Saturday, October 12
BOZEMAN
2 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Sacramento State
Photo by: Garrett Becker
GAME #7: Bobcats Face Toughest Test Yet as Resurgent Sacramento State Rolls into Bozeman
10/9/2019 4:17:00 PM | Football
MSU faces balanced, deep, talented Hornets
BOZEMAN, Montana - Along the college football landscape, traditional powers lay claim to their turf, and others contend every year or every once in a while without quite knocking the kings off their throne. Montana State coach Jeff Choate sees a different challenge when resurgent Sacramento State (3-2 overall, 1-0 Big Sky) arrives in Bobcat Stadium on Saturday to face No. 6 Montana State (5-1, 2-0).
"Every year in this league there's a team – last year it was (UC) Davis – that (comes) out of nowhere to emerge as a dominant force," he said. "Certainly this year you can see that it is Sacramento State, without a doubt."
That likely comes as sobering news for Bobcat fans who plan to gather for the school's Homecoming festivities on Saturday. UC Davis won a share of the Big Sky title a season ago, and their neighbors to the east, Sacramento State, has a stronghold on that lane in this year's race to the conference crown. The Hornets took apart reigning national runner-up Eastern Washington last week, and previously beat Northern Colorado 50-0 in a non-conference contest. If that's not enough evidence, the Hornets nearly pulled off an upset in losing at Arizona State 17-9, and incurred its other loss in a close game at Fresno State.
Sacramento State has soared into conference title consideration behind a first-year coaching staff, but it's one that's hardly new to the Big Sky. "(Head coach Troy) Taylor, a guy that was a Pac 12 coordinator not too long ago at the University of Utah, a very good football program, has surrounded himself with good people," Choate said. "Andy Thompson, a veteran coach in his league, 13 years, the last 10 as the defensive coordinator at Northern Arizona, is very familiar with this conference and has been a well-respected coach for a long time. His D-line coach is Kraig Paulson, who's been a Division I coordinator at UNLV and multiple stints at the University of Montana. Cherokee Valeria, their secondary coach, was on the Eastern Washington staff for years and years. So he's done a nice job of building a staff that has familiarity with the Big Sky Conference."
The Hornets are paced offensively by two of the most dangerous weapons in the league, quarterback Kevin Thomson and running back Elijah Dotson. "The quarterback makes everything go," Choate said of Thomson. "He's a true dual threat. He's a bigger, more physical runner. They're going to run a lot of the stuff you see Travis (Jonsen) or Troy (Andersen) run in our offense." Thomson's strength and size allow him to run effectively inside, and offers a good counter to the speedy Dotson. "Man, he's fast," Choate said of Sacramento State's leading ball carrier. "He was the most productive rusher in the Big Sky Conference a year ago." Dotson leads Sac State in rushing and receiving, and Choate said there are several complementary weapons in both phases.
Choate said Sacramento State's offense is not unfamiliar conceptually, but that deployment of concepts and personnel makes it particularly dangerous. "They do a good job making you work on formations to the boundary, condensed sets, shifts, motions," he said. "I think there's a lot of similarities between what they do and what we do. There might be a little bit of a difference in how they go about it, but stylistically I don't think it's that much different. I do think Thomson's done a good job giving them that vertical threat and the intermediate passing game as well."
Sacramento State's defense leads the Big Sky in fewest points allowed, and Choate is impressed with the team's front seven. "They're really good. (Defensive tackle Dariyn) Choates is a really, really good player, (George) Obinna and (Josiah) Erickson, those guys stand out to me as paying really hard. I just love the way these kids play. They're not the biggest front in the league but they are active, very physical, relentless in pass rush, well-coached. I think they do a really nice job. In the back end (Daron) Bland and it shows up not just with him but he stands out the most to me on film, it's a very aggressive secondary. They're going to put their hands on you, re-route you, they're going to make it difficult for you to get into open space."
The Bobcats have strung together five consecutive wins – and started a season with five or more wins in the first six games – for the first time since 2012. This year's version has found multiple ways to succeed, from last week's road win that featured a second-half Cal Poly comeback before the Cats won their first overtime game since 2010, to the stirring comebacks against Northern Arizona and Western Illinois.
"I think it's resilience," Choate says. "On the sideline I hear a lot of, 'We're fine,' and 'We've got this.' There's never a sense of panic, never any doubt that we can find a way. And I think that's because we've done this before."
