GAME DAY

SATURDAY, NOV. 9 AT EAsTeRN WAsHINGTON

FULL PApER INSidE

NO. 4 MONTANA STATE At NO. 3 EAStERN WASHiNgtON, CHENEY, 1:10 p.M.

INSIDE
fLY LiKE AN EAgLE
Redshirt sophomore standout Vernon Adams has Eastern Washington gunning for Big Sky, national titles I 2

A LOOK BAcK
ADRIAN SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ/CHRONICLE

Eastern Washington handed Shawn Johnson and the Bobcats their lone loss of the 2012 regular season.

Montana State, Eastern Washington matchup quickly gaining national attention

By KYLE SAMPLE
Chronicle Sports Writer

RIVALRY RENEWED
It seems like the path to the championship has gone through this game the last three years, at least, so its big in that respect.
Rob Ash

Highlights from the week that was in the Big Sky I 2

CONfERENcE gAME Of tHE SEASON

Who will prevail in this much-anticipated rst matchup of top-ve Big Sky clubs since 1994? I 6

t is the showcase event the Big Sky Conference has been waiting for.

For the first time in 19 years, two Big Sky teams ranked in The Sports Networks top five will meet on the same field, and it seems only fitting that Montana State and Eastern Washington are breaking the drought. As Montana has stumbled in recent years, it has been the Bobcats and the Eagles separated by a six-hour drive along Interstate 90 who have been there to fill the void. Montana State has claimed three consecutive Big Sky titles, two of which were shared with Eastern Washington. In 2010, Eastern Washington became the first Big Sky program other than Montana and Montana State to win a national title in 26 years. It was Montana State, which went to Cheney, Wash., in 2010 and handed

the Eagles their only conference loss in their only national championship season and their first defeat on Roos Fields garish red turf. It was Eastern Washington that produced Montana States only regular-season loss possibly costing the Cats the top overall seed in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in an otherwise sterling 11-win 2012 campaign that included an FCS quarterfinals berth. It seems like the path to the championship has gone through this game the last three years, at least, so its big in that respect, Montana State head coach Rob Ash said. Theyve been great games. Weve won two of them, so weve been able to get up there and be on par with

them, so thats why its become a really important game. Added Montana State linebacker Cole Moore, Theyre definitely a focus. Every offseason its Eastern Washington and Montana. Those are the two big things that we focus on in the offseason. This game definitely there is more incentive with whats at stake this week. Whats at stake is the inside track to the Big Sky title and the conferences automatic playoff bid. Montana State, ranked No. 4 in the latest poll, sits atop the Big Sky standings with a 5-0 record, which happens to be the exact situation in which third-ranked Eastern Washington finds itself. This is a huge game. This is the Big Sky conference championship right now, Montana State running back Cody Kirk said. It has turned into a rivalry for sure. Its definitely one of the schools you go and compete with. Theyre hard-fought battles every game. All of them have been really close games and its a grind every time. Its physical and its mean, thats what a rivalry is. I love it.
More RIValRy

CANt MAKE it tO CHENEY?

The Chronicle sports sta has you covered. For all of the latest updates and analysis and to join the discussion on the Bobcats battle with Eastern Washington, visit dailychronicle.com/live starting at 1 p.m. today. Also be sure and follow @jmaletz and @bozchronsports on Twitter.

| Saturday, November 9, 2013

bozeman daily chronicle

BOBCATSGAMEDAY
No. 4 Montana St. at No. 3 E. Washington
1:10 p.m., Roos Field, Cheney

Sideline Briefing
Records
No. 4 Montana State 7-2, 5-0 Big Sky No. 3 Eastern Washington 7-2, 5-0

FlY lIKe an eaGle

Series

37th meeting, Eastern Washington leads 26-10

Weather forecast
Cloudy, 44 degrees

Crowd
Roos Field (8,600)

TV
ROOT SPORTS (Tom Glasgow, Jason Stiles, Brad Adam)

Radio
KXLB-FM (100.7) (Tyler Wiltgen, Colter Nuanez)

Coaches

ROBASH
MSU, 7th year 34th year overall 57-24 at MSU 233-123-5 overall

BeaU BaLdwin

EWU, 6th year 7th year overall 51-21 at EWU 61-24 overall

Contributed photo

Eagles quarterback Vernon Adams leads the FCS in passing efficiency and has thrown 35 touchdowns through 10 games.

