Tyrel Thomas and Jalen Cole anchor MSU's secondary
Photo by: Montana State University
CATS IN CAMP: Day #4 Notebook - Bobcats Man up
8/6/2018 4:59:00 PM | Football
MSU adds man-to-man coverage to defensive scheme
BOZEMAN, Montana – Monday was a day for the different.
"This was a man-to-man day for us," Montana State coach Jeff Choate said after Monday's fourth practice of fall camp, with the coaches installing a defensive wrinkle not seen from the Cats in recent years. "We haven't run a lot of man in the past, but that's something we feel like we can do now so that was kind of the install emphasis today."
The addition of a couple of veteran defensive backs – junior college cornerback Greg Filer and Virginia Tech transfer Jahque Alleyne at safety – along with freshmen twins Ty'Rhae Gibson and Ty'Rese Gibson punctuates returning corners such as Jalen Cole and Tyrel Thomas to give the Cats the opportunity to incorporate more man-to-man into the defensive scheme.
"The length of the guys, the footwork, the depth," said secondary coach Mark Orphey, ticking off the attributes his secondary possesses that may translate to more man coverage. "We don't have just one or two guys, we have a legit two-deep that can possibly go out there and play man-to-man. It's just a matter of getting them indoctrinated into how we do things, getting them to understand the techniques, but I think we have the ability to do that."
Defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak agrees that the secondary brings physical tools to the mix. "I think we've brought in some really, really good athletes on the perimeter," he said. "Greg Filer, Jahque Alleyne, the two Gibson brothers, we just have some big, long guys that can run. You get some good skill out there, and they're physical, it gives us the ability to do some things that maybe we didn't feel as a coaching staff comfortable doing the last couple of years."
Orphey also likes the mentality of his unit. "It's a very scrappy group," he said. "We have a lot of alphas, which is a good and a bad thing, but the good thing about this group is these guys are constantly competing. That's a positive. Good group, good kids, I think our group has good chemistry. Even in one-on-ones you see them challenge each other in technique and not getting the ball caught on them. I think things are heading in a good direction."
Gregorak emphasizes that turning up the pressure in the front seven also allows more options in the back end. "I don't think we had many dynamic pass rushers (the last two years), and I don't think we had many guys that could play man coverage, so when you have that combination we've had to mix and match zone coverages. So bringing in good personnel, both up front and in the back, is going to allow us to play a little more man than we have."
PADDED UP: Tuesday's practice is Montana State's first in full pads this season, but Choate said things won't change much. "The days of full pads and everything's crazy different are over. We can't go out there and turn this into a full-on scrimmage. We'll probably have some tone-setters at the beginning, let them shake it out a little bit, and then we have to get the same type of work done. We'll have some situational work, some play-it work, and everything's got to center around us taking the next step."
O-LINE IN RHYTHM: Choate likes how experience in MSU's offensive line has translated into coordination on the field. "There's a lot of trust that's built up in that room," he said. "They're a really cohesive group and they kind of intuitively know this is what we're going to do in this situation, this is what we're going to do in that situation. Five guys have to play as one."
QUARTERBACK COMPETITION: While Choate didn't offer updated rankings in the quarterback power poll on Monday, he did note that Tucker Rovig has shown more confidence than he's seen from the redshirt freshman. "I see him really taking charge, and he's got to assert himself with this team. That's what I think any of those guys have to say (to themselves), 'I'm the guy.'"
POLLING: The Bobcats checked in under the category of 'others receiving votes' in the initial STATS Inc FCS Top 25 on Monday. MSU received eight poll points. The Cats' season-opening opponent, Western Illinois, received 401 points, 27th-most. Three Big Sky teams - #8 Weber State, #9 Eastern Washington, and #24 Montana – crashed the poll.
NEXT UP: Montana State's first full pad practice of the season comes Tuesday at 11:00 am.
#GoCatsGo
"This was a man-to-man day for us," Montana State coach Jeff Choate said after Monday's fourth practice of fall camp, with the coaches installing a defensive wrinkle not seen from the Cats in recent years. "We haven't run a lot of man in the past, but that's something we feel like we can do now so that was kind of the install emphasis today."
The addition of a couple of veteran defensive backs – junior college cornerback Greg Filer and Virginia Tech transfer Jahque Alleyne at safety – along with freshmen twins Ty'Rhae Gibson and Ty'Rese Gibson punctuates returning corners such as Jalen Cole and Tyrel Thomas to give the Cats the opportunity to incorporate more man-to-man into the defensive scheme.
"The length of the guys, the footwork, the depth," said secondary coach Mark Orphey, ticking off the attributes his secondary possesses that may translate to more man coverage. "We don't have just one or two guys, we have a legit two-deep that can possibly go out there and play man-to-man. It's just a matter of getting them indoctrinated into how we do things, getting them to understand the techniques, but I think we have the ability to do that."
Defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak agrees that the secondary brings physical tools to the mix. "I think we've brought in some really, really good athletes on the perimeter," he said. "Greg Filer, Jahque Alleyne, the two Gibson brothers, we just have some big, long guys that can run. You get some good skill out there, and they're physical, it gives us the ability to do some things that maybe we didn't feel as a coaching staff comfortable doing the last couple of years."
Orphey also likes the mentality of his unit. "It's a very scrappy group," he said. "We have a lot of alphas, which is a good and a bad thing, but the good thing about this group is these guys are constantly competing. That's a positive. Good group, good kids, I think our group has good chemistry. Even in one-on-ones you see them challenge each other in technique and not getting the ball caught on them. I think things are heading in a good direction."
Gregorak emphasizes that turning up the pressure in the front seven also allows more options in the back end. "I don't think we had many dynamic pass rushers (the last two years), and I don't think we had many guys that could play man coverage, so when you have that combination we've had to mix and match zone coverages. So bringing in good personnel, both up front and in the back, is going to allow us to play a little more man than we have."
PADDED UP: Tuesday's practice is Montana State's first in full pads this season, but Choate said things won't change much. "The days of full pads and everything's crazy different are over. We can't go out there and turn this into a full-on scrimmage. We'll probably have some tone-setters at the beginning, let them shake it out a little bit, and then we have to get the same type of work done. We'll have some situational work, some play-it work, and everything's got to center around us taking the next step."
O-LINE IN RHYTHM: Choate likes how experience in MSU's offensive line has translated into coordination on the field. "There's a lot of trust that's built up in that room," he said. "They're a really cohesive group and they kind of intuitively know this is what we're going to do in this situation, this is what we're going to do in that situation. Five guys have to play as one."
QUARTERBACK COMPETITION: While Choate didn't offer updated rankings in the quarterback power poll on Monday, he did note that Tucker Rovig has shown more confidence than he's seen from the redshirt freshman. "I see him really taking charge, and he's got to assert himself with this team. That's what I think any of those guys have to say (to themselves), 'I'm the guy.'"
POLLING: The Bobcats checked in under the category of 'others receiving votes' in the initial STATS Inc FCS Top 25 on Monday. MSU received eight poll points. The Cats' season-opening opponent, Western Illinois, received 401 points, 27th-most. Three Big Sky teams - #8 Weber State, #9 Eastern Washington, and #24 Montana – crashed the poll.
NEXT UP: Montana State's first full pad practice of the season comes Tuesday at 11:00 am.
#GoCatsGo
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