Game Day - Montana

8/13/2019 Game Day - Montana

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SATURDAY, NOV. 23VS. MONTANAGAME

DAY

FULL PAPER

INSIDE

NO. 5 MO NTANA VS. NO. 13 MONTANA STATE, BOBCAT STADIUM , 12:10 P.M.

HOMEFIELD

ADVANTAGE

The home team hasnt

won this rivalry game

since 2008. The

Chronicle attempts

to find out why I 5

INSIDE

WHO HAS THE

EDGE TODAY?

The Bobcats are

sputtering and will be

fighting for their playoff

lives this afternoon. Canthey top their rivals? I 2

WEVE GOT THEBRAWL OF THEWILD COVERED

For all of the latest updates

and analysis and to join the

discussion on the Bobcats

113th battle with rival

Montana, visit

dailychronicle.com/live

starting at noon today.

Also be sure and follow @

jmaletz and

@bozchronsports

on Twitter

They are a study in contrasts.The outgoing signal caller from aTexas high school football power

who dazzled as a redshirt freshman andwho has left an indelible impression on astate and a proud program.

The unheralded but hard-workingrunning back who grew up mere milesfrom Missoula yet was destined to be aCat and has made the most of his timein blue and gold.

The cerebral, stoic wide receiverlauded for his consistency and preciseroute running.

The soft-spoken, incomparablyintense defensive end who routinelyhas flustered opposing offenses andhas scripted a compelling chapter ina proud family tradition at MontanaState.

Together, DeNarius McGhee, CodyKirk, Tanner Bleskin and Brad Daly, theprominent members of a talented anddecorated senior class, have worked theirway up the depth chart an onto centerstage. They have won three conferencetitles, rewritten history, established astandard of excellence and cementedMSUs status as a perennial FCS and BigSky contender.

Its just awesome to play with theseguys. There are so many people Ivebeen together with for five years, andyou just develop a bond you will never

forget about, Kirk said this week. Ilove those guys to death; they are mybrothers. Weve been through so muchtogether weve cried together, wevelaughed together, weve sweated together,weve yelled at each other and gotten infights, but theyre my brothers.

Together, the tight-knit group has tieda school record with 37 wins in fourseasons.

Now, its sights are squarely set onNo. 38.

A few weeks ago, the Bobcats weresporting a top-five ranking and riding afive-game winning streak into their road

tussle with Eastern Washington. Consec-utive deflating losses to the Eagles and

Southern Utah, however, have exposeda variety of flaws, incited doubters, andclouded MSUs once promising postsea-son prospects.

Now, the sense of urgency that annu-ally accompanies the Brawl of the Wildis intensified. By most accounts, MSUneeds a win over bitter rival Montanathis afternoon to secure a postseasonberth.

The weight of this moment is not loston Kirk or McGhee, who is in the midstof the first two-game losing streak of hiscareer.

Its playoff time. Weve got to win ifwe want to keep playing, said Kirk, aFrenchtown native. I dont want to bedone playing football, and I know noneof us do.

Added McGhee, It means a lot, andwe just have to come out with the win. I came in here and Coach (Rob) Ashgave me the opportunity to play as ayoungster, and weve been able to do alot of things, but this is our last Cat-Grizgame. Of all the offensive coordinatorsand coaches Ive had within the pastyears, the one thats still handing herein the man over there, and thats CoachAsh, so Im going to make sure we endthis regular season with the win overthose guys.

PHOTOS BY A DRIAN SANCHEZGONZALEZ/CHRONICLE

Running back Cody Kirk and the Montana State seniors are gunning for a third win over rival Montana in the past four seasons.

Montana senior linebacker and

Bozeman native Brock Coyle

Bobcats seniors hoping to notch third win against Griz, extend season

GRIZ

CAT

Its just awesome to play with

these guys. There are so many

people Ive been together with

for five years, and you just devel-

op a bond you will never forget

about. Weve cried together,

weve laughed together, weve

sweated together, weve yelled at

each other and gotten in fights,

but theyre my brothers.