Schedules
Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 23 EASTERN WASHINGTON @ Oregon State W, 49-46 WESTERN OREGON W, 43-14 @ Toledo L, 33-21 @ Sam Houston State L, 49-34 WEBER STATE W, 41-19 @ North Dakota W, 35-14 SOUTHERN UTAH W, 34-10 @ Montana W, 42-37 @ Idaho State W, 55-34 MONTANA STATE 1:10 p.m. @ Cal Poly 1:40 p.m. PORTLAND STATE 3:45 p.m. Montana State Monmouth W, 42-24 @ Southern Methodist L, 31-30 Colorado Mesa W, 26-0 @ Stephen F. Austin L, 52-38 @ North Dakota W, 63-20 Northern AriZona W, 36-7 @ Weber State W, 34-16 UC DaVis W, 34-17 @ Northern Colorado W, 35-28 @ Eastern Washington 1:10 p.m. Southern Utah 4 p.m. Montana Noon

Eastern Washingtons Adams has emerged as one of FCS best

By JON MALETZ
Chronicle Sports Editor

V E R N O N A D A M s , A W A R D s A N D s T A T I s T I cs
n College Sports Madness National FCS Offensive Player of the Week/Big Sky Offensive POW (vs. Montana, 10/26/13, 27 of 40, 457 yards, 5th all-time at EWU, school-record 6 TD) n College Sporting News National AllStar (five chosen/FCS) (vs. Weber State, 10/5/13, 16 of 23, 194 yards, 4 TD, 66 yards rushing, 1 TD) n Honorable Mention College Football Performance Awards FCS QB Performer Of The Week (vs. Sam Houston State, 9/28/13, 19 of 31, 355 yards, 3 TD) n Sports Illustrated College Football Breakout Performer (Sept. 2 issue) n Sports Network FCS National Offensive Player of the Week n College Sporting News National AllStar (four chosen in FCS) n CBSSports.com Player of the Week (four chosen in all classifications) n Yahoo! Sports College Football Best (20 chosen in all classifications) n College Sports Madness National FCS Offensive Player of the Week; Big Sky Offensive POW n College Football Performance Awards FCS National Performer Of The Week n College Football Performance Awards FCS Quarterback Performer Of The Week n One of six recipients of Beyond Sports Networks FCS Offensive Player of the Week n Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week n One of Five Stars of the Week on SVP & Russillo Show on ESPN n One of Four FCS/FBS Nominees for Capital One Impact Performer of the Week n One of Eight FCS/FBS Nominees for Manning Award Player of the Week n Nominee for Geico Play of the Year (game-winning, 2-yard TD run vs. Oregon State) (vs. Beavers, 8/31/13, schoolrecord 518 yards total offense, 6 TD, 23 of 30, 411 yards, 4 TD, 107 rushing, 2 TD) Top Passing Performances n 457 yards (5th in EWU history), 27 of 40, 6 TD, Montana, 10/26/13 n 411 yards (18th in EWU history), 23 of 30, 4 TD, Oregon State, 8/31/13 n 364 yards (#40), 14 of 26, 6 TD, Sam Houston State, 12/15/12 n 355 yards (#48), 19 of 31, 3 TD, Sam Houston State, 9/28/13 n 353 yards (#55), 25 of 41, 3 TD, Montana, 9/29/12 n 326 yards (#73), 21 of 41, 3 TD, Toledo, 9/14/13 n 307 yards, 22 of 30, 2 TD, North Dakota, 10/12/13 n 298 yards, 25 of 35, 3 TD, Southern Utah, 10/19/13 n 298 yards, 18 of 24, 5 TD, Western Oregon, 9/7/13

Aug. 29 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 23

Players to watch
EASTERN WASHINGTON QB Vernon Adams: A Walter Payton Award contender and the FCS leader in passing eciency, Adams has thrown for 889 yards and 11 touchdowns in the past two weeks alone against Montana and Idaho State. In nine games, the dual-threat signal caller has thrown for 3,078 at a 66-percent clip. He is 14-3 as a starter and has drawn comparisons to Russell Wilson. MONTANA STATE RB Cody Kirk: The steady senior rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns in helping the Bobcats escape Greeley, Colo., with a win last week. His 16 rushing scores lead the Big Sky, and he needs just 106 yards to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau.

Injury report
EASTERN WASHINGTON Out for season: DL Jordan Pulu (shoulder), TE Cody Humphrey (knee), S Jordan Tonani (hip) Probable: OT Clay DeBord (ankle) Questionable: S Allen Brown (hamstring), NT Will Katoa (knee) Doubtful: S Todd Raynes (hamstring), S Tevin McDonald (bula) MONTANA STATE Out for season: LB Naa Moeakiola (shoulder), WR Kurt Davis (knee), LB Wyatt Christensen (knee) Out indenitely: TE Tia Salanoa (knee), S/CB James Nelson (ankle), DL Zach Hutchins (undisclosed), C Christian Williams (eye) Probable: S Eryon Barnett (shoulder)

