FOUR BRAWL

BOZEMAN - The 119th meeting between the Montana State Bobcats and Montana Grizzlies was set up to be an exciting new chapter in the long and storied rivalry. After all, the No. 3 Griz came to Bozeman looking more than ready to reclaim their place as holders of the Divide trophy after three straight losses in the series.

But what some thought would be a new day in the rivalry, turned out to be a day when the No. 8 Bobcats decided to use the same old formula to stay on top.

In front of a sold-out Bobcat Stadium crowd Saturday afternoon, the Bobcats rushed for 382 yards, even without star junior Troy Andersen, on their way to a 48-14 thumping of the Grizzlies.

The win was MSU's fourth in a row in the series, and it also gave the Cats a 6-4 edge in the last decade. It was the fourth straight time in which the Cats, who got 171 yards from Isaiah Ifanse, rushed for over 300 yards against the Grizzlies, who came into the game leading the Big Sky Conference in rush defense, and had a chance to clinch a share of their first conference title since 2009.

"You just don't draw it up like that," MSU coach Jeff Choate, who has never lost to the Griz, said. "In a rivalry game you know you're going to get everybody's best shot. Our ability to control the line of scrimmage was critical in this game, and I think that was really the difference. Us being able to find a consistent way to run the ball and pass the ball efficiently, which was the goal."

"Their run game is their run game, but they gave us some personnel things that we weren't expecting," Griz head coach Bobby Hauck said. "And then we didn't know Troy wasn't going to play until (Friday) night. We spent all week working on him. That didn't help us. But that's sort of me making an excuse."

Andersen not playing didn't matter. Especially not with the way the game started.

Sensational Griz wide receiver Samori Toure fumbled on the opening drive, deep in MSU territory, which eventually led to a Kevin Kassis 8-yard touchdown run on a reverse. Just minutes later, the Griz went three-and-out again, and Adam Wilson shanked a punt which set the Cats up again, and while the Griz' defense bowed up, holding the Cats to a Tristan Bailey field goal, the 10-0 MSU lead five minutes into the game might as well have been 100 to nothing, with Bobcat Stadium rocking like it never has before.

"It was awesome. Our fans showed up and did a great job," Bobcat defensive end Derek Marks said after the game. "I think after 'Que's (Ja'Queye Allene) hit, that was tone-setting. We came to play, and they supported us throughout the whole thing. And the energy out there was fun."

And the fun was just getting started for the Bobcats on a senior day which saw the class of 2019 get to experience never losing to their arch rivals from Missoula.

One of those seniors, Logan Jones, closed out the first quarter with an 18-yard score that capped a 73-yard, clock-eating classic MSU drive. Not long after, Tyrone Marshall scored on a 29-yard end-around that finished another 71-yard drive, and with 10:54 still to play in a shocking first half, the Cats led 24-0.

Montana's Marcus Knight would score twice in the second stanza, on runs sandwiched in between a 38-yard TD scamper by Ifanse, who has missed much of the season with injuries. But, for much of the half, the Grizzly offense could never get going.

"I can't say enough about our offensive line or our defensive line. Both those sides of the ball showed through today," Choate said. "It's a very gratifying victory, obviously, and it means a lot to this university and to our seniors."

The seniors did play a big part in Saturday's blowout, which was the largest margin of victory by a Bobcat team in the Brawl of the Wild since 1985.

Bryce Sterk had 2.5 sacks, while Brayden Konkol, another star from down the road in Belgrade, picked off Griz quarterback Dalton Sneed, as part of a scoreless second half for a Montana offense that averaged nearly 40 points per game coming in.

On the other hand, the Bobcat offense didn't take their foot off the gas, as Ifanse scored twice in the fourth quarter to put the finishing touches on an incredible day in Bozeman, a day in which the Cats averaged 6.7 yards per carry, racked up over 488 yards of offense, had 27 first downs, and got 121 yards from Jones and 90 more by Marshall. All-American Dante Olson did have 18 tackles for the an otherwise overmatched Griz defense, which had no answer for the MSU onslaught.

The Bobcat defense more than did its part too, even without Andersen at linebacker. The Cats held UM to just 242 yards of offense and 12 first downs. They forced two turnovers, sacked Sneed five times, and held him under 200 yards passing for the first time in his Griz career. Knight did finish with 77 yards on the ground, while Jerry Louie-McGee had a game-high seven catches.

"Midway through the third quarter we could feel them breaking," MSU left tackle Mitch Brott, said "It's a great moment to feel. There's nothing really to describe it. It's one of the best feelings ever.

"First half, they really controlled the line of scrimmage with their offensive line. We did not hold up very well there," Hauck said. "Then, on the other side, in the second half, I think they had more success against our offensive line than they did in the first. So, I don't know. I'll have to watch the film. I think the game starts up front, and they won up front today."

