For a few days, Mac Bignell’s big hit was the talk of the Big Sky Conference. By the time Saturday was over, the highlight-reel play took a back seat to a few surprising upsets.
Bignell, a sophomore linebacker from Drummond, laid the boom on Fort Lewis running back P.J. Hall early in the second quarter. On a swing pass to the flat, Fort Lewis quarterback Jordan Doyle hit Hall, who then encounter a full-speed Bignell. The hit leveled Hall out in midair as the 5-foot-6, 182-pounder landed on his head. The hit sparked the Bobcats, helping the hosts turn the 0-0 tie into a 14-0 halftime lead and a 45-14 win to open the season.
Mac Bignell hits PJ Hall
By Friday morning, video of the hit was circulating around the Internet. Both regional and national media outlets were posting the footage on social media. Bleacher Report and ESPN College football got a hold of the video as the footage went viral.
“I’ve never been around a viral video before so I thought it was pretty cool,” MSU captain wide receiver Mitch Griebel said on Tuesday’s weekly meeting with the media. “He didn’t really talk much about it. He never really talks much (laughs). He handled it the right way. He was humble about it and just kind of laughed it off but it was pretty cool being around something like that.”
The first down hit led to a third down situation in which Bignell made another tackle behind the line of scrimmage to force a Fort Lewis punt. The Bobcats scored for the first time on their next possession.
“Everyone is excited about (the hit),” MSU head coach Rob Ash said on Tuesday. “It was a big hit, an exciting moment in the game. It was fun for our fans, fun for everybody. The best part about it and the part we emphasized in our program was the point that Mac executed that hit exactly how you are supposed to execute that hit. Neither player was injured. That was the beauty of that hit.”
Montana State’s season began on a Thursday night, as did Southern Utah and UC Davis’ seasons. Weber State opened at Oregon State on Friday. On Saturday, Portland State and North Dakota made some noise.
Steven Long of Portland State
Portland State began 2015 with low expectations in Bruce Barnum’s first season as interim head coach. The Vikings were picked to finish 12th among the 13 Big Sky teams in the Big Sky preseason poll. On Saturday, PSU forced four fumbles and rushed for 233 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run by Steven Long with 2:19 to play to lift the Vikings to a 24-17 win in Pullman. The loss was Washington State’s first ever in 18 matchups against FCS schools.
North Dakota entered the season with strong questions offensively after averaging less than 16 points per game during last year’s 5-7 finish. The defense again appears stout, holding Wyoming scoreless until the fourth quarter and giving up 41 yards rushing in a 24-13 upset victory. Offensively, North Dakota possessed the ball for nearly 38 minutes by rushing 54 times for 276 yards, including 148 yards and two touchdowns by freshman running back John Santiago.
“I thought the Big Sky had a fabulous week,” Ash said. “Portland State and North Dakota were the ones that everyone talked about but I also thought NAU (Northern Arizona) had a big win beating Stephen F. Austin (34-28). We know they are a very, very good team. I thought Southern Utah’s performance against Utah State (a 12-9 loss) as very, very impressive. They didn’t allow an offensive touchdown in that game against a traditionally very good offensive team.
John Santiago of North Dakota
“I expect every year that there will be one or two teams or more that rise up and put together good, tough teams to battle against. With the transfers you can get in to FCS football and the good recruiting base we have out in the western half of the country, our teams should be good and they are good and you can get good overnight.”
While Ash acknowledged watching this week’s Big Sky games along with last week’s college football kickoff as Montana took down top-ranked North Dakota State 38-35, he said he’s eager to get on the field and out of the living room. Montana State will have a second straight Saturday off this week as MSU has its bye week early. MSU next plays at No. 7 Eastern Washington on September 19.
“I’m getting real tired of watching football, I’ll be honest with you,” Ash said. “I don’t like it. This is the first time in my career that I’ve ever had two consecutive Saturdays off. We usually have a bye but the fact that we played on a Thursday gave us that first Saturday off. One of them stuck in the middle of the season is great but two of them in a row when we’ve only played one game, you find yourself bouncing off the walls. We will be getting real eager to get back and play.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez (Bignell). PSU and UND photos courtesy of respective athletics departments. All Rights Reserved.