The rose tattoo extending nearly the entire length of his left bicep is both a tribute to his hometown and a symbol of a boyhood aspiration unfulfilled. Like so many youngsters from Southern California, Vernon Adams harbored visions of playing for Pac-12 power UCLA and lining up under center on the hallowed Rose Bowl turf. It was a dream that gained some credence after standout junior and senior seasons at Alemany High School in nearby Mission Hills in which the undersized but undeniably talented Adams threw for 5,234 yards, rushed for 1,263 more and accounted for 68 touchdowns. The Sierra Leagues 2010 most valuable player never received a scholarship offer, however. In fact, most top-tier schools dismissed him. Adams insists he has never dwelled on the disappointment. Fittingly, hes always kept his eyes down field. I really dont care what schools overlooked me. I know Im small thats my fault, says the 6-foot, 190-pound Adams. My family is my motivation. Theyre the reason why I play as hard as I can and work as hard as I can. I want to make them proud. Adams wound up pursuing collegiate gridiron glory far from home at an FCS school in the Pacific Northwest known for its distinctive red turf and prolific passheavy offense; a school fresh off an FCS national championship.

A few years later, with the charismatic dual-threat quarterback at the controls, No. 3 Eastern Washington could be poised for another historic season. The redshirt sophomores rise to prominence in Cheney has been nothing short of meteoric. He has transformed from scout team player of the year to the FCS passing efficiency leader and a Walter Payton Award contender. He has

his own website (BigPlayVA. com), garnered some ink in a September issue of Sports Illustrated after orchestrating the Eagles 49-46, seasonopening stunner at Oregon State, and even was invited to work at the Russell Wilson Passing Academy in Spokane. Hes 14-3 as a starter. Add to that tally today in the first meeting of top-five Big Sky programs since 1994, and Adams and the Eagles will win their 500th game and all

but assure themselves of the league championship and one of the coveted top seeds for postseason play. You can say things have changed a lot in the past few months, but I just prepare as hard as this is Game 1, Adams says. Im not saying this in a cocky way, but Im not surprised; Ive been working for this my whole life.
More ADamS

AROUND THE BIG SKY CONFERENcE

BAUMAN UP TO FOURTH: Northern Arizonas Zach Bauman moved into fourth place on the Big Skys all-time rushing list with his 162-yard game against North Dakota last week. Bauman upped his career total to 4,813 yards, surpassing Portland States Ryan Fuqua. Bauman needs 217 more to move into third place. Weber States Trevyn Smith rushed for 5,029 from 2006-09. Bauman surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the fourth straight year, joining an elite group of Big Sky running backs to accomplish the feat. Chip Dunn of Portland State, Charles Roberts of Sacramento State, Charvez Foger of Nevada, and Trevyn Smith of Weber State are the others. Bauman now has 5,932 career all-purpose yards, which ranks seventh in league history. Bauman is just 2 yards behind EWUs Eric Kimble, who had 5,934 all-purpose yards from 2002-05. OVERTIME AGAIN: Sacramento State played its third overtime game of the season, falling 51-48 to Montana last Saturday. Since joining the Big Sky in 1996, Sacramento State is now 3-11 in overtime games. Montana played its second overtime game in three weeks, winning for the second straight time. Montana beat Cal Poly 21-14 on Oct. 19. Three conference games have been decided in overtime. In 2011 and 2012, one conference game went to overtime in each season. Montana has not lost an overtime conference game since 2003. KUPP RUNNETH OVER: Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp continued his stellar freshman campaign with eight catches for a career-high 205 yards and two touchdowns in a 55-34 win over Idaho State. Kupp, a candidate for the Jerry Rice Award, leads the Big Sky and is tied for second in the nation with 13 receiving touchdowns. No other freshman in the nation has more than seven receiving touchdowns. Kupp has 52 catches for 982 yards and ranks sixth in the nation and tops among freshman in receiving yards per game (109.6). Randy Moss holds the FCS record for most touchdown catches by a freshman with 19 during the 1996 season at Marshall. Appalachian States Sean Price holds the FCS freshman record for catches (81) and yards (1,196) in a season. He set that mark in 2012. The FCS record for most consecutive games with a TD catch is 11 set by Moss in 1996, Cal Polys Ramses Barden in 2008 and EWUs Brandon Kaufman in 2010.
More BIG SKY

Quick hits
Today's game is the rst between top-ve Big Sky schools since No. 1 Montana hosted No. 3 Idaho in 1994. Eastern Washington will be gunning for its 500th win. n Montana State leads the Big Sky and is 20th nationally in sacks. n The Bobcats are 38-2 under Rob Ash when scoring 30 or more points. MSU has scored between 34 and 36 points in four consecutive games, and 30 or more against every Division I foe. n MSUs 12 consecutive winning seasons and 13 in the Big Sky are the most in program history. n Todays game features the two highest-scoring teams in Big Sky play The Eagles are at 41.4 and the Bobcats at 40.4. n MSU is 2-9 at Woodward Stadium/Roos Field, but 1-0 on Easterns distinct red turf. n The Eagles are 8-2 in their past 10 games against the Bobcats.
n

