Saturday, September 24
2 pm
Montana State University
vs
North Dakota
Fletcher Collins and the Cats look to slow down North Dakota on Saturday
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Bobcats Welcome North Dakota for Homecoming 2016
9/23/2016 10:11:00 AM | Football
Montana State hosts Fighting Hawks on Saturday
Splendid fall colors. Chilled air. School buses on the streets. All are sure signs of fall's arrival.
But none are as sure-fire as the beginning of conference play in college football, and Saturday in Bobcat Stadium fall shows up in full force when the Bobcats tangle with North Dakota to open Big Sky play for each team. And according to Jeff Choate, MSU is not exactly easing into its conference schedule.
"This is a real live football team that's coming to town," Choate says. "You look at their scoring margin, I think they've scored 82 points on the year and their opponents have scored 84 so they're a flip of the coin from being a 3-0 outfit."
The Fighting Hawks carry a 1-2 record into Bobcat Stadium after a narrow loss at now-nationally ranked Stony Brook and a near-upset of FBS foe Bowling Green, and the win was a thrilling come-from-behind victory in a rivalry showdown against South Dakota. UND's key names ring familiar. Record-setting running back John Santiago is 14th in the FCS with 103.3 rushing yards a game in spite of the early-season gauntlet the team's schedule provided. Choate calls returning quarterback Keaton Studsrud "very clutch," and the team's "max pressure" defense "bring(s) it from a lot of different angles," Choate says.
In the third season of head coach Bubba Schweigert's tenure at North Dakota, the mindset of the Fighting Hawks' program is well-established. "I think Coach Schweigert and his staff do a tremendous job," Choate said. "The thing that stands out to me is that these kids fight to the finish in every game, I think they're well-conditioned and well-disciplined, and I think that's a tribute to the leaders on that team and the coaching staff."
By contrast Choate has coached just three games at Montana State, but the returns are positive. The Bobcats fought and scratched in a narrow loss at Idaho to open the season, showed even more spirit and poise in the next week's win against Bryant, the shut out Western Oregon 55-0 in a contest that showcased an improving defense. That defense counters a size deficit with ball-hawking play at all three levels.
"We've been pretty opportunistic on taking the ball away all year and that pattern continued (against Western Oregon)," Choate said of his team's five takeaways. "You get what you emphasize, and from the first day of fall camp we've emphasized that it's all about the ball – taking it away on defense, and protecting it on offense."
MSU's 12 defensive takeaways this season are countered by only one turnover on the offense. That +11 turnover margin leads the FCS, as does MSU's perfect record in 13 red zone scoring opportunities.
Choate uses the Western Oregon game as an example of his offensive unit continuing to build its identity. "I thought we had a pretty good beat on (Western Oregon). We knew we were going to struggle to run the ball because they have a bunch of 300 pound guys inside. We have one 300 pound guy on our defensive or offensive lines, JP Flynn, that's the only guy who weighs over 300 pounds. So we knew we were going to have a hard time moving those guys off the ball, and that kind of showed up."
That identity takes fuller form Saturday, when senior running back Chad Newell is expected to return to the lineup. His only outing of the year was a 104-yard effort at Idaho, and if he lines up Saturday it will mark the first time this season he and classmate Gunnar Brekke have played together this season. Brekke missed the opener.
"It's a huge thing as far as game plan goes, you can expand your game plan and make defenses prepare for a lot more than one-back sets," Newell said. "It creates a lot more options for (the team) as far as run game goes."
Quarterback Tyler Bruggman has operated a controlled passing attack the last two weeks, which clicked as last Saturday's contest wore on. "I think we kind of calmed down and remembered what we had talked about doing all week (in the second quarter)," Choate said. "When we got back to the plan it helped Tyler get into a rhythm and he spun it about as good as you can. If we get some consistency there, which I think we will, he'll be a really good player for us."
