2 weeks Ago
BOZEMAN — The Big Sky Conference has suspended an official for an incorrect overturned call during the Week 8 game between Idaho State and Northern Arizona. NAU scored a touchdown with 8 minutes, 1 second left of its game on Oct. 19 in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Marcus Lye’s point-after attempt — made 15 yards longer because of an unsportsmanlike penalty after the TD — sailed wide right, and the referees ruled it no good on the field. Then the officials reviewed it and overturned the call. A camera angle on the ESPN+ stream showed the ball clearly flying wide of the right upright.
Yeah one game suspension isnt enough pic.twitter.com/hnqcA46qWb The Big Sky released a statement last Monday, Oct.
21 admitting “the call was incorrectly overturned” and announcing the official’s suspension. “The Big Sky acknowledges and regrets this error in officiating,” the conference wrote in its statement. pic.
twitter.com/Bde75xB8bb The Big Sky, via a spokesperson, declined to provide further details to 406 MT Sports about the overturned call and suspension. ISU head coach Cody Hawkins chose not to comment when the Idaho State Journal asked him about the call , and ISU declined a 406 MT Sports request for comment.
The incorrect overturn resulted in a 10-0 lead for NAU instead of 9-0. ISU responded with 13 straight points and led 23-16 going into the fourth quarter. The Lumberjacks tied it up with 11:37 left, ISU’s Gabe Panikowski drilled a 55-yard field goal about five minutes later and NAU took a 30-26 lead with 3:35 remaining.
The Bengals punted on their drive immediately following NAU’s go-ahead TD. They got the ball back with 1:50 left, knowing anything less than a TD wouldn’t be enough. ISU drove into field goal range but stalled out around the 15-yard line, and NAU’s DJ VanHook intercepted Kobe Tracy as time expired.
“There was a lot of adversity today,” Hawkins told ISU sports information after the game . “Those guys kept bouncing back, and we had a shot to win at the end, but one or two plays away is the story. We’ve got to figure out how we can clean up those things and not put ourselves in that situation where a one-score game is decided against our favor.
” Idaho State head coach Cody Hawkins calls timeout during the Big Sky Conference football game between the Griz and Idaho State at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. Idaho State rebounded from its loss at NAU with an overtime home win over Sacramento State.
The margin in Saturday’s game in Pocatello, Idaho, never exceeded seven points. After a 35-point second quarter, ISU kicked a field goal in the third to take a three-point lead, and Sac State made one with 11 seconds left in the fourth to send the game into OT. The Hornets drilled a 41-yard field goal on the first possession of the extra period, and the Bengals walked it off with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Kobe Tracy to Jeff Weimer.
Idaho retained the Che-Scow Cup with its third straight win over Eastern Washington on Saturday in Moscow, Idaho. The Vandals built three seven-point leads in the first half and went into halftime up 17-13. Two straight touchdowns put them ahead 31-13 early in the fourth, and they took a 38-21 lead with about five minutes left.
Idaho gave up a TD on the ensuing kickoff, but the scoring stopped there. Week 9 Big Sky scores: • Idaho 38, Eastern Washington 28 • Idaho State 30, Sacramento State 27 (OT) • Montana 24, Northern Colorado 0 Big Sky standings (overall, in conference): T-1. Montana State (8-0, 4-0) T-1.
UC Davis (7-1, 4-0) 3. Montana (6-2, 3-1) 4. Idaho (6-3, 3-2) T-5.
Northern Arizona (4-4, 2-2) T-5. Weber State (3-5, 2-2) 7. Idaho State (4-5, 2-3) T-8.
Sacramento State (3-5, 1-3) T-8. Cal Poly (2-5, 1-3) T-8. Eastern Washington (2-6, 1-3) T-8.
Portland State (1-6, 1-3) T-8. Northern Colorado (1-7, 1-3) Week 10 Big Sky schedule (all games Saturday, all times Mountain): • Montana State at Eastern Washington, 2 p.m.
• Northern Colorado at UC Davis, 2 p.m. • Weber State at Northern Arizona, 2 p.
m. • Montana at Cal Poly, 3 p.m.
• Portland State at Sacramento State, 7 p.m. Montana State head football coach Brent Vigen talks to reporters about the Bobcats’ bye week, upcoming opponent Eastern Washington, injuries and more on Monday, Oct.
28, 2024, at the Bobcat Athletic Complex in Bozeman. All four of the Big Sky teams ranked in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 are in the top 10 of the latest poll, released Monday . Montana State was slotted at No.
2 for the second straight week and got 13 first-place votes, 30 fewer than top-ranked North Dakota State. UC Davis, Montana and Idaho all moved up one spot: to No. 4, No.
8 and No. 10, respectively. Northern Arizona received the 29th-most votes.
Montana State linebacker Neil Daily talks to reporters about filling in for injured Danny Uluilakepa, the Bobcats' upcoming game at Eastern Washington playing high school football at Missoula Sentinel and Billings West and more on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman. Idaho State wide receiver Christian Fredericksen was named the Big Sky offensive player of the week, Montana safety Jaxon Lee earned the defensive honor and ISU punter Ross Bolger received the special teams honor, the league announced Monday.
Fredericksen caught 10 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns in the Bengals’ win over Sacramento State. Lee, a Missoula Sentinel graduate, tallied seven tackles and an interception in the Grizzlies’ shutout of Northern Colorado. Bolger averaged 40.
5 yards per punt and pinned two of his four punts inside the 20-yard line against Sac State. The watch list for the Jerry Rice Award, which goes to the FCS freshman of the year, was announced last week , and four of the 30 players on the list compete for Big Sky teams. Those four are Sacramento State quarterback Carson Conklin, Eastern Washington safety Derek Ganter, Montana State running back Adam Jones and Idaho QB Jack Wagner.
The last two Jerry Rice Awards went to Big Sky players: Montana RB Eli Gillman (2023) and Idaho QB Gevani McCoy (2022). Montana State running back Adam Jones talks to reporters about landing on the watch list for the Jerry Rice Award (FCS freshman of the year), the impending return of Julius Davis, the upcoming game at Eastern Washington and more on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman.
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