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bozeman daily chronicle

Saturday, November 9, 2013 | 5

BOBCATSGAMEDAY
No. 4 Montana St. at No. 3 E. Washington
1:10 p.m., Roos Field, Cheney

Adams/from 2
Adams platooned with Kyle Padron during Easterns run to the 2012 semifinals. He threw for 1,961 yards and 20 touchdowns. Six of those came in a sevenpossession stretch in the second half of a thrilling relief performance in which Adams nearly helped the Eagles overcome a 35-0 halftime deficit in their 45-42 playoff loss to Sam Houston State. He finished with 14 completions for 364 yards, his touchdown total tied a school record, and the comeback bid recently was deemed the 37th most memorable moment in the Big Skys top 50 countdown during its golden anniversary. What did he do for an encore? Pile up a school-record 518 total yards (411 passing) and six total touchdowns Aug. 31 in Corvallis, Ore., helping the Eagles become the third FCS squad to upset a ranked team from the sports top tier. Adams capped the sterling performance with a play fake, rollout and 2-yard touchdown scamper in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. It was an awesome experience. That was the biggest crowd Ive played in front of in my life, Adams recalls. He made his mark in the Pac-12 after all. That quarterback really, really made some unbelievable escape plays, bought time and just executed so well, Beavers head coach Mike Riley said afterward. MSU senior safety Steven Bethley knows that well. In preparing for this weeks game, Bethley says he and the Cats are trying to devise ways to corral Adams, who showcases an innate ability to avoid trouble, extend plays and produce big gains with both his feet and the vertical pass game. When you turn on the film, hes the first guy you see; hes a playmaker and a game-changer, Bethley says. Adds MSU defensive line coach Bo Beck, He brings a different element to it. (Brady) Attaway at Stephen F. Austin and (Garrett Gilbert) at SMU, they could throw the rock all over the place, but this kid is a water spider; hes hard to catch. And he

Contributed photo

Wide receiver Cooper Kupp has emerged as Adams top target, catching 52 passes for 982 yards.

looks bigger and more confident, too. I want to play that Zac Brown song Sic Em On A Chicken and watch us just chase the water bug. Good luck. Opposing defenses have tried in vain to slow Adams, who has produced some staggering numbers. Through nine games, he is fourth in the FCS with 3,078 passing yards and second with 35 touchdowns two shy of the program record and seven off the Big Skys top mark set by Montanas Brian Ah Yat in 1996. Hes third in total offense (385.8), is completing more than 66 percent of his passes and has logged 394 yards and three scores on the ground. Adams has thrown for 300 or more yards in six games and 400 or more in three and tossed three or more touchdown in eight contests. In the past two

games alone, hes thrown for 889 yards and 11 scores in wins over Montana and Idaho State. Let that sink in. Bobcats head coach Rob Ash sure has. Some people tried to play soft and defend the long pass and theyve gotten gouged with the run. Other people have tried to play a cautious containment on Vernon, and when he has time to throw he can pick you apart sitting comfortably in the pocket, Ash said. People have tried to pressure him and hes gotten away and made good plays. Theyve handled everything that theyve seen so far. Even personnel changes: Eastern lost three talented receivers Brandon Kaufman, Nicholas Edwards and Greg Herd after the 2012 season, but Adams and company have continued to thrive. A new crop of players has stepped into the

spotlight, among them lightly recruited Cooper Kupp. All the redshirt freshman has done is haul in 52 passes for 982 yards and 13 touchdowns, the second-best tally in the FCS. Kupp has 30 catches for 555 yards and five touchdowns in the past three games and is closing in on Randy Moss freshman record of 19 scores. I think a lot of us were hoping there would be a little fall off in their receiver corps with the departure of all those talented players from last year, but the guys they have right now are playing outstanding football, Ash said. Adds Adams, Im not surprised by our success at all. Those guys make me look better than what I really am. They deserve as much credit as I do. Adams may downplay his role, but others are effusive in their praise of the young star. Bethley calls Adams the best player the Cats have faced this year. Some say Adams talent and unwavering confidence compare favorably to the Seahawks Wilson and MSUs DeNarius McGhee. Eagles head coach Beau Baldwin sees someone who is as determined as he is fearless. He came off the bench against Sam Houston (in 2012) and had nothing to lose. When he had nothing to lose, he had nothing to fear, Baldwin said. I think hes kind of taken that approach. Not that hes going to play reckless, but play with guts and confidence regardless of if its the second, third or fourth quarter. Adds Adams, Its awesome to be compared to DeNarius; hes a four-year starter, has been the Big Sky offensive player of the year. Hes the best quarterback in the league right now. This is a big game right here to maybe show who really is the best. If he comes here and gets the win, hes the best. If we get the win, Id like to say Id be almost close to him. Ill let other people debate that. Im just going to work hard and have fun Saturday. Jon Maletz can be reached at jmaletz@ dailychronicle.com or 582-2601. Follow him on Twitter @jmaletz.

