Capsule previews for today's Bobcats and Grizzlies games

Montana State at Eastern Washington

• The game: 2 p.m. today, Woodward Field, Cheney, Wash.
• The records: MSU is 4-2 (2-1 Big Sky); Eastern Washington is 4-3 (3-2 Big Sky).
• The series: Eastern Washington leads 24-8.
• TV/Radio: NBC; KBLG (910 AM), Bobcat Radio Network.
• Scouting the Eagles: EWU enters the game with two straight losses. … The Eagles have won six straight in the series. … Leading WR Aaron Boyce suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury in a loss at Montana last week. … QB Matt Nichols has thrown for 1,841 yards and 13 TDs. His rating is 143.98. … LB J.C. Sherritt, recently added to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list, leads the nation with an average of 14.4 tackles per game. … Led by RB Taiwan Jones, the league's leading rusher with 786 yards, EWU is tops in the league in rushing offense at 150.3 yards per game.
• Scouting the Bobcats: Coach Rob Ash said mid-week he had not decided who would start at QB between Cody Kempt and Mark Iddins. Kempt completed 23 of 34 passes for 249 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in MSU's 31-24 overtime win over South Dakota last week. … A week after he was felled by illness, Iddins is healthy again. … WR Julius Lloyd has 15 catches for 195 yards in the last two games. … RB Aaron Mason will not play for the second straight week due to a concussion. … LBs Chase Gazzerro (ankle) and Jeff Price (shoulder) are listed as doubtful. … CB Cory Nicol is out for the year with a torn ACL. … DE Dane Fletcher's 45.5 career tackles for loss is tied for seventh in school history and is fourth among active FCS players.
• Stat that matters: Jones is tied for the lead in the FCS with 10 rushing touchdowns. MSU's defense is the only team in the nation yet to allow a rushing score.
• Coachspeak: "Eastern Washington has always been a great passing team, but Taiwan gives them an amazing big play capacity on the ground. He's very quick on his feet and he's explosively fast. If he gets a crease, you're not catching him. They can hit a home run on the ground or through the air. This is an essential game for us to stay with one loss and stay near the top of the league. We have to take this game in order to stay in control of our destiny. It's a big, big game." - MSU coach Rob Ash

No. 2 Montana at Sacramento State

• The game: 3 p.m. today, Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, Calif.
• The records: UM is 6-0 (3-0 Big Sky); Sacramento State is 2-4 (2-2 Big Sky).
• The series: UM leads 14-0.
• TV/Radio: CBS; KPBR (105.9 FM), Grizzly Sports Network.
• Scouting the Hornets: QB Jason Smith has thrown a TD in five straight games. Smith threw for 320 yards last week in a loss at Weber State. … RB Terrance Dailey had 96 yards rushing last week and ranks fourth in the league with 527 yards. … DT Christian Clark, a preseason all-league pick, is third in the conference with four quarterback sacks. … SS Zach Schrader is third in the Big Sky with 64 tackles. … Sac State has allowed an average of 67.0 rushing yards in its last three games, including 56 to Weber State star Trevyn Smith. … The Hornets have lost 13 straight games against ranked opponents.
• Scouting the Grizzlies: Lat week's win over Eastern Washington guaranteed UM its 24th consecutive winning season dating back to 1986. … WR Marc Mariani averages 21.7 yards per catch, tops in the Big Sky, and 24.1 yards per punt return, tops in the FCS. … CB Trumaine Johnson was hospitalized after a collision during contact drills Tuesday. His status for the game is uncertain. … RB Chase Reynolds has scored five touchdowns in the last two games. … UM ranks fifth in the nation in scoring offense at 36.8 points per game. … UM is seeking its seventh straight road victory.
• Stat that matters: The Griz have been outscored 38-16 in the first quarter this season, but have outscored opponents 205-80 over the final three quarters. Sacramento State, meanwhile, is 11-2 since 2007 when leading after three quarters and 0-16 when trailing entering the fourth.
• Coachspeak: "Jason Smith is not real flashy. He made two great throws (across the field) against Eastern Washington. Those are throws that I haven't seen him make before. I think he's an improved player. Sac State has done a couple of really nice things this year. Winning at Portland is hard. Not many people do that in recent years. And they typically play real well at home. Year-in and year-out they tend to upset one of the better teams in our league. We want to try to avoid that." - UM coach Bobby Hauck