Cody Kirk

MoreJOURNEY I 6


2/6

2 | S, N ,

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BOBCATS GAME DAY

No. 5 Montana at No. 13 Montana State

12:10 p.m., Bobcat Stadium

Sideline BriefingRecordsNo. 13 Montana State 7-4, 5-2 Big SkyNo. 5 Montana 9-2, 5-2

Series113th meeting, Montana leads 70-37-5

Weather forecastSunny, 40 degrees

CrowdBobcat Stadium (17,777)

TVROOT SPORTS (Tom Glasgow, Jason Stiles, JenMueller)

RadioKXLB-FM (100.7) (Tyler Wiltgen, Dan Davies,Colter Nuanez)

Coaches

SchedulesMONTANA

Aug. 31 APPALACHIAN STATE W, 30-6Sept. 14 @ North Dakota W, 55-17Sept. 21 OK PANHANDLE ST. W, 47-14Sept. 28 @ Northern Arizona L, 34-16OCT. 5 PORTLAND STATE W, 55-27Oct. 12 @ UC Davis W, 42-7Oct. 19 CAL POLY W, 21-14 OTOct. 26 EASTERN WASHINGTON L, 42-37NOV. 2 @ SACRAMENTO ST. W, 5148 OTNov. 9 @ South Dakota W, 31-27Nov. 16 WEBER STATE W, 42-6Nov. 23 @ Montana State 12:10 p.m.

MONTANA STATEAug. 29 MONMOUTH W, 42-24

Sept. 7 @ Southern Methodist L, 31-30Sept. 14 COLORADO MESA W, 26-0Sept. 21 @ Stephen F. Austin L, 52-38Sept. 28 @ North Dakota W, 63-20Oct. 5 NORTHERN ARIZONA W, 36-7Oct. 19 @ Weber State W, 34-16Oct. 26 UC DAVIS W, 34-17Nov. 2 @ Northern Colorado W, 35-28Nov. 9 @ Eastern Washington L, 54-29Nov. 16 SOUTHERN UTAH L, 22-14

Nov. 23 MONTANA 12:10 p.m.

Injury reportMONTANA

Undisclosed

MONTANA STATE

Out for season:LB Naa Moeakiola (shoulder), WR

Kurt Davis (knee), LB Wyatt Christensen (knee)Out indefinitely:DL Zach Hutchins (undisclosed),

C Christian Williams (eye)

Probable:TE Tiai Salanoa (knee), RB Cody Kirk (knee),

RB Shawn Johnson (hip), LB Michael Foster (shoulder),

DB James Nelson (ankle), CB Sean Gords (hand)

Quick hitsnMontana State has not beaten Montana at home

since 2005.nCody Kirks 16 100-yard rushing games is secondin school history and one off the record. His 18touchdowns and 10.2 points per game lead the BigSky.nMontana is 44th in population but boasts two ofthe FCS top four schools (MSU fourth; UM first) inaverage attendance.

nDeNarius McGhees 11,043 passing yards is sixthin Big Sky history, and his 12,124 total yards isfourth.nAlex Singletons 19 tackles against SUU were the

most in the Big Sky this season.

