BOZEMAN — After a stagnant offensive performance against Weber State, Montana State found rhythm on the ground Saturday, running past Idaho State 27-9 and improving to 5-0 in the Big Sky Conference and extending their win streak to seven as they head into the bye week.
“I feel like as a running back we were just seeing the holes better," junior running back Isaiah Ifanse explained. "I know in that Weber game there were a couple that we missed. That could have been big gains, but spent a lot of time this week.”
The Bobcats performance on the ground against Idaho State was night-and-day compared to last week.
After being held to just 146 yards rushing against Weber State, Montana State bounced back Saturday, rushing for 242 with Ifanse leading the way.
“We would be in tough shape if we didn’t have his 165 yards today," Bobcats head football coach Brent Vigen stated. "I know that.”
Quarterback Matt McKay had a rough start Saturday fumbling the ball on their second drive of the game.
For the second week in a row, he was at risk of finishing with less than 100 passing yards but found his way in the fourth quarter, connecting on two touchdowns to Lance McCutcheon and Willie Patterson.
“It’s not going to go exactly how you want it," Vigen said." It’s not always going to be perfect. You’re not going to always make all the plays, but can you rely on your teammates? Can you make plays as the game goes on and just trust your ability? In Matt’s case, he’s front and center. Everyone can see when he misses a throw, but we need him to make throws and when asked in the critical parts of the game he was able to do that.”
Still feeling the brunt from Weber State, the Bobcats were without linebacker Callahan O’Reilly, right tackle TJ Session and defensive back Tyrel Thomas.
“We were down a couple of guys, but we had guys step up," Vigen explained. "To open that lead up and get it to 27-9 and ultimately come out with a win heading into the bye week, proud of the guys for sure today.”
Montana State will return to action Saturday, Nov. 6 with a tough test on the road against Eastern Washington.
