Bobcats Solid in First Spring Scrimmage
4/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Travis Lulay's performance in Montana State's Triangle Classic Scrimmage, the team's first of the spring, almost perfectly reflected that of the entire squad.
Montana State's offense opened the afternoon, led by its senior All-America quarterback, by marching 65 yards for a near-touchdown. The first offense then stalled on three-and-out possessions on four of its next five trips onto the field before finishing with sustained drives on two of its last three possessions.
"We started well, and we actually finished well. In between we made a lot of mistakes, but they are correctible," Lulay said of the team's offense, but his comments could have been aimed at the entire squad. "We can go back and get to work on those things." Lulay finished the day 12-for-24 passing for 112 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
Like its leader, the Bobcat team had strong moments punctuated by stretches of inconsistency. On balance, said sixth-year head coach Mike Kramer, the 'Cats had a solid opening scrimmage. "First of all, we came through it injury free. That's important at this point. I thought we showed good progress for practice number seven. We didn't make a lot of mistakes, like offside penalties and fumbled snaps. That's not usual for this early in the spring."
Kramer was pleased with the team's offensive production, and with his defense's ability to make plays and thwart drives. "The offensive front struggled some, and you could tell that Zach Wolf and Lawrence Figueroa have missed some time with injuries," he said. "We got caught in a couple of twist blitzes. But all in all they played well."
Several Bobcat defenders played well. Defensive end Ryan Cogley had three sacks, tackle Jason Macciola knocked down four passes and registered a sack, linebacker Epikopo King had a pass breakup and a sack, and freshmen Bobby Daly, Louis Saucedo and Wesley Mauia recorded one sack each. Cornerback Kory Austin broke up three passes, and safety Ryan Force had a pass breakup and an interception, the day's only turnover.
Kramer was particularly pleased with the effort of several young defensive players getting their first chances at extensive playing time. "(Linebacker) Bobby Daly, Aaron Papich and Ryan Cogley, and each played pretty well. They made good use of their opportunities, but they need to continue to work hard."
Justin Domineck accounted for 40 of the team's 64 yards on MSU's first drive of the afternoon. The senior tailback converted a third-and-long into a first-and-goal with a six-yard reception to the one-yard line on MSU's 10th play of the afternoon. Rather than punch the ball into the end zone, Mike Kramer moved it back to the 8-yard line and allowed Great Falls native Tyler Bolton to nail a 25-yard field goal in his hometown.
Backup quarterback Cory Carpenter capped a 65-yard scoring drive on the next possession with a 36-yard strike to freshman receiver Toby Rundle. Tyler Lulay, another rookie pass-catcher, caught a key 19-yard pass on the drive.
Like his two fellow signal callers, Rick Coppack excelled on his first drive of the day. He moved the team 56 yards before the drive stalled, and Bolton missed a 40-yard field goal. After that drive, however, the Bobcat defense settled in, forcing three-and-out possessions the next four times the offense took the field. "The defense did some things well," Kramer said. "They had moments where they made plays. They need to play more consistently well, but for this point in the spring I think it's an encouraging outing."
The Bobcat offense produced two touchdowns, the 36-yard pass from Carpenter to Rundle, and a 17-yard run by Justin Domenick that capped a 65-yard scoring drive. That drive was the first offensive unit's final possession of the scrimmage, and again Domineck was a key. He gained 24 yards on the ground along with the 17-yard pass, accounting for 41 of the team's 65 yards. Rundle also caught an 18-yard pass.
"Justin showed that he's at the top of his game," Kramer said. "We didn't get a real long look at our running game because I didn't want to tempt fate with injuries in the first scrimmage. But, Domineck played well and I thought the line, for the injuries we've had, played well."
A crowd of 3,457 survived a cold, blustery afternoon in Great Falls' Memorial Stadium, and an estimated 400 children took part in clinics offered by the Bobcat coaches and spirit squad in the morning. Montana State stages its next scrimmage on Saturday, April 16, at 11 am in Bobcat Stadium. The team concludes the spring on Thursday, April 21 with the Sonny Holland Classic in Bobcat Stadium at 4 pm.
RUSHING: Justin Domineck 13-62-1, Jason Gathing 12-32, Jesse Slaman 1-7.
PASSING: Travis Lulay 24-12-1, 112, 1; Cory Carpenter 9-7-0, 108; Rick Coppack 14-6-0, 46.
RECEIVING: Toby Rundle 6-97-1, Justin Domenick 6-58, Tyler Lulay 3-43, Jason Gathing 2-15, Tramaine Murray 1-15, Nick Parker 1-3, Chaz Guinn 1-11, Cory Carpenter 1-0, Brandon Bostick 1-7, Mike Brown 1-0, Ty McDonald 1-3, Jaren Stensland 1-2.
DEFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS: Ryan Cogley 3 sacks; Jason Macciola 4 PB, 1 sack; Kory Asutin 3 PB; Ryan Force 1 PB, 1 Int; Aaron Papich 2 PB; Andy Matakis 2 PB; Epikopo King 1 PB, 1 sack; Bobby Daly 1 sack; Kahiam Hunter 1 PB; Louis Saucedo 1 sack; Wes Mauia 1 sack.
