Upcoming Big Sky Football Games (Week 4)
Saturday, Sept. 21
Eastern Washington at Nevada // MWC Network (1:00 p.m. MT)
#24 Western Carolina at #9 Montana // ESPN+/Scripps (1:00 p.m. MT)
Mercyhurst at #3 Montana State // ESPN+/Scripps (1:00 p.m. MT)
RV Southern Utah at Idaho State // ESPN+ (4:00 p.m. MT)
RV Northern Arizona at #15 Incarnate Word // ESPN+ (5:00 p.m. MT)
#11 Sacramento State at Texas A&M-Commerce // ESPN+ (5:00 p.m. MT)
RV Weber State at Northwestern State // ESPN+ (5:00 p.m. MT)
Northern Colorado at Stephen F. Austin // ESPN+ (6:00 p.m. MT)
#4 Idaho at #19 Abilene Christian // ESPN+ (6:00 p.m. MT)
Portland State at Boise State // FS1 (7:45 p.m. MT)
Utah Tech at #13 UC Davis // ESPN+ (8:00 p.m. MT)
Eleven Big Sky football teams will be in action on Saturday, as Week 4 features a pair of Top-25 matchups. Below are news and notes for Week 4 of the football season.
Northern Arizona Featured Team on “This Week in Big Sky Football”
Northern Arizona is 2-1 for the first time since 2019, as the Lumberjacks travel to No. 15 Incarnate Word for an earlier season road test. The contest will be featured on “This Week in Big Sky Football” which airs each Friday on @BigSkyConf’s YouTube.
Two Top-25 Matchups Slated in Week 4
Two Big Sky football games this week will feature a Top 25 matchup, as No. 4 Idaho travels to No. 19 Abilene Christian and No. 9 Montana hosts No. 24 Western Carolina. This season, the Big Sky is 2-1 in ranked versus ranked non-conference FCS games.
Ranked Big Sky vs. Ranked FCS Opponents
Week 2: #23 North Dakota 27, #4 Montana 24
Week 3: #4 Idaho 41, #17 UAlbany 13
Week 3: #11 Sacramento State 34, #24 Nicholls 7
Big Sack Conference
The Big Sky has three players ranked in the Top 10 for total sacks so far this season, with five in the Top 40. Looking at team totals, the Big Sky has three squads in the Top 10 for total sacks this season, as the league is the only FCS conference with three teams in the Top 10.
Top Sack Leaders
Rank: Player, School (Total)
1st: Keyshawn James-Newby, Idaho (6.0)
5th: Hayden Harris, Montana (4.5)
T6th: Cortland Horton, Idaho State (4.0)
T16th: Elijah Ponder, Cal Poly (3.0)
T31st: Dallas Afalava, Idaho (2.5)
Team Sack Leaders
Rank: School (Total)
T7th: Idaho (11)
T7th: Montana (11)
T9th: Sacramento State (10)
Bobcats Seeks 4-0 Start to the 2024 Season
Montana State comes off the bye week facing Mercyhurst on Saturday, as the Bobcats seek a 4-0 start to the season. The 4-0 start is the best for Montana State since going 6-0 to open the season in 2012.
Players of the Week Announced for Big Sky Football
Offensive Player of the Week: Ty Pennington, Northern Arizona (QB, So., Sand Springs, Okla.)
Quarterback Ty Pennington led Northern Arizona to a 45-17 victory over Utah Tech in just his third-career start for the Lumberjacks, as the sophomore scored four touchdowns this past Saturday night. Pennington completed 8-of-14 passes for 123 yards and two scores, while adding 67 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns to round out his night. Pennington transferred in from Pittsburg State where he was coached by first year NAU head coach, Brian Wright.
Defensive Player of the Week: Will Leota, Sacramento State (LB, Sr., Salt Lake City, Utah)
Linebacker Will Leota recorded his eighth career game with at least 10 tackles and his first as a Hornet while helping lead Sacramento State to a dominant defensive effort against No. 24 Nicholls on Saturday night. Leota led the team with 10 total tackles which included three tackles-for-loss and a pair of sacks. His sacks and TFLs both set career bests and sparked a Hornet defense which did not allow a point and finished the game with seven sacks (most since 2011) and 14 tackles-for-loss. Leota, who won Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week honors, transferred to Sacramento State after three seasons at Utah Tech.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Andrew Marshall, Idaho (PR, So., Eastvale, Calif.)
Andrew Marshall had a breakout game in Idaho’s 41-13 win over ranked UAlbany, as he returned three punts for 82 yards and a touchdown. The 47-yard touchdown came in the second quarter, which put Idaho up 27-3 at the time. Marshall also added two tackles on defensive during the game.
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