ROB ASHMSU, 7th year

34th year overall

57-25 at MSU

233-124-5 overall

MICK DELANEYUM, 2nd year

4th year overall

14-8 at UM

19-19-1 overall

DEPTHCHARTS

Montana State

OffenseLEFT TACKLE55 John Weidenaar 6-7/280 So

76 Marshall Womack 6-5/280 Fr

LEFT GUARD

63 Kyle Godecke 6-5/315 So

64 Andy Austin 4-4/285 Sr

CENTER

74 Matthew Devereux 6-3/300 So

70 Joel Horn 6-4/295 So

RIGHT GUARD

75 JP Flynn 6-5/304 Fr

64 Andy Austin 6-4/285 Sr

RIGHT TACKLE

79 Quinn Catalano 6-4/300 Jr71 Alex Eekhoff 6-6/288 So

QUARTERBACK

9 DeNarius McGhee 6-0/212 Sr

2 Jake Bleskin 6-1/195 So

RUNNING BACK

25 Cody Kirk 5-10/213 Sr

33 Shawn Johnson 5-9/175 Jr

X RECEIVER

86 Tanner Bleskin 6-3/218 Sr

83 Manny Kalfell 6-3/193 So

F/Y RECEIVER

4 Jon Ellis 5-10/175 Sr

12 David Dash 5-7/174 Jr

Z RECEIVER

84 Brian Flotkoetter 6-2/211 Jr

11 Tanner Roderick 6-3/185 So

TIGHT END

93 Lee Perkins 6-2/240 Jr

80 Tiai Salanoa 6-3/257 Jr

KICKER

18 Rory Perez 6-3/185 Sr

DefenseEND

7 Preston Gale 6-3/254 Sr

10 Odin Coe 6-3/250 So

TACKLE

47 Taylor Dees 6-2/273 Jr

97 Connor Thomas 6-3/270 Fr

NOSE TACKLE

50 Craig Ashworth 6-1/280 Sr

90 Taylor Sheridan 6-3/280 So

BANDIT

41 Brad Daly 6-1/240 Sr

46 Hayden Vick 6-3/236 Jr

SAM LINEBACKER

16 Cole Moore 6-2/220 Jr

34 Blake Braun 6-1/225 Fr

MIKE LINEBACKER

51 Michael Foster 6-1/228 So

58 Rhett Young 6-0/215 JrWILL LINEBACKER

43 Alex Singleton 6-2/240 Jr

29 Feao Vunipola 5-10/222 Fr

BOUNDARY CORNER

37 Deonte Flowers 5-11/183 Jr

36 Brad Nordahl 5-11/172 Jr

ROVER

5 Robert Marshall 6-0/200 Jr

22 Eryon Barnett 6-2/200 Sr

FREE SAFETY

1 Steven Bethley 5-11/210 Sr

6 Cody Cleveland 6-0/190 Jr

FIELD CORNER

3 Sean Gords 5-10/193 Sr

38 Trace Timmer 5-11/188 So

PUNTER

18 Rory Perez 6-3/185 Sr

THE EDGEMONTANAATMSU

Theres no place to go

but up, right?

Bobcats fans sure

hope so after suffering

through last weeks

ugly offensive showing

against Southern Utah.

DeNarius

McGhee

was picked

off twice,

fumbledonce and

was barely

recognizable

through the

first three

quarters, throwing for

just 4 yards.

With Cody Kirk and

Shawn Johnson logging

extended time on the

sideline because of vari-

ous ailments, the Cats

were thoroughly out-

played. Kirk insists hes

ready to roll today, but

the true health of the

MSU backfield will go a

long way to determin-

ing the outcome.

Montanas stout front

seven will likely slow the

MSU ground

game, but

the Griz sec-

ondary is a

bit of a wildcard it has

surrendered

no touch-

down passes

in five games

but two or more in four;

Vernon Adams burned

it for six.

Expect a big day

from McGhee in what

could be his Bobcat

Stadium finale. We

dont think it will be

enough, though.

WHEN MONTANA STATE HAS THE BALL

Despite the return

of Jordan Johnson, a

quarterback made for

the spread, zone-read

option, Montana has ad-

opted a more traditional

offensive philosophy.

It now

relies on a

gigantic of-

fensive line

and a stableof backs

determined

to run right at

opponents.

Despite

UMs recent struggles

on the ground, MSU

is focused on shutting

down Montanas run

game, which would

greatly jeopardize UMs

play-action based pass-

ing attack.

Two matchups to fo-

cus on: Deonte Flowers

vs. Ellis Henderson. Hen-

derson averages nearly

26 yards per catch.

No. 2: Brad Daly vs.

whichever tackle he

lines up

across from

and the

back who

comesover to

chip block.

Montanas

tackles are

large and

slow; Daly comes off the

edge like a Corvette. If

Daly can get to Johnson,

the Cats get the edge.

If not, Montana State

will be in for a very long

day and a longer than

planned offseason.

