BOZEMAN — Montana State's Caden Dowler and Colby Frokjer took home Big Sky Conference player of the week honors after the third-ranked Bobcats' nationally televised win over No. 9 UC Davis, the league office announced Monday.
Dowler, a defensive back from Billings, had one of the best defensive performances of the season in the 38-17 win over the Aggies on Saturday night. The junior had two interceptions, one of which he returned 83 yards for a touchdown, to headline his night, while also tallying 12 tackles (nine solo), a tackle for loss and a forced fumble to cap off his sensational performance.
The interception return for a touchdown came with MSU leading just 17-7 late in the third quarter, while his second takeaway came with the score at 24-14 and the Aggies driving. Dowler has now won weekly conference honors in back-to-back weeks.
Frokjer, MSU's freshman punter and kicker, contributed to UC Davis having an average starting field position on its own 23-yard line. The Utah native averaged 51.2 yards on four punts, while producing five touchbacks on seven kickoffs. Of his four punts, two went over 50 yards and one pinned the Aggies at their own 11-yard line. The weekly conference honor is the first of the season for Frokjer.
Idaho State quarterback Jordan Cooke and Northern Arizona receiver Kolbe Katsis shared the offensive player of the week honor. Cooke had 428 yards of total offense and four touchdowns, as the Bengals defeated Weber State 31-3. Cooke finished 24-of-39 passing for 363 yards, tossing two touchdowns and no interceptions, while adding 65 yards on the ground and two scores.
Katsis had six catches for 148 yards and three touchdowns, as the Lumberjacks won their seventh game of the season in a 35-27 victory over Cal Poly. The 148 yards and three touchdowns were both career highs for Katsis, while he became the first Lumberjack since 2019 to record three receiving touchdowns in a game. Katsis scored on passes of 6, 75, and 38 yards on the day.
Editor's note: Portions of a Big Sky Conference news release were used in this report.
