Saturday, October 7
BOZEMAN
11 am
Montana State University
vs
Portland State (Parent/Family Weekend)
Tyrone Fa'anono and the MSU defense looks to slow down PSU on Saturday
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
GAME 5: Bobcats Host Portland State in Morning Matchup of 'Hungry' Teams
10/5/2017 3:11:00 PM | Football
Vikings visit for morning matchup between teams with one win between them
Media Information for Saturday's Game
TELEVISION: ROOT Sports Northwest, available on cable systems around Montana and the region; DirecTV's Audience Network
VIDEO STREAM: none
AUDIO STREAM: msubobcats.com
RADIO: Bobcat Radio Network stations across the state (Billings-KGHL 790 AM; Bozeman-KXLB 100.7 FM; Bozeman-KMMS 1450 AM; Butte-KXTL 1370 AM; Glasgow-KLTZ 1240 AM; Glendive-KDZN 96.5 FM; Great Falls-KINX 102.7 FM; Helena-KIMO 104.5 HD2; Kalispell-KGEZ 600 AM; Lewistown-KLCM 95.9 FM; Miles City-KATL 770 AM; Missoula- KMPT 930 AM; Shelby-KSEN 1150 AM; Sidney-KGCX 93.1 FM)
COACHES CORNER: Friday morning (and every Friday before home football games) at 10:30 am at the Bozeman Holiday Inn.
Montana State vs. Portland State Preview
At no point in an FCS season is a team more dangerous, more hungry, than when it plays with one conference loss. Two teams in that position, battling to remain part of the 2017 Big Sky title race, get together Saturday at 11 am in Bobcat Stadium when Montana State hosts Portland State.
The Vikings bring an 0-4 record to Bozeman, one tinged with what-might-have-been possibilities after near-upsets of FBS opponents BYU and Oregon State to open the season. Then in the last two weeks, Portland State has lost a non-league game to UC Davis and its conference opener to Montana, both at home.
"We're playing a good team in Portland State this week," Choate said. "They're hungry, looking for their first win." Montana beat the Vikings 45-33 last week in spite of Portland State piling up 90 yards more than the Grizzlies. Montana benefitted from an edge in turnovers and a two-to-one advantage in penalties.
The Bobcats also enter Saturday's game coming off a tough loss, and stand 1-3 overall and 1-1 in the Big Sky after falling to nationally-ranked Weber State 25-17. "I'm proud of the way we came back and fought and gave ourselves a chance at the end," Choate said. "But Weber State was as advertised. The tale of the tape for us was missed opportunities in the first half."
Choate saids the most pressing issue in preparing for the Vikings is "what are they going to do at quarterback" between freshman Jalani Eason and senior Josh Kraght. "It's not unlike what we had going on last year, where you have a young, dynamic guy, and for them it's the Eason kid, that can do all this stuff with his feet and make plays and create outside the offense. They obviously like the things that Eason brings to the table as an athlete, but they also have a senior quarterback who's been in the system a long and he's a pretty good player, too, who's good at running the whole offense."
Za'Quan Summers leads Portland State's ground game, averaging 4.6 yards on 54 carries, but Eason and Kraght diversify the rushing attack that ranks second in the Big Sky Conference. PSU nets 229.5 yards a game on the ground, with Kraght adding 48.8 a game and Eason 55.3. Kraght is one of the most unique, intriguing players in the Big Sky, throwing for 81 yards a game and adding five catches for 106 yards as a part-time receiver. "You can tell he's a very smart football player and I know Coach Barnum's been really complimentary of his leadership," Choate said.
In spite of playing two quarterbacks, MSU defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak said, "Their offense is kind of their offense. They run the same plays." Choate concurred, adding that, "They have some wrinkles in the quarterback run game for Eason."
Choate said Portland State's secondary has done a good job anchoring that team's defense. "Their corners are good," he said. "Chris Siesay is an Oregon transfer, I remember seeing him playing for them when I was at Washington. He's kind of a big-play (player), he had two interceptions last week against Montana. He's aggressive."
Beau Duronslet leads the team with 31 tackles, while Artuz Manning has 31, in a defense that Choate characterizes as "very solid. They're not a heavy pressure team. They play their base defense, they play it well, and they try to make you earn it."
Bobcat defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak said against a Vikings offense that shows multiple looks, particularly pre-snap, "half the battle is getting lined up correctly and then executing the defense. We will see lots of different looks from them, but we've seen a good chunk of that through September."
