Edward Vander
Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
CATS IN CAMP #12: Bobcats Continue to Try to Step up as Roles Begin to Solidify
8/16/2017 2:44:00 PM | Football
The moving day theme will be one that plays a big role through the entire week of practice heading into Montana State football’s second Fall Camp scrimmage on Saturday
The moving day theme will be one that plays a big role through the entire week of practice heading into Montana State football's second Fall Camp scrimmage on Saturday.
Bobcat football head coach Jeff Choate referenced the movie 'Groundhog Day' as the coaching staff waits to see who emerges from the pack to play in primetime and who may not be at the same point. The 21-practice session heading into the first game week can show the mental toughness and fortitude coach Choate said is part of the process.
"By design, we've had a long camp," Choate said. "I've had some people ask me, 'why'd you go so long?' Well, because we have 38 new guys on our roster. I felt like for us to be able to utilize that extra meeting time, having the team together, whatever it might be, would be really beneficial for us.
"Hopefully as we become more of a veteran team, we can tighten camp up. I think it's been really good and I think the kids are still fresh."
The Bobcats went through a helmet and should pads practice Wednesday, are scheduled to go through a full pads practice Thursday and have a light day Friday in preparation for the squad's scrimmage at Bobcat Stadium Saturday. A significant portion of this part of camp tends to lean towards who can get through the grind that comes with practices under the sun in the August heat.
"Having that mental toughness is what we're talking about during moving week," Choate said. "Who can push through the soreness, the information perhaps, and those are the things we're watching. As a head coach, I spend a lot of time watching. I'm evaluating all these guys all of the time and that's what I'm looking for. Who has the edge."
Mental toughness was seen from start to finish, which included a finish with conditioning that hasn't been a part of every practice so far during Fall Camp. That was evident to the head coach, who said he believes he's seen an increase in level of toughness, competition and talent from a year ago.
"This is what I see out of our group talking about culture change," Choate said. "There was no complaining. They just understand, that's just how we do our business. We've got to get on the line and we've got to be in shape to play. We may have to play 100 snaps on defense on Sept. 2, we've got to be a well-conditioned defense. They take their helmets and shoulder pads off and go to work."
Guys in Secondary Making Their Case: Plenty of upperclassmen make up the Bobcat defensive back ranks, but several underclassmen continue to make their presence felt on the practice field.
Choate referenced the need for several guys to be able to rotate at the cornerback positions and that a finished product is hard to attain. Along with Bryce Alley and Damien Washington, 'Thunder Cats' Tyrel Thomas and Jalen Cole have made contributions in Fall Camp. "I know one thing, we're going to have to keep our saws sharp for those old guys, because the young boys are coming," Choate said. "That's something to maybe keep an eye on for the remainder of the season."
Another athlete in the secondary who's been seen at multiple positions who could play a meaningful role is JoJo Henderson. The sophomore was lauded by coach Choate for his efforts to learn the game off the field. "There's not a moment that goes by that I don't see that young man in coach Orphey's office in between practice or with coach Risinger on the board," Choate said. "Those guys have done a nice job of developing him. To his credit, he's taken the extra step and had the initiative to come in on his own."
Plenty of Shared Reps in Backfield: Multiple guys have rotated in and out of the backfield, but one of the newcomers has started to see improvement. Edward Vander found the end zone in the Bobcats' first scrimmage and did so without feeling 100 percent. Coach Choate noticed the effort and how he's improved so far. "At the running back position, you're never going to feel great," Choate said. "You're always going to have those dings so that was important for him (to play). Now he's getting some reps, he's getting in track drills more, he's starting to see how the plays are developing and he's starting to flash more in a team setting."
Bozeman Native Another Option at Wideout: Coach Choate has a variety of threats out on the flank and one of those options includes freshman Lance McCutcheon. Coach Choate believes McCutcheon chose the right sport going out of high school based off his performance during the team's free throw shooting contest, but did say the skills from basketball translate to the football field. "He's got great ball skills, he will go up and get the ball and he's picked our offense up," Choate said. "He's a really likeable kid, his teammates root for him, he just kind of goes about his business. It's great to have a local Bozeman Hawk that's stepping forward and making some plays on that side (of the ball)."
