BOBCAT FOOTBALL SUNDAY NOTEBOOK: Newell, Murray Climb Lists

Saturday, October 8

5 pm

Montana State University

2-4 , 0-3

Northern Arizona

2-4 , 1-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Northern Arizona

Montana State

Chad Newell against NAU on Saturday

BOBCAT FOOTBALL SUNDAY NOTEBOOK: Newell, Murray Climb Lists

10/9/2016 7:25:00 PM | Football

Box Score

A pair of Bobcats made moves up MSU records lists on Saturday

By: Bill Lamberty

After running into a stone wall in the form of Northern Arizona's defense for 40 minutes Saturday, spotting the Lumberjacks a 20-0 lead, Montana State finally got things cooking in the game's closing 20 minutes. Traction in the run game and a spark by freshman quarterback Chris Murray wasn't enough, though, as the Cats lost its third straight, 20-14. While the Bobcat defense fought gamely to keep the game close, MSU finally got on the board with a Chad Newell nine-yard run late in the third quarter. Murray then dashed in from 19 yards 95 seconds into the fourth quarter. NAU forced a fumble on MSU's final possession to close the game out.

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 – 4. Fumbles Recovered (7), 4. Passes Intercepted (9), 8. Blocked Punts (1), 11. Red Zone Offense (.957), 15. Blocked Kicks (2), 15. Scoring Defense (20.3), 17. Team Passing Efficiency Defense (107.45), 19. Red Zone Defense (.722).
Top 15 in NCAA Individual Rankings – Mac Bignell: 9^th in Solo Tackles (6.3, which leads the Big Sky); Fletcher Collins: 4^th in Fumbles Recovered (2, which leads the Big Sky); Chris Murray: 12^th in Rushing Touchdowns (7, which leads the Big Sky);

Post-Game News and Notes
Injury Report: Out for Season – DE Devin Jeffries, DT Robert Wilcox, DE Tyrone Fa'anono.

• Senior RB Chad Newell rushed for 68 yards and one touchdown Saturday, moving into 10^th in school history in rushing yards (1,766, 389 from ninth), fourth in rushing touchdowns (26, one from third), and tied for second in total touchdowns (29, tied with the Iron Tumbleweed Don Hass, 20 from Cody Kirk's school record).
• Chris Murray's 41 rushing yards Saturday lifts his season total to 304, second-most on the team and already the seventh-most by a freshman in school history (fifth-most by a true freshman).
• The Cats have completed 17 passes in the last two games.
• Montana State failed to take the ball away from its opponent Saturday for the first time this season.
• Logan Jones, who has a 100-yard kickoff return (in 2015) to his credit, turned a pass-and-catch into a 65-yard gain last week at Sacramento State (the longest play from scrimmage for the Bobcats this season) and returned a kickoff for 36 yards Saturday, the team's second-longest return this season.
• Montana State's last 0-3 start in Big Sky play was 2000, although the Cats started 1-2 in 2002 .

First Look: Montana State vs. Weber State
Game Details: Date – Saturday, October 15 Kickoff – 1:30 pm 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: Resurgent Weber State displayed its defensive prowess Saturday, holding Portland State at bay in a 14-10 victory. The Wildcats, in fact, lead the Big Sky in pass defense and stand sixth in total defense and scoring defense. The Wildcats – now 1-1 in Big Sky play and 3-2 overall – pose a stern test for a Bobcat team that stands 12^th in the Big Sky in total offense and ninth in scoring. Weber State dual-threat quarterback Jadrian Clark has rushed for 204 yards and thrown for 1,061.