Rivalry/from 1
Kirk was sidelined with a hamstring injury and missed last seasons edition when Eastern Washington scored 24 secondhalf points 17 coming from the Eagles special teams and defense to steal a 27-24 win in Bozeman. Its as good as it gets, Eastern Washington head coach Beau Baldwin said after the victory. You are on the road against the No. 2 team in the country. Thats a hard situation. Fortunately we were able to make one more play. The feeling in the Montana State locker room was much different. Quarterback DeNarius McGhee needed time to gather himself before saying, It was tough; how can you explain that? You play this game to win and thats what we are used to. We never even thought about coming out of this game with a loss. Former defensive end Caleb Schreibeis called the defeat terrible. Those are the reactions of the people involved in a rivalry that has had an outsized impact on the eventual conference champion in recent years. Whenever you consistently get in those type of games and

ChronicLe fiLe photo

DeNarius McGhee was picked off twice in last years loss to the Eagles.

every year they seem meaningful there havent been any games that havent really meant much in terms of possible Big Sky implications or postseason play its going to create that rivalry, Baldwin said Wednesday. It doesnt have to be created by the outside; its going to automatically create that

just because weve both been fortunate to be in position to where the games have meant so much. The two programs have each won 37 games over the past four seasons, tied for the most in the Big Sky, and have a combined five postseason appearances including EWUs title run in 2010.

Away from the field, they have entered into what appears to be an arms race, in part to challenge what Montana built, but also to keep pace with each other, Eastern Washington Athletic Director Bill Chaves said. In recent years, both schools increased their stadium sizes Montana State added a 5,200seat structure to its south end zone, pushing capacity at Bobcat Stadium to 17,777, while Eastern added 1,200 seats to Roos Field, which now has 8,700 permanent seats. Eastern Washington currently is lobbying for approval for a project estimated to cost between $60 million and $70 million that will boost capacity beyond 18,000 and construct athletic facilities, offices and retail space. We know that youve got to continue to push the envelope on all aspects, Chaves said. Weve been fortunate to be able to do a few things here and, obviously, MSU has as well. Despite the advancements each school has made, the rivalry faces an uncertain future. As the Big Sky expanded to 13 teams, it created an unbalanced conference schedule, preventing each school the opportunity to play each of the conferences other teams. Next year, Montana State will not play Eastern Washington in a

conference matchup, but the two schools found a way to keep the rivalry alive: Eastern Washington will visit Bozeman, and Montana State will travel to Cheney in 2015. Beyond 2015, the two schools are guaranteed to play at least twice before 2019, but its anybodys guess when those two games will come. Obviously its a difficult game for both sides in the sense of its a coin-flip whether you win or not, but I think in the bigger picture, in the bigger scope, its good for the region, its good for our alumni bases they love the game and its good for FCS football, Chives said. Chives added that a game like the one today likely will have a larger impact than an early round playoff game. When youre playing at the FCS level, amazingly games like (today) can actually be, in a lot of ways, more important than, say, a first-round playoff game. He said there is far more interest in Montana State coming to town considering what is on the line. Two ultra-successful programs vying for thing always makes it intriguing, Chives said. Kyle Sample can be reached at ksample@dailychronicle.com or 582-2690. Follow him on Twitter @kylesample_bdc.

Big Sky/from 2
BIG DAY FOR GOLLODAY: North Dakota sophomore Kenny Golloday caught 17 passes for 134 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-27 loss to Northern Arizona last Saturday. Golloday set the school record for catches in a game and tied the school record for touchdowns in a game. Gollodays 17 catches are the most by an FCS receiver this season and is tied for the fourth most in a game in Big Sky history. David Prandt of Montana State caught 21 passes in a 1985 game. MSUs Rick Gatewood hauled in 19 catches in a 2005 game. David Romines of Cal State Northridge had 18 catches against UC Davis in 1996. EWUs Aaron Boyce (2007), Idaho States Eddie Thompson (2008) and Idahos Jerry Hendren (1969) have also caught 17 passes in a game. IN THE POLLS: Three Big Sky teams are ranked in the top 10 in this weeks Sports Network Poll. Eastern Washington is No. 3, followed by Montana State. Montana is 10th. Northern Arizona is ranked 14th. In the Coaches Poll, Eastern Washington is fourth, Montana State is fifth, Montana is 12th, and Northern Arizona is 14th. North