Montana State's offense opened the afternoon, led by its senior All-America quarterback, by marching 65 yards for a near-touchdown. The first offense then stalled on three-and-out possessions on four of its next five trips onto the field before finishing with sustained drives on two of its last three possessions.
"We started well, and we actually finished well. In between we made a lot of mistakes, but they are correctible," Lulay said of the team's offense, but his comments could have been aimed at the entire squad. "We can go back and get to work on those things." Lulay finished the day 12-for-24 passing for 112 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
Like its leader, the Bobcat team had strong moments punctuated by stretches of inconsistency. On balance, said sixth-year head coach Mike Kramer, the 'Cats had a solid opening scrimmage. "First of all, we came through it injury free. That's important at this point. I thought we showed good progress for practice number seven. We didn't make a lot of mistakes, like offside penalties and fumbled snaps. That's not usual for this early in the spring."
Kramer was pleased with the team's offensive production, and with his defense's ability to make plays and thwart drives. "The offensive front struggled some, and you could tell that Zach Wolf and Lawrence Figueroa have missed some time with injuries," he said. "We got caught in a couple of twist blitzes. But all in all they played well."
Several Bobcat defenders played well. Defensive end Ryan Cogley had three sacks, tackle Jason Macciola knocked down four passes and registered a sack, linebacker Epikopo King had a pass breakup and a sack, and freshmen Bobby Daly, Louis Saucedo and Wesley Mauia recorded one sack each. Cornerback Kory Austin broke up three passes, and safety Ryan Force had a pass breakup and an interception, the day's only turnover.
Kramer was particularly pleased with the effort of several young defensive players getting their first chances at extensive playing time. "(Linebacker) Bobby Daly, Aaron Papich and Ryan Cogley, and each played pretty well. They made good use of their opportunities, but they need to continue to work hard."
Justin Domineck accounted for 40 of the team's 64 yards on MSU's first drive of the afternoon. The senior tailback converted a third-and-long into a first-and-goal with a six-yard reception to the one-yard line on MSU's 10th play of the afternoon. Rather than punch the ball into the end zone, Mike Kramer moved it back to the 8-yard line and allowed Great Falls native Tyler Bolton to nail a 25-yard field goal in his hometown.
Backup quarterback Cory Carpenter capped a 65-yard scoring drive on the next possession with a 36-yard strike to freshman receiver Toby Rundle. Tyler Lulay, another rookie pass-catcher, caught a key 19-yard pass on the drive.
Like his two fellow signal callers, Rick Coppack excelled on his first drive of the day. He moved the team 56 yards before the drive stalled, and Bolton missed a 40-yard field goal. After that drive, however, the Bobcat defense settled in, forcing three-and-out possessions the next four times the offense took the field. "The defense did some things well," Kramer said. "They had moments where they made plays. They need to play more consistently well, but for this point in the spring I think it's an encouraging outing."
The Bobcat offense produced two touchdowns, the 36-yard pass from Carpenter to Rundle, and a 17-yard run by Justin Domenick that capped a 65-yard scoring drive. That drive was the first offensive unit's final possession of the scrimmage, and again Domineck was a key. He gained 24 yards on the ground along with the 17-yard pass, accounting for 41 of the team's 65 yards. Rundle also caught an 18-yard pass.
"Justin showed that he's at the top of his game," Kramer said. "We didn't get a real long look at our running game because I didn't want to tempt fate with injuries in the first scrimmage. But, Domineck played well and I thought the line, for the injuries we've had, played well."
A crowd of 3,457 survived a cold, blustery afternoon in Great Falls' Memorial Stadium, and an estimated 400 children took part in clinics offered by the Bobcat coaches and spirit squad in the morning. Montana State stages its next scrimmage on Saturday, April 16, at 11 am in Bobcat Stadium. The team concludes the spring on Thursday, April 21 with the Sonny Holland Classic in Bobcat Stadium at 4 pm.
RUSHING: Justin Domineck 13-62-1, Jason Gathing 12-32, Jesse Slaman 1-7.
PASSING: Travis Lulay 24-12-1, 112, 1; Cory Carpenter 9-7-0, 108; Rick Coppack 14-6-0, 46.
RECEIVING: Toby Rundle 6-97-1, Justin Domenick 6-58, Tyler Lulay 3-43, Jason Gathing 2-15, Tramaine Murray 1-15, Nick Parker 1-3, Chaz Guinn 1-11, Cory Carpenter 1-0, Brandon Bostick 1-7, Mike Brown 1-0, Ty McDonald 1-3, Jaren Stensland 1-2.
DEFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS: Ryan Cogley 3 sacks; Jason Macciola 4 PB, 1 sack; Kory Asutin 3 PB; Ryan Force 1 PB, 1 Int; Aaron Papich 2 PB; Andy Matakis 2 PB; Epikopo King 1 PB, 1 sack; Bobby Daly 1 sack; Kahiam Hunter 1 PB; Louis Saucedo 1 sack; Wes Mauia 1 sack.
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