WHEN MONTANA HAS THE BALL

When asked to ex-

plain why no team in

this rivalry has won

a Brawl of the Wild

home

game

since

2008,

Rob Ash

said, I

think

theres

something really spe-cial about silencing

a big crowd. Thats

sometimes more mo-

tivating than anything

you do in athletics.

The Griz can do

much more than that

this after-

noon: They

likely can

silence

their bit-

ter rivals

postseason

aspirations.

Sorry, Bozeman, butBrawl of the Wild

No. 113 goes to the

boys from Missoula.

EDGE

THE BOTTOM LINE

Montana

DefenseEND58 Zack Wagenmann 6-3/250 Jr

47 Derek Crittenden 6-3/240 So

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

92 Alex Bienemann 6-2/285 Sr

44 Caleb Kidder 6-5/260 So

NOSE TACKLE

95 Tonga Takai 6-3/315 Jr

54 Trevor Rehm 6-3/265 Jr

END

91 Tyrone Holmes 6-4/245 So

93 Zach Peevey 6-2/250 Fr

STRONGSIDE LINEBACKER

2 John Kanongataa 5-11/215 Sr

33 Connor Lebsock 6-2/205 So

MIDDLE LINEBACKER

56 Brock Coyle 6-2/245 Sr

35 Kendrick V. Ackeren 6-1/217 So

WEAKSIDE LINEBACKER

37 Jordan Tripp 6-3/237 Sr

9 Addison Owen 6-2/220 So

FIELD CORNERBACK

11 Nate Harris 5-10/180 So

14 Joshua Dennard 5-11/185 Jr

FREE SAFETY

12 Matt Hermanson 6-1/198 Jr

31 Justin Whitted 6-1/191 So

STRONG SAFETY

30 Bo Tully 6-2/199 Sr

20 Herbert Gamboa 6-1/195 So

BOUNDARY CORNERBACK

1 Anthony Goodwin 6-1/180 Sr

18 JR Nelson 6-0/177 Fr

PUNTER

88 Stephen Shaw 6-3/260 So

OffenseLEFT TACKLE

74 John Schmaing 6-7/291 So

79 Max Kelly 6-7/274 Fr

LEFT GUARD

72 Trevor Poole 6-5/290 Jr

65 Jordan Hines 6-4/291 Jr

CENTER

69 Kjelby Oiland 6-4/290 Sr

66 Logan Hines 6-4/290 Jr

RIGHT GUARD

75 William Poehls 6-8/345 Sr

71 Devon Dietrich 6-4/270 Fr

RIGHT TACKLE

76 Danny Kistler 6-8/315 Jr

78 Clint LaRowe 6-5/275 Fr

QUARTERBACK

10 Jordan Johnson 6-1/195 Jr

19 Shay Smithwick-Hann 6-4/219 Jr RUNNING BACK

26 Jordan Canada 5-9/190 Jr

8 Travon Van 5-11/195 Jr

FULLBACK

34 Jamal Wilson 5-11/238 So

36 Gavin Hagfors 6-2/226 So

SLOT RECEIVER

23 Cam Warren 5-7/160 Sr

5 Chase Naccarato 5-7/166 So

Z WIDE RECEIVER

7 Ellis Henderson 6-0/185 So

80 Sean Haynes 6-3/185 Jr

X WIDE RECEIVER

6 Jamaal Jones 6-1/188 So

81 Mitch Saylor 6-5/222 Jr

KICKER

53 Ben Worst 5-11/190 Fr

EDGE

31 21


3/6

S, N , | 3

CONTINUING

THE

DANHOF

TRADITION

CLAIM TO FAME:Since 1937, Danhof Chevrolet

has been serving the Gallatin

Valley, and providing

dependable vehicles and

quality service to our

customers. For 75 years

through four generations,

Danhof Chevrolet is

a Montana Tradition.