The Griz, who fell to 9-3 overall and 6-2, missing out on their first Big Sky title since a 2009 run to the national champion game, didn't hold up and, Hauck said, the loss will sting for some time, even though the Griz still drew the No. 6 seed in the upcoming FCS playoffs, and will have a first-round bye.

"Oh, it'll be a big thing. We won't be moving past it," Hauck said. "It'll be hard to do."

The Cats meanwhile, continue to surge. They improved to 9-3 and finished in a tie with UM and Eastern Washington at 6-2 in the Big Sky. The Cats' seniors became the first class since 1977 to never lose to the Griz, and after an emotionally charged win in which the Bobcat Student Sections stormed the field in glee Saturday, the Cats will ride that emotion right into the playoffs. On Sunday, the Cats were given the No. 5 seed overall, and will have a first-round bye this weekend.

"It's always good to go into the tournament hot," Choate said. "Coming off a victory can give you some momentum and hopefully can be a catalyst for us to continue our run. I think this is a really good football team, and I think if we play like we did today I think we've got an opportunity to make a nice run in the playoffs."

MSU could be a beast in the playoffs, but on Saturday, it was all about the rivalry. It was all about one of the most shockingly lopsided Cat-Griz games in a long time, and for the MSU seniors, it was all about a legacy fulfilled.

"It's a great feeling," Marks said. "We're winners. We're state champs four years in a row. And, man, it feels great. I don't know if I can put it into words right now, but it's awesome."

Montana State 48, Montana 14

Montana 0 14 0 0 - 14

Montana St. 17 14 3 14 - 48

First Quarter

MTST-Kassis 8 run (Bailey kick), 11:59.

MTST-FG Bailey 25, 9:58.

MTST-Jones 18 run (Bailey kick), 3:56.

Second Quarter

MTST-Marshall 29 run (Bailey kick), 10:54.

MONT-Knight 2 run (Purdy kick), 6:26.

MTST-Ifanse 38 run (Bailey kick), 2:49.

MONT-Knight 7 run (BPurdy kick), 1:01.

Third Quarter

MTST-FG Bailey 30, 3:07.

Fourth Quarter

MTST-Ifanse 3 run (Bailey kick), 11:53.

MTST-Ifanse 17 run (Bailey kick), 7:54.

UM MSU

First downs 12 27

Rushes-yards 24-46 62-382

Passing 195 106

Comp-Att-Int 20-34-1 8-14-0

Return Yards 119 2

Punts-Avg. 5-45.8 2-42.0

Fumbles-Lost 2-1 3-0

Penalty-Yards 7-65 3-25

Time of Possession 22:52 37:08

INDIVIDUAL

RUSHING-Montana, M. Knight 14-77, N. Ostmo 3-9, D. Sneed 7-(minus 40). Montana St., I. Ifanse 21-171, L. Jones 19-121, T. Marshall 8-81, L. Sumner 3-12, K. Kassis 1-8, T. Jonsen 4-0, Team 3-(minus 3), T. Rovig 3-(minus 8).

PASSING-Montana, D. Sneed 20-34-1-195. Montana St., T. Rovig 7-13-0-102, K. Kassis 1-1-0-4.

RECEIVING-Montana, M. Roberts 6-64, S. Toure 4-55, J. Louie-McGee 7-36, B. Deming 2-35, C. Bingham 1-5. Montana St., K. Kassis 2-48, T. Jonsen 3-26, L. Jones 1-26, T. Rovig 1-4, W. Patterson 1-2.

TACKLES - Montana, Dante Olson 18, Jace Lewis 12, Robby Hauck 12. Montana St. Josh Hill 9, Amadre Williams 6, Bryce Sterk 5, Chase Benson 4.

Attendance: 21,007

Big Sky Conference Standings

Final

Conf. All

W-L W-L

Weber State *^ 7-1 9-3

Sacramento State * 7-1 9-3

Montana 6-2 9-3

Montana State 6-2 9-3

Eastern Washington 6-2 7-5

Idaho 3-5 5-7

Portland State 3-5 5-7

UC Davis 3-5 5-7

Northern Arizona 2-6 4-8

Cal Poly 2-6 3-8

Idaho State 2-6 3-9

Southern Utah 2-6 3-9

Northern Colorado 2-6 2-10

* - Co-champion

^ - Automatic playoff bid

Saturday

Montana State 48, Montana 14

Weber State 30, Idaho State 10

Idaho 60, Northern Arizona 53, OT

Eastern Washington 53, Portland State 46

Sacramento State 27, UC Davis 17

Cal Poly 28, Northern Colorado 21