Saturday, November 3
BOZEMAN
2 pm
Montana State University
vs
Cal Poly (BREAST CANCER AWARENESS/Parent & Family Weekend)
Lance McCutcheon
Photo by: Garrett Becker
GAME #9: Bobcats Host Option-Oriented Cal Poly on Saturday
11/2/2018 5:13:00 PM | Football
MSU looks to slow Cal Poly's relentless ground game
BOZEMAN, Montana – Cal Poly rides prolific fullback Joe Protheroe and a dominant ground game into Bobcat Stadium on Saturday, when the Mustangs visit Montana State for a 2 pm contest.
Winners of two of its last three, Cal Poly rushes for 323.6 yards per game, the best mark in the Big Sky, with Protheroe accounting for 144.0 of those a game. "Cal Poly's really on a roll," said Bobcat head coach Jeff Choate. "I think it's a team playing its best football right now. You look at that game against NAU and I think there were five consecutive drives where they went down and scored."
Choate said he sees a spring in the step of Protheroe, who is third in the nation in rushing yards per game. "He's kind of got a renewed sense of urgency about what he does," Choate said. "He's 5-11, 230, a bowling ball guy, he's going to be really hard to tackle. It looks like you're getting him for a one-yard gain and it ends up being five yards."
Cal Poly's offense, though, is hardly a one-trick pony. Quarterback Khaleel Jenkins rushes for 63.1 yards a game, and throws for another 56.9. Backs Drew Hernandez, J'uan Campbell and Brock Mortensen, who mostly operate of either slot and motion into or through the backfield, combined to add another 120 yards per game, while receiver J.J. Koski adds 53.1 receiving yards a game.
"Jenkins is really operating the offense at a really high level," Choate said. "They will spread you out some. Koski, their primary target at wide receiver, is a really good player, and is a good punt returner, as well."
Assignment football and patience become crucial against traditional triple option teams, even those that incorporate spread principles, Choate said. "We've got to play tremendously disciplined with our eyes. On the defensive side of the ball we have to do a really good job of fitting their base run game and understand that they are going to get their yards. They're going to try to bleed you out."
One of the challenges of playing a triple-option team is that offense's rarity on the contemporary football landscape. MSU's only game against such an offense in Jeff Choate's three seasons came against Kennesaw State last November. "There are some similarities," Choate said, adding that Cal Poly's attack is more diverse and Jenkins brings increased athleticism to the quarterback position. While chasing Cal Poly's speedsters on the defense's edges fall to Bobcat linebackers and safeties, players such as Grant Collins and Brayden Konkol, the battle in the middle is crucially important. Interior linemen such as Tucker Yates and Zach Wright, both seniors, will be asked to clog the middle in an attempt to contain Protheroe.
The Mustangs surrender 39 points a game, the Big Sky's second-highest total, but much of the damage occurred early in the season. North Dakota State hung 49 points on Cal Poly in the season opener in Fargo, Eastern Washington raced to a 70-point performance aided by defensive scores, and Montana scored 48 points. UC Davis scored 52. But the Mustangs held NAU to 28 points and Sac State to 27 in road wins.
Linebacker Matt Shotwell paces the Cal Poly defense, averaging a shade over eight tackles a contest. Nik Navarro has posted eight tackles for loss on the season, and Dominic Frasch has a pair of interceptions. Choate characterizes Cal Poly's personnel as good and its scheme as diverse.
"Defensively I think they're pretty good," Choate said. "They're a multiple front team, they play a pretty good amount of thee- and –four man fronts. I really like their safeties, they're very aggressive in the run game, they'll get down in the box quickly. They mix coverages well. Linebackers are good and aggressive, the D-line is active, they move a lot, they're not overly big, and I think their corners can cover. They'll try to lock guys down on the edge with their corners."
Montana State's offense is fresh off its best performance in a month. The Cats gained 425 yards, its second-highest total against a league opponent, in the 24-17 loss at Idaho State last week. Sophomore quarterback Troy Andersen threw for 173 yards on 16-for-29 passing, but it was his legs that made the Bobcat offense go. Andersen gained 106 yards rushing and freshman running back Isaiah Ifanse 120 operating the offense in assistant coach Matt Miller's coordinator debut.
"I was proud of Matt and the job he did, and I told the players that (Sunday)," Choate said of last week's change of offensive play-callers. "I told the offensive players and staff that. I put them in a tough position on Sunday by making the choice to make a change coordinators and everyone had to elevate their level of preparation and pitch in and do a little more work on that side of the ball. I thought the players were awesome."
Regardless of who calls the plays, Choate said this week's task is to operate the offense in an efficient manner by moving the first down chains and taking advantage of opportunities. "(Cal Poly is) going to hold the ball," he said. "That's what they're going to do. They could have a two or three minute three and out. So we have to maximize each possession. They lead the Big Sky in three notable statistical offensive categories – rushing offense, of course, red zone offense – when they get in the goal line area they're almost impossible to keep from scoring, I think they're at 94% in the red zone scoring. And time of possession is almost 35 minutes. That's a huge deal in terms of their style, and it can be very frustrating to go against. We have to do a good job of putting drives together this week as well."