Choate's goal remains the same for his Bobcat team. "At the end of the season, I want to be able to say that we improved every week," he said. "That we got better. If we're able to say that, it will be a successful season."
If Choate and his Bobcats can say that at the end of today's game, it will likely have been an exciting game.
But none are as sure-fire as the beginning of conference play in college football, and Saturday in Bobcat Stadium fall shows up in full force when the Bobcats tangle with North Dakota to open Big Sky play for each team. And according to Jeff Choate, MSU is not exactly easing into its conference schedule.
"This is a real live football team that's coming to town," Choate says. "You look at their scoring margin, I think they've scored 82 points on the year and their opponents have scored 84 so they're a flip of the coin from being a 3-0 outfit."
The Fighting Hawks carry a 1-2 record into Bobcat Stadium after a narrow loss at now-nationally ranked Stony Brook and a near-upset of FBS foe Bowling Green, and the win was a thrilling come-from-behind victory in a rivalry showdown against South Dakota. UND's key names ring familiar. Record-setting running back John Santiago is 14th in the FCS with 103.3 rushing yards a game in spite of the early-season gauntlet the team's schedule provided. Choate calls returning quarterback Keaton Studsrud "very clutch," and the team's "max pressure" defense "bring(s) it from a lot of different angles," Choate says.
In the third season of head coach Bubba Schweigert's tenure at North Dakota, the mindset of the Fighting Hawks' program is well-established. "I think Coach Schweigert and his staff do a tremendous job," Choate said. "The thing that stands out to me is that these kids fight to the finish in every game, I think they're well-conditioned and well-disciplined, and I think that's a tribute to the leaders on that team and the coaching staff."
By contrast Choate has coached just three games at Montana State, but the returns are positive. The Bobcats fought and scratched in a narrow loss at Idaho to open the season, showed even more spirit and poise in the next week's win against Bryant, the shut out Western Oregon 55-0 in a contest that showcased an improving defense. That defense counters a size deficit with ball-hawking play at all three levels.
"We've been pretty opportunistic on taking the ball away all year and that pattern continued (against Western Oregon)," Choate said of his team's five takeaways. "You get what you emphasize, and from the first day of fall camp we've emphasized that it's all about the ball – taking it away on defense, and protecting it on offense."
MSU's 12 defensive takeaways this season are countered by only one turnover on the offense. That +11 turnover margin leads the FCS, as does MSU's perfect record in 13 red zone scoring opportunities.
Choate uses the Western Oregon game as an example of his offensive unit continuing to build its identity. "I thought we had a pretty good beat on (Western Oregon). We knew we were going to struggle to run the ball because they have a bunch of 300 pound guys inside. We have one 300 pound guy on our defensive or offensive lines, JP Flynn, that's the only guy who weighs over 300 pounds. So we knew we were going to have a hard time moving those guys off the ball, and that kind of showed up."
That identity takes fuller form Saturday, when senior running back Chad Newell is expected to return to the lineup. His only outing of the year was a 104-yard effort at Idaho, and if he lines up Saturday it will mark the first time this season he and classmate Gunnar Brekke have played together this season. Brekke missed the opener.
"It's a huge thing as far as game plan goes, you can expand your game plan and make defenses prepare for a lot more than one-back sets," Newell said. "It creates a lot more options for (the team) as far as run game goes."
Quarterback Tyler Bruggman has operated a controlled passing attack the last two weeks, which clicked as last Saturday's contest wore on. "I think we kind of calmed down and remembered what we had talked about doing all week (in the second quarter)," Choate said. "When we got back to the plan it helped Tyler get into a rhythm and he spun it about as good as you can. If we get some consistency there, which I think we will, he'll be a really good player for us."
Choate's goal remains the same for his Bobcat team. "At the end of the season, I want to be able to say that we improved every week," he said. "That we got better. If we're able to say that, it will be a successful season."
If Choate and his Bobcats can say that at the end of today's game, it will likely have been an exciting game.
Players Mentioned
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