Mac Bignell and the MSU defense hope to slow down Eastern Washington Saturday
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Preseason Big Sky Favorites Poised for Saturday Showdown
9/16/2015 4:58:00 PM | Football
MSU, Eastern Washington meet on Cheney's red turf at 2 pm MT Saturday
There are a lot of things to like about Montana State's showdown with Eastern Washington on Saturday at Roos Field in Cheney.
There's intrigue – the Eagles integrating new starting quarterback Jordan West into an offensive void created by the transfer of the brilliant Vernon Adams. There's mystery – how will MSU's defense with eight new starters fare against a team that has scored 106 points against the Cats in the past two seasons, and how will the Eagles health be by kickoff? And there is tradition – the two teams have played every season since 1982, making it MSU's longest continual out-of-state rivalry.
But for Rob Ash, the element that adds value to Saturday's enormous non-conference showdown is his team's mode of transportation. "I actually like climbing on the bus," which his team does Friday for its 2 pm (MDT) contest on Saturday. "I never watch movies so I get to see two or three movies (on the ride). That's kind of a good thing."
On the other end of the six hour bus ride awaits an Eastern Washington team that has won the last two Big Sky Conference championships, yet has started this season with losses to a pair of national championship contenders – Oregon at the FBS level, and Northern Iowa of the FCS. The record, Ash says, does not indicate Eastern's level of play.
"They're the same Eastern Washington," he says, "that they've always been."
This year's Eagles squad has many familiar attributes – it leads the FCS with 482.0 passing yards a game, for instance – but also carries some uncertainty into week three. Eastern Washington is dealing with significant injury issues on both sides the foot football, particularly to receiver Shaq Hill. "Eastern Washington is always one of the top programs in the nation in FCS," he said. "They've played a very tough schedule so far this year against two really tough football teams, so they're battle-tested. I think by the end of the year they'll be considered among the best teams in the nation again."
While Eastern Washington's plotline may be similar, the cast of characters this weekend is unfamiliar, especially on offense. Gone are quarterback Vernon Adams (transferred to Oregon), receiver Shaq Hill (injured) and right tackle Cassidy Curtis (injured). Yet Jordan West brings experience and established playmaking ability to the quarterback position, and he is not alone. Cooper Kupp is one of the top receivers in the nation regardless of division, and the offensive line features fourth-year starting left tackle and veteran Aaron Neary, the starting left guard who may be part of the solution at right tackle.
"Eastern Washington is a plug-and-go operation," said MSU defensive co-coordinator Kane Ioane. "They have always had great quarterbacks there, from Erik Meyer to Bo Levi Mitchell to Vernon, and now Jordan West moves right in. And it's not just the quarterback, they always have weapons all over the field."
Defensively, Eastern Washington's plight generally reflects MSU's. Each team lost considerable talent from a defensive unit that struggled at times in 2014, and each unit shifted roles within the coaching staff to set a different course for 2015. "They look more like the defense that won the national championship and were so good (earlier this decade)," Ash said. "They're very sound and fundamental, and they want to make teams drive the length of the field and not give away big plays."
Montana State counters with a dynamic offense led by junior quarterback Dakota Prukop and a host of skill-position players – running backs Chad Newell and Gunnar Brekke offer a physical and explosive running back tandem, while receivers Mitchell Herbert, Justin Paige, Mitch Griebel and Jayshawn Gates offer a dazzling array of height, speed, savvy and toughness. Bobcat offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey, though, says it starts up front.
"One thing you can't coach is experience," he says, "and those guys in the offensive line have 100-plus starts between them. That allows us to handle everything Eastern might throw at us, and they're a defense that will try do a lot of different things."
While Saturday's showdown on Roos Field's red turf is the renewal of a traditional rivalry – one or the other has won or shared the Big Sky eight times in the last 13 seasons – it carries plenty of weight in the present. The teams were each picked to win the Big Sky over the summer, and each team is ranked among the nation's top 15 in the major FCS polls.
