Week two of the 2016 Big Sky Conference season saw plenty of action, with last-second wins, heartbreaking losses and a few marquee non-conference matchups stealing the headlines.
There were several marquee performances, but three teams in the Big Sky picked up critical non-conference wins against Division I opponents, and there were three players who played important roles in the victories.
For their efforts, Northern Colorado quarterback Kyle Sloter, Montana State cornerback John Walker and Montana punt returner Jerry Louie-McGee earned Big Sky Players of the Week honors.
Sloter earned his Offensive Player of the Week award, thanks to throwing for 408 yards and six touchdowns against Abilene Christian. He also rushed for 41 yards, and another score. Sloter didn’t start the game for the Bears, but came in off the bench to lead Northern Colorado to a 55-52 victory over the Wildcats.
Sloter’s performance set school records, and his six touchdown passes are the most in a single game in the Big Sky this season.
Montana State earned a 27-24 victory over the Northeast Conference’s Bryant, in a game that went back and forth. The Bulldogs finished with 452 yards, but came up just shy, thanks to five turnovers.
Two of the turnovers came at especially inopportune times, as the Bulldogs were driving for scores. Like clockwork twice in the game, Bobcats cornerback John Walker, a graduate transfer from Colorado, intercepted two passes, winning the Defensive Player of the Week honors. Walker’s first pick came late in the first half on a pass that originated at the MSU seven-yard line.
The second came in even more dire circumstances for the Bobcats. Montana State led 27-24 midway through the fourth quarter, but Bryant had just scored and recovered an on-side kick. The Bulldogs moved to the Montana State 20, and on second-and-nine, Bryant quarterback Dalton Easton threw into the end zone. Unfortunately for Bryant, Walker made a leaping interception, preserving the Bobcats’ lead with 4:49 to play.
The Montana Grizzlies earned the weekend’s biggest win, registering a 20-14 road win at No. 3 Northern Iowa. The Griz took an early lead, but needed several plays throughout the day to maintain control. One of the players who gave Montana a spark whenever it was needed was punt returner Jerry Louie-McGee, who earned this week’s Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
Louie-McGee, a redshirt freshman, sealed the win for the Grizzlies, with an 81-yard touchdown return in the second quarter that put Montana up 17-7. He ended with 118 return yards, to go along with 33 receiving yards and 11 rushing yards.
Other nominees for Offensive Player of the Week include: Paris Penn, Portland State; Joe Protheroe, Cal Poly; Elijah Marks, Northern Arizona; Josh Horner, Montana; Malik Brown, Southern Utah; Ben Scott, UC Davis; Treshawn Garrett, Weber State; John Santiago, North Dakota; and Stu Stiles, Eastern Washington.
Nominees for Defensive Player of the Week featured: Chris Santini, Cal Poly; Joe Martin, Idaho State; Josh Buss, Montana; Anthony Baumgart, UC Davis; Landon Stice, Weber State; Deion Harris, North Dakota; Kurt Calhoun, Eastern Washington; and Tyler Meteer, Sacramento State.
The nominees for Special Teams Player of the Week included: Trent Riley, Portland State; Casey Sublette, Cal Poly; Sean Cheney, Idaho State; Colby Wadman, UC Davis; Marques Combs, Northern Colorado; Shaq Hill, Eastern Washington; and Devon Medeiros, Sacramento State.
