Defense Shines on Sunny Day in Great Falls
4/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
On a sun-splashed day in Great Falls’ Memorial Stadium, the Bobcat defense made the biggest splash of all.
Montana State’s deep and experienced defense held the Bobcat offense at bay all afternoon in the 2007 Triangle Classic, winning 34-0 while limiting MSU’s offense to 347 yards. The Bobcats rolled up 20 first downs, but three errant field goal tries by kicker Eric Fisher on a windy afternoon and an Isaiah Taito fumble at the two-yard line rolled through the end zone for a touchback to thwart MSU’s best scoring chances.
“We had too many young guys (that are) not ready to go in the offensive front,” MSU coach Mike Kramer said after Saturday’s spring-ending scrimmage. “(That) gave the defense a competitive advantage and a statistically good day.”
While Palmer, a freshman cornerback, made the play of the day, stripping Taito on the two-yard line and forcing a touchback, several other Bobcat defenders stepped up. Will Claggett broke up two passes, Dylan Kinkelaar registered a pair of sacks, and Palmer also broke up a pass. “Reyshawn (Bobo) really had a good day, Bryant (Matthews) made a big hit, Bobby (Daly) had some really nice stats,” Kramer said. “One area I have to evaluate is at safety. We’re a three-safety team, and I don’t remember seeing those safeties today.”
While playing without five starters, several Bobcat offensive players posted solid performances. Taito carried 12 times for 87 yards, nearly scoring the day’s only offensive touchdown on a run that he began by breaking several tackles, while Evin Groves gained 47 yards on 16 carries. Freshman Blayde Becksted also added 42 yards on five carries.
“We had a good day running the football with Isaiah and Evin, although Isaiah has to work on ball security,” Kramer said. “But that was a great play by Greg Palmer, who showed what he was capable of.”
While MSU quarterbacks combined for decent numbers – 28-for-45 passing, 171 yards and no interceptions – Kramer wasn’t pleased. “Jordan played well at times,” he said, “and Cory played well at times. Cory showed the rust. He only practiced five or six times out of 15 practices. Jordan played really, really well early. But we didn’t play very inspired on offense, and I don’t know if it was the quarterback, the running back, or the offensive front.”
While the Bobcat offense sputtered, the team received solid play at receiver, which a month ago was a major question mark. Derek Green caught five passes for 33 yards, while DeAndre Green caught three balls for 30 yards. “It is a good cops,” Kramer said. “Do we have a talent as good as Mike (Jefferson, departing senior)? I don’t know yet. No one guy has shown the type of mental toughness that runs through our program from guys like Junior Adams and Scott Turnquist to Rick Gatewood and Mike Jefferson. It’s a mental toughness issue for us on offense, and we’ll spend some time evaluating that.”
While Saturday’s scrimmage – the first operated in game-like circumstances in the Kramer era – was uneven at times, MSU’s eighth-year head coach liked the cumulative residue of the just-completed spring. “The point of spring ball is not necessarily how you do offensively or defensively. It’s how you evaluate and prepare the players who need to step in for starters that are departed. I thought we accomplished a lot of things this spring.”
Montana State’s deep and experienced defense held the Bobcat offense at bay all afternoon in the 2007 Triangle Classic, winning 34-0 while limiting MSU’s offense to 347 yards. The Bobcats rolled up 20 first downs, but three errant field goal tries by kicker Eric Fisher on a windy afternoon and an Isaiah Taito fumble at the two-yard line rolled through the end zone for a touchback to thwart MSU’s best scoring chances.
“We had too many young guys (that are) not ready to go in the offensive front,” MSU coach Mike Kramer said after Saturday’s spring-ending scrimmage. “(That) gave the defense a competitive advantage and a statistically good day.”
While Palmer, a freshman cornerback, made the play of the day, stripping Taito on the two-yard line and forcing a touchback, several other Bobcat defenders stepped up. Will Claggett broke up two passes, Dylan Kinkelaar registered a pair of sacks, and Palmer also broke up a pass. “Reyshawn (Bobo) really had a good day, Bryant (Matthews) made a big hit, Bobby (Daly) had some really nice stats,” Kramer said. “One area I have to evaluate is at safety. We’re a three-safety team, and I don’t remember seeing those safeties today.”
While playing without five starters, several Bobcat offensive players posted solid performances. Taito carried 12 times for 87 yards, nearly scoring the day’s only offensive touchdown on a run that he began by breaking several tackles, while Evin Groves gained 47 yards on 16 carries. Freshman Blayde Becksted also added 42 yards on five carries.
“We had a good day running the football with Isaiah and Evin, although Isaiah has to work on ball security,” Kramer said. “But that was a great play by Greg Palmer, who showed what he was capable of.”
While MSU quarterbacks combined for decent numbers – 28-for-45 passing, 171 yards and no interceptions – Kramer wasn’t pleased. “Jordan played well at times,” he said, “and Cory played well at times. Cory showed the rust. He only practiced five or six times out of 15 practices. Jordan played really, really well early. But we didn’t play very inspired on offense, and I don’t know if it was the quarterback, the running back, or the offensive front.”
While the Bobcat offense sputtered, the team received solid play at receiver, which a month ago was a major question mark. Derek Green caught five passes for 33 yards, while DeAndre Green caught three balls for 30 yards. “It is a good cops,” Kramer said. “Do we have a talent as good as Mike (Jefferson, departing senior)? I don’t know yet. No one guy has shown the type of mental toughness that runs through our program from guys like Junior Adams and Scott Turnquist to Rick Gatewood and Mike Jefferson. It’s a mental toughness issue for us on offense, and we’ll spend some time evaluating that.”
While Saturday’s scrimmage – the first operated in game-like circumstances in the Kramer era – was uneven at times, MSU’s eighth-year head coach liked the cumulative residue of the just-completed spring. “The point of spring ball is not necessarily how you do offensively or defensively. It’s how you evaluate and prepare the players who need to step in for starters that are departed. I thought we accomplished a lot of things this spring.”
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