7 mi.south of Manhattan

6685 Amsterdam Road

406.282.7231 800.750.7231

www.danhofchevy.net

QUALITY YOU CAN COUNT ON

2013 MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY

#50 // Defensive Line

Craig Ashworth


4/6

4 | S, N ,

CONTINUING THE

DANHOF TRADITION

7 mi.south of Manhattan

6685 Amsterdam Road

406.282.7231 800.750.7231

www.danhofchevy.net

QUALITY YOU CAN COUNT ON

CLAIM TO FAME:

Since 1937, Danhof Chevrolet has

been serving the Gallatin

Valley, and providing

dependable vehicles and

quality service to our

customers. For 75 years through

four generations, Danhof

Chevrolet is a Montana

Tradition.

PICTURED:

Caleb & Ava Bellach in Papa

Dean Danhofs 1966 Chevy

(Great grandchildren of

founder Joe Danhof)PHOTOGRAPHY THOMAS LEE


5/6

S, N , | 5 BOBCATS GAME DAY



Bobcats aim to halt home woes against GrizzliesByKYLE SAMPLE

Chronicle Sports Writer

The two stadiums are consid-ered crown jewels.

One, on the south side ofBozeman with magnificent viewsof the Bridger Mountains to thenorth and the Spanish Peaks tothe southwest, is the venue ofthe reigning three-time Big SkyConference champions.

The other, on the banks ofthe Clark Fork River at the baseof Missoulas Mount Sentinel,boasts arguably the best home-field advantage in the FCS anFBS-style stadium shrunk to fit

the second highest level of col-lege football.

Over the past three years,Montana States Bobcat Stadiumhas consistently finished nearthe top of the FCS in attendance,while Montana fans routinelypack Washington-Grizzly Sta-dium tight enough to challengefor the FCS lead in that category.

The demand for tickets inBozeman and Missoula is sohigh that both stadiums haveexperienced renovations thatincreased available seating, builtgiant video boards and installedsynthetic turfs.

In short, at the FCS level itdoesnt get much better thanMontanas two Division I stadi-ums.

But over the past four years,the two stadiums have been inthe middle of a great mysterywithout a clear answer.

In 2008, the Bobcats arrivedin Missoula riding a four-gamewinning streak that gave them achance at a share of the confer-ence title if they could upset thefavored home team. Surprisingnearly everybody in the stadium,Montana sprinted out of itstunnel in throwback uniforms,

stoking the record-sized crowd.Less than 10 minutes into thefirst quarter, UM receiver MarkMariani scored on a 75-yard

punt return that sent the Griz toa 35-3 win.

It marked the last time thehome team won the matchup ofthe longtime rivals.

As both teams have expe-rienced such considerablehome-field advantages, how isit possible that the upper hand

disappears the last week of theseason?That is a good question,

Montana State head coach Rob

Ash said at Tuesdays news con-ference. I dont know exactly.Maybe, I think there is some-thing really special about silenc-ing a big crowd. Sometimes thatsmore motivating than anythingyou do in athletics. Weve bothbeen able to do that the past fouryears.

There are plenty of theoriesworth mentioning. Montana waswithout its quarterback and besetby off-field issues that plagued

its team a season ago; MontanaStates rise to a No. 1 rankingat the end of 2011 affected theteams focus; UM was break-ing in a new offense and a newcoaching staff in 2010.

The speculation is endless.In a game like this where the

place is full no matter which

place youre at the emotionand the excitement runs so highbecause theres been 113 years ofcompetition I dont think the

home field is near as much anadvantage in a game like this,

Montana coach Mick Delaneysaid.

Ash sides with the idea thatthe natural order of football hasunnaturally benefitted the visit-ing squad.

I think there is a lot of cir-cumstances that have gone intoeach of these games if you lookat them: which team is on a roll(and) who makes the plays, Ashsaid. There is always one or twokey plays that could happen oneither field it just happenedon that field that day. Thats whatusually decides the games.

In Montana States 21-16 win

in 2010 in Missoula, the Catsforced two Montana turnoversinside the MSU 5-yard line.One year later, Montanas JabinSambrano scored on a 79-yardreception just 20 seconds afteran MSU score that seemed to zapsome of the momentum Mon-tana built with a 12-0 halftimelead.

