On a Halloween with the top 10 teams in the Big Sky Conference standings in action, the favorites in all but one game prevailed as the playoff picture in the league continues to become more clear.
Despite a fierce Cheney wind that limited both offenses, No. 5 Eastern Washington found a way to win a close game for the fourth time this season to move to 5-0 in Big Sky play with a win over Weber State. Despite giving up 535 yards rushing to Cal Poly, No. 24 Southern Utah won for the sixth straight week thanks to three defensive touchdowns. Despite a driving rainstorm, No. 12 Portland State continued to roll with a dominant win over No. 17 Montana. And Northern Arizona remained undefeated at home with an offensive explosion in a win over Northern Colorado.
Each of the winners remained alive for the FCS playoffs, while Montana now sits squarely on the bubble. With No. 19 Montana State’s 44-38 loss at North Dakota — the only game in which a favorite fell on Saturday — the Bobcats’ playoff hopes likely vanished. Six Big Sky teams — EWU, SUU, PSU, NAU, UND and UM — remain in the hunt to reach seven Division I wins, the baseline standard but no longer a steadfast rule for an FCS playoff bid. Montana State and UNC have four losses but played Division II games, hindering the playoff resume of each. The winner of the Big Sky will receive the league’s automatic bid to the 24-team field.
No. 5 Eastern Washington 14, Weber State 13 — The Eagles made two Cooper Kupp touchdown catches standup for the final 21 minutes of the game to win for the sixth straight week.
EWU junior quarterback Jordan West, the FCS’ leading passer, completed just 12 passes for 121 yards but his touchdown pass to Kupp with 8:53 left in the third proved to be the difference. With howling 23-mile per hour winds and a driving rain wreaking havoc on each offense, the Eagles needed standout performances from junior linebacker Miquiyah Zimorah (career-high 16 tackles) and senior rover Todd Raynes (13 tackles) to earn the win. WSU outgained Eastern 412-189 as EWU gained just 12 yards in the first quarter.
EWU rover Todd Raynes tackles Weber State running back Treshawn Garrett/EWU Atheltics
“When you see a day where it’s going to be rainy and windy, you are going to be in a grind-it-out, old-school type of ballgame,” Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin said in a press release. “We have to embrace those situations and know that little mistakes can be magnified because your possessions are so few. There is less margin for error.”
Saturday marked Baldwin’s 100th game at the helm for EWU. He won for the 73rd time, including earning his 50th league win in 61 Big Sky outings.
Weber State junior quarterback Jadrian Clark threw for 240 yards, including finding junior Cam Livingston eight times for 94 yards. Sophomore quarterback Chad Leckington’s only carry was a six-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, Weber’s lone TD. WSU sophomore wide receiver Drew Batchelor left the field in an ambulance after suffering a severe head injury. His status is unknown.
Weber State drops to 3-3 in league play, 4-5 with the loss. Weber will have to win its November 7 game against UC Davis and its season-finale against rival Idaho State to finish above .500 for the first time this decade. The Eagles are now 5-0 in league, 6-2 overall and host Northern Arizona next week.
No. 12 Portland State 35, No. 17 Montana 16 — A decade of futility against one of the league’s most storied programs came to an end as PSU completed a sort of changing of the guard, at least this fall, with its first win over Montana since 2004. The win moves Portland State to 7-1 this season, a streak that includes two FBS wins and wins over both Montana schools. Either Montana or Montana State has earned a share of every conference title since 1992. Portland State rushed for 339 yards in UM’s first trip to Portland since 2010 to snap an eight-game losing streak to the Grizzlies.
The 12th-ranked Vikings are now 4-1 in league play and in the hunt for the Big Sky title. PSU trails Southern Utah and Eastern Washington (both 5-0) and plays each over the final two weeks of the season.
PSU is also 7-1 for the first time in its history. The Vikings were 7-1-1 in 1987 as a Division II program, but otherwise have never been better than 6-2 after eight games.
“That was a big win for us against a good football team,” Portland State first-year head coach Bruce Barnum wrote in a press release. “I am excited for this group.
Portland State running back David Jones prepares to dive for the goal on his final touchdown in the fourth quarter/by Steve Brenner
“Jokingly, I looked up in the second quarter and I asked (God) to turn it up (the rain) a little harder. David Jones, our running backs, up front – this game was going to be won up front. You hear that all the time, but that was the strength of the Montana football team. They couldn’t catch David.”
Senior running back David Jones rushed for 165 yards and scored a touchdown for Portland State. The converted wide receiver now has 803 yards rushing and six touchdowns this season. Junior quarterback Alex Kuresa rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns, his second straight week with more than 100 yards rushing. He now has 558 yards rushing and seven rushing touchdowns this season.
