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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Montana crushes MSU for share of Big Sky title

Peter Nguyen and Dan Moore each ran for more than 100 yards and a touchdown, and Jordan Johnson threw two scoring passes as Montana dominated Montana State for a 36-10 victory in Bozeman on Saturday that left the rivals sharing the Big Sky Conference championship.

With the victory, Montana (9-2, 7-1) earned the conference’s automatic berth in the FCS playoffs. The Bobcats (9-2, 7-1) also are assured of a spot in postseason play.

Nguyen had 123 yards and a 21-yard TD run in the fourth quarter – his first rushing score of the season. Moore added 116 yards and a 37-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that gave Montana a 29-7 lead.

Jordan was 15 for 31 for 164 yards passing, including a 79-yard TD to Jabin Sambrano on UM’s first second-half possession.

With Montana leading 12-0 at halftime, Montana State gave a Bobcat Stadium-record crowd of 20,247 a flicker of hope when DeNarius McGhee connected with Elvis Akpla on a 7-yard pass with 14:07 left in the third quarter. But 18 seconds later, Johnson found Sambrano, who had 96 yards on four receptions and the TD.

Montana had 309 of its 473 total yards on the ground. Montana State was held to 250 total yards, including 79 rushing.

UC Davis 23, Sacramento State 19: Colton Silveria rushed for 170 yards and the go-ahead score as the Aggies (4-7) closed out the season with a win over the Hornets (4-7) at Sacramento, Calif.

Weber State 48, Portland State 33: C.J. Tuckett rushed for 211 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Wildcats (5-6, 5-3) over the host Vikings (7-4, 5-3).

Southern Utah 27, Northern Arizona 24: Brad Sorensen threw for 389 yards and two touchdowns as the Thunderbirds (6-5) defeated the Lumberjacks (4-7) at Flagstaff, Ariz.