Cat-Griz Report: Cats, Griz lose Big Sky heartbreakers

BOZEMAN (AP) — Brady Oliveira ran 22 times for 171 yards and two touchdowns, including a key touchdown late in the fourth quarter in North Dakota's 17-15 win over Montana State on Saturday.

Oliveria's 60-yard gallop gave the Fighting Hawks a 17-9 lead with 2:27 to play. MSU rallied with a 3-yard touchdown run by Chad Newell on its homecoming day, but Newell failed to score on the two-point conversion attempt after a pass interference call against UND moved the ball to the one.

MSU (2-2, 0-1 Big Sky) recovered the onside kick, but Tyler Bruggman threw his third interception three plays later.

MSU, which came into the game leading the nation in turnover ratios, turned the ball over five times to just one for UND (2-2, 1-0).

"That was the entire difference in the game. Period." MSU head coach Jeff Choate said of the turnovers. "Cannot win a game like that. That's a really tough one."

MSU had two chances to win the game with a field goal, but couldn't get the ball into UND territory on either drive.

"I probably thought that game was over two or three times," UND safety Cole Reyes said. "It's probably one of the funnest games I've ever been in. I'm spent but it's fun to win a game like that."

Reid Taubenheim kicked a 22-yard field goal late in the third quarter to put UND ahead for good at 10-9.

Neither team could reach the end zone in the first half until UND's Oliveira scored from two yards with just 59 seconds remaining following a fumble by MSU's Chad Newell. MSU had scored on field goals of 26 and 31 yards by Gabe Peppenger earlier.

Following the touchdown Newell, a senior captain, left the game with an apparent leg injury, but returned in the second half. He ran for 68 yards on nine carries prior to the injury, but limited to just 32 yards in the second half finishing with 18 carries for 100 yards.

After a 2-1 home stand, the Bobcats now head out on the road to face winless Sacramento State Saturday night.

Cal Poly 42, Grizzlies 41

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) — Dano Graves connected with Kyle Lewis on a 39-yard touchdown with 4:39 to play and Cal Poly spoiled a record-breaking day for No. 6 Montana with a 42-41 win on Saturday.

Graves drove the Mustangs (3-1, 1-0) 75 yards in eight plays and then weathered a Montana drive that ended when Tim Semenza missed a 48-yard field goal in the Big Sky Conference opener for both teams.

Montana quarterback Brady Gustafson completed a school record 47 passes in 59 attempts for 418 yards. Both of his touchdowns went to Jerry Louie-McGee, who had a school record 21 catches for 155 yards.

Montana (2-1, 0-1) led 17-7 and Gustafson had completed all 15 of his passes, eight to Louie-McGee for 120 yards that included a 61-yard score. After a Cal Poly scoring drive, Gustafson completed another pass before his 17th attempt was tipped and intercepted by Aaryn Bouzos. The Mustangs turned that into Lewis' 13-yard scoring run on the next play and then Gustafson fumbled on a sack, which led to a 16-yard TD pass from Graves to Kory Fox and a 28-17 lead.

Gustafson hit Louie-McGee for another score 30 seconds before halftime to make it 28-24.

Jeremy Calhoun's third TD run put Montana up 38-35 early in the fourth quarter, and minutes later, Semenza put the Griz ahead by six with a 24-yard FG.

"They are just a good team," UM head coach Bob Stitt said of Cal Poly. "It isn't anything that our guys weren't ready to play, because they were ready to play, it's just two good football teams playing and one of them won by one point. They had one more point than we did, and I'm proud of the way the team played.

"I'm so proud of how those guys came out and played. We put them in a couple of bad situations in the first half, but I'm proud of the team and how we gave ourselves a chance to win the game," Stitt added. "We didn't win the game, but we gave ourselves a chance."

The Griz return home for the first of three straight games at Washington-Grizzly Stadium when they host defending Big Sky champion Southern Utah this Saturday.

Note: Havre Daily News sports editor George Ferguson contributed to this story.