At the end of the day, Choate said that Portland State's experience and explosive athleticism pose a tremendous challenge for the Cats regardless of the Vikings' record. "They play a really tough non-conference schedule and they have a lot of really good athletes. They're a dangerous team."
TELEVISION: ROOT Sports Northwest, available on cable systems around Montana and the region; DirecTV's Audience Network
VIDEO STREAM: none
AUDIO STREAM: msubobcats.com
RADIO: Bobcat Radio Network stations across the state (Billings-KGHL 790 AM; Bozeman-KXLB 100.7 FM; Bozeman-KMMS 1450 AM; Butte-KXTL 1370 AM; Glasgow-KLTZ 1240 AM; Glendive-KDZN 96.5 FM; Great Falls-KINX 102.7 FM; Helena-KIMO 104.5 HD2; Kalispell-KGEZ 600 AM; Lewistown-KLCM 95.9 FM; Miles City-KATL 770 AM; Missoula- KMPT 930 AM; Shelby-KSEN 1150 AM; Sidney-KGCX 93.1 FM)
COACHES CORNER: Friday morning (and every Friday before home football games) at 10:30 am at the Bozeman Holiday Inn.
Montana State vs. Portland State Preview
At no point in an FCS season is a team more dangerous, more hungry, than when it plays with one conference loss. Two teams in that position, battling to remain part of the 2017 Big Sky title race, get together Saturday at 11 am in Bobcat Stadium when Montana State hosts Portland State.
The Vikings bring an 0-4 record to Bozeman, one tinged with what-might-have-been possibilities after near-upsets of FBS opponents BYU and Oregon State to open the season. Then in the last two weeks, Portland State has lost a non-league game to UC Davis and its conference opener to Montana, both at home.
"We're playing a good team in Portland State this week," Choate said. "They're hungry, looking for their first win." Montana beat the Vikings 45-33 last week in spite of Portland State piling up 90 yards more than the Grizzlies. Montana benefitted from an edge in turnovers and a two-to-one advantage in penalties.
The Bobcats also enter Saturday's game coming off a tough loss, and stand 1-3 overall and 1-1 in the Big Sky after falling to nationally-ranked Weber State 25-17. "I'm proud of the way we came back and fought and gave ourselves a chance at the end," Choate said. "But Weber State was as advertised. The tale of the tape for us was missed opportunities in the first half."
Choate saids the most pressing issue in preparing for the Vikings is "what are they going to do at quarterback" between freshman Jalani Eason and senior Josh Kraght. "It's not unlike what we had going on last year, where you have a young, dynamic guy, and for them it's the Eason kid, that can do all this stuff with his feet and make plays and create outside the offense. They obviously like the things that Eason brings to the table as an athlete, but they also have a senior quarterback who's been in the system a long and he's a pretty good player, too, who's good at running the whole offense."
Za'Quan Summers leads Portland State's ground game, averaging 4.6 yards on 54 carries, but Eason and Kraght diversify the rushing attack that ranks second in the Big Sky Conference. PSU nets 229.5 yards a game on the ground, with Kraght adding 48.8 a game and Eason 55.3. Kraght is one of the most unique, intriguing players in the Big Sky, throwing for 81 yards a game and adding five catches for 106 yards as a part-time receiver. "You can tell he's a very smart football player and I know Coach Barnum's been really complimentary of his leadership," Choate said.
In spite of playing two quarterbacks, MSU defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak said, "Their offense is kind of their offense. They run the same plays." Choate concurred, adding that, "They have some wrinkles in the quarterback run game for Eason."
Choate said Portland State's secondary has done a good job anchoring that team's defense. "Their corners are good," he said. "Chris Siesay is an Oregon transfer, I remember seeing him playing for them when I was at Washington. He's kind of a big-play (player), he had two interceptions last week against Montana. He's aggressive."
Beau Duronslet leads the team with 31 tackles, while Artuz Manning has 31, in a defense that Choate characterizes as "very solid. They're not a heavy pressure team. They play their base defense, they play it well, and they try to make you earn it."
Bobcat defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak said against a Vikings offense that shows multiple looks, particularly pre-snap, "half the battle is getting lined up correctly and then executing the defense. We will see lots of different looks from them, but we've seen a good chunk of that through September."
At the end of the day, Choate said that Portland State's experience and explosive athleticism pose a tremendous challenge for the Cats regardless of the Vikings' record. "They play a really tough non-conference schedule and they have a lot of really good athletes. They're a dangerous team."
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