To do it again this week the Bobcats will have to muster plenty of resilience and plenty of plays on both sides of the ball. "This is a complete (Sacramento State) team," Choate says. "This is a good team. Really good. We have our hands full."
Kickoff is 2 pm Saturday. The game is aired around the Treasure State on Fox stations, as well as SWX in Billings, and is streamed on Pluto.tv channel 538.
#GoCatsGo
"Every year in this league there's a team – last year it was (UC) Davis – that (comes) out of nowhere to emerge as a dominant force," he said. "Certainly this year you can see that it is Sacramento State, without a doubt."
That likely comes as sobering news for Bobcat fans who plan to gather for the school's Homecoming festivities on Saturday. UC Davis won a share of the Big Sky title a season ago, and their neighbors to the east, Sacramento State, has a stronghold on that lane in this year's race to the conference crown. The Hornets took apart reigning national runner-up Eastern Washington last week, and previously beat Northern Colorado 50-0 in a non-conference contest. If that's not enough evidence, the Hornets nearly pulled off an upset in losing at Arizona State 17-9, and incurred its other loss in a close game at Fresno State.
Sacramento State has soared into conference title consideration behind a first-year coaching staff, but it's one that's hardly new to the Big Sky. "(Head coach Troy) Taylor, a guy that was a Pac 12 coordinator not too long ago at the University of Utah, a very good football program, has surrounded himself with good people," Choate said. "Andy Thompson, a veteran coach in his league, 13 years, the last 10 as the defensive coordinator at Northern Arizona, is very familiar with this conference and has been a well-respected coach for a long time. His D-line coach is Kraig Paulson, who's been a Division I coordinator at UNLV and multiple stints at the University of Montana. Cherokee Valeria, their secondary coach, was on the Eastern Washington staff for years and years. So he's done a nice job of building a staff that has familiarity with the Big Sky Conference."
The Hornets are paced offensively by two of the most dangerous weapons in the league, quarterback Kevin Thomson and running back Elijah Dotson. "The quarterback makes everything go," Choate said of Thomson. "He's a true dual threat. He's a bigger, more physical runner. They're going to run a lot of the stuff you see Travis (Jonsen) or Troy (Andersen) run in our offense." Thomson's strength and size allow him to run effectively inside, and offers a good counter to the speedy Dotson. "Man, he's fast," Choate said of Sacramento State's leading ball carrier. "He was the most productive rusher in the Big Sky Conference a year ago." Dotson leads Sac State in rushing and receiving, and Choate said there are several complementary weapons in both phases.
Choate said Sacramento State's offense is not unfamiliar conceptually, but that deployment of concepts and personnel makes it particularly dangerous. "They do a good job making you work on formations to the boundary, condensed sets, shifts, motions," he said. "I think there's a lot of similarities between what they do and what we do. There might be a little bit of a difference in how they go about it, but stylistically I don't think it's that much different. I do think Thomson's done a good job giving them that vertical threat and the intermediate passing game as well."
Sacramento State's defense leads the Big Sky in fewest points allowed, and Choate is impressed with the team's front seven. "They're really good. (Defensive tackle Dariyn) Choates is a really, really good player, (George) Obinna and (Josiah) Erickson, those guys stand out to me as paying really hard. I just love the way these kids play. They're not the biggest front in the league but they are active, very physical, relentless in pass rush, well-coached. I think they do a really nice job. In the back end (Daron) Bland and it shows up not just with him but he stands out the most to me on film, it's a very aggressive secondary. They're going to put their hands on you, re-route you, they're going to make it difficult for you to get into open space."
The Bobcats have strung together five consecutive wins – and started a season with five or more wins in the first six games – for the first time since 2012. This year's version has found multiple ways to succeed, from last week's road win that featured a second-half Cal Poly comeback before the Cats won their first overtime game since 2010, to the stirring comebacks against Northern Arizona and Western Illinois.
"I think it's resilience," Choate says. "On the sideline I hear a lot of, 'We're fine,' and 'We've got this.' There's never a sense of panic, never any doubt that we can find a way. And I think that's because we've done this before."
To do it again this week the Bobcats will have to muster plenty of resilience and plenty of plays on both sides of the ball. "This is a complete (Sacramento State) team," Choate says. "This is a good team. Really good. We have our hands full."
Kickoff is 2 pm Saturday. The game is aired around the Treasure State on Fox stations, as well as SWX in Billings, and is streamed on Pluto.tv channel 538.
#GoCatsGo
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