Bobcat football head coach Jeff Choate referenced the movie 'Groundhog Day' as the coaching staff waits to see who emerges from the pack to play in primetime and who may not be at the same point. The 21-practice session heading into the first game week can show the mental toughness and fortitude coach Choate said is part of the process.
"By design, we've had a long camp," Choate said. "I've had some people ask me, 'why'd you go so long?' Well, because we have 38 new guys on our roster. I felt like for us to be able to utilize that extra meeting time, having the team together, whatever it might be, would be really beneficial for us.
"Hopefully as we become more of a veteran team, we can tighten camp up. I think it's been really good and I think the kids are still fresh."
The Bobcats went through a helmet and should pads practice Wednesday, are scheduled to go through a full pads practice Thursday and have a light day Friday in preparation for the squad's scrimmage at Bobcat Stadium Saturday. A significant portion of this part of camp tends to lean towards who can get through the grind that comes with practices under the sun in the August heat.
"Having that mental toughness is what we're talking about during moving week," Choate said. "Who can push through the soreness, the information perhaps, and those are the things we're watching. As a head coach, I spend a lot of time watching. I'm evaluating all these guys all of the time and that's what I'm looking for. Who has the edge."
Mental toughness was seen from start to finish, which included a finish with conditioning that hasn't been a part of every practice so far during Fall Camp. That was evident to the head coach, who said he believes he's seen an increase in level of toughness, competition and talent from a year ago.
"This is what I see out of our group talking about culture change," Choate said. "There was no complaining. They just understand, that's just how we do our business. We've got to get on the line and we've got to be in shape to play. We may have to play 100 snaps on defense on Sept. 2, we've got to be a well-conditioned defense. They take their helmets and shoulder pads off and go to work."
Guys in Secondary Making Their Case: Plenty of upperclassmen make up the Bobcat defensive back ranks, but several underclassmen continue to make their presence felt on the practice field.
Choate referenced the need for several guys to be able to rotate at the cornerback positions and that a finished product is hard to attain. Along with Bryce Alley and Damien Washington, 'Thunder Cats' Tyrel Thomas and Jalen Cole have made contributions in Fall Camp. "I know one thing, we're going to have to keep our saws sharp for those old guys, because the young boys are coming," Choate said. "That's something to maybe keep an eye on for the remainder of the season."
Another athlete in the secondary who's been seen at multiple positions who could play a meaningful role is JoJo Henderson. The sophomore was lauded by coach Choate for his efforts to learn the game off the field. "There's not a moment that goes by that I don't see that young man in coach Orphey's office in between practice or with coach Risinger on the board," Choate said. "Those guys have done a nice job of developing him. To his credit, he's taken the extra step and had the initiative to come in on his own."
Plenty of Shared Reps in Backfield: Multiple guys have rotated in and out of the backfield, but one of the newcomers has started to see improvement. Edward Vander found the end zone in the Bobcats' first scrimmage and did so without feeling 100 percent. Coach Choate noticed the effort and how he's improved so far. "At the running back position, you're never going to feel great," Choate said. "You're always going to have those dings so that was important for him (to play). Now he's getting some reps, he's getting in track drills more, he's starting to see how the plays are developing and he's starting to flash more in a team setting."
Bozeman Native Another Option at Wideout: Coach Choate has a variety of threats out on the flank and one of those options includes freshman Lance McCutcheon. Coach Choate believes McCutcheon chose the right sport going out of high school based off his performance during the team's free throw shooting contest, but did say the skills from basketball translate to the football field. "He's got great ball skills, he will go up and get the ball and he's picked our offense up," Choate said. "He's a really likeable kid, his teammates root for him, he just kind of goes about his business. It's great to have a local Bozeman Hawk that's stepping forward and making some plays on that side (of the ball)."
Players Mentioned
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