A photo of Sambranos scoreshows MSU safety Joel Fullerslightly misplaying the pass fromJordan Johnson. Had Fuller

jumped a second or two later, thepass likely wouldve been inter-cepted or fallen incomplete.

Whatever the explanationbehind the strange dynamicthat has unfolded over the pastfour years, Ash isnt taking hischances.

I told our fans at QuarterbackClub this week that its reallyimportant for the fans not toever get quiet, the seventh-yearcoach said. No matter what hap-pens, good or bad, lets roll thewhole game and keep the homefield advantage going.

Theres going to be timeswhen the Griz make a good playand weve got to get right backand going again as a crowd.

Kyle Sample can be reached [email protected] or582-2690. Follow him on Twitter@kylesample_bdc.

CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

Montana State fans were all smiles during last years Brawl of the Wild game in Missoula. The Bobcats have not

beaten the Grizzlies at home since 2005, however.

I think there is something really special about silencing a big crowd. Sometimes

thats more motivating than anything you do in athletics. Weve both been ableto do that the past four years.

Rob Ash, Montana State head coach


6/6

6 | S, N , BOBCATS GAME DAY



Ash agreed that only a vic-tory will do to reward a classthat has presided over one ofthe most successful stretchesin Bobcats history by anymeasure. The squad won eightgames in 2006 and 34 from2005-2009. They logged nine,10 and 11 wins from 2010-12and won three consecutiveconference crowns.

That streak was derailed thisfall, primarily because of spateof high-profile injuries nonebigger the McGhees shoulderseparation, which cost him twogames. Still, the team has pro-duced a host of notable bench-marks and program bests.

McGhee became the 14thplayer in college football his-

tory to pass for 10,000 yardsand rush for 1,000, joining alist that includes Steve McNair,Robert Griffin III, Russell Wil-son and former MSU standoutTravis Lulay, among others.The Bobcats career passingyards (11,043) and wins (36)leader, McGhee now is fourthin Big Sky history in totaloffense (12.124).

Kirks 18 rushing touch-downs is second on MSUssingle-season list, and hiscareer tally of 3,373 yards isjust 318 shy of Ryan Johnsonsschool-record. Bleskin, mean-

while, claimed the Bobcatscareer marks for both catches(188) and receiving yards(2,756) during a season thathas included four 100-yardefforts.

Daly, the third member ofhis family to be named a teamcaptain, joining father J. andbrother Bobby, has led the FCSin sacks and tackles for lossnearly the entire season. TheBuck Buchanan Award con-tenders career total of 34 sacksand 44 tackles for loss arefourth in Bobcats history.

More important than those

accolades, however, would be athird win in four years againstMontana, they all agree.

McGhee, who moved fromMississippi to suburban Dallas

as a child, said he considersBozeman a second home.

I understand what it meansto be a Bobcat, he added, andto travel around the state andto be questioned about thisgame even if its inthe middle of thesummer. Its defi-nitely a big deal inthis state, and itsa big deal to meand the rest of myteammates.

Kirk remem-bers first layingeyes on uncle andformer player TomMahlums 1984championshipring and walkingthe sidelines ingrade school. Heremembers celebrating withcousins after the Cats winin Missoula in 2002, whichsnapped a 16-game los-ing streak in the rivalry; theMissoulians front cover wasprominently featured on hisbedroom wall for two or threeyears.

I had no idea what wasgoing to happen; I was just alowly kid out of Frenchtown. Ididnt know, Coach Ash didnt

know, Kirk said. I think Ivehad a little bit of luck along theway. To be able to play in agame like this is a privilege.

Daly said he was destined tobe a Bobcat. Being snubbed by

the Griz certainlystrengthened hisallegiance, too.

They didntrecruit me veryhard. I talked toone guy fromthere one time,

and he thoughtmy name wasDoug, Daly jok-ing recalled. Itwasnt that hard ofa choice.

This rivalrymeans every-thing to me.

(Winning) would be huge. Itssomething youd remember forthe rest of your life.

