BOZEMAN — During pre-game warm-ups, Isaiah Ifanse appeared like he would not play against the Idaho Vandals.
Instead of the powerful true freshman, Montana State listed Ifanse’s classmate Lane Sumner as the No. 1 running back on the depth chart before the game. And the former Class B standout sprinter and tailback from Huntley Project gained two yards on the second play of the game.
Idaho marched down the field for a touchdown on its opening drive, while the first MSU possession that included Sumner’s carry ended in a punt after just 56 seconds.
The second time Montana State had the ball, Ifanse was not on the sideline. Instead, despite not practicing the entire week leading up to the UI game because of an undisclosed leg injury suffered either against Eastern Washington or during Montana State’s bye, Ifanse was lined up next to quarterback Troy Andersen.
MSU ended the 24-23 win over Idaho with 225 yards rushing. The Bobcats averaged 7.3 yards per carry, a number heavily aided by Andersen’s 60-yard touchdown jaunt. The exceptionally athletic MSU quarterback also had a 32-yard touchdown run and three other runs of more than 16 yards.
The statistical production overall was skewed because the Bobcats only had the ball for 21 minutes. MSU mustered just 12 first downs and ran just 53 plays for 318 yards of total offense, yet still came away with a win that pushed the Bobcats to 2-1 in Big Sky Conference play, 4-2 overall.
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Photos by Brooks Nuanez or noted. All Rights Reserved.
