Montana State Bobcats

You prepare the same for every game, the next game is the most important, but is it nice to prepare for the game you hear about all season?

RA: Not only all season but all year long. We hear about it at golf events in May when you’re supposed to be on vacation. But that’s OK, I think that’s what makes it a great rivalry and a great game. There’s passion about it all year long. People are either Bobcats or Grizzlies, that’s the side of the fence that they’re on. This game symbolizes everything, that everybody’s passionate about the two schools. Football’s such an important sport in the state of Montana, and the football game between these two schools is one of the major events in the state every year. It’s great to be a part of it, we’re excited about it, we do think about it all year long, and it is different than other games, I’ll admit that.

How much excitement is there leading up to the game?

RA: We get a lot of advice this week (laughs), a lot of suggestions, cards and letters and e-mails, and that’s OK. We understand we’ve got to sift that all out and make our own decisions on how to approach the game. The one thing we don’t have to do is give a pep talk because the guys are going to be ready to play. It’s a coach’s dream really. The key, for me, is to be in a position where it’s a meaningful game for us, more so than just who wins between the two of our schools, and the fact that there’s some possible playoff implications for us adds even greater meaning. We’re playing this last game of the season and it means something for our entire year in addition to what the outcome is just for Cat-Griz.

There are brothers playing on opposite sides this week, the son of former Bobcats are playing for Montana, can you comment on the connections?

RA: That’s an interesting question. I don’t actually dive into the behind-the-scenes stories that much. There’s a tremendous amount of focus simply on the game. Recruiting takes on those dimensions. We know there’s some families that have some guys at each school and things like that, that we have to contend with from a recruiting standpoint. But when you get to this week it’s all about the game. It’s all about the Xs and Os, it’s about preparing the players to handle the excitement and the tension that goes along with a game like this. The side stories about the history and the connections and so forth really recede into the background this week because there’s such a focus on the game.

Can you talk about what it was like to be immersed into the Cat-Griz culture after you moved from Iowa?

RA: Well, I started hearing about it from the first day I was on the job and it’s never relented since. It’s a different deal. We didn’t have a rivalry of this magnitude in the state (of Iowa), at least at Drake. Iowa-Iowa State is big, but not even to the extent that I think it is here. The thing that makes it so great here is the tradition and how deeply imbedded it is in everybody’s minds throughout the entire state all year long. That’s something I was not aware of until I got here. I always knew about this game being a great rivalry. I had no idea how pervasive it is throughout the entire state in everybody’s mentality throughout the year. And I think it’s great to be a part of it, I really do.

How important is it to stop Marc Mariani?

RA: They have some great playmakers on their team. Chase Reynolds is a fabulous runner, and Mariani’s a fabulous receiver. It’s a great one-two punch. You can’t focus on stopping the run. You can’t focus on playing pass defense or doubling Mariani or anything because you get in trouble otherwise. The thing that makes it difficult is there are other players who are good players, tight ends, receivers, other running backs, and a very good offensive line in front of these players that makes it tough. We can not go into the game and get focused on any one individual. We know there are guys on that team that can make big plays in addition to those outstanding stars that they have. We just have to do what we do, we’ve got to play our scheme, we’ve got to line up and hope that we match up well enough to get the job done.

Do you take an extra look at that Idaho State game?

RA: I’m throwing that Idaho State game right out the window. That’s not the Montana team that we know. It was a trap game, the way it came in the schedule. It’s just not a typical game. That’s probably the one we’re looking at the least, to be honest with you.

You focus on one game at a time, but is it nice to have the Montana game out in the open and be able to deal with it?

RA: Oh, sure. This is the headliner game for everybody in our program, especially the Montana guys but everybody else on the team, too. They get it, they understand it, it’s exciting to focus in on it and have it come and take place, especially the years that it’s at home. It’s a great week. We know that we have to think about this game all year long. Our fans and boosters and friends and fellow students won’t let us not think about this game, and that’s OK. We talk about it. It’s part of our preparation, it’s part of our thought process, all the time. It’s in the back of our minds when we train in January, when we do spring ball, in our summer program, all through the season we know it’s lurking there at the end of the year. That’s not a negative, it’s a positive, and it drives us and motivates us all year long just like I’m sure it does them with us.

Having not beaten them in your two years, how badly do you want to win this game?

RA: It’s something that I would love to see happen for our staff and our program and our players. But at the same time they’re a great team and we’re going to have to play an outstanding game to get it done. I’m not making any promises or projections or anything else, but it would be a game that would be important for our program, and especially because of the possible playoff implications. That’s one thing that we wanted to do as a staff when we came here is to get Montana State back in the playoffs, and that’s a goal we can still have. Montana’s already got the championship, and congratulations to them for winning that already, but we still have a chance. That’s an important goal we can still get. To me, that’s the bottom line on this game is that if we can win we get a chance to keep playing, which is what everybody in this program wants to do.

