Tucker Yates
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
CATS IN CAMP #3: Less Tucker Yates May Mean More Trouble for Big Sky O-Lines
8/5/2017 3:40:00 PM | Football
Bobcat junior shed weight while working under the Bozeman summer sun
Less is more for Montana State nose tackle Tucker Yates.
"I lost a little (weight) this summer," the junior from Colstrip said after Saturday's first practice padded practice of preseason camp. "Mainly it's because of the work I did. I worked in a lumberyard so I was out in the hot sun all day, moving stuff around. But I've tried to eat a little better, and Coach (Alex) Willcox had us doing (speed training) this summer so I think we're all faster and in better shape."
Yates played at or over 300 pounds as a sophomore in 2016, when he missed a pair of mid-season games because of injury. He's been banged up much of his first two seasons, but when healthy has been effective and mostly in the starting lineup.
Montana State defensive line coach Byron Hout said that Yates might be underselling the amount of work that's gone into his slimmer, more athletic physique. "He deserves a lot of credit for his dedication in the weight room," Hout said. "A lot of the defensive linemen have really bought into that and done a good job. Tucker is a guy who played at 300 pounds last year, and right now he might be a little under 290. He looks really good and he's used it to his advantage."
MSU head coach Jeff Choate said Yates "has a little more quick twitch in there" by shedding a few pounds, but more than that Choate loves the motor Yates brings daily. "That guy loves football," he said, "and he works his tail off. He's a coach's kid. He's trimmed down a little bit, he's more explosive, and he's a really smart football player. He's plenty big enough to be a dominant player in this league, especially with his level of football intelligence, so having him back at full strength is something that benefits us in the interior of the defensive line."
Yates senses the difference. "I feel faster," he said, "and it feels better in my knees. I was kind of worried that I might be a little light to play in the nose, but so far it's been no problem."
Bobcats defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak counts himself fully in Yates' corner. "I am one of Tucker's biggest fans," Gregorak said. "He's the definition of a war-daddy. He's worked so dang hard coming off the injury, and he just needs to stay healthy. He's a Bobcat through and through, and I'm rooting like crazy for him to stay healthy and have a big-time season."
INSIDE RUSH: While most focus on the work of ends and linebackers as pass rushers, MSU head coach Jeff Choate said that increased work in that area nearer the football could provide a boost for the Bobcat defense in 2017. "The edge part of the pass rush is really important, but we need to have guys that can win one-on-ones inside, too. If we are bringing pressure and you're getting one-on-one (blocking) you've got to be able to (beat the blocker)."
CONTINUITY: Senior safety Bryson McCabe said Montana State's 2017 preseason camp has he and his defensive mates breathing a sigh of relief. "This is the first year I've played in the same system for two straight years," he said. Certainly McCabe's journey has been different than most. He began his career at South Dakota State, transferred to Iowa Western Community College for his second season, and has been at MSU since. But in his three years in Bozeman he played in Jamie Marshall's defense in 2014, Kane Ioane's in 2015, and Ty Gregorak's last season.
GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER: Among the many great experiences for Bobcat running backs coach Michael Pitre at Kansas City Chiefs training camp last week was a reunion of sorts. Pitre worked with KC running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, with whom he has a history. It was Bieniemy who recruited Pitre to UCLA, and coached the former Bruins fullback in Westwood. And it was Bieniemy who gave Pitre entry into college coaching as a graduate assistant at Colorado, where Bieniemy had since moved. While at UCLA, Pitre blocked for All-Pac 10 running back Maurice Jones-Drew. Now retired from a stellar NFL career, Jones-Drew visited Chiefs training camp to see his old UCLA friends. "It was a blast," Pitre said. "The three of us were busting on each other and laughing, just like old times."
"I lost a little (weight) this summer," the junior from Colstrip said after Saturday's first practice padded practice of preseason camp. "Mainly it's because of the work I did. I worked in a lumberyard so I was out in the hot sun all day, moving stuff around. But I've tried to eat a little better, and Coach (Alex) Willcox had us doing (speed training) this summer so I think we're all faster and in better shape."
Yates played at or over 300 pounds as a sophomore in 2016, when he missed a pair of mid-season games because of injury. He's been banged up much of his first two seasons, but when healthy has been effective and mostly in the starting lineup.
Montana State defensive line coach Byron Hout said that Yates might be underselling the amount of work that's gone into his slimmer, more athletic physique. "He deserves a lot of credit for his dedication in the weight room," Hout said. "A lot of the defensive linemen have really bought into that and done a good job. Tucker is a guy who played at 300 pounds last year, and right now he might be a little under 290. He looks really good and he's used it to his advantage."
MSU head coach Jeff Choate said Yates "has a little more quick twitch in there" by shedding a few pounds, but more than that Choate loves the motor Yates brings daily. "That guy loves football," he said, "and he works his tail off. He's a coach's kid. He's trimmed down a little bit, he's more explosive, and he's a really smart football player. He's plenty big enough to be a dominant player in this league, especially with his level of football intelligence, so having him back at full strength is something that benefits us in the interior of the defensive line."
Yates senses the difference. "I feel faster," he said, "and it feels better in my knees. I was kind of worried that I might be a little light to play in the nose, but so far it's been no problem."
Bobcats defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak counts himself fully in Yates' corner. "I am one of Tucker's biggest fans," Gregorak said. "He's the definition of a war-daddy. He's worked so dang hard coming off the injury, and he just needs to stay healthy. He's a Bobcat through and through, and I'm rooting like crazy for him to stay healthy and have a big-time season."
INSIDE RUSH: While most focus on the work of ends and linebackers as pass rushers, MSU head coach Jeff Choate said that increased work in that area nearer the football could provide a boost for the Bobcat defense in 2017. "The edge part of the pass rush is really important, but we need to have guys that can win one-on-ones inside, too. If we are bringing pressure and you're getting one-on-one (blocking) you've got to be able to (beat the blocker)."
CONTINUITY: Senior safety Bryson McCabe said Montana State's 2017 preseason camp has he and his defensive mates breathing a sigh of relief. "This is the first year I've played in the same system for two straight years," he said. Certainly McCabe's journey has been different than most. He began his career at South Dakota State, transferred to Iowa Western Community College for his second season, and has been at MSU since. But in his three years in Bozeman he played in Jamie Marshall's defense in 2014, Kane Ioane's in 2015, and Ty Gregorak's last season.
GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER: Among the many great experiences for Bobcat running backs coach Michael Pitre at Kansas City Chiefs training camp last week was a reunion of sorts. Pitre worked with KC running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, with whom he has a history. It was Bieniemy who recruited Pitre to UCLA, and coached the former Bruins fullback in Westwood. And it was Bieniemy who gave Pitre entry into college coaching as a graduate assistant at Colorado, where Bieniemy had since moved. While at UCLA, Pitre blocked for All-Pac 10 running back Maurice Jones-Drew. Now retired from a stellar NFL career, Jones-Drew visited Chiefs training camp to see his old UCLA friends. "It was a blast," Pitre said. "The three of us were busting on each other and laughing, just like old times."
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