BOBCAT FOOTBALL SUNDAY NOTEBOOK: Chris Murray Logs Historic Game

Saturday, October 1

Sacramento, CA

7 pm MT

Montana State University

2-3 , 0-2

Sacramento State

1-4 , 1-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Montana State

Sacramento State

Chris Murray

Photo by: Steve Shaff

BOBCAT FOOTBALL SUNDAY NOTEBOOK: Chris Murray Logs Historic Game

10/2/2016 4:40:00 PM | Football

Box Score

Bobcat freshman quarterback impressive in loss at Sac State

By: Bill Lamberty

After so many heartbreaking moments against Montana State on its home field, Sacramento State erased a 17-point fourth quarter deficit and record a 41-38 victory. The Hornets snapped a 10-game losing streak to Montana State along the way, with quarterback Nate Ketteringham throwing for 356 yards. His performance offset the marvelous performance by MSU freshman quarterback Chris Murray, who rushed for 187 yards and threw for 104.

Big Sky & National Player of the Week Nominees
Offense – none
Defense – none
Special Teams – none
Freshman of the Week – none
Offensive Lineman of the Week – none

Statistical Rankings
Top 20 in NCAA Team Rankings – 1. Turnovers Gained (16), 3. Fumbles Recovered (7), 2. Passes Intercepted (9), 7. Turnover Margin (+1.60), 8. Blocked Kicks (2), 15. Red Zone Offense (.952), 19. Team Passing Efficiency Defense (103.35).
Top 10 in NCAA Individual Rankings – Mac Bignell: 4^th in Solo Tackles (6.8); Fletcher Collins: 3^rd in Fumbles Recovered (2); John Walker: 14^th in Interceptions per Game (0.8); Chris Murray: 12^th in Rushing Touchdowns (6);

Post-Game News and Notes
• Chris Murray's 187 rushing yards at Sacramento State Saturday was second-most by a Bobcat quarterback in the 50 years for which records are available (after Dakota Prukop's 196 yards against EWU a year ago), and the second-most by a true freshman in that span (Aaron Mason, 192 at NAU in 2006)
• Saturday's six completions is tied for the third-lowest total in a game in the last quarter-century (dating to MSU's departure from the veer-option era (MSU completed four passes vs. Weber State in both 1992 and '93, five vs. Weber State in 2000, and six vs. Cal Poly in 1997 and Sac State in 1992 and 2001)
• Montana State's 16 takeaways (including the three Saturday) leads the FCS in that category
• Logan Jones, who has a 100-yard kickoff return (in 2015) to his credit, turned a pass-and-catch into a 65-yard gain Saturday, his longest play from scrimmage as a Bobcat
• Montana State's third-down percentage is 39% in wins and 28% in losses, while opponents convert third downs at a 28% rate in MSU's wins and 35% in its losses

First Look: Montana State vs. Sacramento State
Game Details: Date – Saturday, October 8 Kickoff – 5 pm MT Audio – Statewide on the Bobcat Radio Network and msubobcats.com Video – Regionally on ROOT Sports Northwest, nationally on DirecTV's Audience Network. There is no video streaming available.

At A Glance: For the second straight week, Montana State plays a game pitting teams seeking their first Big Sky Conference win when Northern Arizona comes calling in Bobcat Stadium Saturday. MSU and the Lumberjacks each dropped to 0-2 in the conference with road losses a week ago. NAU is led by an explosive offense and trigger man Case Cookus (who didn't play at UNC Saturday), last year's Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year.