Oct. 9, 2004
Final Stats
Missoula, MT --- Jaret Johnson's 48-yard field goal attempt to win the game was blocked with 30 seconds left by Alan Saenz, and seventh-ranked Montana escaped with a hard-fought 24-22 victory, leaving the Bengals winless in 10 tries at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
The Bengals needed only a field goal to win after two late Montana drives bogged down on first-and-goal, and Montana's normally reliable kicker Dan Carpenter missed a pair of chip shots from 23 and 24 yards out.
Idaho State moved the ball nearly at will against the Griz, amassing 487 yards on the day. Yet, after a first quarter that saw ISU get into the redzone three times, ISU had only a 22-yard field goal to show, as Johnson missed from 25, and Hetherington had a pass intercepted at the four-yard line.
Montana scored two touchdowns in the opening quarter, including a nice 24 yard pass from senior Craig Ochs to Jon Talmage. ISU responded with an 11-yard TD catch by Shedrack Okoebor from Hetherington, but Johnson's extra point hit the left upright, a miss that would haunt ISU in the end.
Jefferson Heidleberger's 27-yard touchdown catch made it 21-9, and it looked to go to 28-9 after another Talmage TD catch, but he was called for offensive pass interference, and Ochs fumbled on the next play. ISU then went 73 yards in four plays and Josh Barnett went over from a yard-out to make it 21-16. It was ISU's first rushing touchdown by a running back this year.
After a Carpenter field goal late in the third, ISU struck in the fourth on another Barnett touchdown run. Needing two to tie, Hetherington's pass to Okoebor was just off his fingertips, leaving the score at 24-22, setting up the late drama from the two kickers, along with Saenz.
The Bengals, who dropped to 1-5 and 0-3 in the league, have a week off before taking on Sacramento State on Homecoming, October 23.
NOTES ... Sale' Key's seven catches for 130 yards pushed him into second place in the ISU career receiving list with 2,234 yards ... Barnett's two touchdowns runs equaled ISU's rushing touchdown total for the season ... starting defensive tackle Jermaine Horn received a carry on first and goal at the four, losing a yard ... Idaho State ran their streak of reaching the red zone in Washington-Grizzly Stadium and not scoring a touchdown to nine before Shedrack Okoebor scored on an 11-yard pass from Mark Hetherington ... Johnson is now 6-for-12 on the season in field goals ... Kyle McQuown's 38.4 yard average ended his streak of 40-yard punting games at 14, although he pinned Montana inside their own 12 three times, and one punt was from his own one-yard line ... Akilah Lacey set career-highs in catches (10) and receiving yards (177) for the third time this season ... Hetherington's 415 yards was his ninth 300-yard game, and he has thrown for exactly 2,000 yards in six games.
