Season 2, Game 12: Carnegie Mellon at Idaho State
The Cherry on Top: Tartans Leave FCS Victorious at Idaho State
Carnegie Mellon excelled in its final FCS contest, throttling Idaho State on the road, 48-20
by Alicia Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter
POCATELLO, Idaho -- If Saturday was Carnegie Mellon’s final audition for the NCAA Division I FBS committee, it’s safe to say it passed with flying colors.
Behind four touchdowns of 40 yards or more, Carnegie Mellon left the FCS ranks on a high note with an explosive 48-20 victory over Idaho State this afternoon at Holt Arena. The Tartans compiled 405 yards of total offense and scored three return touchdowns in what was their top performance of a two-year FCS tenure.
“I’m just really proud of these guys,” said second-year head coach John Elliott. “This was the perfect way to end this season. We showed tremendous growth throughout the year, and really throughout the last two seasons. To put forth a performance like this and take it to our opponent is proof that what we’re doing here is working, and it’s exciting to go into next season with this sort of momentum.”
Carnegie Mellon (5-7) started off with a strong drive, ending with a Jim Manning touchdown run from 18 yards out on the option. The visitors put together another long stretch with the ball at the end of the frame, only to see Justin Keyes throw behind Ali Concepcion and right into the arms of D.J. Clark.
Idaho State (3-9) answered early in the second quarter with a Matt Gutierrez 18-yard touchdown pass to Josh Barnett, but Manning then ran back the ensuing kickoff 82 yards for a score. After a Bengals field goal, the freshman tailback added a one-yard run with 1:27 remaining in the half to make it 20-10, setting off a stretch of 20 points before halftime.
Seconds after receiving the kickoff, Gutierrez connected with Akilah Lacey on a 65-yard bomb to pull ISU within three at 20-17. CMU then went three-and-out with its next possession to give the ball back to the visitors, but Devon Elliott forced Gutierrez out of the game on the Bengals’ next drive. That proved to be a huge swing in momentum, as backup Luke Butler missed a wide-open Lacey and found Calvin Burton, who ran the interception back 83 yards for a touchdown as time expired.
Keyes added onto the Tartans lead with a 43-yard keeper on the option in the third quarter, then Gutierrez – who returned after halftime – became the second ISU quarterback to throw a pick six to Burton. Burton ran this one back 45 yards to essentially seal the game, with Robert Riley’s two-yard plunge in the fourth quarter providing the cherry on top.
Manning finished with 195 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries to go along with his 82-yard kick return score. Riley provided 49 yards in his final collegiate contest, while Keyes threw for 104 yards on 6-of-11 passing and added 57 on the ground.
Gutierrez went 15-of-32 for 320 yards and two touchdowns, as well as the aforementioned pick six by Burton. Lacey caught six passes for 207 yards and a score in defeat.
Carnegie Mellon finishes its two-year FCS stint with a combined record of 6-18, and is slated to begin the 2008 season as a FBS independent.
The Cherry on Top: Tartans Leave FCS Victorious at Idaho State
Carnegie Mellon excelled in its final FCS contest, throttling Idaho State on the road, 48-20
by Alicia Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter
POCATELLO, Idaho -- If Saturday was Carnegie Mellon’s final audition for the NCAA Division I FBS committee, it’s safe to say it passed with flying colors.
Behind four touchdowns of 40 yards or more, Carnegie Mellon left the FCS ranks on a high note with an explosive 48-20 victory over Idaho State this afternoon at Holt Arena. The Tartans compiled 405 yards of total offense and scored three return touchdowns in what was their top performance of a two-year FCS tenure.
“I’m just really proud of these guys,” said second-year head coach John Elliott. “This was the perfect way to end this season. We showed tremendous growth throughout the year, and really throughout the last two seasons. To put forth a performance like this and take it to our opponent is proof that what we’re doing here is working, and it’s exciting to go into next season with this sort of momentum.”
Carnegie Mellon (5-7) started off with a strong drive, ending with a Jim Manning touchdown run from 18 yards out on the option. The visitors put together another long stretch with the ball at the end of the frame, only to see Justin Keyes throw behind Ali Concepcion and right into the arms of D.J. Clark.
Idaho State (3-9) answered early in the second quarter with a Matt Gutierrez 18-yard touchdown pass to Josh Barnett, but Manning then ran back the ensuing kickoff 82 yards for a score. After a Bengals field goal, the freshman tailback added a one-yard run with 1:27 remaining in the half to make it 20-10, setting off a stretch of 20 points before halftime.
Seconds after receiving the kickoff, Gutierrez connected with Akilah Lacey on a 65-yard bomb to pull ISU within three at 20-17. CMU then went three-and-out with its next possession to give the ball back to the visitors, but Devon Elliott forced Gutierrez out of the game on the Bengals’ next drive. That proved to be a huge swing in momentum, as backup Luke Butler missed a wide-open Lacey and found Calvin Burton, who ran the interception back 83 yards for a touchdown as time expired.
Keyes added onto the Tartans lead with a 43-yard keeper on the option in the third quarter, then Gutierrez – who returned after halftime – became the second ISU quarterback to throw a pick six to Burton. Burton ran this one back 45 yards to essentially seal the game, with Robert Riley’s two-yard plunge in the fourth quarter providing the cherry on top.
Manning finished with 195 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries to go along with his 82-yard kick return score. Riley provided 49 yards in his final collegiate contest, while Keyes threw for 104 yards on 6-of-11 passing and added 57 on the ground.
Gutierrez went 15-of-32 for 320 yards and two touchdowns, as well as the aforementioned pick six by Burton. Lacey caught six passes for 207 yards and a score in defeat.
Carnegie Mellon finishes its two-year FCS stint with a combined record of 6-18, and is slated to begin the 2008 season as a FBS independent.
| Carnegie Mellon Tartans at Idaho State Bengals | |||||
| Nov 24, 2007 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Carnegie Mellon Tartans (5-7) | 7 | 20 | 14 | 7 | 48 |
| Idaho State Bengals (3-9) | 0 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Scoring Summary | |||
| FIRST QUARTER SCORING | CMU | IDST | |
| 9:58 | (CMU) Jim Manning 18-yard run (Justin Thompson kick) | 7 | 0 |
| SECOND QUARTER SCORING | CMU | IDST | |
| 14:11 | (IDST) Matt Gutierrez 18-yard pass to Josh Barnett (Branden Jones kick) | 7 | 7 |
| 14:02 | (CMU) Jim Manning 82-yard kickoff return (Justin Thompson kick) | 14 | 7 |
| 8:55 | (IDST) Branden Jones 28-yard field goal | 14 | 10 |
| 1:27 | (CMU) Jim Manning 1-yard run (XP missed) | 20 | 10 |
| 1:16 | (IDST) Matt Gutierrez 65-yard pass to Akilah Lacey (Branden Jones kick) | 20 | 17 |
| 0:00 | (CMU) Calvin Burton 83-yard interception return (Justin Thompson kick) | 27 | 17 |
| THIRD QUARTER SCORING | CMU | IDST | |
| 10:12 | (IDST) Branden Jones 29-yard field goal | 27 | 20 |
| 7:08 | (CMU) Justin Keyes 43-yard run (Justin Thompson kick) | 34 | 20 |
| 6:47 | (CMU) Calvin Burton 45-yard interception return (Justin Thompson kick) | 41 | 20 |
| FOURTH QUARTER SCORING | CMU | IDST | |
| 5:25 | (CMU) Robert Riley 2-yard run (Justin Thompson kick) | 48 | 20 |
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