BOZEMAN – Zach Minter scored on a 53-yard interception return and place-kick holder Rick Haluszka ran in on a fake field goal to help Montana State to a 30-7 win over Eastern Washington on Saturday.
The Bobcats (3-1, 1-0 Big Sky) snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Eagles (2-2, 1-1), who were coming off a 36-27 victory last week over Montana.
“I think it’s a huge win for our program,” Montana State coach Rob Ash said. “A lot of players talked about this being a big step to get Eastern Washington off our backs.”
Minter’s interception of EWU’s quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell gave MSU a 13-0 lead with about six minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Eagles’ only score came on a 9-yard pass from Mitchell to Nicholas Edwards with about eight minutes left in the first half.
Haluszka’s run from 4 yards out made it 20-7 with less than two minutes left in the first half.
The Bobcats, who entered with game averaging a Big Sky-best 493.3 yards per game offensively, rolled up 439 total yards and 19 first downs.
Quarterback Denarius McGhee was 15 for 24 passing for 283 yards and a touchdown. Running back Orenzo Davis had a team-high 77 yards rushing on 17 carries.
EWU was held to 110 yards by the Big Sky’s best rushing defense and 382 overall.
Mitchell was 24 for 49 for 272 yards passing with an interception. Eagles running back Taiwan Jones, the Big Sky’s top rusher at 151.7 yards per game, had 12 attempts for 65 yards in the first half, but carried only once for minus-2 yards in the second half.
“Coming out with a slow start, you can’t do that as a football team,” said Mitchell, whose Eagles are scheduled to play Weber State next week. “We’ve got a salty taste in our mouths. Good luck to the next team we play. They’re going to get a fight.”