE Charles Garrison claimed 112 of those yards and a touchdown. After tying the game at 17-17 with 3 seconds remaining in regulation, the Bears defense struggled to hold back the USD run game, allowing a touchdown in OT after just 3 plays. The Bears offense started their own OT frame with a promising 14 yard pass from Gibson to Garrison before sputtering, ultimately turning the ball over on downs to lose the contest. The Bears will be on the road again this week, heading to Houston, TX to face Houston Christian on Saturday night.

Hawai’i 23 Portland State 3 (Manoa, HI)

Though the Viking offense had struggled in this young season, Coach Barney got the last laugh as he and the rest of the PSU crew got paid to head to Hawai’i to face the Rainbow Warriors in an FCS-FBS matchup to cap the night. Both teams started slow, with Hawai’i building a 14-0 lead at halftime thanks to the connection between Warriors QB Luke Weaver and RB Cam Barfield. In the second half, the Vikings broke the seal with a 25 yard field goal thanks to a bad Hawai’i punt that went just 22 yards and a face mask penalty to wipe out 15 yards of that. The PSU defense would give up two more field goals in the 4th quarter to end the night. But, Viking junior DL Spencer Elliott, junior DT Daniel Matagi, and senior DE Jayden Brannan each chipped in to log 2 sacks for a total of 16 yards. Offensively, PSU had a slow night, managing just 189 yards and an INT through the air and 41 yards rushing on the ground. Vikings sophomore QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele suffered 3 sacks himself for a total of 9 yards lost. Portland State will take the week off to work out the kinks and get ready to host Big Sky foe Northern Arizona on September 27th in Portland.

Sacramento State 49 Mercyhurst 28 (Sacramento, CA)

Hornets fans got their first glimpse of head coach Brennan Marion’s Go-Go Offense on Saturday, cheering Sac State on to a 21-point victory over visiting Mercyhurst. The Hornets set the tone early, going 74 yards in just 3 plays for a touchdown to start the game. Mercyhurst answered back, even taking an 18-14 lead with 2:36 remaining in the 1st half before Sac State added 7 more points on a quick 57-yard strike to lead 21-18 at the half. Mercyhurst would manage just 10 points in the 2nd half, while Coach Marion’s Go-Go Offense took over, putting up 28 points in the 3rd and 4th quarters to seal the victory. It was the Hornet run game that was the star, amassing a staggering 349 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground. Sophomore RB Damian Henderson II led the way with 98 of those yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. The Hornet defense also had their say, stacking up 7 TFLs for 30 yards lost, including 3 sacks for 21 of those yards and 2 INTs. Sac State will stay home to face Central Arkansas at Hornet Stadium this weekend.

#17 UC Davis BYE

After a tough matchup with Washington last weekend, the Aggies took the week off to prep for Southern Utah in their home opener at UC Davis Health Stadium this Saturday.

Weber State 42 McNeese 41 (Lake Charles, LA)

The Wildcats took the return trip to Lake Charles this weekend, after facing McNeese in Ogden last year. They made the most of the first half, jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead before heading into the locker room up 21-7 at the half. That’s when things got wild. The Pokes were always just one touchdown behind the Wildcats, answering back and forth throughout much of the 3rd quarter. After another touchdown by sophomore RB Davion Godley and a pick six from junior S BJ Carey, Weber State appeared to have the game tucked away with a commanding 42-21 lead with 9:45 remaining. But McNeese answered back, scoring 3 straight touchdowns, including a 79 yard dash by RB Tre’Vonte Citizen to kick off the rally. After scoring their 3rd touchdown of the 4th quarter with 42 seconds remaining, the Pokes chose to go for 2 and the win instead of kicking the PAT to tie.

McNeese QB Jake Strong attempted a pass to seal the victory, but the Wildcat defensive line were able to deflect his pass and survive the comeback. Wildcat sophomore QB Jackson Gilkey tallied 218 yards, a touchdown, and 2 INTs through the air while also rushing for 114 yards and touchdown on the ground. Senior WR Jayleen Record only had one catch on the day, but it was a big one: 78 yards for a touchdown to kick off scoring for the Weber State offense. Defensively, the Wildcats stacked up 7 TFLs for 21 total yards lost, including 2 sacks for 13 of those yards. The Wildcat secondary also did work, intercepting Strong twice, one for a 20 yard pick six. Weber State will head back to Ogden for their home opener at Stewart Stadium this weekend against Butler.