Saturday, September 9
BOZEMAN
6 pm
Montana State University
vs
#4 South Dakota State (Gold Rush)
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
At No. 4, South Dakota State is Highest-Ranked Non-BSC Foe to Visit Bobcat Stadium
9/8/2017 8:09:00 AM | Football
Montana State faces major challenge during Gold Rush Game on Saturday
South Dakota State's football resume is impressive, and Jeff Choate knows it way too well.
"Here's the bottom line," Choate says, the tempo of his cadence increasing. "(South Dakota State is) ranked number four in the country, they put up 600 yards of total offense last week, they won the Missouri Valley Conference, they beat the team that played for the (2016) National Championship against James Madison in Youngstown State, who oh by the way went to double overtime with Pitt last week. It's a really, really good football team."
That much is clear, as it was when the Jackrabbits visited Bozeman in November of 2014 for a First Round FCS Playoff game. The teams trampled up and down the snowy Bobcat Stadium field throughout the afternoon, and SDSU emerged with a 47-40 win. While two men who did much of the damage that day – South Dakota State running back Zach Zenner and his Bobcat counterpart Chad Newell – have departed, the Jackrabbits retain many players with considerable experience. In fact, 10 of SDSU's 22 starters today are seniors.
Across the field, Montana State rides a youthful squad into the home portion of the 2017 season. Seven seniors start for the Bobcats, but 20 players in their first two seasons in the program played a significant number of downs at Washington State last week.
Choate says the difference is significant. "This (is) the year the stage is set for them," Choate says of the Jackrabbits' national championship aspirations. "For them to (win) that league last year, is impressive. I think they're a sound, well-coached outfit. You can tell it's a mature program. You look at the body types of the guys and you can tell they're not playing a lot of freshmen and sophomores, they're playing a lot of juniors and seniors. So that's a sign they have a mature program. Coach has been there a long time, and has really built something good."
South Dakota State's offense stands to be one of the most balanced and experienced in the FCS this year, featuring three players on the Preseason Payton Watch List. Quarterback Taryn Christion rushed for 96 yards against Duquesne a week ago, and threw for 254 and five touchdowns. Receiver Jake Wieneke turned four of his six catches into touchdowns, and tight end Dallas Goedert caught two balls for 43 yards.
"The sophomore quarterback (in 2016) is now a third-year starter, the junior wide receiver and tight end are now seniors and preseason All-Americans. If you want to spy the quarterback, double the receiver, then you also have the NFL tight end that they have and a really efficient, powerful running game. I think they have a really good, physical offensive line. I like what they do up front. So I think they're an explosive, dynamic offense and they create a lot of challenges, and in different ways than Washington State."
The Jackrabbit defense also showed well last week. Duquesne gained just 259 yards and SDSU picked off one pass. Choate calls middle linebacker Christian Rozeboom "a really good player (who) can go tackle to tackle and make plays" while setting the tone for a defense that is "extremely sound, physical, and disciplined. That's how I would describe their defense. Their down guys are stout, physical players. The linebackers stay clean. They don't allow guys to get to the second level a lot. Their safeties are very active, and I think they feel good enough about their outside that they'll play some man-to-man at times. But they're not a heavy pressure outfit. They run their base defense, they run it exceptionally well, they run to the ball."
While South Dakota State breezed to a win nine days ago, the Cats encountered one of the best opponents the program has faced in decades. The 24th-ranked Cougars boasted a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback and a national player of the year candidate in the middle of the defensive line, and they were "as advertised," Choate said. But he lauded his team for how it held up.
"I liked the effort," he said. "On offense, the most glaring thing to me was that we just did not have the ability to block (Nagurski Award candidate Hercules Mata'afa and the other tackles) on the inside. When we did get some things going it was more on the perimeter. Defensively, I thought (MSU's players) executed the game plan extremely well. Tackling became an issue (in the second half), but I thought they competed. The young guys had some wide eyes, but they got settled in."
The annual Gold Rush game always brings excitement, and Choate knows creating emotion won't be an issue for his squad. "I know the kids are excited to play at home in front of a great crowd," he said. "There will be a lot of excitement, and I know our fans will be ready to go by Saturday. They know we're playing a really good team, and it will be a fun environment."
