SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)—Montana State quarterback Cody Kempt passed for 169 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-20 victory over Sacramento State on Saturday.
Running back Demetrius Crawford ran for 112 yards and one touchdown for the Montana State Bobcats (4-4, 2-2 Big Sky), who have beaten Sacramento State in seven of their last eight meetings.
Bryan Hilliard ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns for the Sacramento State Hornets (3-5, 1-4 Big Sky), who have lost their last three games.
Crawford’s 9-yard touchdown run and freshman receiver DeSean Thomas’ 58-yard catch set up a field goal to give the Bobcats a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. The Bobcats finished the first-half with a 17-0 shutout when Brandon Bostick caught a 5-yard TD from Kempt with six minutes left in the second quarter.
Sac State linebacker Cyrus Mulitalo returned an interception 53 yards to set up a 1-yard score on fourth down by Hilliard in the third quarter.
Bobcats’ safety Kevin Retoriano scored on a blocked punt in the third quarter and Derek Green caught an 18-yard TD in the middle of fourth quarter to give Montana State a 31-7 lead.
Head to Head - Week 9
| Team | Total Yds | Pass Yds | Rush Yds | First Downs | 3rdD% | Pen./Yds | Turnovers | Time of Poss. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana State | 313 | 171 | 142 | 18 | 40.0% | 2/20 | 1 | 30:52 |
| Sacramento State | 303 | 212 | 91 | 18 | 41.2% | 4/40 | 3 | 29:08 |