What are the keys for your team in this game?

RA: I don’t think it’s ‘keys’, I think it’s ‘key.’ We have to be able to hang onto the football. That’s been our Achilles heel all year. We’re talking about it openly because everybody knows that’s been an issue that we’ve had. We’ve put the ball on the ground this season more than we should’ve. We’ve protected the ball better through the air, but we have to continue to do that. Our defense has to try to take the ball away, like we do every week. But to me the turnover ratio is going to be the key in the game. We did lousy in that area last year and we’ve thought about it a lot this year. It’s going to be the key to the game.

Given Montana’s consistency, how important are big plays for your team?

RA: I don’t think this game, from a strategic standpoint, is different from any other game. We talk about goals on offense and defense. One of our goals on offense is to get chunk plays. One of our goals on defense is to stop chunk plays. There isn’t a different scheme for this game. The formula’s the same, the goals are the same, the basic strategy is the same, there’s really no difference. We’ll try to hit a couple big plays at some point in time, but the better the team you play the harder it is to do that. Hopefully the better our defense is the harder it’ll be for them to do that. But big plays will be a big factor in the game, no question about it.

Does Cody Kempt give you a better chance for chunk plays?

RA: Cody’ll start, (but) I don’t know about that. Anybody can make a big play, and chunk plays can come on defense, they can come on special teams on a blocked kick or a short pass that somebody takes for a long run or a long pass that’s tipped that somebody else catches. There’s just so many ways, I don’t know that you can predict when they’re going to happen. We’ve just got to play our game and see how that rolls out.

Montana seems to find a way to win, is that something you guys are aware of?

RA: Yes. They’re very good in the fourth quarter, they’re very good at the end of the game, which the best teams are. I’ve played many teams over the years that are like that, and Montana’s one of the great examples of a team that wins a lot and expects to win. The goal for any program is to get to that point. Back at Drake, we had that situation going for us where we expected to win every week. And I think we’re getting that way no, here. We’ve won some close games this year, we beat Weber State at the end of the game, we won an overtime game. I think we’ve been good at the end of games this year, so hopefully that will be something we can rely on if it gets to be close at the end of the game this year.

How important is this game for the seniors?

RA: It’s important for everybody in the program, but these seniors, there’s an added dimension of the fact that this could be their last game. They don’t want it to be their last game, they’re having fun with this team, they’ve having fun as leaders, they’re enjoying the competition and the camaraderie you get playing on a team. Knowing that this could be the end of the line for these guys is a harsh reality. I know they’d love to keep playing, and the only way to do that is to win. So of course, it’s very important.

Is this one of the funnest seasons you’ve had, and why do you think everyone seems to be having so much fun?

RA: I have had fun with this group, I really love ‘em. These guys have experienced a lot of adversity, a lot of difficulty, the sicknesses and the injuries and the bad weather conditions, just all kinds of things you can imagine, and the attitude’s been positive all the way through. It’s a never-say-die, never-get-down, never-get-discouraged kind of attitude that I just love about these players. Every team’s different, every team has its own personality, and this one has a real battler’s personality, but they do enjoy the game. The old line about having a party out there on the field, that’s the idea that we like. This game is supposed to be fun. It’s called a game. It should be fun. Winning is fun, we’ve won our share this year, which is good, too, but it’s all about the attitude these guys bring to it. It’s been very rewarding. And I’ve had fun, too.

Can you tell us status of the injured players?

RA: Elvis is day-to-day. He’s got a hand injury, we’re trying to figure out a way for him to be able to catch a football. We’re hoping we can work that out so he can play. CJ should be fine, should be able to play. Ryan Cerise is back, which is good, because he’s missed two games with a knee injury. We’re hoping Ricky Evans can come back from a knee injury and play. More good news than bad. I don’t know of anybody coming out of the game Saturday against Sac State that’s not going to be able to play with a new injury, so that’s good, too.

This team is similar to last year’s in that it is on a winning streak going into Cat-Griz, how is this year’s team different?

RA: We’re healthier. I think that’s the big thing. Last year we were kind of reeling down the stretch as we lost guys in the last few games. That was difficult for us. We didn’t have the same continuity that we have right now. The good thing about this team is that we’ve been able to play with pretty much the same lineup now the last two or three weeks and we’re kind of on a nice roll with that, so I think that’s the biggest difference. We’re actually getting healthier now instead of more depleted.

If this team wins does it belong in the playoffs?

RA: Absolutely. Absolutely. Because that eight would include a win over Montana, which is no easy task. They’re undefeated, they’re one of the top-ranked teams in the country. But if we were fortunate enough to get a victory I would think we certainly would deserve to go in. But again, that’s a big obstacle and we have to think about that before we start thinking about next week.

Can you talk about the thought process behind your accessibility policy with some of the players?