Saturday, October 22
12 noon
Montana State University
vs
Eastern Washington
John Walker and MSU's pass defense will have their hands full with EWU Saturday
Bobcats Host High-Flying Eagles Saturday at Noon
10/21/2016 5:23:00 PM | Football
MSU looks to slow down nation's top passing offense
There was a time when Jeff Choate happily knew nothing about Eastern Washington's prolific offense and the engine that makes it go, senior receiver Cooper Kupp.
"He's done it to everybody," Choate says of EWU's record-setting, award-winning, supremely talented star. "He did it to us three years ago at Washington. He went off on us, and I'm going, 'Who is this guy?' Now I know."
Choate, whose Montana State squad hosts Eastern Washington at 12 noon Saturday, knows about Kupp's unprecedented productivity. The Yakima, Washington product owns eight Big Sky and 11 FCS records, and with a catch today matches the FCS record for at least one reception in 45 straight games. Choate has seen it in person, he's seen it on video, and he's seen a lot of different approaches to stopping him.
But Choate also knows that slowing down Eastern Washington's FCS-leading pass offense is about more than limiting Kupp. "If you think Cooper Kupp is good, look at some of the guys around him. They have three receivers right around 100 yards a game. One of the reasons those guys are so good collectively is that I'm sure they push each other, I'm sure there's all kinds of competition in the receiving corps. The quarterback is a game-changer in their offense (because of) the quarterback run game. They have a tremendous culture. They have great continuity in the coaching staff. Those things combine to make it a tremendous program."
The Eagles enter Saturday's game 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Big Sky play, with the only blemish a narrow loss at North Dakota State. "They're very close to being a 6-0 team whose already beaten one of the best teams in the Pac 12 North, and offensively might be as good a team as I've seen in terms of how they execute and operate," Choate says.
In all, it adds up to a severe test for Montana State. "It's a measuring stick for us for how far we've got to go."
Choate sees past his team's 2-5 record to improvement and resilience from his first Bobcat squad, which includes lessons taken from last Saturday's loss at Weber State. "It was probably one of the better learning moments we had," he said. "It was a lively session (Sunday). I think the kids are going to bounce back. We've had a lot of kids (in the football office) watching film, I think they understand that we have a tremendous opponent coming to town that's going to test us. You look back at the Weber State game and it's easy to get disappointed in some of the things that took place, but there are a lot of positives."
One of those positives was the play of quarterback Chris Murray in helming the Cats from opening kickoff to the final gun. The freshman threw for 199 yards and rushed for 131 more. "There are some things that Chris has done that give us a chance. I think we're finding our groove, our identity, on offense. That's really important. As we go down the stretch here that's going to be a huge part of what we do, finding out who we can be with (Murray) as our (quarterback)."
Part of MSU's offensive development lies in a young, improving group of receivers. "It was nice to see Keon (Stephens) step up and make a play (on the touchdown at the end of Saturday's game)," he said. "I think that's going to give him some confidence, and we can build on that. At the end of the game Cam (Sutton) goes up and makes a play. It was nice to see Kevin Kassis compete and make a play on the punt return. Their practice habits have improved now to where you have some confidence in them as coaches."
MSU's offense faces what Choate calls "the biggest improvement I've seen on Eastern's team" in the Eagles' defense. "They're a senior-laden, veteran outfit. They've taken the next step, even though they're giving up points and yards. I think they've really improved in their front seven. They need five stops a game. If they get five stops a game, they're in pretty good shape."
That math relates directly to the pace and productivity of the team's offense. Sophomore quarterback Gage Gubrud throws for 391.8 yards a game and leads the team with 354 rushing yards. While Kupp averages 142.4 yards a game, Kendricks Bourne (102.7) and Shaq Hill (87.0) offer the team's offense balance.
Still, the focus always returns to Kupp. "He might be the best receiver I've seen on film in five years," Choate says, "and I'm not talking about just catching the ball. You watch this guy when he's away from the ball – his route-running, the way he blocks – he's a pro right now."
