Msu Defying Image

Montana State has motored its way into first place in the Big Sky Conference football standings, but the Bobcats have hardly made it a smooth ride for coach Cliff Hysell.

Hysell, in his seventh season at MSU, has built a reputation as one of the toughest, most demanding and most conservative coaches in the league. Yet his Bobcats have played it anything but close to the vest in rolling up a 6-2 overall record and 4-1 Big Sky mark.

MSU, which normally considers the forward pass something you use late in the game to keep from running the score up on an inferior opponent, has launched the ball 251 times and ranks fifth in the league in passing offense with an average of 252.0 yards per game.

That number itself would be enough to keep Hysell at the edge of his comfort zone. But throw in the fact that the Bobcats have spotted opponents big leads before making spirited comebacks the past two weeks and you have one exasperated - yet deeply appreciative - coach. “We’ve dug ourselves a lot of deep holes this year,” Hysell said last Saturday after MSU spotted last-place Northern Arizona a 16-0 lead before rallying for a 32-25 win on quarterback Rob Compson’s 2-yard touchdown run with 15 seconds left. “This time, we were able to dig ourselves out.”

It’s been like that on several occasions for the opportunistic Bobcats, who will provide the opposition for Eastern Washington this Saturday when the Eagles (4-4, 3-3) close out their home season at 1:05 p.m. at Woodward Stadium.

“With this offense, we know we can come back,” said Compson, who completed 21 of 39 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns against the Lumberjacks. “I don’t think we ever panicked.”

Wide receiver Chip Hobbs, who caught both of Compson’s scoring passes against NAU, attributed the win to the team’s “it’s-not-over-‘til-it’s-over attitude.”

And while Hysell welcomes such undying determination, he is worried that his Bobcats might be succumbing to a habit that could take a big bite out of their title hopes. “It’s the mark of a very competitive team,” he said of MSU’s ability to win from behind, “but we’ve got to hope it doesn’t become a double-edged sword.

“The players think there’s no hole too big to climb out of. ” And any college coach who has been in the business as long as Hysell knows that just isn’t so.

Eagles draw at record pace

Eastern Washington needs to draw just 2,366 fans to Saturday’s home finale against Montana State to set a single-season school record for average home attendance.

Through their first four home games of 1998, the Eagles have averaged 5,607 at the gate - well ahead of the record of 4,958 set in 1996. Last year, EWU drew a record 47,170 fans, but that total included 10 home games, including one regular-season and three I-AA playoff games at Albi Stadium.

Turnover epidemic at Weber

The one good thing about Weber State’s current four-game losing streak is that first-year coach Jerry Graybeal doesn’t have to search long and hard for the cause.

Turnovers have become the bane of the Wildcats, who opened the season with five consecutive wins. They currently rank last in the Big Sky in turnover margin, having lost nine fumbles and 12 interceptions.

Those numbers grew considerably last week when Weber turned the ball over five times in a 26-10 loss to Cal State Northridge. Among the miscues was a third-quarter interception that Matadors defensive back Shayne Blakey returned 76 yards for a touchdown.

“They took advantage of every miscue that we had today, and they turned it into something positive,” Graybeal said afterward. “The last four games, we’ve hurt ourselves more than the other team has hurt us.”

Kramer called it

Just moments after Portland State had handed Eastern Washington a 30-27 overtime loss in the Big Sky opener for both teams earlier this season, Eagles coach Mike Kramer was asked to comment on the play of PSU quarterback Jim Blanchard.

Blanchard had just burned EWU’s secondary for 210 yards and two touchdowns on 18-for-30 passing.

“He looked a little Harry Leons-like to me,” Kramer said, in reference to his senior quarterback of last season, who was named the Big Sky’s offensive MVP after leading the Eagles to the league title.

As it turns out, Kramer’s assessment was right on the money. Blanchard, who is only a sophomore, currently leads all Division I-AA quarterbacks in pass efficiency.

In six games he has completed 66.1 percent of his passes (109-165) for 1,509 yards and 14 touchdowns for an efficiency rating of 169.67. Last fall, Leons completed 61.9 percent of his passes (159-257) for 2,588 yards and 21 touchdowns and finished with an efficiency rating of 169.53.

Quick kicks

Northern Arizona placekicker Mike Goldstein had a “long” day in Saturday’s loss to Montana State, hitting a career-best 47-yard, second-quarter field goal and following it up with a 53-yarder that tied the game with just over 2 minutes remaining… . Defensive end Brian Edmisten set a Weber State single-game record with four sacks against Cal State Northridge… . Edmisten’s teammate, running back Morgan Welch, needs only eight yards to become the Wildcats’ single-season rushing leader.