FB Notes - Sept. 12
9/12/2011 6:00:04 PM
THIS WEEK’S SKY HIGHLIGHTS
Week 3 of the 2011 season features the conference opener for eight teams...The marquee matchup of the weekend pits defending national champion and 10th-ranked Eastern Washington at No. 12 Montana. The Eagles are looking to get back on track after two losses. Eastern Washington’s last victory in Washington-Grizzly Stadium came in 2005...No. 20 Sacramento State meets Weber State in Stewart Stadium in Ogden, a place the Hornets have never won....Portland State returns to action after a bye to take on Northern Arizona. The teams played in the final week of the 2010 season, and the Lumberjacks earned a 62-14 victory...Northern Colorado travels to Idaho State, where the Bengals are seeking their first victory over a Division I team since the 2009 season....No. 5 Montana State steps outside the conference to face Division II Minot State at Bobcat Stadium...All five games can be viewed for free on Big Sky TV.THIS WEEK’S SKY SCHEDULE
Saturday, Sept. 17 Time
*#10 Eastern Washington (0-2) at #12 Montana (1-1) 1:05
Series: UM leads 25-11-1
Last Meeting: EWU won 36-27 in 2010
Series Streak: EWU has won 1
TV: Montana’s News Stations (Montana). SWX (Spokane)
Internet: Big Sky TV
Minot State (0-3) at #5 Montana State (1-1) 1:05
Series: First Meeting
TV: Max Media (Montana)
Internet: Big Sky TV
*Northern Colorado (0-2) at Idaho State (1-1) 4:05
Series: ISU leads 19-8
Last Meeting: NC won 35-21 in 2010
Series Streak: NC has won 3
Internet: Big Sky TV
*Northern Arizona (1-1) at Portland State (1-0) 5:05
Series: NAU leads 14-4
Last Meeting: NAU won 62-14 in 2010
Series Streak: NAU has won 4
TV: Comcast Sports Net Northwest
Internet: Big Sky TV
*#20 Sacramento State (1-1) at Weber State (1-1) 6:05
Series: WSU leads 10-5
Last Meeting: SAC won 24-17 in 2010
Series Streak: SAC has won one
Internet: Big Sky TV
*Big Sky Conference Game
TIMES LOCAL TO SITE/SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Around the Big Sky
CURRENT VS. FUTURE: Current Big Sky Conference teams went 2-1 against matchups of future Big Sky teams last Saturday. Montana topped Cal Poly 37-23 in Missoula, while Montana State beat UC Davis 38-14 in Bozeman. Both Cal Poly and UC Davis join the Big Sky as football-affiliate members in July 1, 2012. Sacramento State lost at Southern Utah 35-14. Southern Utah and North Dakota join as full members on July 1, 2012. There are five more matchups this season of future Big Sky teams taking on current Big Sky teams. On Oct. 22, Southern Utah is at Weber State. The Thunderbirds are at Northern Arizona on Nov. 19. North Dakota is at Northern Colorado on Oct. 29. Eastern Washington is at Cal Poly on Nov. 12. Sacramento State and UC Davis meet in the Causeway Classic on Nov. 19.
HOT WIDE RECEIVERS: Idaho State’s Rodrick Rumble, Eastern Washington’s Nicholas Edwards, and Northern Arizona’s Ify Umodo are all off to amazing starts this season. Rumble caught 10 passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns in Idaho State’s 44-7 win over Western State College. The junior has 20 catches for 363 yards and four touchdowns in two games. Last season, he had 32 catches for 464 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. Rumble leads the nation with an average of 181 receiving yards per game. Edwards caught 13 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles’ loss to South Dakota. Edwards has 25 catches for 246 yards and two touchdowns so far. He leads the nation with an average of 12.5 receptions per game. Umodo, a sophomore, caught seven passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns in NAU’s win over Fort Lewis. He has 14 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns this season. He had four catches for 43 yards and no touchdowns in 2010.
BIG LEG: Weber State fell at Utah State 54-17 on Saturday night, but Wildcat punter Josh Kealamakia had a big night. The sophomore from Syracuse, Utah punted 11 times for a school-record 532 yards. He averaged 48.4 yards per punt with kicks of 60, 71 and 80 yards. The Big Sky record for punts in game is 14, and the record for punting yards in a game is 582 by Idaho State’s Steve Beller in 1973. The Sports Network named Kealamakia its Special Teams Player of the Week.
IN THE POLLS: Eastern Washington’s 30-17 loss to South Dakota dropped the Eagles in both major FCS polls. The previously No. 1 Eagles fell to 10th in both the Coaches’ Poll, and the Sports Network/Fathead.com poll. Montana State moved up from sixth to fourth in the Coaches’ Poll, and from sixth to fifth in the Sports Network Poll. The Bobcats received two first-place votes in the Sports Network Poll. Montana jumped from 13th to 11 in the coaches poll, and from 15 to 12 in the Sports Network Poll. Sacramento State dropped from 12th in the Sports Network poll to 20th, and from 18th to 24th in the coaches’ poll. Georgia Southern is ranked first in both polls.
THROWIN’ IDAHIOANS: It’s early, but through two games Idaho State leads in the nation in passing offense. Idaho State is averaging 430.5 passing yards per game and has thrown 100 passes in two games with six touchdowns. Junior quarterback Kevin Yost has completed 56-of-76 (73.7 percent) of his passes for 675 yards with five touchdowns and one interceptions. In 2010, Idaho State finished last in the Big Sky with an average of 169.5 passing yards per game. ISU threw 12 touchdowns all of last season. Idaho State also drew 8,003 fans to Saturday’s home opener, the largest crowd at Holt Arena since 2007. ISU snapped an 11-game losing streak with its 44-7 win over Western State. On Saturday, Idaho State will try to snap an 11-game losing streak to Division I teams when it plays host to Northern Colorado.
Extra points: Defending national champion Eastern Washington is looking to avoid its first 0-3 start since 2006…Northern Colorado RB Quintin Hildreth, who transferred from Colorado a week before classes started, rushed 10 times for 117 yards with a touchdown in the Bears’ loss to Colorado State. Bear safety Elliott Dorsey tallied 16 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in the loss…NAU freshman Jamaal Perkins returned a kick 99 yards for a touchdown in the Lumberjacks’ win over Fort Lewis. It was the third-longest return in school history…EWU QB Bo Levi Mitchell leads in the nation in total offense at 413.5 yards per game. He’s thrown 129 passes in two games…A Bobcat Stadium record of 18,487 watched Montana State beat UC Davis 38-14...Big Sky teams are 1-10 on the road so far...UM QB Jordan Johnson completed 19-of-27 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns in the second half of Montana’s win over Cal Poly... EWU’s Matt Johnson intercepted a pass against South Dakota, giving him 16 for his career. He is one away from cracking the Top seven all-time in Big Sky history. He needs one more to tie Kurt Schulz (1988-91) for the school record...ISU coach Mike Kramer has 78 career
No comments:
Post a Comment