Saturday, September 17
BOZEMAN, MT
2 pm
Montana State University
vs
Western Oregon
MSU returns to Bobcat Stadium to host Western Oregon Saturday
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Bobcats Set to Host Western Oregon Saturday
9/17/2016 5:43:00 AM | Football
Bobcats face two-quarterback system when Wolves come calling
Good things often come in twos.
Montana State looks to double down on last Saturday's record-leveling first win of 2016, a 27-24 home win over Bryant. Jeff Choate hopes today brings his first glimpse of running backs Chad Newell and Gunnar Brekke in the Bobcat backfield at the same time.
But Choate also knows challenges come in twos.
"Western Oregon runs a two-quarterback system," Choate said. "Phillip (Fenumiai) throws pretty well, but he's a running quarterback. They'll do a lot of different things with him, what I call the run-gun. They line up in the shot gun, they have some quarterback run, and he'll get out and make things happen with his legs.
"Then they have Nick Duckworth, who's a giant back there," Choate said. "He's a good athlete, but he's more of a conventional pocket passer. They really run two different offenses, based on who's playing quarterback."
Fenumiai and Duckworth have weapons at their disposal. Paul Revis is one of the more explosive players in the Northwest. "If he was playing at Washington he'd find a way to get on the field and help the team," Choate said. Revis has 18 catches in two games for 196 yards, and averages 40 yards a punt return and 31 yards a kick return.
The Wolves also boast a dynamic duo on the backfield. Torreahno Sweet averages 6.2 yards on his 13 carries, while Malik Braxton gains 3.0 yards a rush.
After grinding out a win against Bryant last week, Choate said that the emphasis for the Bobcats has remained the same. "We want to keep getting better," he said, "and I like (the players') approach this week. Our Tuesday practice was better than last week's Tuesday practice, our Wednesday practice was better than our Wednesday practice last week, and after I challenged them to keep that going they came out and had their best Thursday practice."
Choate hopes that one area the team maintains that trend is turnover margin. The Cats stand at +3.00 on the season, the best rate in the FCS. Newell and Brekke have each established themselves as threats on the ground individually, and Saturday could reunite the two seniors in the MSU backfield. "We'll warm Chad up and see how it goes," Choate said. "I know he really wants to get back on the field, but we want to take the long view. We want to make sure he's available for a great senior season."
Newell and Brekke join quarterback Tyler Bruggman in the backfield, and the junior quarterback has operated efficiently. MSU's offensive line, with four new starters including first-year varsity Bobcats at center and right tackle, has allowed just three sacks in two games.
While he's looking forward to the offense "taking the wraps off a little bit" as the September air continues to cool, he knows where it begins. "Our identity is always going to be a team that runs the ball downhill."
And that leads right back to Newell and Brekke, and the big guys up front. "We really want to be able to establish the run game, regardless of who's back there. But I'm really looking forward to those two guys playing together."
Kickoff is at 2 pm Saturday.
Montana State looks to double down on last Saturday's record-leveling first win of 2016, a 27-24 home win over Bryant. Jeff Choate hopes today brings his first glimpse of running backs Chad Newell and Gunnar Brekke in the Bobcat backfield at the same time.
But Choate also knows challenges come in twos.
"Western Oregon runs a two-quarterback system," Choate said. "Phillip (Fenumiai) throws pretty well, but he's a running quarterback. They'll do a lot of different things with him, what I call the run-gun. They line up in the shot gun, they have some quarterback run, and he'll get out and make things happen with his legs.
"Then they have Nick Duckworth, who's a giant back there," Choate said. "He's a good athlete, but he's more of a conventional pocket passer. They really run two different offenses, based on who's playing quarterback."
Fenumiai and Duckworth have weapons at their disposal. Paul Revis is one of the more explosive players in the Northwest. "If he was playing at Washington he'd find a way to get on the field and help the team," Choate said. Revis has 18 catches in two games for 196 yards, and averages 40 yards a punt return and 31 yards a kick return.
The Wolves also boast a dynamic duo on the backfield. Torreahno Sweet averages 6.2 yards on his 13 carries, while Malik Braxton gains 3.0 yards a rush.
After grinding out a win against Bryant last week, Choate said that the emphasis for the Bobcats has remained the same. "We want to keep getting better," he said, "and I like (the players') approach this week. Our Tuesday practice was better than last week's Tuesday practice, our Wednesday practice was better than our Wednesday practice last week, and after I challenged them to keep that going they came out and had their best Thursday practice."
Choate hopes that one area the team maintains that trend is turnover margin. The Cats stand at +3.00 on the season, the best rate in the FCS. Newell and Brekke have each established themselves as threats on the ground individually, and Saturday could reunite the two seniors in the MSU backfield. "We'll warm Chad up and see how it goes," Choate said. "I know he really wants to get back on the field, but we want to take the long view. We want to make sure he's available for a great senior season."
Newell and Brekke join quarterback Tyler Bruggman in the backfield, and the junior quarterback has operated efficiently. MSU's offensive line, with four new starters including first-year varsity Bobcats at center and right tackle, has allowed just three sacks in two games.
While he's looking forward to the offense "taking the wraps off a little bit" as the September air continues to cool, he knows where it begins. "Our identity is always going to be a team that runs the ball downhill."
And that leads right back to Newell and Brekke, and the big guys up front. "We really want to be able to establish the run game, regardless of who's back there. But I'm really looking forward to those two guys playing together."
Kickoff is at 2 pm Saturday.
Players Mentioned
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A Conversation with President Dr. Waded Cruzado | Montana State Athletics
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Matt Houk Introductory Press Conference
Wednesday, May 03
