The Montana State football team is ranked seventh in both The Sports Network and the FCS coaches’ football polls this week.
The Bobcats moved up a spot in the media poll and stayed at seventh in the coaches’ poll after a 36-7 win over Northern Arizona, which had been ranked 15th by TSN and 17th by the coaches.
Montana dropped a spot in The Sports Network poll to 11th and moved up two spots to 10th in the coaches’ poll after a 55-27 win over Portland State.
Eastern Washington is ranked sixth and eighth while Northern Arizona is ranked 19th and 21st.
Two-time defending national champion North Dakota State.
In the NAIA poll, Carroll College moved up two spots to seventh, Rocky Mountain moved up three spots to 13th and Montana State-Northern fell five spots to 24th.
UM Cornerback, MSU Returner Honored by Big Sky
Athletes from Montana and Montana State are among four Big Sky Conference football players of the week.
Montana cornerback Anthony Goodwin earned defensive honors for the conference and shared the national defensive honors given by The Sports Network. He intercepted two passes, broke up an FCS season-high seven more passes and had three tackles in No. 10 Montana’s 55-27 homecoming win over Portland State.
Montana State returner Shawn Johnson shared the special teams honors with North Dakota returner Greg Hardin.
Johnson returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in eighth-ranked MSU’s 36-7 win over No. 15 Northern Arizona. Johnson also rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown and totaled 246 all-purpose yards.
Hardin returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in North Dakota’s 28-25 win over Idaho State. He had 126 receiving yards and finished with 225 all-purpose yards.
Sacramento State quarterback Garrett Safron earned offensive honors. He passed for 312 yards and three touchdowns in Sacramento State’s 37-21 win over Northern Colorado.