Around the Big Sky

Four Big Sky Conference football games are slated for this weekend, while Northern Colorado’s trip to California to play UC Davis marks this week’s only non-conference game. Both Montana schools will play their first league games. Third-ranked Montana travels to Weber State and Montana State plays at Idaho State.

No. 11 Eastern Washington (1-0, 2-2) at Portland State (0-1, 1-3)
Besides being the top passing offenses in the Big Sky, both the Eagles and the Vikings allow more than 35 points per game. For Eastern Washington, quarterback Matt Nichols leads the league in total offense, averaging 325.2 yards per game, while his team averages a league best 36.2 points per game. The Eagles also allow 371 passing yard, a number not far from Portland State’s average of 356.5. The Vikings manage 33.5 yards rushing per game, compared to the Eagles’ 105. Nichols, this week’s BSC Offensive Player of the Week, has two favorite receivers in Tony Davis and Aaron Boyce. Davis has recorded 30 catches and Boyce 22 through four games. In the Eagles’ win against Idaho State, Eastern Washington posted 13 tackles for losses and five sacks. The Eagles enter the game on a two-game win streak, beating Western Washington and Idaho State, its first BSC game of the season. The Vikings lone win is against Western Oregon. Last weekend, Sacramento State beat Portland State 41-31 in the Vikings’ league opener. Eastern Washington has lost the last two matchups against Portland State.

Montana State (0-0, 2-2) at Idaho State (0-1, 0-4)
The Bobcats are coming off a win against first-year Division I school South Dakota, which is in its transition year after moving up from D-II. Montana State leads the Big Sky in pass defense at 176.2 yards per game, something the Coyotes found hard to overcome last weekend in a 37-18 loss. South Dakota was limited to 138 yards passing. Idaho State has yet to pick up a win this season and is on an eight-game slide stretching into last season. The Bengals are last in the league in defense, something Montana State’s Demetrius Crawford could take advantage of. Crawford leads the Big Sky in rushing, averaging nearly 90 yards per game. The Bengals opened conference play last week against Eastern Washington, holding the lead until near the end before the Eagles rattled off the game’s final 17 points for the win. Quarterback Russell Hill threw for his third straight 300-yard game in the loss.

Sacramento State (1-1, 3-2) at #24 Northern Arizona (1-0, 3-1)
The Hornets will have to try to stop Northern Arizona’s offense. The Lumberjacks lead the nation in total offense, averaging 475.5 yards per game as well as a league-best 212 rushing yards per game. Sacramento State will also have to work extra hard to counter the nation’s top rushing defense. Northern Arizona allows only nine rushing yards per game. After opening the season with a loss to nationally ranked FBS Arizona State, the Lumberjacks have won three straight and are ranked for the first time since 2004. The Hornets are off to the program’s best start since 2000 and opened Big Sky play with a 41-31 home win against Portland State. Sacramento State’s three wins already match their last season’s total. Bryan Hilliard leads the Hornets on the ground, averaging 88.7 yards rushing, while freshman Deionte Gordon was co-defensive Player of the Week for the Big Sky after leading the team with eight tackles and turning a deflected pass into a 15-yard touchdown.

Northern Colorado (0-3) at UC Davis (1-4)
Northern Colorado will play its final non-conference game of the season against the Aggies. UC Davis, of the Great West Conference, has already played two games against Big Sky opponents, losing to Montana 29-24 and beating Portland State 38-24. The Bears’ wide receiver Alex Thompson might recognize UC Davis quarterback Daniel Alfaro. Thompson used to catch Alfaro’s passes at Damien High School. Aggies’ offensive lineman Tommy Hernandez was also a member of the same team. Quincy Wofford is coming off a big game against Northern Arizona. He returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, the 17th player in Big Sky history to do so, in nail-biting 25-22 loss to Northern Arizona last weekend. Linebacker Cristian Sarmento anchors the Bears’ defense. He has recorded at least 10 tackles in his 11 straight FCS game. He tallied 19 against the Lumberjacks. Sacramento averages 13.67 tackles per game. The last time these two teams met, the Aggies posted a 38-7 victory at Northern Colorado in 2006.
charles.pulliam@umontana.edu