Saturday, October 5
San Luis Obispo, CA
6 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Cal Poly
Amandre Williams
Photo by: Garrett Becker
GAME #6: Ground Games Take Center Stage as Bobcats Visit Cal Poly
10/3/2019 9:55:00 AM | Football
Mustangs' option attack provides 'different' test for MSU defense
BOZEMAN, Montana – One week after grounding Northern Arizona's explosive aerial attack after halftime, Montana State (4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Sky ) faces a much different challenge against Cal Poly (2-2, 1-0) on Saturday. The Mustangs operate a dynamic triple-option attack that builds a sense of relentlessness while big plays lurk. Bobcat coach Jeff Choate breaks down the difficulty of preparing for Cal Poly in simple terms.
"It's different," Choate says of Cal Poly's scheme, which varies from the wishbone and other triple-option offenses in style while maintaining a similar philosophy. "It's very unconventional. You do not see it on a regular basis, so when you see something like that just every-once-in-a-while you don't practice spring ball, fall camp to defeat that. The difference makes you have to simplify, and the hard part of that is those guys have answers for everything."
Stylistically, Montana State and Cal Poly diverge offensively. Philosophically, though, similarities exist. The Bobcats run the ball 64% of the time, while Cal Poly runs the ball on 83 percent of its offensive plays. Choate said that last year's meeting with the Mustangs aids his staff in preparation. "I think it probably helps us that we played them last year," he said. "We hadn't played them in my tenure until last year, and I do think that's a benefit. If it had been a couple years since we've played an option team, I think that's where it gets really challenging."
While calling preparation for the Cal Poly offense "unique," Choate said the bigger difficulty lies in the way the Mustangs respond. "They've seen it all. They know, 'You do this, we do this. You do this, we do this.' The nature of being a system offense like the triple option is that it's really about counter-punching, and they do an excellent job. They've been doing it a long time."
A couple of first-year starters power Cal Poly's offense. Quarterback Jalen Hamler is a dual-threat who throws for 132.0 yards a game and rushes for 60.3. Fullback Duy Tran-Sampson is less a bulldozer than former star Joe Protheroe, Choate says, but his combination of power and speed is equally dangerous. He averages 5.45 yards per carry and 99.5 yards per game.
"I like their new quarterback (Jalen Hamler)," Choate said. "They clearly have a lot of depth. We do not have to defend Joe Protheroe, good news. The bad news is they're clones, (Tran-Sampson) is probably a much faster version, not quite as big as Joe, but he's a guy they'll run load speed option with, you don't see that with the fullback a lot but he has the speed to get to the perimeter."
Hamler's favorite target is JJ Koski, who averages 93.5 yards and 4.3 catches a game. "One of the things I've noticed is that I think they're more willing to push the ball down the field vertically. San Diego really tried to pack the box and I think they threw for almost 300 yards, and that's unheard of. JJ Koski is the primary target, and he's a veteran player, good kick returner as well. They're doing what they do on offense, it's not going to be a mystery. We have to stay disciplined, and it doesn't matter how well you defend it, at some point in time they're going to create plays. That's just what they do. You just have to limit those, and that's going to be a critical part of our success."
Getting the Mustangs in long-yardage situation, Choate says, is important. "I think it's all about what you do to limit them in the run and make them predictable. Getting any option team off schedule is important because it takes away a little bit the element of surprise."
Talented linebacker Matt Shotwell leads the Mustangs defense with 34 total tackles, 3.5 behind the line of scrimmage. He is also one of four Mustangs with an interception. Linebacker Aaron Cooper and safety Carter Nichols each have 26 tackles.
Like Cal Poly, MSU's commitment to run the football is staunch. The Cats have piled up 378 yards in the last two games without starting running back Isaiah Ifanse. His status for this weekend is uncertain, but senior Logan Jones leads the team with 374 yards. Sophomore Shane Perry (187 yards) and freshman Lane Sumner (158 yards) have also filled the void left by the loss of Ifanse and Troy Andersen, who has focused primarily on defense recently. After sliding into the starting quarterback role the last two weeks, Tucker Rovig has completed 32 of his 50 passes for 327 yards with five touchdowns and an interception.
MSU's 49-31 win over Northern Arizona on Saturday followed a familiar script. The Cats fell behind 21-0 – "We need to stop spotting people 21 points," Choate said – and trailed 28-14 at the intermission. The Lumberjacks had out-gained MSU 275 yard to 180 to that point, and NAU tacked on a field goal to open the second half. But the Cats responded with a 64-yard scoring drive, then drove 90 yards to draw within 31-28 early in the fourth quarter. That began an avalanche of 35 unanswered points, with MSU out-gaining NAU 263-to-162 yards after the intermission.