Patrick Onwuasor intercepted three passes in the first quarter as PSU built first-half leads of 14-0 and 21-10. The senior safety leads the FCS with seven interceptions. PSU’s defense notched five sacks and eight tackles for loss in holding Montana’s offense to 294 total yards.
In his first career start, Montana quarterback Makena Simis tied a school record with six touchdown passes in a 42-16 win over North Dakota. In his second career start, he completed 15-of-36 passes for 134 and three interceptions. Simis added 62 yards rushing and a touchdown as Montana rushed for 160 yards but averaged just 3.3 yards per carry.
Montana is now 3-2 in Big Sky play, 4-4 overall. UM will have to win at Idaho State next week, at home against Eastern Washington on November 14 and at rival Montana State in the season finale in Bozeman to earn its 21st playoff berth since 1993.
Portland State plays at Northern Colorado next week before hosting Southern Utah and playing at EWU to finish the season.
No. 24 Southern Utah 54, Cal Poly 37 — In Cedar City, Utah, four Cal Poly players reached 100 yards rushing as the Mustangs piled up 535 yards on the ground and averaged 6.4 yards per carry. But Cal Poly fumbled five times and Southern Utah recovered three that resulted in returns for touchdowns as the Thunderbirds continued to roll.
SUU senior linebacker Mike Needham returned a fumble for a nine-yard score on the first play of the second quarter and another fumble 57 yards for a score late in the third quarter, the latter giving the Thunderbirds a 40-31 lead. Four minutes later, senior defensive end James Cowser returned a fumble 55 yards for a score and the host’s lead never dipped below double digits thereafter.
Southern Utah wide receiver Mike Sharp catches a pass vs. Sac State/by SUU Medid Relations
Senior Malik Brown rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns; senior quarterback Ammon Olsen threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns and Southern Utah extended its winning streak to six games. Needham finished with 20 tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns. Senior safety Miles Killebrew added 18 tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Cowser had eight tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries netting 100 yards and a touchdown.
“I’ve never coached a team that beats itself as much as we have beat ourselves the last three games,” Cal Poly head coach told Lucas Clark of the San Luis Obispo Tribune as his team fell to 1-4 in conference, 2-6 overall.
Kyle Lewis rushed for 129 yards on 11 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead the Cal Poly rushing attack. Quarterback Chris Brown added 110 yards and a score. DJ Peluso (108 yards) and Jared Mohamed (107 yards) rushed for more than 100 yards as Cal Poly went over 500 yards on the ground for the third time this season.
Cal Poly hosts Sacramento State before playing at UC Davis and finishing with UND at home. Southern Utah played at Montana State next week before finishing with a trip to Portland and a home date against rival NAU to finish the season.
Northern Arizona 63, Northern Colorado — In Flagstaff, Northern Arizona scored 42 first-half points for a second straight week to move to 4-0 at Walkup Skydome.
True freshman quarterback Case Cookus completed 25-of-31 passes for 363 yards and tied a school record with seven touchdown passes in the offensive outburst. NAU is averaging 51 points per game at home this season. Sophomore Emmanuel Butler caught 10 passes for 154 yards and four touchdowns.
For the season, Cookus now leads the FCS in passer efficiency with a rating of 197.4. He has completed 70 percent of his passes for 2,130 yards (266.2 per game) and has thrown 26 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions. Butler is averaging almost 21 yards per catch in hauling in 43 catches for 896 yards and 13 touchdowns.
NAU wide receiver Emmanuel Butler celebrates a touchdown catch/NAU Athletics
NAU began the rout with a 40-yard touchdown run by senior Casey Jahn 71 seconds into the game. Jahn finished with 170 yards and two touchdowns. NAU scored three more times before the first frame ended as Butler caught touchdown passes of 59 and 11 yards. Jahn and Butler each scored in the second quarter as Northern Arizona took a 42-7 lead to the locker room. NAU led 42-9 against Weber State in a 52-36 win in Flagstaff two years ago.
NAU extended the league to 63-7 as Elijah Marks caught his second touchdown, Butler scored for the fourth time and senior tight end RJ Rickert caught a 22-yard scoring toss.
Northern Colorado true freshman Trae Riek rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns as UNC fell to 2-4 in Big Sky play, 4-4 overall. UNC hosts Portland State next week before finishing the conferences season at UND on November 14. UNC wraps up its season at home against Abilene Christian in non-conference game.
Eddie Horn and Delvin Batiste each snared interceptions for Northern Arizona as the Lumberjacks moved to 3-2 in league play and 5-3 overall. NAU plays a crucial game at first-place Eastern Washington before finishing its season with a home date against Sacramento State and a road trip to rival Southern Utah.
Sac State, UC Davis and Idaho State each had byes last week.
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