Saturday, September 26
1:35 pm
Montana State University
vs
CAL POLY (HOMECOMING)
Chad Newell powers a strong MSU rushing attack
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Bobcats Host Cal Poly for Homecoming Saturday
9/24/2015 3:26:00 PM | Football
MSU, Mustangs bring solid ground games to Bobcat Stadium
– It's hard to conceive of an offensive approach more different.
After two weeks preparing for Eastern Washington's high-flying, point-a-minute offense that looks to shred opposing defenses through the air, saying the Bobcat defense shifts gears this week is a major under-sell. In its upcoming opponent, Montana State faces a Cal Poly option offense that "prides itself on getting four yards on first down, four yards on second down, four yards on third down and they've got a first down," said Bobcat defensive coordinator Kane Ioane.
The difficulty comes, says Bobcat head coach Rob Ash, in "the uniqueness of how they play" on offense. "Not very many teams in the country run the (triple) option offense any more, but they run it and they run it extremely well, so it's a completely different preparation. They block things differently, they run different plays than what you normally see."
Ash also said the Mustangs defense perfectly complements the team's offensive strategy. "They're very solid and sound" on defense, he said. "They don't allow big plays so they get you into long drives that they produce and long drives that you have to produce, and they shorten the game."
Montana State allowed Eastern to score 55 points while amassing 667 yards in a 55-50 EWU victory Saturday. The Eagles scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, which Ash blamed on poor fundamentals. "We have to tackle better," he said. "That's the biggest thing we have to do. I think playing (the EWU) game will take care of it for us. We hadn't played a game for 16 days from game one to game two. I'm going to take responsibility for that. We probably should have tackled some in practice."
In quarterback Chris Brown, Cal Poly has the ideal option trigger man. "He's extremely athletic, he runs their offense exactly as you're supposed as an option quarterback, but he still has the ability to hurt you with his arm when they do go play action and take a shot down the field," Ioane said.
But Brown's greatest strength, according to Ioane, is not measured statistically. "He's an incredible leader. That's what I really enjoy about Chris Brown is his leadership, the way he's able to command that offense. It doesn't matter the situation. You watch him in that two-minute situation they had early in the year in their first victory, you watch him in any situation, he's very cool, calm and collected."
While Brown's approach might be similar to a maestro conducting his orchestra, his opposite number – Bobcat quarterback Dakota Prukop – could be likened to an improvisational jazz trumpeter. He rushed for 196 yards against Eastern, many of those on tuck-and-run opportunities presented on called pass plays.
"He's just playing fabulous football," Ash said. "He can help a team in so many different ways, and when you factor in the weapons around him you get the kind of production we've had." That production, 549 yards of total offense, amounted to the 13th-best day in Big Sky Conference history.
While it's a natural inclination to posit that the defensive improvement could lead to enhanced team success, Ash says that goals on one side of the ball or the other aren't on the dry-erase boards in MSU's football office. Our goal isn't for the offense to score a certain number of points, or the defense to only allow a certain number of points," he said. "It's for our team to score more than the other team. That's it. The most important goal in our program is to win, and for each side of the ball to do what it needs to do for that to happen."
After two weeks preparing for Eastern Washington's high-flying, point-a-minute offense that looks to shred opposing defenses through the air, saying the Bobcat defense shifts gears this week is a major under-sell. In its upcoming opponent, Montana State faces a Cal Poly option offense that "prides itself on getting four yards on first down, four yards on second down, four yards on third down and they've got a first down," said Bobcat defensive coordinator Kane Ioane.
The difficulty comes, says Bobcat head coach Rob Ash, in "the uniqueness of how they play" on offense. "Not very many teams in the country run the (triple) option offense any more, but they run it and they run it extremely well, so it's a completely different preparation. They block things differently, they run different plays than what you normally see."
Ash also said the Mustangs defense perfectly complements the team's offensive strategy. "They're very solid and sound" on defense, he said. "They don't allow big plays so they get you into long drives that they produce and long drives that you have to produce, and they shorten the game."
Montana State allowed Eastern to score 55 points while amassing 667 yards in a 55-50 EWU victory Saturday. The Eagles scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, which Ash blamed on poor fundamentals. "We have to tackle better," he said. "That's the biggest thing we have to do. I think playing (the EWU) game will take care of it for us. We hadn't played a game for 16 days from game one to game two. I'm going to take responsibility for that. We probably should have tackled some in practice."
In quarterback Chris Brown, Cal Poly has the ideal option trigger man. "He's extremely athletic, he runs their offense exactly as you're supposed as an option quarterback, but he still has the ability to hurt you with his arm when they do go play action and take a shot down the field," Ioane said.
But Brown's greatest strength, according to Ioane, is not measured statistically. "He's an incredible leader. That's what I really enjoy about Chris Brown is his leadership, the way he's able to command that offense. It doesn't matter the situation. You watch him in that two-minute situation they had early in the year in their first victory, you watch him in any situation, he's very cool, calm and collected."
While Brown's approach might be similar to a maestro conducting his orchestra, his opposite number – Bobcat quarterback Dakota Prukop – could be likened to an improvisational jazz trumpeter. He rushed for 196 yards against Eastern, many of those on tuck-and-run opportunities presented on called pass plays.
"He's just playing fabulous football," Ash said. "He can help a team in so many different ways, and when you factor in the weapons around him you get the kind of production we've had." That production, 549 yards of total offense, amounted to the 13th-best day in Big Sky Conference history.
While it's a natural inclination to posit that the defensive improvement could lead to enhanced team success, Ash says that goals on one side of the ball or the other aren't on the dry-erase boards in MSU's football office. Our goal isn't for the offense to score a certain number of points, or the defense to only allow a certain number of points," he said. "It's for our team to score more than the other team. That's it. The most important goal in our program is to win, and for each side of the ball to do what it needs to do for that to happen."
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