With Bryson Keeton (above) likely to start at one corner, Trace Timmer and Bryce Alley battle for the opening at the other
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Trace Timmer, Bryce Alley Vie for Starting Spot in MSU Secondary
8/11/2015 5:49:00 PM | Football
Veteran, youngster among five battling to start opposite Bryson Keeton
In a different setting they'd be just a couple of smart kids who study engineering, anything but an uncommon sight on the Montana State campus even if one is a fifth-year senior from Great Falls and the other a sophomore from Texas.
In this circumstance, though, the stakes are markedly different. Trace Timmer and Bryce Alley aren't working for good grades or cooperating on a project on August mornings at MSU's practice field. They're vying for a spot as a starting cornerback position identified by ninth-year head coach Rob Ash as possibly the spotlight position battle of fall camp.
"It's just come out and compete every day," said Alley, who played sparingly during his first year at MSU last fall after arriving from Houston's North Shore High School. "I'm just trying to get better. Whether I win the battle or not – my goal is to ultimately come out and win the battle – it won't (matter) if I don't come out and get better each and every day."
While Bryson Keeton appears to have the left cornerback position locked down – "He's played a lot of football, from his days at Nevada all the way through (last year at MSU), he provides that experience level," cornerbacks coach Michael Rider said of Keeton – Timmer and Alley lead the field vying for the opposite spot. Neither has seen much game action at cornerback, although contributed on special teams a year ago.
Rider sees plenty to like in each. "Trace Timmer's a senior, a kid who had a great off-season," Rider said. "He's getting most of the one reps right now, but everyone's getting plenty of reps and with the receivers rotating everyone is seeing pretty much all the receivers. Bryce is a kid who is pretty vocal, and very, very coachable. He wants to do the right thing all the time. He is working hard on this technique and his eyes, always looking to get a little bit better every day."
Timmer is a Bobcat legacy, his father Kirk playing on MSU's 1984 National Championship squad while his mother Kelly (Angelos) starred on the school's women's basketball team. He came to MSU from Great Falls High, which has produced so many great Bobcats, while Alley is part of the program's strong Texas connection – more than a dozen current Bobcats come from the Lone Star State.
Timmer said the competition between he and Alley remains productive and friendly, even with the possibility of a starting spot at stake. "I love having the competition," he said, "it's awesome. I don't want to be in a position where I'm just given a spot. I want to have to work for it because it makes me better as a player. (He and Alley) have a great relationship, it's a very friendly competition. We're here to make each other better, we coach each other up, we do everything we've got to do because in the end it's going to make the team better."
Alley said his first year as an engineering student at Montana State, one of the top such programs in the nation, "wasn't too bad. I haven't got into the harder (classes) yet." Among the 15 declared engineering majors on the football team, Timmer said "we definitely collaborate. It's great to have classes together, study together because with our busy schedules (time management) is tough."
A path that some or all of the freshmen corners – Chris Harris, Sidney Holmes and Tre'von Strong – may follow to playing time this fall, special teams, is familiar to Timmer and Alley. "Not only does it teach the coaches they can count on me," Timmer said of his three seasons spent primarily on kick teams at MSU, "it also teaches me to be a better football player, more diverse. I tackle better (because of special teams work), it teaches me to see the whole field."
Timmer is one of the players most often singled out for his work in the off-season. "From last January until this August, Trace is one of the players that really improved himself the most," Bobcat head coach Rob Ash said. Members of the team single him out as one of the fastest Bobcats.
While competition for the open corner position continues through fall camp – and Rider emphasizes that the three newcomers remain in the mix – Alley is enjoying being on the field in any capacity. "it's just a blessing to be back out here running around with the boys," he said with a smile.
In this circumstance, though, the stakes are markedly different. Trace Timmer and Bryce Alley aren't working for good grades or cooperating on a project on August mornings at MSU's practice field. They're vying for a spot as a starting cornerback position identified by ninth-year head coach Rob Ash as possibly the spotlight position battle of fall camp.
"It's just come out and compete every day," said Alley, who played sparingly during his first year at MSU last fall after arriving from Houston's North Shore High School. "I'm just trying to get better. Whether I win the battle or not – my goal is to ultimately come out and win the battle – it won't (matter) if I don't come out and get better each and every day."
While Bryson Keeton appears to have the left cornerback position locked down – "He's played a lot of football, from his days at Nevada all the way through (last year at MSU), he provides that experience level," cornerbacks coach Michael Rider said of Keeton – Timmer and Alley lead the field vying for the opposite spot. Neither has seen much game action at cornerback, although contributed on special teams a year ago.
Rider sees plenty to like in each. "Trace Timmer's a senior, a kid who had a great off-season," Rider said. "He's getting most of the one reps right now, but everyone's getting plenty of reps and with the receivers rotating everyone is seeing pretty much all the receivers. Bryce is a kid who is pretty vocal, and very, very coachable. He wants to do the right thing all the time. He is working hard on this technique and his eyes, always looking to get a little bit better every day."
Timmer is a Bobcat legacy, his father Kirk playing on MSU's 1984 National Championship squad while his mother Kelly (Angelos) starred on the school's women's basketball team. He came to MSU from Great Falls High, which has produced so many great Bobcats, while Alley is part of the program's strong Texas connection – more than a dozen current Bobcats come from the Lone Star State.
Timmer said the competition between he and Alley remains productive and friendly, even with the possibility of a starting spot at stake. "I love having the competition," he said, "it's awesome. I don't want to be in a position where I'm just given a spot. I want to have to work for it because it makes me better as a player. (He and Alley) have a great relationship, it's a very friendly competition. We're here to make each other better, we coach each other up, we do everything we've got to do because in the end it's going to make the team better."
Alley said his first year as an engineering student at Montana State, one of the top such programs in the nation, "wasn't too bad. I haven't got into the harder (classes) yet." Among the 15 declared engineering majors on the football team, Timmer said "we definitely collaborate. It's great to have classes together, study together because with our busy schedules (time management) is tough."
A path that some or all of the freshmen corners – Chris Harris, Sidney Holmes and Tre'von Strong – may follow to playing time this fall, special teams, is familiar to Timmer and Alley. "Not only does it teach the coaches they can count on me," Timmer said of his three seasons spent primarily on kick teams at MSU, "it also teaches me to be a better football player, more diverse. I tackle better (because of special teams work), it teaches me to see the whole field."
Timmer is one of the players most often singled out for his work in the off-season. "From last January until this August, Trace is one of the players that really improved himself the most," Bobcat head coach Rob Ash said. Members of the team single him out as one of the fastest Bobcats.
While competition for the open corner position continues through fall camp – and Rider emphasizes that the three newcomers remain in the mix – Alley is enjoying being on the field in any capacity. "it's just a blessing to be back out here running around with the boys," he said with a smile.
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