BOZEMAN, Mont. — Eastern Washington (4-6; 3-4 Big Sky) couldn't slow down the 5th-ranked Montana State Bobcats (8-2; 6-1) in Bozeman on Saturday afternoon, losing 57-14. The win extended the Bobcats' home win streak to 26 games and snapped Eastern's four-game streak at MSU.
After the teams traded punts on each of their first possessions, MSU QB Sean Chambers broke into the second level and cruised home for a 68-yard score to make it 7-0 Bobcats. That score broke the dam, as MSU scored on each of their next five possessions, powering out to a 41-7 halftime lead.
"After those first two series, there was some really bad football in that first half which let up some big plays," said head coach Aaron Best. "(MSU had) too many explosive plays at the end of the day."
Montana State ripped off chunk play after chunk play on Senior Day at Bobcat Stadium, scoring on passes of 15, 51, 63 and 43 yards. As a team, they went 8-for-8 passing for 217 yards and 4 TDs in the first half.
"The air comes out of the balloon when you have a 40-yard play, then a 50-yard play, then a 60-yard play. Those are tough to overcome."
Eastern stopped the bleeding for a moment before the break as TE Blake Gobel snared a Kekoa Visperas pass with his left hand to get the Eagles on the board. It was Gobel's 10th career touchdown and first of the season.
The Eagles got MSU behind the sticks on their first drive of the second half before freshman running back Scottre Humphrey broke free for a 74-yard run to the EWU 3. Lane Sumner scored two plays later to eliminate any hope of a comeback.
"(Montana State is) a great team. They played like the top-5 team that they are," Best continued. "You can't go on the road and play well below average in the first half and beat anybody, let alone a top-5 team… we got beat by a really good football team."
Visperas finished the game 27 for 36 passing for 329 yards and 2 TD. Efton Chism III led Eastern receivers with 8 catches for 94 yards, moving into 5th in EWU history with 217 career receptions. Brandon Kaufman is next on the all-time leaderboard with 221.
MSU's quarterback duo of Chambers and Tommy Mellott were as advertised, combining for 335 of total offense. Chambers finished with 75 yards rushing and 119 passing with 5 combined TDs (2 rush, 3 pass). Mellott added 43 on the ground and 98 through the air, with 1 TD passing.
The Eagles return home for their final game of the 2023 regular season to face the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks next Saturday, Nov. 18. It will be Senior Day at Roos Field as outgoing seniors will be recognized on the field in a pre-game ceremony. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Eastern's next home game is Saturday, Nov. 18 vs. Northern Arizona. It will be Senior Day at Roos Field in Cheney. Tickets for that game and all EWU Athletics events are available at goeags.com/tickets or via the EWU Athletics Ticket Office at 509-359-6059.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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