Not everything went right for MSU in win

As sure as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November is Election Day, you can always count on a football coach to find some things wrong in a 60-14 win.

"Oh, absolutely," Montana State coach Mike Kramer said Tuesday.

"The obvious negative is that our running game continues to lag a little bit. Travis (Lulay) spun some balls in there that got dropped - those can be unforgiving and can bite you in a bigger ballgame. Our pass receiving has to be more astute.

"And we missed some defensive checks and they were able to get their tight ends open.

"We're a long ways from being the team that we can possibly be."

And remember, this is the winning coach, whose team had 541 yards total offense, whose defense forced four turnovers and whose team built a 53-0 lead - at the half.

"We're a long ways from being satisfied or content," Kramer said. "We're not going to be able to avalanche another team unless we get the same type of breaks, and that just isn't going to happen. It's mathematically improbable. What happened was a statistical aberration."

While it's probably wise to avoid thinking you're kings of football after such an improbable game, there was plenty to be happy about.

"It looked like Travis picked up right where he left off," Kramer said of his quarterback, who threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns and earned Big Sky player of the week honors for the third consecutive week.

"The offense was able to turn great field position into points. A lot of the credit has to go to Travis. He played exemplary.

"But none of that happens unless our defense paves the way."

With Montana's loss to Portland State, the Bobcats are the lone unbeaten team in conference play. The last time MSU started the Big Sky season 4-0 was 1982 when it began 5-0. The Bobcats would lose their final two of the season.

"Our history as an undefeated team in the league is not great," Kramer said. "There are a lot of fans basking in the glow of 4-0, but wondering when the roof is going to cave in."

Regardless, the Bobcats control their own fate. They don't need any help from anybody else - win out and win the Big Sky.

"It's just the next logical step," Kramer said. "From being the underdog to being the challenger to being the favorite."

. DOROSKI DOES IT: Kickoff specialist Travis Doroski had a busy day at Northern Arizona, kicking off eight times, four for touchbacks.

Doroski long ago broke the MSU season record for touchbacks, and Kramer said he has been a key part of the Bobcats' defensive success.