BOZEMAN, Mont. — Eastern Washington football was on the road for its first Big Sky game of the season against No. 4/6 Montana State. The Bobcats won in a decisive game, 57-3 over the Eagles. EWU falls to 0-1 in conference and 1-4 overall. MSU starts 1-0 in the Big Sky and is 3-2 overall.
"I don't make excuses and I'm a proud Eagle, regardless of outcome," head coach Aaron Best. "We gave ourselves a chance, but it was a minimal chance out of the gate. There are things we have to clean up on our end to be way more efficient. There's a physical, mental, emotional, psychological element to the game. However we do it; we have to compete for longer periods of time."
MSU's offense was explosive, scoring six touchdowns on plays of 20-plus yards. They finished with 580 yards of total offense. The Bobcats had a balanced attack with 287 passing yards and 293 rushing yards.
The Eagles' offense struggled to sustain drives, putting up 207 yards of offense. Nate Bell led EWU with 56 rushing yards on 13 carries.
Scoring Summary
Montana St. opened the game with an 8-ply, 53-yard drive, resulting in a 3-yard touchdown run from Adam Jones. The Bobcats went up 7-0.
After the Eagles were stopped on fourth down, MSU took over at the EWU 44 yard line. Two plays later, Hunter Province took a 43-yard pass from Justin Lamson for the score with 6:15 on the clock.
Two minutes later, the Bobcats got the ball back and scored again on a 45-yard pass. The lead grew to 21-0.
MSU started its next drive in EWU territory as well, but was held to a 43-yard field goal with 20 seconds remaining in the quarter.
EWU looked to get back into the game, and Jared Taylor began to find a rhythm throwing. He completed 4-of-6 passes for 52 yards, including a 35-yard throw to Nolan Ulm, and moved the Eagles into scoring position. The drive stalled in the redzone, but Soren McKee converted a 21-yard field goal to get Eastern on the board. The Eagles trailed 24-3 with 6:29 left in the half.
The Bobcats snuck in another touchdown before the half, a 28-yard throw from Lamson. MSU missed the extra point and the Eagles trailed 30-3 at halftime.
To begin the second half, EWU earned a stop, but the Bobcats pulled a trick play on a field goal attempt, as the holder took the snap and ran 26 yards for the touchdown. MSU added to its lead, 36-3. The Bobcats kept up the pressure as Jones ran for a 37-yard score on the next drive. The lead was now up to 43-3 at the 3:22 point of the third quarter. MSU piled on with a 2-play, 55-yard drive for the team's third touchdown of the quarter. The lead was now 50-3.
In the fourth quarter, Montana St. scored on a 32-yard rush to build a 57-3 advantage that would hold for the remainder of the game.
Eag Notes
- Ambrose Marsh grabbed his first career interception in the fourth quarter. Marsh posted 3 tackles, with 2 solo in the game as well.
- Eastern recorded 3.0 sacks for the second-straight game. The team has multiple sacks in 4-of-5 games this season.
- Ben Voigtlaender recorded his first career sack and ended the game with 4 total tackles - 1 solo.
- Samarai Anderson recorded his first career sack. He finished with 3 total tackles, making 1 solo.
- Isaiah Perez blocked his third career kick and second this season.
- Read Sunn posted a career-best 9 tackles against The Bobcats, with 8 solo.
- The teams tied in the turnover battle, committing one apiece.
Up Next
Eastern Washington returns to Roos Field next week for Homecoming on Oct. 4 (Saturday) and host Portland State at 4 p.m. Pacific Time.
2025 EWU football tickets are now on sale! Join Spokane County's team for all five home games at Roos Field in Cheney starting as low as $99. Group tickets, fundraising options and single game tickets are also available. For more info, visit goeags.com/fbtickets or contact the EWU Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 or tickets@ewu.edu.
Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access, and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.
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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