Montana State University
Idaho State
GAME #8: Bobcats Battle Bengals in Important Big Sky Clash on Saturday
10/24/2018 8:17:00 AM | Football
Offense moves into focus during week leading to showdown
BOZEMAN, Montana – One week after enduring a physical, defense-oriented game at Weber State, the Bobcats shift gears this week. Offense moves into the spotlight this week.
Most obviously, the Cats face a prolific offense Saturday when Montana State (4-3, 2-1 Big Sky) visits Holt Arena for a 3:30 pm showdown against Idaho State. The Bengals stand second in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in total offense, piling up 543.6 yards a game, and seventh in points per game (41.3). "This is one of the best offenses in the country," Montana State coach Jeff Choate says simply.
Montana State's offense jumped unexpectedly into the spotlight Monday when head coach Jeff Choate announced that third-year assistant coach Matt Miller's move into the role of offensive coordinator and primary play-caller, a decision "based on a body of work and on the progress of our offense overall." The move is designed to jolt a Bobcat offense that stands 12th in the Big Sky in yards per game (339.7) and sixth in scoring (27.9 points per game).
Miller has coached Montana State's receivers during Choate's three seasons as the program's head coach after a productive playing career at Boise State. "I feel like it's important to get a new voice in that room. Matt is a young guy that brings a lot of energy. He's played at a high level, very competitive, very organized, very detailed, he understands what we need to do to have success and I think the players will respond to him. This is not something that was done on impulse or without a lot of thought."
Idaho State's explosive offense is guided by quarterback Tanner Gueller, who ranks in the nation's top 10 in every passing category, and receiver Mitch Gueller, Tanner's brother, who is fourth nationally in receiving yards. "The Gueller brothers are unbelievable," Choate said. "They've played together since they were little kids, obviously, and both are physically very gifted. The offense is clicking at a very, very high rate."
Choate counsels against focusing solely on the Bengals' dazzling aerial attack. "Everybody talks about the Gueller brothers and Michael Dean in terms of what they're doing in the pass game, but it really starts for them in the run game with Flanagan and Madison, kind of a one-two punch, both very talented, both experienced and explosive running backs." Ty Flanagan is 11th nationally with 6.9 yards per carry, while James Madison is 17th in rushing yards per game (105.9).
Choate finds a couple of Idaho State statistical points intriguing. "They've scored 119 points to 65 in the second quarter," he said. "It's almost like they get a feel for how teams are going to defend them and then they kind of explode. That's one of the things we have to keep an eye on. Another is that they're also very good in turnover margin." Bengals opponents have fumbled 21 times (ISU has recovered seven), and Idaho State has intercepted 10 passes, leading to a +7 ratio in that category.
Into the Holt Arena cauldron – the Bengals played their previous home game, a 62-28 win against Idaho, in front of a crowd of 11,015 – Montana State's defense faces a stern challenge. The Bobcat defense has quietly morphed into an outstanding unit at all three levels. The Cats have intercepted a pass in four straight games and have held all four Big Sky foes below their season scoring average and two of the four below their season total yards average.
Bryce Sterk continues to lead the Big Sky in sacks (5.5) and tackles-for-loss (11) from his Buck position. MSU's ability to speed up opposing quarterbacks has benefited the back end, with Munchie Filer's pick-six and Jahque Alleyne's fourth interception of the season helping the Cats stay in Saturday's 34-24 loss at No. 7 Weber State until the end.
Offensively, Troy Andersen likely remains Montana State's focal point. The sophomore quarterback rushes for 111.1 yards per game, 13th in the FCS, and became the only FCS player to rush for more than 80 yards against Weber State this season when he rambled for 102. The Cats gained just 221 total yards with seven first downs last week at Weber State, and Choate said Idaho State's defense poses another formidable challenge. "They have a very, very opportunistic defense, they're very stout inside with a lot of big bodies that are very experienced. This team, I've watched it on tape, and personnel-wise it's nearly identical (to last year's team). It's very experienced."
Saturday's game is televised by Eleven Sports, and is available on DISH Network and DirecTV as well as Pluto.tv.
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