Saturday's game is televised statewide on ABC stations except in Billings, where it airs on SWX (channel 503 on Charter Spectrum).
#GoCatsGo
Winners of two of its last three, Cal Poly rushes for 323.6 yards per game, the best mark in the Big Sky, with Protheroe accounting for 144.0 of those a game. "Cal Poly's really on a roll," said Bobcat head coach Jeff Choate. "I think it's a team playing its best football right now. You look at that game against NAU and I think there were five consecutive drives where they went down and scored."
Choate said he sees a spring in the step of Protheroe, who is third in the nation in rushing yards per game. "He's kind of got a renewed sense of urgency about what he does," Choate said. "He's 5-11, 230, a bowling ball guy, he's going to be really hard to tackle. It looks like you're getting him for a one-yard gain and it ends up being five yards."
Cal Poly's offense, though, is hardly a one-trick pony. Quarterback Khaleel Jenkins rushes for 63.1 yards a game, and throws for another 56.9. Backs Drew Hernandez, J'uan Campbell and Brock Mortensen, who mostly operate of either slot and motion into or through the backfield, combined to add another 120 yards per game, while receiver J.J. Koski adds 53.1 receiving yards a game.
"Jenkins is really operating the offense at a really high level," Choate said. "They will spread you out some. Koski, their primary target at wide receiver, is a really good player, and is a good punt returner, as well."
Assignment football and patience become crucial against traditional triple option teams, even those that incorporate spread principles, Choate said. "We've got to play tremendously disciplined with our eyes. On the defensive side of the ball we have to do a really good job of fitting their base run game and understand that they are going to get their yards. They're going to try to bleed you out."
One of the challenges of playing a triple-option team is that offense's rarity on the contemporary football landscape. MSU's only game against such an offense in Jeff Choate's three seasons came against Kennesaw State last November. "There are some similarities," Choate said, adding that Cal Poly's attack is more diverse and Jenkins brings increased athleticism to the quarterback position. While chasing Cal Poly's speedsters on the defense's edges fall to Bobcat linebackers and safeties, players such as Grant Collins and Brayden Konkol, the battle in the middle is crucially important. Interior linemen such as Tucker Yates and Zach Wright, both seniors, will be asked to clog the middle in an attempt to contain Protheroe.
The Mustangs surrender 39 points a game, the Big Sky's second-highest total, but much of the damage occurred early in the season. North Dakota State hung 49 points on Cal Poly in the season opener in Fargo, Eastern Washington raced to a 70-point performance aided by defensive scores, and Montana scored 48 points. UC Davis scored 52. But the Mustangs held NAU to 28 points and Sac State to 27 in road wins.
Linebacker Matt Shotwell paces the Cal Poly defense, averaging a shade over eight tackles a contest. Nik Navarro has posted eight tackles for loss on the season, and Dominic Frasch has a pair of interceptions. Choate characterizes Cal Poly's personnel as good and its scheme as diverse.
"Defensively I think they're pretty good," Choate said. "They're a multiple front team, they play a pretty good amount of thee- and –four man fronts. I really like their safeties, they're very aggressive in the run game, they'll get down in the box quickly. They mix coverages well. Linebackers are good and aggressive, the D-line is active, they move a lot, they're not overly big, and I think their corners can cover. They'll try to lock guys down on the edge with their corners."
Montana State's offense is fresh off its best performance in a month. The Cats gained 425 yards, its second-highest total against a league opponent, in the 24-17 loss at Idaho State last week. Sophomore quarterback Troy Andersen threw for 173 yards on 16-for-29 passing, but it was his legs that made the Bobcat offense go. Andersen gained 106 yards rushing and freshman running back Isaiah Ifanse 120 operating the offense in assistant coach Matt Miller's coordinator debut.
"I was proud of Matt and the job he did, and I told the players that (Sunday)," Choate said of last week's change of offensive play-callers. "I told the offensive players and staff that. I put them in a tough position on Sunday by making the choice to make a change coordinators and everyone had to elevate their level of preparation and pitch in and do a little more work on that side of the ball. I thought the players were awesome."
Regardless of who calls the plays, Choate said this week's task is to operate the offense in an efficient manner by moving the first down chains and taking advantage of opportunities. "(Cal Poly is) going to hold the ball," he said. "That's what they're going to do. They could have a two or three minute three and out. So we have to maximize each possession. They lead the Big Sky in three notable statistical offensive categories – rushing offense, of course, red zone offense – when they get in the goal line area they're almost impossible to keep from scoring, I think they're at 94% in the red zone scoring. And time of possession is almost 35 minutes. That's a huge deal in terms of their style, and it can be very frustrating to go against. We have to do a good job of putting drives together this week as well."
Saturday's game is televised statewide on ABC stations except in Billings, where it airs on SWX (channel 503 on Charter Spectrum).
#GoCatsGo
Players Mentioned
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DL
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DT
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