MSU continues win streak on rain-soaked parents weekend

Despite heavy rain and slick turf, nothing could stop the Bobcats from defeating the Idaho State University (ISU) Bengals over MSU’s parent and family weekend. 

The 48-14 win against their foe to the south pushed the Bobcats to 5-2 on the season and 3-0 in conference play. The ‘Cats dismantled ISU to stay in stride with the other teams unbeaten in Big Sky Conference play: the University of California Davis (UC) and the University of Montana (UM). 

The Bengals have taken a massive leap in offense this season compared to last season, going from 21.7 to 38.5 points per game before this weekend. Nevertheless, this was not enough to defeat the ‘Cats. 

The Bobcats’ offense shot out of a cannon to start the game, firing off 14 points in the first quarter. Quarterback Justin Lamson completed touchdown passes to running back Julius Davis for 22 yards and wide receiver Dane Steel for 15 yards. 

The Bengals silenced the stadium shortly after with a touchdown from wide receiver Michael Shulikov. The pass catcher now has 37 receptions for 643 yards and four touchdowns on the season. 

Running back Adam Jones then ran in a seven-yard touchdown to cap off a five-play drive. Kicker Myles Sansted missed his fourth extra point of the season to leave the Bobcats with a six-point gain. ISU responded with a 69-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tsion Nunnally. 

The ‘Cats bent but did not break, scoring two more touchdowns before halftime. Lamson ran one in and threw another to tight end Rocky Lencioni, who made an acrobatic catch to get his feet down in the corner of the end zone. The ‘Cats were up 34-14 at the half.

MSU didn’t look back after the break, with Lamson throwing one final touchdown to Lencioni in the third quarter to finish off the starter's day. Backup quarterback Patrick Duchien then ran one in himself to seal victory for the ‘Cats.

The Bobcats' game plan was built on balance, according to Head Coach Brent Vigen. “Defense would feed the offense and the offense would feed the defense,” he said during the post game press conference. This plan came to life as the ‘Cats only allowed 14 points and forced three turnovers.

Lamson continued to impress, throwing four touchdowns and running one in, marking his highest total on the season and in his career so far. 

Jones had a breakout game according to Vigen, putting up his second-most rushing yards with 173 and a score on top of it. “Hopefully this will get everybody beyond that thought, that ‘What’s wrong with [Jones]?’” Vigen said. “He’s a good football player, he’s a really good football player and that showed up today.”

Throughout their six games this season, MSU has been highly productive, averaging 33 points per game to their opponents' 17. The Bobcats’ offense is closely split between passing and rushing, with 210 passing yards and 225 rushing yards per game on average. 

The ‘Cats continue to climb the Big Sky Conference ladder each week and now sit in 3rd place behind UC Davis (5-1) and UM (6-0). All three teams are 3-0 in conference play, so at the midseason mark, the conference is still up for grabs. 

The ‘Cats won’t return home until Nov. 8 for a game against the Weber State Wildcats. They now go into their bye week with significant momentum, riding on a five-game win streak. 

To learn more about MSU football, visit https://msubobcats.com/sports/football.