Bobcat Football finds their footing

The Bobcats turned their road woes around this past weekend as they defeated the Portland State Vikings. The Cats amassed an astounding 323 yards on the ground en route to a 43-23 victory. Sophomore quarterback Troy Andersen, fresh off his hand injury which kept him out of his signal-calling duties for two weeks, set a new record for Bobcat quarterbacks with 207 rushing yards. He totalled 211 rushing yards but four were granted at the running back position when he took a handoff from redshirt freshman quarterback Tucker Rovig.

The Bobcats only trailed once in the game when the Vikings took the opening drive to the Bobcat 27-yard line before stalling out. They then kicked a field goal to take the lead three-to-zero. The Bobcats fired back after an interception, which set them up in the Portland State red zone. Freshman running back Isaiah Ifanse, continuing after his impressive day against Wagner, punched it in from two yards out to take the lead. Another Viking field goal tied the game before the Cats took the lead for good. Another touchdown by Ifanse and a 53-yard strike to junior wide receiver Kevin Kassis had the Cats riding high into halftime, up 26-16.

The Cats kept the pedal to the metal in the second half with a one-yard plunge by sophomore running back Tyler Natee following a 29-yard field goal by junior kicker Tristan Bailey. Andersen added to his record-breaking night by taking a quarterback keeper up the left sideline 66 yards to the house to cap the scoring for the Cats. Standout junior defensive end Bryce Sterk led the way on defense, totalling six tackles including two more sacks to add to his spectacular start this season.

The Cats come home with an overall record of 3-1, including a conference win, to face perennial powerhouse Eastern Washington Saturday, Sept. 29 in what will be a true test of the Cats’ grit.