Montana State University
2-6 , 0-5
Eastern Washington
6-1 , 4-0
Eastern Washington Flies Away from Bobcats in Second Half
10/22/2016 5:31:00 PM | Football
Turnovers doom Montana State against third-ranked Eagles
EWU, the top offense in the FCS, churned out 596 total yards, including 520 in the air. Reigning Player of the Year Cooper Kupp caught 13 passes for the Eagles for 154 yards, while Shaq Hill caught seven for 147. The Eagles dominated the second half, outscoring the Cats 17-0 and holding MSU to 108 yards.
The turning point, though, came in the waning moments of a competitive first half. With 3:09 to play until halftime and MSU leading 17-14, Bobcat quarterback Chris Murray and running back Gunnar Brekke mis-handled a zone read handoff attempt. J.J. Njoku recovered, and Eastern covered the 16 yards for a touchdown in two plays to give the Eagles a 21-17 lead.
After the Bobcats punted on their next possession, Eastern moved 49 yards in the final 32 seconds of the half and Roban Alcobendas kicked a 48-yard field goal. That boosted Eastern to a 24-17 lead at the intermission.
"It was a huge play," Brekke said of the fumble. "The momentum shifted a little bit there. The defense was playing great, the offense was playing great. To give the ball up in the red zone was giving them an opportunity."
The Bobcats gave Eastern Washington several opportunities. MSU turned the ball over five times, without recording a takeaway. Eastern turned only one of those possessions into points, but it was the crucial fumble recovery before halftime. That extends a vexing trend for the Cats, who are -13 in turnovers in the last three games without a takeaway in that stretch.
On Saturday, turnovers ended four of Montana State's seven second half possessions. Punts ended two, and the Cats lost the ball on downs once.
The first half was as fast-paced as it was fiercely contested. MSU got on the board first when Murray found Connor Sullivan alone for a 53-yard touchdown. It was MSU's third-longest scrimmage play of the season. The Eagles answered, marching 88 yards and scoring on a nine-yard toss from Gubrud to Hill. On the next play, Murray dashed 70 yards for the fifth-longest play in Bobcat Stadium history a 14-7 MSU lead. Again Eastern responded, with Cooper Kupp catching a 10-yard pass from Gubrud.
One of the day's unusual evens was the MSU debut of Brekke as a cornerback. He began taking reps in the team's dime package in practice Wednesday, and saw action in the secondary Saturday.
While the Eagles move to 6-1 on the season and 4-0 in the Big Sky, MSU falls to 2-6 overall, 0-5 in the league.
Team Stats
EWU 0, MSU 7
MSU - Connor Sullivan 53 yd pass from Chris Murray (Gabe Peppenger kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:01
EWU 7, MSU 7
EWU - Shaq Hill 9 yd pass from Gage Gubrud (R. Alcobendas kick) 11 plays, 88 yards, TOP 4:05
EWU 7, MSU 14
MSU - Chris Murray 70 yd run (Gabe Peppenger kick), 1 plays, 70 yards, TOP 0:18
EWU 14, MSU 14
EWU - Cooper Kupp 10 yd pass from Gage Gubrud (R. Alcobendas kick) 9 plays, 82 yards, TOP 3:18
EWU 14, MSU 17
MSU - Gabe Peppenger 40 yd field goal 12 plays, 53 yards, TOP 6:21
EWU 21, MSU 17
EWU - Antoine Custer 9 yd run (R. Alcobendas kick), 2 plays, 16 yards, TOP 0:37
EWU 24, MSU 17
EWU - R. Alcobendas 48 yd field goal 5 plays, 49 yards, TOP 0:32
EWU 31, MSU 17
EWU - Jayce Gilder 1 yd pass from Gage Gubrud (R. Alcobendas kick) 8 plays, 65 yards, TOP 3:29
EWU 38, MSU 17
EWU - Zach Wimberly 25 yd pass from Gage Gubrud (R. Alcobendas kick) 4 plays, 66 yards, TOP 1:35
EWU 41, MSU 17
EWU - R. Alcobendas 31 yd field goal 8 plays, 44 yards, TOP 3:22
