Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
CATS IN CAMP #14: Friday Serves as Prep Day for Saturday Scrimmage
8/18/2017 5:10:00 PM | Football
MSU's final preseason scrimmage begins at around 11:15 am in Bobcat Stadium
Montana State coach Jeff Choate met the media just 24 hours before his team's final scrimmage of preseason camp, so naturally he was concerned about punt returns.
Specifically, by his coaches.
"We had a little punt-catching competition today," Choate deadpanned. "The offensive and defensive linemen did very well. Our coaching staff let me down a little bit. Coach Orphey, I was counting on him being a little better at catching the ball than he was."
That was a highlight of Montana State's "spirited, helmets-only practice" on Friday which served to "lighten the mood a little bit" but also "get some good work in, focus on fundamentals, go through some situational special teams things like hands team, attack team, obvious on-side, safe punt, some things we'll have come up periodically."
Friday's light day served to prepare the team for Saturday's scrimmage, projected for about 90 plays, which will feature less situational work and more live football. "We'll modify pregame, we'll do the prowl, we'll bring the groups out like we would in a normal pregame so that a lot of the young guys that haven't been through that get a chance to experience it," Choate said. The scrimmage structure lines up as the top offensive unit vs. the second defense, then the second offense against the top defense, a live segment between the young players in the program, then special teams work. "We'll use that format until we feel we've gotten the work we need to get."
Most of MSU's depth chart and active roster for the beginning of the 2017 season has been decided, Choate said, but for the small unfinished portions of both the work remaining is intense. "Saturday night for us coaches is a long night," Choate said. "We've had some of those preliminary conversations, but the rubber's going to meet the road. Let's talk about where this young man will help our organization, what's best for us, what's best for them, really preparing our conversation. Because one of the things I've challenged the coaches with is, I don't want it to be, Hey you're going to redshirt. I want (players) to have concrete goals."
Guard and cornerback are two positions with issues remaining to be sorted out, Choate said. "There might be a couple of positions where you feel there might be a lot on the line in this (scrimmage), but by and large we kind of know where we're at. Once we get through Saturday – and the number one goal is to get out of here healthy – then there's still a couple of spots where this is going to count in terms of how the depth chart falls with the ones and twos, but I think we know who the guys are that are going to redshirt, who is going to play, and we'll have that conversation with them Sunday."
Another segment of the team that slides through preseason camp under the radar takes a big portion of the limelight on Saturday. "This is probably more of an opportunity for kickers to work under a game-like atmosphere. One of the position battles that isn't talked about a lot is those special teams slots. Who's going to be the R5 on kickoffs, who's going to be the L2 on punt returns? Those things are going to be… evaluated closely."
The scrimmage begins around 11:15 am Saturday in Bobcat Stadium, and is free and open to the public.
KIDS AGAIN: The Bobcat football program welcomed a few dozen children to the Stadium following practice on Friday for autographs and interaction. Jeff Choate loved the opportunity for "our young men to interact and give back to your community, which is such a big part of what we do here because of how much they give to use in terms of the support we get on game day. It's an opportunity for our kids to be kids again. You can see it on their faces, they love to do it."
Specifically, by his coaches.
"We had a little punt-catching competition today," Choate deadpanned. "The offensive and defensive linemen did very well. Our coaching staff let me down a little bit. Coach Orphey, I was counting on him being a little better at catching the ball than he was."
That was a highlight of Montana State's "spirited, helmets-only practice" on Friday which served to "lighten the mood a little bit" but also "get some good work in, focus on fundamentals, go through some situational special teams things like hands team, attack team, obvious on-side, safe punt, some things we'll have come up periodically."
Friday's light day served to prepare the team for Saturday's scrimmage, projected for about 90 plays, which will feature less situational work and more live football. "We'll modify pregame, we'll do the prowl, we'll bring the groups out like we would in a normal pregame so that a lot of the young guys that haven't been through that get a chance to experience it," Choate said. The scrimmage structure lines up as the top offensive unit vs. the second defense, then the second offense against the top defense, a live segment between the young players in the program, then special teams work. "We'll use that format until we feel we've gotten the work we need to get."
Most of MSU's depth chart and active roster for the beginning of the 2017 season has been decided, Choate said, but for the small unfinished portions of both the work remaining is intense. "Saturday night for us coaches is a long night," Choate said. "We've had some of those preliminary conversations, but the rubber's going to meet the road. Let's talk about where this young man will help our organization, what's best for us, what's best for them, really preparing our conversation. Because one of the things I've challenged the coaches with is, I don't want it to be, Hey you're going to redshirt. I want (players) to have concrete goals."
Guard and cornerback are two positions with issues remaining to be sorted out, Choate said. "There might be a couple of positions where you feel there might be a lot on the line in this (scrimmage), but by and large we kind of know where we're at. Once we get through Saturday – and the number one goal is to get out of here healthy – then there's still a couple of spots where this is going to count in terms of how the depth chart falls with the ones and twos, but I think we know who the guys are that are going to redshirt, who is going to play, and we'll have that conversation with them Sunday."
Another segment of the team that slides through preseason camp under the radar takes a big portion of the limelight on Saturday. "This is probably more of an opportunity for kickers to work under a game-like atmosphere. One of the position battles that isn't talked about a lot is those special teams slots. Who's going to be the R5 on kickoffs, who's going to be the L2 on punt returns? Those things are going to be… evaluated closely."
The scrimmage begins around 11:15 am Saturday in Bobcat Stadium, and is free and open to the public.
KIDS AGAIN: The Bobcat football program welcomed a few dozen children to the Stadium following practice on Friday for autographs and interaction. Jeff Choate loved the opportunity for "our young men to interact and give back to your community, which is such a big part of what we do here because of how much they give to use in terms of the support we get on game day. It's an opportunity for our kids to be kids again. You can see it on their faces, they love to do it."
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