But none of that will have bearing on Saturday's showdown – televised regionally on ROOT Sports Northwest and nationally on DirecTV's Audience Network – whether it counts in the league standings or not. "There won't be any pep talks needed this week," Ash said. "This feels like a rivalry week."
There's intrigue – the Eagles integrating new starting quarterback Jordan West into an offensive void created by the transfer of the brilliant Vernon Adams. There's mystery – how will MSU's defense with eight new starters fare against a team that has scored 106 points against the Cats in the past two seasons, and how will the Eagles health be by kickoff? And there is tradition – the two teams have played every season since 1982, making it MSU's longest continual out-of-state rivalry.
But for Rob Ash, the element that adds value to Saturday's enormous non-conference showdown is his team's mode of transportation. "I actually like climbing on the bus," which his team does Friday for its 2 pm (MDT) contest on Saturday. "I never watch movies so I get to see two or three movies (on the ride). That's kind of a good thing."
On the other end of the six hour bus ride awaits an Eastern Washington team that has won the last two Big Sky Conference championships, yet has started this season with losses to a pair of national championship contenders – Oregon at the FBS level, and Northern Iowa of the FCS. The record, Ash says, does not indicate Eastern's level of play.
"They're the same Eastern Washington," he says, "that they've always been."
This year's Eagles squad has many familiar attributes – it leads the FCS with 482.0 passing yards a game, for instance – but also carries some uncertainty into week three. Eastern Washington is dealing with significant injury issues on both sides the foot football, particularly to receiver Shaq Hill. "Eastern Washington is always one of the top programs in the nation in FCS," he said. "They've played a very tough schedule so far this year against two really tough football teams, so they're battle-tested. I think by the end of the year they'll be considered among the best teams in the nation again."
While Eastern Washington's plotline may be similar, the cast of characters this weekend is unfamiliar, especially on offense. Gone are quarterback Vernon Adams (transferred to Oregon), receiver Shaq Hill (injured) and right tackle Cassidy Curtis (injured). Yet Jordan West brings experience and established playmaking ability to the quarterback position, and he is not alone. Cooper Kupp is one of the top receivers in the nation regardless of division, and the offensive line features fourth-year starting left tackle and veteran Aaron Neary, the starting left guard who may be part of the solution at right tackle.
"Eastern Washington is a plug-and-go operation," said MSU defensive co-coordinator Kane Ioane. "They have always had great quarterbacks there, from Erik Meyer to Bo Levi Mitchell to Vernon, and now Jordan West moves right in. And it's not just the quarterback, they always have weapons all over the field."
Defensively, Eastern Washington's plight generally reflects MSU's. Each team lost considerable talent from a defensive unit that struggled at times in 2014, and each unit shifted roles within the coaching staff to set a different course for 2015. "They look more like the defense that won the national championship and were so good (earlier this decade)," Ash said. "They're very sound and fundamental, and they want to make teams drive the length of the field and not give away big plays."
Montana State counters with a dynamic offense led by junior quarterback Dakota Prukop and a host of skill-position players – running backs Chad Newell and Gunnar Brekke offer a physical and explosive running back tandem, while receivers Mitchell Herbert, Justin Paige, Mitch Griebel and Jayshawn Gates offer a dazzling array of height, speed, savvy and toughness. Bobcat offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey, though, says it starts up front.
"One thing you can't coach is experience," he says, "and those guys in the offensive line have 100-plus starts between them. That allows us to handle everything Eastern might throw at us, and they're a defense that will try do a lot of different things."
While Saturday's showdown on Roos Field's red turf is the renewal of a traditional rivalry – one or the other has won or shared the Big Sky eight times in the last 13 seasons – it carries plenty of weight in the present. The teams were each picked to win the Big Sky over the summer, and each team is ranked among the nation's top 15 in the major FCS polls.
But none of that will have bearing on Saturday's showdown – televised regionally on ROOT Sports Northwest and nationally on DirecTV's Audience Network – whether it counts in the league standings or not. "There won't be any pep talks needed this week," Ash said. "This feels like a rivalry week."
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