Dakota State is the unanimous No. 1 in both polls. Eastern Illinois is No. 2. Coastal Carolina is third in the Coaches Poll. TIRED LEG: Weber States Tony Epperson has punted 78 times this season, just 10 shy of the single-season Big Sky record. Idahos Ron Davis punted 88 times during the 1970 season. Eppersons 78 punts have gone for an average of 41.8 yards per punt. Davis holds the single-season record for punting yards with 3,624 in 1970. Todays gaMes #4 Montana St. (5-0, 7-2) at #3 E. Wash. (5-0, 7-2), 1:10 p.m. MST TV: ROOT SPORTS Southern Utah (3-2, 6-3) at Weber State (0-5, 1-8), 1:05 p.m. Internet: WatchBigSky.com #10 Montana (7-2) at South Dakota (4-5), noon TV: Max Media/MidCo Sports Net No. Colorado (0-5, 1-8) at North Dakota (1-5, 2-7), noon TV: MidCo Sports Net Internet: WatchBigSky.com Portland State (2-3, 4-5) at Idaho State (1-5, 3-6), 3:05 p.m. Internet: WatchBigSky.com Sacramento State (3-2, 4-5) at Cal Poly (3-2, 4-5), 7:05 p.m.

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| Saturday, November 9, 2013

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BOBCATSGAMEDAY
No. 4 Montana St. at No. 3 E. Washington
1:10 p.m., Roos Field, Cheney

MONTANA STATE AT EASTERN WASHINGTON

When Montana State has the ball
Rob Ash says todays assignment for rst-year Buchanan Award nominee Ronnie Hamlin is a oensive coordinator Tim Cramsey and the handful at linebacker and is creeping up on 300 Bobcats is simple. career tackles but has been beset by injuries in Id like 14- to 16-play drives that end in a the secondary; safeties Tevin McDonald and Allen touchdown, the head coach said to a smattering Brown likely will watch from the sideline. of laughter Tuesday. Thats what were going to DeNarius McGhee is licking his chops. try to do. The ultimate harbinger of success Ash was joking a bit, but there today, however, will be third downs. EDGE was plenty of truth to the statement. MSU has converted just 41 of 119 times Sustaining drives and keeping Vernon in such situations, good for only 41 Adams and company o the eld is percent. As a result, the Bobcats have paramount today. experienced sustained oensive lulls. It nearly cost them a game last week. Montana State certainly has been Expect MSU to turn to workhorse procient and balanced on oense of Cody Kirk early and often. His 16 late: The Cats average 203 yards on rushing touchdowns lead the Big the ground, 237 through the air and Sky, and he has rushed for 95 or more yards have scored between 34 and 36 points in four in ve consecutive games all wins. He was consecutive games. instrumental during the Cats 12-play, gameTheyll also be squaring o with a defense that winning drive last week and should keep MSU in allows 493 yards per game, which is 93rd-best this game, at least for a while. in the FCS. The unit has playmakers Buck

The Edge

DEPTH CHARTS
Montana State Offense
LEFTTACKLE 55 John Weidenaar 76 Marshall Womack LEFTGUARD 63 Kyle Godecke 72 Charles Lee CENTER 74 Matthew Devereux 6-3/300 So 70 Joel Horn 75 JP Flynn 64 Andy Austin 79 Quinn Catalano 71 Alex Eekhoff 9 2 DeNarius McGhee Jake Bleskin 6-4/295 So 6-5/304 Fr 6-4/285 Sr 6-4/300 Jr 6-6/288 So 6-0/212 Sr 6-1/195 So 5-10/213 Sr 5-9/175 Jr 6-3/218 Sr 6-3/193 So 5-10/175 Sr 5-7/174 Jr 6-2/211 Jr 6-3/185 So 6-2/240 Jr 6-5/240 Fr 6-3/185 Sr RIGHTGUARD 6-5/315 So 6-3/280 Jr 6-7/280 So 6-5/280 Fr 1

E. Washington Defense
END Anthony Larry 6-3/250 Sr 6-2/275 Jr 6-0/295 Sr 6-5/290 Fr 6-2/290 Sr 6-4/270 Jr END 6-3/245 Jr 6-3/235 Sr 6-2/235 Sr 6-2/210 Sr 6-1/230 Jr 6-2/240 Fr 6-1/205 Fr 5-10/200 So 5-10/195 Sr 6-0/200 Sr 6-1/180 So 6-0/170 Jr 5-10/185 Fr 5-10/170 Sr 5-9/170 Sr 6-1/180 So 6-5/225 Jr 6-2/225 Sr PUNTER 48 Jake Miller 68 Kevin Miller 40 Zackary Johnson 92 Will Katoa 94 Matthew Sommer TACKLE 93 Andru Pulu 57 Dylan Zylstra 90 Evan Day 46 Jakob Pugsley 39 Ronnie Hamlin 41 J.C. Agen 47 Cody McCarthy 54 Albert Havili 49 Miquiyah Zamora 20 Jordan Talley 24 Ronald Baines 21 Bo Schuetzle 26 Miles Weatheroy 28 Isaiah Jenkins 32 Zach Bruce 4 Allen Brown