Kickoff Saturday is 6 pm MT, and the game is televised statewide on ABC stations, and on SWX in Billings.
#GoCatsGo
"It's different," Choate says of Cal Poly's scheme, which varies from the wishbone and other triple-option offenses in style while maintaining a similar philosophy. "It's very unconventional. You do not see it on a regular basis, so when you see something like that just every-once-in-a-while you don't practice spring ball, fall camp to defeat that. The difference makes you have to simplify, and the hard part of that is those guys have answers for everything."
Stylistically, Montana State and Cal Poly diverge offensively. Philosophically, though, similarities exist. The Bobcats run the ball 64% of the time, while Cal Poly runs the ball on 83 percent of its offensive plays. Choate said that last year's meeting with the Mustangs aids his staff in preparation. "I think it probably helps us that we played them last year," he said. "We hadn't played them in my tenure until last year, and I do think that's a benefit. If it had been a couple years since we've played an option team, I think that's where it gets really challenging."
While calling preparation for the Cal Poly offense "unique," Choate said the bigger difficulty lies in the way the Mustangs respond. "They've seen it all. They know, 'You do this, we do this. You do this, we do this.' The nature of being a system offense like the triple option is that it's really about counter-punching, and they do an excellent job. They've been doing it a long time."
A couple of first-year starters power Cal Poly's offense. Quarterback Jalen Hamler is a dual-threat who throws for 132.0 yards a game and rushes for 60.3. Fullback Duy Tran-Sampson is less a bulldozer than former star Joe Protheroe, Choate says, but his combination of power and speed is equally dangerous. He averages 5.45 yards per carry and 99.5 yards per game.
"I like their new quarterback (Jalen Hamler)," Choate said. "They clearly have a lot of depth. We do not have to defend Joe Protheroe, good news. The bad news is they're clones, (Tran-Sampson) is probably a much faster version, not quite as big as Joe, but he's a guy they'll run load speed option with, you don't see that with the fullback a lot but he has the speed to get to the perimeter."
Hamler's favorite target is JJ Koski, who averages 93.5 yards and 4.3 catches a game. "One of the things I've noticed is that I think they're more willing to push the ball down the field vertically. San Diego really tried to pack the box and I think they threw for almost 300 yards, and that's unheard of. JJ Koski is the primary target, and he's a veteran player, good kick returner as well. They're doing what they do on offense, it's not going to be a mystery. We have to stay disciplined, and it doesn't matter how well you defend it, at some point in time they're going to create plays. That's just what they do. You just have to limit those, and that's going to be a critical part of our success."
Getting the Mustangs in long-yardage situation, Choate says, is important. "I think it's all about what you do to limit them in the run and make them predictable. Getting any option team off schedule is important because it takes away a little bit the element of surprise."
Talented linebacker Matt Shotwell leads the Mustangs defense with 34 total tackles, 3.5 behind the line of scrimmage. He is also one of four Mustangs with an interception. Linebacker Aaron Cooper and safety Carter Nichols each have 26 tackles.
Like Cal Poly, MSU's commitment to run the football is staunch. The Cats have piled up 378 yards in the last two games without starting running back Isaiah Ifanse. His status for this weekend is uncertain, but senior Logan Jones leads the team with 374 yards. Sophomore Shane Perry (187 yards) and freshman Lane Sumner (158 yards) have also filled the void left by the loss of Ifanse and Troy Andersen, who has focused primarily on defense recently. After sliding into the starting quarterback role the last two weeks, Tucker Rovig has completed 32 of his 50 passes for 327 yards with five touchdowns and an interception.
MSU's 49-31 win over Northern Arizona on Saturday followed a familiar script. The Cats fell behind 21-0 – "We need to stop spotting people 21 points," Choate said – and trailed 28-14 at the intermission. The Lumberjacks had out-gained MSU 275 yard to 180 to that point, and NAU tacked on a field goal to open the second half. But the Cats responded with a 64-yard scoring drive, then drove 90 yards to draw within 31-28 early in the fourth quarter. That began an avalanche of 35 unanswered points, with MSU out-gaining NAU 263-to-162 yards after the intermission.
Kickoff Saturday is 6 pm MT, and the game is televised statewide on ABC stations, and on SWX in Billings.
#GoCatsGo
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