Kramer Looks for Pace Hike This Weekend
9/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Mike Kramer knew it was coming, but he was struck by Montana State's Tuesday practice anyway.
"We had a great practice, maybe our best so far (this season)," said MSU coach Mike Kramer. "That happens after you play a I-A school, although I was still real happy with how we practiced."
The Bobcats lost 39-14 at Colorado State last weekend, but played on nearly even terms through most of the first half, and never let the Rams completely get away until each team pulled their starting units late in the game.
Kramer said that the pace of that game benefits the Bobcats. "Teams of that caliber play at a faster pace," he said. "They have athletic ability across the board that we can't replicate. It forces our kids to play fast for 60 minutes, and when you've done that in that kind of situation, you learn from it."
The concept is not new or native to the offices at Bobcat Circle, he said. "Paul Johnson, the old coach at Georgia Southern (now at Navy), told me that they used to play Georgia and one other I-A school every year, and that if you survive physically it's really beneficial."
Surviving physically is the trick, though, Kramer said. "That's a risk, certainly," he said. "You don't want to incur injuries that change your season. But there are clear benefits."
Another clear benefit is in the financial realm. "Those big paydays make the world go 'round," he says.
The Bobcats have agreements to play at Oklahoma State next year, and at Colorado in 2006.
"We had a great practice, maybe our best so far (this season)," said MSU coach Mike Kramer. "That happens after you play a I-A school, although I was still real happy with how we practiced."
The Bobcats lost 39-14 at Colorado State last weekend, but played on nearly even terms through most of the first half, and never let the Rams completely get away until each team pulled their starting units late in the game.
Kramer said that the pace of that game benefits the Bobcats. "Teams of that caliber play at a faster pace," he said. "They have athletic ability across the board that we can't replicate. It forces our kids to play fast for 60 minutes, and when you've done that in that kind of situation, you learn from it."
The concept is not new or native to the offices at Bobcat Circle, he said. "Paul Johnson, the old coach at Georgia Southern (now at Navy), told me that they used to play Georgia and one other I-A school every year, and that if you survive physically it's really beneficial."
Surviving physically is the trick, though, Kramer said. "That's a risk, certainly," he said. "You don't want to incur injuries that change your season. But there are clear benefits."
Another clear benefit is in the financial realm. "Those big paydays make the world go 'round," he says.
The Bobcats have agreements to play at Oklahoma State next year, and at Colorado in 2006.
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