Post-Game Notes

Complete Statistics

BOZEMAN, Mont. - Fourteen of Montana State's 20 points came off turnovers as the Northern Colorado (1-7, 1-4 Big Sky) football team dropped a 20-7 decision to the Bobcats Saturday afternoon.  The Bears rallied from a 13-0 deficit and had an opportunity to tie the score late in the fourth quarter, but Montana State (5-4, 3-2 Big Sky) recorded one of its four interceptions and returned it for a touchdown for the final score. 

Senior wide receiver Cory Fauver tied a career-high with eight receptions, gaining a career-best 85 yards, while senior tight end Ryan Chesla and sophomore wide receiver Brandon Smith each caught four passes. In a tough day on the ground for the Bears, junior running back DC Wilson led the way with four carries for 18 yards as the team netted just five yards.

Defensively, senior linebacker Cristian Sarmento was once again the shining star, recording 17 tackles, while junior cornerback Quincy Wofford and freshman defensive tackle Dominique Ceja each recorded a sack and senior linebacker Joe Kenney had the club's lone interception.

"We had our opportunities to win the game today," said Head Coach Scott Downing. "With Waggener running down the field, with him running our two minute offense I thought we had a lot of momentum. We were getting the ball up the field and certainly when you're playing a prevent defense we had a chance to hit some underneath routes and when our players got the ball they ran up field with it."

Montana State was led by Demetrius Crawford, who rushed the ball 21 times for 100 yards. The Bobcats completed 10 passes with three each going to Joe Schreibeis and Crawford as Cody Kempt and Mark Iddins combined to go 10-for-21 for 121 yards. Defensively, Kevin Retoriano had two of the Bobcats picks, returning them 110 yards with one for a touchdown. Chase Gazzerro had a team-best nine tackles and was one of three with two pass break ups.

Montana State struck first, making a 52-yard field goal with 8:20 remaining in the first quarter for the 3-0 advantage. The Bears drove the field on the next possession, getting a 35-yard pass from Waggener to Chesla and back-to-back receptions by Fauver and Smith, but a bad snap forced a 36-yard field goal try, which went wide to the right by Michael York.

With 3:54 on the clock before halftime, MSU kicker Jason Cunningham added a 34-yard field goal to make the score 6-0, which was the score as the teams headed to the locker room.

After the halftime break, Waggener threw an interception deep in the Bears territory and Montana State scored its first touchdown of the game on the next play. Crawford rushed 16 yards for the score and the Cunningham kick gave the Bobcats the 13-0 lead.

Back-to-back 10 yard passes from Waggener to Fauver, followed by an 11-yard reception by Jason Caprioli and another 10-yard pass to Chesla set up a 30-yard field goal by York. A penalty by Montana State, running into the kicker, moved the ball to the eight-yard line where the Bears went for the touchdown and were unable to convert. The Bears' defense stepped up big on the very next drive, forcing a three-and-out, giving the offense the ball back at midfield.

With Montana State close to the goal-line (2^nd and goal from the 12), senior captain Joe Kenney intercepted the fifth pass of his career and returned it 79 yards to the 14-yard line. Three plays later, senior David Woods rushed one yard for the touchdown and the York kick brought the Bears within six, 13-7 with 10:01 remaining in the game. The Bears' defense remained tough, forcing another three-and-out, but a penalty on the punt pinned the Bears on their own three yard line with 8:20 left.

"The interception was obviously a huge play," said Downing. "That's something that we've done in the red zone all year long. We've made some plays down there and I have to give Joe Kenney a lot of credit. He read the play, it was a play we had practiced and sure enough he read it, stepped right in front of the ball and took off down the sideline."

Cunningham attempted a 37-yard field goal for Montana State with 3:24 ticks left, but it sailed wide right, giving the Bears another offensive opportunity. After a one-yard rush by Waggener, he hit Thompson for 17 yards, Gunn for two and Woods for 23. After an incomplete pass, Waggener was picked off and it was returned for the touchdown, giving the Bobcats the 20-7 victory.

Northern Colorado returns home for senior day and its final home game next Saturday against Eastern Washington. Kickoff is slated for 12:05 p.m. The 15 seniors on the roster will be honored prior to the start of the contest.