NOSE TACKLE

RIGHTTACKLE

STRONGSIDE LINEBACKER

QUARTERBACK

MIDDLE LINEBACKER

RUNNINGBACK 25 Cody Kirk 33 Shawn Johnson X RECEIVER 86 Tanner Bleskin 83 Manny Kalfell 4 Jon Ellis

WEAKSIDE LINEBACKER

FIELD CORNERBACK

When Eastern Washington has the ball

but their latest crop of skill players has filled in MSU safety Steven Bethley calls him the best admirably. Chief among them is redshirt freshoffensive player his squad has faced thus far. man Cooper Kupp, whose 13 touchdown catches Defensive line coach Bo Beck says hes as are second in the FCS. Hes hauled in 30 passes difficult to corral as a water bug. for 555 yards and five scores in the past three Everyone else calls Eastern Washingtons games alone. Adams, meanwhile, has thrown for Vernon Adams the breakout star of 2013. 889 yards and 11 touchdowns the past The Pasadena, Calif., native platwo weeks. Hes been well protected tooned with Kyle Padron last year and EDGE of late, too: Eastern has surrendered was relatively unknown and relatively just seven sacks in the past five games unproven at least until a magical despite throwing 178 times one FCS semifinal performance against every 25 attempts. Sam Houston State. With his team Adams will be confronting an MSU trailing 35-0, Adams came off the secondary that is battling injuries. The bench and threw for six second-half Bobcats also have struggled against touchdowns in the 45-42 loss. pass-heavy attacks like Stephen All he did for an encore was throw F. Austin, Southern Methodist and Northern for 411 yards, rush for 107 and score six touchColorado. downs (four passing) in a 49-46, season-opening The Eagles big-play ability is not confined to stunner at Oregon State. Hes arguably been as good as any player in the the aerial game. Tailback Quincy Forte rushed classification since, helping spearhead a unit that for a career-high 119 yards on just six carries last week against Idaho State. If Eastern can make averages nearly 530 yards of total offense per MSU respect the run and the pass, it should congame, the fifth-best tally in the FCS. The Eagles lost three wide receivers to the NFL, tinue to produce eye-popping numbers.

F/YRECEIVER 12 David Dash Z RECEIVER 84 Brian Flotkoetter 11 Tanner Roderick TIGHTEND 93 Lee Perkins 15 Austin Barth KICKER 18 Rory Perez

FREE SAFETY

STRONG SAFETY

BOUNDARY CORNERBACK 31 T.J. Lee 26 Miles Weatheroy

Defense
END 7 Preston Gale TACKLE 47 Taylor Dees 92 Nate Bignell 50 Craig Ashworth 90 Taylor Sheridan BANDIT 41 Brad Daly 46 Hayden Vick 16 Cole Moore 34 Blake Braun 6-1/240 Sr 6-3/236 Jr 6-2/220 Jr 6-1/225 Fr 6-1/228 So 6-0/215 Jr 6-2/240 Jr 5-10/222 Fr 5-11/183 Jr 5-11/172 Jr 6-0/200 Jr 6-2/200 Sr 5-11/210 Sr 6-2/200 Sr 6 9 5-10/193 Sr 5-11/188 So 6-3/185 Sr 6-2/273 Jr 6-2/273 So 6-1/280 Sr 6-3/280 So 6-3/254 Sr 6-3/250 So 10 Odin Coe

Offense
LEFT TACKLE 78 Clay DeBord 73 T.J. Boatright 70 Steven Forgette 67 Thomas Gomez CENTER 66 Ashton Miller 75 Jase Butorac 77 Brandon Murphy 72 Aaron Neary 79 Cassidy Curtis 65 Jake Rodgers 3 5 Vernon Adams 6-2/300 Sr 6-3/285 Jr 6-4/305 Sr 6-4/285 So 6-7/290 So 6-6/320 Jr 6-0/190 So 6-1/195 Sr 5-11/185 Jr 5-9/190 Jr 6-4/240 Sr 6-5/240 So 5-11/185 Sr 5-10/190 Sr 6-2/195 Fr 6-3/190 Fr 6-2/195 Jr 5-10/180 So KICKER 68 Kevin Miller 51 Christian Fanning 6-2/225 Sr 5-11/180 Fr 6-6/290 So 6-5/285 So 6-4/300 Sr 6-3/295 So

