OGDEN, Utah — A matchup that kicked off under the sun here ultimately finished under the lights, but was lights out for Montana State.
The Bobcats built a 10-0 lead at Weber State, but the Wildcats rallied for a 34-24 win.
The Bobcats came into this Big Sky Conference football matchup facing the overall No. 1-ranked defense in the league and did an effective job of marching up and down the field for three quarters.
On the flip side, Weber State’s offense was worst overall in the Big Sky but took advantage of some MSU miscues.
“The script was, can we force turnovers and take advantage of opportunities, which we did in the first half, and can we not give the ball to them?” said Bobcats head coach Jeff Choate afterward. “That ultimately played out in their favor in the second half.”
“We fought to the end, they just fought harder,” said MSU cornerback Greg Filer III, whose third-quarter pick-6 put the Bobcats up 24-17. “That just sums it up right there. That was a good ball club. Like I said, we fought, they just fought harder.”
Offensively, quarterback Troy Andersen led the team in rushing with 102 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. That included a career-long 71 yard sprint midway through the second quarter. But Andersen also accounted for two interceptions passing.
“I think we had great play calls,” said Andersen, “but they played great defense, too. Our takeaways from our defense that we got early in the first half, that really helped get our offense going. You’re giving us a short field. And when they made us drive the length (of the field late), it was tough.”
It doesn’t get any easier a next week when the Bobcats play at Idaho State, which lost at Liberty Saturday afternoon, 48-41. Both teams will enter 4-3.
