Cats beat UC Davis in wild west shootout

Posted: Oct 6, 2012 8:58 PM by Scott Breen - Q2 Sports
Updated: Oct 6, 2012 9:15 PM

DAVIS, Ca. - What looked like a Montana State blowout at halftime finished as an absolute nail biter.

UC Davis scored 24 unanswered points to start the second half for a 38-31 lead, before falling short on a last-minute drive losing 48-41. MSU safety Joel Fuller batted down a last-chance UC Davis pass in the end zone with 16 seconds left to spoil Homecoming in California.

The Bobcats appeared in complete control after outscoring UC Davis 24-0 in the second quarter for a 31-14 halftime lead. But Davis capitalized on a barrage of MSU turnovers in the third quarter to regain the lead. Both teams returned interceptions for touchdowns with the Bobcats turning it over four times to Davis' three.

"I've never seen any of my teams, in 30-some years of coaching, be as careless with the ball," said MSU coach Rob Ash afterward. "It's just very frustrating. We talked about it all week, and... I think I'm just not going to mention it this week and see if they go away."

Defensive tackle Zack Minter made the game's biggest play for MSU trailing 41-38 in the fourth quarter when he intercepted a pass inside UC Davis' five yard line. Moments later, Tray Robinson powered in from a yard out for his second touchdown of the game and a 45-41 Bobcats lead. Robinson finished with five yards on five carries and two scores. Orenzo Davis was MSU's leading rusher with 71 yards on 14 carries and a 35 yard touchdown run to open the scoring.

Cats quarterback Denarius McGhee kept a pair of MSU drives alive with stunning scrambles after nearly being sacked twice. McGhee completed 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards with one touchdown and an interception. After returning from an injury, Tanner Bleskin led the Cats' receiving corps with eight catches for 91 yards and a score.

MSU's 6-0 start is its best since the 1970's. The Cats host 4-1 Eastern Washington next Saturday.