In my post game recap I made a very big omission and that was the influence of Kendrick Van Ackeren in the NDSU game. Kenny’s stat line of 10 tackles was best on the team and he had 2 key fumble recoveries, a ½ tackle for a loss, and a QB hit.
Looking back over the play by play he had multiple stops on 2nd and 3rd down to slow down NDSU drives and he was the guy that made the last stop in the game on the bobbled kickoff - finishing off NDSU for good.
His awareness on the field and ability to be in the right place at the right time was clutch in that game. Both of his fumble recoveries lead to points for Montana, two fieldgoals. One could argue his recovery of the 2nd half fumble was the tipping point in that game. The crowd was starting to fade out of the game and people were staring to accept what they thought was the inevitable.
There were A LOT of pro scouts there watching the game on the sidelines and my feeling is that Kendrick was one of our seniors who did a lot to make an impression in that game!
Looking back over the play by play he had multiple stops on 2nd and 3rd down to slow down NDSU drives and he was the guy that made the last stop in the game on the bobbled kickoff - finishing off NDSU for good.
His awareness on the field and ability to be in the right place at the right time was clutch in that game. Both of his fumble recoveries lead to points for Montana, two fieldgoals. One could argue his recovery of the 2nd half fumble was the tipping point in that game. The crowd was starting to fade out of the game and people were staring to accept what they thought was the inevitable.
There were A LOT of pro scouts there watching the game on the sidelines and my feeling is that Kendrick was one of our seniors who did a lot to make an impression in that game!
