Offense Shines in First Scrimmage
4/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
So much for the defense being ahead of the offense.
It took Bobcat quarterback Travis Lulay a while, but when he got going Montana State's offense rendered the old saw about the relationship between the offense and defense early in spring football. MSU's junior quarterback threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns Saturday in the Bobcats' first scrimmage of the spring in Great Falls.
"We actually started a little slow," said Lulay, in his second spring as Montana State's starting quarterback. "We didn't play as well early on as we've been practicing, but we did get it going at the end."
The Bobcat offense scored three touchdowns on the afternoon, all through the air, and piled up 417 yards of total offense. The defense was dominant at times, forcing two turnovers in the first four possessions and forcing four three-and-out possesions out of nine in the first half.
After the intermission, stops on the first two possessions of the second half, backup quarterback Rick Coppack, a redshirt last fall, found Torin Roschinger for a 57-yard touchdown pass to cap a three-play, 67-yard drive. On the next possession, Lulay moved the first team offense 72 yards to the end zone, capped by a nine-yard pass to Blake Wolf. Lulay converted two third-down conversions on the 12-play march. The first offense, playing most of the day against the first defense, scored once more late, with Lulay finding Ricky Gatewood on a 32-yard strike to cap a six-play drive.
Bobcat head coach Mike Kramer wasn't surprised with the offensive revival in the second half, particularly given who was at the helm. "In a one-back offense, the quarterback has to be as good a player as the offense has on the field," he said. "Travis Lulay is as good a player as our offense has on the field. The offense is doing just fine. Our focus now becomes getting our receivers and running backs to the same level as Travis."
If the scrimmage produced a surprise, it may have been the emergence of running back Dan McInerney, a redshirt last fall. The freshman from Billings gained 94 yards on 17 carries, including gains of 30 and 17 yards. "Danny has a good feel for our offense," Kramer said. "His footwork is awesome. That allows him to get into position to make big plays. His next step is to break that last tackle."
Kramer said prior to the scrimmage that he wanted to begin to identify a top five or six receivers from a group of about 10 that open the spring. While a clear-cut group didn't emerge, a familiar name may have risen to the top. "Our wide receiver corps has to practice with more of a sense of urgency. One debilitating factor in our offense has been that the receivers have not been able to get on the same page. Rosy (Brandon Roosevelt) stood out a little bit, and he's having a solid spring." The sophomore had a 40 yards on four catches. Ricky Gatewood, a junior college transfer who redshirted last fall, had five catches for 64 yards, including a 32-yard TD.
The Bobcats entertained a crowd estimated at nearly 4,000. "It was a magical day," Kramer said.
MSU reached the halfway mark of spring ball Saturday. Kramer indicated that the team will practice Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week, and will scrimmage Friday afternoon in Bobcat Stadium before taking a long Easter weekend.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Dan McInerney 17-94, Jason Gathing 8-33, Travis Lulay 3- -8, Rick Coppack 5- -3.
Passing: Travis Lulay 34-22-0, 188, 2; Rick Coppack 14-8-0, 113, 1.
Receiving: Brandon Roosevelt 4-40, Ricky Gatewood 5-64-1, Mike Williams 4-10, Blake Wolf 3-26-1, Kellen Alley 3-19, Eddie Sullivan 3-18, Dan McInerney 1-1, Jesse Wegner 1-5, Branton Sherman 1-13, Ty McDonald 1-10, Demetrius Williams 2-28, Shane Schantz 1-9, Torin Roschinger 1-57-1.
Defensive Highlights: Sacks--Aaron Papich 2, Chad Gluhm 1; Tackles for loss--DeShawn Gibbs 1, Jonathan Molock 1, Ryan Cogley 1, Beau Clark 1; Pass breakups--Clive Lowe 1, Andre Fuller 1, John LeBrum 1; Fumbles recovered--Ryan Cogley 1.
It took Bobcat quarterback Travis Lulay a while, but when he got going Montana State's offense rendered the old saw about the relationship between the offense and defense early in spring football. MSU's junior quarterback threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns Saturday in the Bobcats' first scrimmage of the spring in Great Falls.
"We actually started a little slow," said Lulay, in his second spring as Montana State's starting quarterback. "We didn't play as well early on as we've been practicing, but we did get it going at the end."
The Bobcat offense scored three touchdowns on the afternoon, all through the air, and piled up 417 yards of total offense. The defense was dominant at times, forcing two turnovers in the first four possessions and forcing four three-and-out possesions out of nine in the first half.
After the intermission, stops on the first two possessions of the second half, backup quarterback Rick Coppack, a redshirt last fall, found Torin Roschinger for a 57-yard touchdown pass to cap a three-play, 67-yard drive. On the next possession, Lulay moved the first team offense 72 yards to the end zone, capped by a nine-yard pass to Blake Wolf. Lulay converted two third-down conversions on the 12-play march. The first offense, playing most of the day against the first defense, scored once more late, with Lulay finding Ricky Gatewood on a 32-yard strike to cap a six-play drive.
Bobcat head coach Mike Kramer wasn't surprised with the offensive revival in the second half, particularly given who was at the helm. "In a one-back offense, the quarterback has to be as good a player as the offense has on the field," he said. "Travis Lulay is as good a player as our offense has on the field. The offense is doing just fine. Our focus now becomes getting our receivers and running backs to the same level as Travis."
If the scrimmage produced a surprise, it may have been the emergence of running back Dan McInerney, a redshirt last fall. The freshman from Billings gained 94 yards on 17 carries, including gains of 30 and 17 yards. "Danny has a good feel for our offense," Kramer said. "His footwork is awesome. That allows him to get into position to make big plays. His next step is to break that last tackle."
Kramer said prior to the scrimmage that he wanted to begin to identify a top five or six receivers from a group of about 10 that open the spring. While a clear-cut group didn't emerge, a familiar name may have risen to the top. "Our wide receiver corps has to practice with more of a sense of urgency. One debilitating factor in our offense has been that the receivers have not been able to get on the same page. Rosy (Brandon Roosevelt) stood out a little bit, and he's having a solid spring." The sophomore had a 40 yards on four catches. Ricky Gatewood, a junior college transfer who redshirted last fall, had five catches for 64 yards, including a 32-yard TD.
The Bobcats entertained a crowd estimated at nearly 4,000. "It was a magical day," Kramer said.
MSU reached the halfway mark of spring ball Saturday. Kramer indicated that the team will practice Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week, and will scrimmage Friday afternoon in Bobcat Stadium before taking a long Easter weekend.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Dan McInerney 17-94, Jason Gathing 8-33, Travis Lulay 3- -8, Rick Coppack 5- -3.
Passing: Travis Lulay 34-22-0, 188, 2; Rick Coppack 14-8-0, 113, 1.
Receiving: Brandon Roosevelt 4-40, Ricky Gatewood 5-64-1, Mike Williams 4-10, Blake Wolf 3-26-1, Kellen Alley 3-19, Eddie Sullivan 3-18, Dan McInerney 1-1, Jesse Wegner 1-5, Branton Sherman 1-13, Ty McDonald 1-10, Demetrius Williams 2-28, Shane Schantz 1-9, Torin Roschinger 1-57-1.
Defensive Highlights: Sacks--Aaron Papich 2, Chad Gluhm 1; Tackles for loss--DeShawn Gibbs 1, Jonathan Molock 1, Ryan Cogley 1, Beau Clark 1; Pass breakups--Clive Lowe 1, Andre Fuller 1, John LeBrum 1; Fumbles recovered--Ryan Cogley 1.
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