Next week brings a welcome respite for the Bobcats, as the team reaches its bye week. Eastern faces a crucial showdown against Montana.
"He's done it to everybody," Choate says of EWU's record-setting, award-winning, supremely talented star. "He did it to us three years ago at Washington. He went off on us, and I'm going, 'Who is this guy?' Now I know."
Choate, whose Montana State squad hosts Eastern Washington at 12 noon Saturday, knows about Kupp's unprecedented productivity. The Yakima, Washington product owns eight Big Sky and 11 FCS records, and with a catch today matches the FCS record for at least one reception in 45 straight games. Choate has seen it in person, he's seen it on video, and he's seen a lot of different approaches to stopping him.
But Choate also knows that slowing down Eastern Washington's FCS-leading pass offense is about more than limiting Kupp. "If you think Cooper Kupp is good, look at some of the guys around him. They have three receivers right around 100 yards a game. One of the reasons those guys are so good collectively is that I'm sure they push each other, I'm sure there's all kinds of competition in the receiving corps. The quarterback is a game-changer in their offense (because of) the quarterback run game. They have a tremendous culture. They have great continuity in the coaching staff. Those things combine to make it a tremendous program."
The Eagles enter Saturday's game 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Big Sky play, with the only blemish a narrow loss at North Dakota State. "They're very close to being a 6-0 team whose already beaten one of the best teams in the Pac 12 North, and offensively might be as good a team as I've seen in terms of how they execute and operate," Choate says.
In all, it adds up to a severe test for Montana State. "It's a measuring stick for us for how far we've got to go."
Choate sees past his team's 2-5 record to improvement and resilience from his first Bobcat squad, which includes lessons taken from last Saturday's loss at Weber State. "It was probably one of the better learning moments we had," he said. "It was a lively session (Sunday). I think the kids are going to bounce back. We've had a lot of kids (in the football office) watching film, I think they understand that we have a tremendous opponent coming to town that's going to test us. You look back at the Weber State game and it's easy to get disappointed in some of the things that took place, but there are a lot of positives."
One of those positives was the play of quarterback Chris Murray in helming the Cats from opening kickoff to the final gun. The freshman threw for 199 yards and rushed for 131 more. "There are some things that Chris has done that give us a chance. I think we're finding our groove, our identity, on offense. That's really important. As we go down the stretch here that's going to be a huge part of what we do, finding out who we can be with (Murray) as our (quarterback)."
Part of MSU's offensive development lies in a young, improving group of receivers. "It was nice to see Keon (Stephens) step up and make a play (on the touchdown at the end of Saturday's game)," he said. "I think that's going to give him some confidence, and we can build on that. At the end of the game Cam (Sutton) goes up and makes a play. It was nice to see Kevin Kassis compete and make a play on the punt return. Their practice habits have improved now to where you have some confidence in them as coaches."
MSU's offense faces what Choate calls "the biggest improvement I've seen on Eastern's team" in the Eagles' defense. "They're a senior-laden, veteran outfit. They've taken the next step, even though they're giving up points and yards. I think they've really improved in their front seven. They need five stops a game. If they get five stops a game, they're in pretty good shape."
That math relates directly to the pace and productivity of the team's offense. Sophomore quarterback Gage Gubrud throws for 391.8 yards a game and leads the team with 354 rushing yards. While Kupp averages 142.4 yards a game, Kendricks Bourne (102.7) and Shaq Hill (87.0) offer the team's offense balance.
Still, the focus always returns to Kupp. "He might be the best receiver I've seen on film in five years," Choate says, "and I'm not talking about just catching the ball. You watch this guy when he's away from the ball – his route-running, the way he blocks – he's a pro right now."
Next week brings a welcome respite for the Bobcats, as the team reaches its bye week. Eastern faces a crucial showdown against Montana.
Players Mentioned
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