LEFT GUARD

NOSETACKLE

RIGHT GUARD

SAMLINEBACKER

RIGHT TACKLE

The bottom line

November is here and so is the game of the year in the Big Sky. Much is on the line today in Cheney. So will this matchup meet or exceed the hype? Will a game featuring two of the leagues most potent oenses and dynamic signal callers transform into an epic back-and-forth shootout for the ages? DeNarius McGhee on Tuesday made it abundantly clear he wants no such thing. We have to disagree, however. Admittedly, weve been a bit o with our picks this year (see last weeks projected blowout in Greeley, Colo., which turned into an unexpected squeaker), but were envisioning a high-scoring aair at the Inferno. That plays right into the hands of Vernon Adams and EWUs stable of talented athletes. Adams is getting plenty of protection, and provided he can elude Brad Daly and the MSU front today, hell feast on the Bobcats secondary, which struggled to contain a strong-armed but far less mobile Seth Lobato last week. MSU should keep things close for a while, but we simply dont think it can keep pace. The Bobcats will fall to 38-3 when scoring 30 or more points. The Eagles will notch their ninth win in their past 11 against their neighbors to the east and 500th in program history.

MIKELINEBACKER 51 Michael Foster 58 Rhett Young 43 Alex Singleton 29 Feao Vunipola 37 Deonte Flowers 36 Brad Nordahl ROVER 5 Robert Marshall FREE SAFETY 1 Steven Bethley 22 Eryon Barnett 3 Sean Gords PUNTER 18 Rory Perez 22 Eryon Barnett

QUARTERBACK 12 Anthony Vitto 22 Quincy Forte Mario Brown TIGHT END 85 Zack Gehring 82 Jake Withnell 15 Ashton Clark 23 Daniel Johnson 10 Cooper Kupp 11 Kendrick Bourne Cory Mitchell Shaq Hill

WILLLINEBACKER

RUNNING BACK

BOUNDARYCORNER

WIDE RECEIVER

45 32

WIDE RECEIVER

WIDE RECEIVER

FIELDCORNER 38 Trace Timmer

No. 1 Alabama, No. 10 LSU set for old-school showdown

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) Zach Mettenberger and AJ McCarron typically only run as a last resort and much prefer throwing passes the old-fashioned way. From the pocket. After calling the play in a huddle. No. 1 Alabamas McCarron and No. 10 LSUs Mettenberger are the increasingly rare pure drop-back passers these days in the Southeastern Conference, which doesnt make their matchup in Saturday nights game any less compelling. Their styles might be college football throwbacks, but they sure can throw. Mettenberger and McCarron are two of the SECs three most efficient passers and had quite a duel in last years game won by Bama on a last-minute touchdown pass to T.J. Yeldon. Mettenberger has the rifle arm. McCarron has the two national titles as starter and a 33-2 career mark for Alabama (8-0, 5-0 SEC) that gives him the highest winning percentage among SEC quarterbacks with 30-plus starts. Hes a winner. You cant deny that, Mettenberger said. Thats just point blank. Hes lost two games in two years, won two national championships, and is undefeated this year. So I think the guy just prepares very hard each week and goes out there whacked a couple of times and still made very, very good throws when we pressured, and he completed the ball. McCarron had zero passing yards in the second half before picking apart the LSU defense on the final drive and making the Tigers pay for a corner blitz with a screen that Yeldon took 28 yards for the gamewinning touchdown. A few minutes later, an emotional McCarron headed to his family in the stands, Sports means a lot to me, he said. I play with my heart on my sleeve and I go hard every play. McCarron has 16 touchdown passes against three interceptions while throwing for 1,862 yards despite watching many fourth quarters from the sidelines in blowout wins. He was MVP of the national championship game rematch against LSU in January 2012 after a regular-season loss that might have been his turnaround moment. Thats when Saban released the fiery McCarron to just be himself on the field instead of telling him to calm down. Often labeled a game manager, he got a possibly backhanded compliment from LSU coach Les Miles. I think A.J. McCarron is a great, within the scheme playmaker, Miles said.

AP

LSUs Zach Mettenberger is behind only Texas A&Ms Johnny Manziel in passing yards and efficiency in the SEC, throwing for 2,492 yards and 19 touchdowns against seven interceptions.

and performs well, week in and week out. Mettenberger has been putting up bigger numbers for the Tigers. Hes behind only Texas A&Ms Johnny Manziel in passing yards and efficiency, throwing for 2,492 yards and 19 touchdowns against seven interceptions. However, five of those picks came in the

past two games for LSU (7-2, 3-2), including a loss to Mississippi. Mettenberger passed for 298 yards against the Tide last season. He played fantastic against us last year, I think, the whole game, Alabama coach Nick Saban said. He made some great throws. He stood in the pocket and got