Added McGhee, Like Codysaid, we were on the scoutteam together. We never knewit would come down to this. Itsa great story, and we want tomake it a great ending.

Jon Maletz can be reached [email protected] or582-2601. Follow him on Twit-ter @jmaletz.

Journey/from 1

CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

Quarterback DeNarius McGhee currently is mired in the first two-gamelosing streak of his illustrious career.

Like Cody said, we

were on the scout

team together.

We never knew it

would come down

to this. It s a greatstory, and we want

to make it a great

ending.

DeNarius McGhee

S K Y L I G H T S

EAGLES CLINCH AUTOMATICBID: Eastern Washington clinchedat least a share of the Big SkyChampionship and the leagues au-tomatic bid to the FCS playoffs witha 35-22 win over Cal Poly on Satur-day. Eastern Washington improvedto 7-0 in conference, securing theprograms third conference title inthe last four years. EWU previouslywon Big Sky titles in 1992, 1997,2004, 2005, 2010 and 2012. North-ern Arizona could still forge a tie forthe championship with a win overSouthern Utah and a loss by EasternWashington to Portland State. EWUand NAU did not meet during theregular season. EWU would win anytiebreaker by virtue of its win overMontana State; Northern Arizonalost at Montana State. Eastern

Washington won the2010 NationalChampionshipand advancedto the semifinalslast season. EWUwill be making its10th trip to the FCS playoffs, and itsninth as a member of the Big Sky. IfEastern Washington beat PortlandState today, the Eagles will be thefirst team to finish 8-0 in conferencesince the 2009 Montana Grizzlies.

PLAYOFF TALK: With one week

remaining in the regular season,four league teams are in the discus-

sion for at-large bids to the FCSplayoffs. The playoff field expandsto 24 teams for the first time thisseason. Eight seeded teams willreceive first-round byes, while theother 12 will play on Saturday, Nov.30. EWU has clinched the Big Skysautomatic bid. Eleven conferencechampions earn automatic bids tothe playoffs. The other 13 spots goto at-large teams. Northern Arizona(8-2), Montana (9-2), SouthernUtah (8-3) and Montana State(7-4) are still in the hunt for playoffspots. Northern Arizona travels toSouthern Utah today. Montanais at Montana State. Northern

Arizona hasnt advanced to theplayoffs since 2003. Southern Utahhas never received an FCS playoffinvitation. Montana last made the

playoffs in 2011, but its appearancewas vacated. From 1993-2009, UMmade the playoffs every season.MSU has advanced to the postsea-son each of the past three seasons.The playoff selection show will airon Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Mountainon ESPNU.

KUPP SETS FCS RECORD: East-

ern Washington freshman CooperKupp, a front-runner for the JerryRice Award, caught eight passes for139 yards and two touchdowns inthe Eagles win over Cal Poly. Kuppbroke the FCS single-season recordfor receiving yards by a freshman.Kupp enters the final regular-season game with 1,231 yards.The previous record

was 1,196 yards

set by AppalachianStates Sean Pricelast season. Kupphas 16 touch-down catches,three shy of thesingle-season FCS

freshman record setby Randy Moss at Marshall in 1996.Kupp has caught a TD catch in 11straight games, tying the all-timeFCS record with EWUs BrandonKaufman (2010), Moss (1996) andCal Polys Ramses Barden (2008).

ADAMS ONE SHY OF LEAGUERECORD: Vernon Adams threw

two more touchdown passes onSaturday, giving him 41 for theseason. Adams enters the finalgame of the regular season one shyof the Big Sky single-season recordof 42 set by Montanas Brian Ah Yatin 1996. Adams, a Walter PaytonAward Candidate, is second in thenation in passing touchdowns toEastern Illinois Jimmy Garoppolo.Adams leads the nation in totaloffense, pass efficiency and pointsresponsible for. Adams left the CalPoly game with a minor injury. Heis expected to play against PortlandState. Adams has thrown at leasttwo touchdown passes in all 11

games this season. His efficiencyrating of 191.4 is on pace to breakthe single-season league record,which is currently 175.2.

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Game Day - Montana