Kickoff Saturday is 6:05 pm, and the game – which is into standing room only – is televised around the state on SWX Montana stations.
"Here's the bottom line," Choate says, the tempo of his cadence increasing. "(South Dakota State is) ranked number four in the country, they put up 600 yards of total offense last week, they won the Missouri Valley Conference, they beat the team that played for the (2016) National Championship against James Madison in Youngstown State, who oh by the way went to double overtime with Pitt last week. It's a really, really good football team."
That much is clear, as it was when the Jackrabbits visited Bozeman in November of 2014 for a First Round FCS Playoff game. The teams trampled up and down the snowy Bobcat Stadium field throughout the afternoon, and SDSU emerged with a 47-40 win. While two men who did much of the damage that day – South Dakota State running back Zach Zenner and his Bobcat counterpart Chad Newell – have departed, the Jackrabbits retain many players with considerable experience. In fact, 10 of SDSU's 22 starters today are seniors.
Across the field, Montana State rides a youthful squad into the home portion of the 2017 season. Seven seniors start for the Bobcats, but 20 players in their first two seasons in the program played a significant number of downs at Washington State last week.
Choate says the difference is significant. "This (is) the year the stage is set for them," Choate says of the Jackrabbits' national championship aspirations. "For them to (win) that league last year, is impressive. I think they're a sound, well-coached outfit. You can tell it's a mature program. You look at the body types of the guys and you can tell they're not playing a lot of freshmen and sophomores, they're playing a lot of juniors and seniors. So that's a sign they have a mature program. Coach has been there a long time, and has really built something good."
South Dakota State's offense stands to be one of the most balanced and experienced in the FCS this year, featuring three players on the Preseason Payton Watch List. Quarterback Taryn Christion rushed for 96 yards against Duquesne a week ago, and threw for 254 and five touchdowns. Receiver Jake Wieneke turned four of his six catches into touchdowns, and tight end Dallas Goedert caught two balls for 43 yards.
"The sophomore quarterback (in 2016) is now a third-year starter, the junior wide receiver and tight end are now seniors and preseason All-Americans. If you want to spy the quarterback, double the receiver, then you also have the NFL tight end that they have and a really efficient, powerful running game. I think they have a really good, physical offensive line. I like what they do up front. So I think they're an explosive, dynamic offense and they create a lot of challenges, and in different ways than Washington State."
The Jackrabbit defense also showed well last week. Duquesne gained just 259 yards and SDSU picked off one pass. Choate calls middle linebacker Christian Rozeboom "a really good player (who) can go tackle to tackle and make plays" while setting the tone for a defense that is "extremely sound, physical, and disciplined. That's how I would describe their defense. Their down guys are stout, physical players. The linebackers stay clean. They don't allow guys to get to the second level a lot. Their safeties are very active, and I think they feel good enough about their outside that they'll play some man-to-man at times. But they're not a heavy pressure outfit. They run their base defense, they run it exceptionally well, they run to the ball."
While South Dakota State breezed to a win nine days ago, the Cats encountered one of the best opponents the program has faced in decades. The 24th-ranked Cougars boasted a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback and a national player of the year candidate in the middle of the defensive line, and they were "as advertised," Choate said. But he lauded his team for how it held up.
"I liked the effort," he said. "On offense, the most glaring thing to me was that we just did not have the ability to block (Nagurski Award candidate Hercules Mata'afa and the other tackles) on the inside. When we did get some things going it was more on the perimeter. Defensively, I thought (MSU's players) executed the game plan extremely well. Tackling became an issue (in the second half), but I thought they competed. The young guys had some wide eyes, but they got settled in."
The annual Gold Rush game always brings excitement, and Choate knows creating emotion won't be an issue for his squad. "I know the kids are excited to play at home in front of a great crowd," he said. "There will be a lot of excitement, and I know our fans will be ready to go by Saturday. They know we're playing a really good team, and it will be a fun environment."
Kickoff Saturday is 6:05 pm, and the game – which is into standing room only – is televised around the state on SWX Montana stations.
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