Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Montana State
#2 MSU Rallies in Second Half to Beat Wildcats 44-24
11/6/2011 12:26:00 AM | Football
OGDEN, Utah – Montana State scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to beat Weber State 44-24 on a snowy Saturday afternoon at Stewart Stadium. With the victory, the Bobcats, ranked second in the nation, have clinched at least a share of the Big Sky title. Weber State drops its third-straight game and falls to 3-6 on the season.
Weber State got off to a great start as the Wildcats scored first on a C.J. Tuckett five-yard rush. Montana State came back to take a 10-7 lead before WSU sophomore Josh Booker had back-to-back touchdown runs to give Weber State a 21-17 lead. The Wildcats led 24-20 at halftime.
The second half was all Montana State as the Bobcats scored 10 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth to seal the victory. Montana State has now won seven straight games at Stewart Stadium.
Booker had a career-high 121 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries to lead the Wildcats. That marked the most rushing yards by a Wildcat this season.
Mike Hoke returned to action after missing last week's game and finished the day 13-26 for 143 yards and one interception. Shaydon Kehano led the receivers with six catches for 83 yards.
Defensively Weber State had some big plays as the forced four Montana State turnovers, the most in a game this season. Sophomore Anthony Morales led the 'Cats with 13 tackles, including a sack. Tony Epperson, David James, Mo Neal, and Nick Webb each had eight tackles a piece.
Montana State quarterback DeNarius McGhee finished the day 21-32 for 310 yards and three touchdowns but also threw two interceptions.
Weber State head coach Ron McBride was in a collision with a player in the first quarter and suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. McBride stayed in the game and coached the Wildcats throughout the rest of the game.
With the loss the Wildcats are now 3-3 in Big Sky Conference action and 3-6 overall. WSU will close out the home schedule next Saturday when they host Northern Arizona at 1:30 p.m. at Stewart Stadium. The final game of the year will be Nov. 19 at Portland State.
