Friday, December 13
BOZEMAN
6 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Austin Peay
Montana State's defense faces an explosive offense Friday
Photo by: Garrett Becker
GAME #14: Bobcats Host Austin Peay in First Quarterfinal Appearance Since 2012
12/10/2019 1:34:00 PM | Football
Montana State faces a team with similar traits
BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State head coach Jeff Choate has always has always called the game of football a learning and teaching experience. This week's preparation for Austin Peay, who the Cats host on Friday in Bobcat Stadium, brings him renewed empathy.
"I kind of feel the pain for teams that have to prepare for us," Choate said simultaneously chuckling and wincing, "because there's a lot of similarities in what they do and what we do on the offensive side of the ball. There's a lot of variety to their run game, a lot of different formations, a lot of different people handling the ball. You can get your eyes mixed up in a hurry, it can be very, very challenging. When you combine that with the level of personnel that they have, it's very interesting."
In No. 15 Austin Peay (11-3 overall), the Cats face a team that led the Ohio Valley Conference in rushing offense at over 190 yards a game in the regular season and in rushing defense (91.6 yards per game). Governors coach Mark Hudspeth says if the formula sounds familiar, it should. "If you look at them I think they probably believe in the same things we do, that you've got to be able to run the ball and you've got to be able to stop the run," Hudspeth said of the Bobcats. "When you look at them, they're number one in their conference in rushing, they're number one in their conference in rush defense, and I think to win a championship you've got to be good at both."
Austin Peay earned the trip to Bozeman on the strength of a 42-28 win at Sacramento State on Saturday. More than most people that stands out to Bobcat fans, whose team advanced to the FCS Quarterfinals with a 47-21 home win over UAlbany. Montana State (10-3 overall) fell to the Hornets 34-21 on October 12, with Sacramento State riding red-hot quarterback Kevin Thomson and a precision run-pass option offensive attack throwing for 260 yards and rushing for 118 more.
The Governors rushed for 293 yards – 160 by quarterback JaVaughn Craig – in shredding Sacramento State's defense. While the Hornets gained 405 yards in that game, much of it came after APSU had built a 28-0 lead midway through the third quarter.
Choate sees a balanced Governors offense led by a confident quarterback. "They're the No. 12 scoring offense in the country and No. 20 total offense in the country," Choate said. "(Craig) is the guy that makes the whole thing go. He has a couple of good targets in (receivers Baniko Harley and DeAngelo Wilson) down the field who he really prioritizes in the pass game, but they really get everything going through him with the plus-one run game."
One staple of Austin Peay's offense is what Choate calls "punch-read, a power read with the quarterback" as the primary ball carrier, which he calls "triple option-esque." As productive as running backs Kentel Williams (886 yards in 2019) and Prince Momodu (379) have been, the run game still begins with Craig. He became the starting quarterback before the team's third game, rushing for 50.8 yards a game since. He also throws for 211.4 yards a game, forcing defenses to defend all phases of the Governors' offense. For his efforts, Craig was named First Team All-OVC quarterback.
"I think that Craig does a really good job running (the option), he's accounted for 36 touchdowns, he's thrown for over 3,000 yards, rushed for over 800 yards," Choate said. "That's a big-time player right there. He's a big kid who's a tough tackle, he's not easy to get on the ground, so we're going to have to do a good job of playing with disciplined eyes." As much as Choate appreciates APSU's offensive players, "The most challenging thing is what they present to you in terms of the scheme. It's very creative, a wide variety in the run game."
Montana State's defense rose to the occasion against a different type of challenge last week. UAlbany quarterback Jeff Undercuffler entered the game as one of the top passing threats in the FCS, and was supplemented throughout the season by a strong ground game. The Bobcats held the Great Danes to seven points, 10 first downs and 186 total yards through three quarters. Saturday's game was the first in which MSU has allowed more than 20 points since the Sacramento State game (six games ago), and the second allowing more than 333 yards (UC Davis, 430 yards) since then.
The Bobcat offense is also evolving and ascending. MSU has churned out over 400 yards in four straight games, averaging 509.0 yards per game in that span, scoring at least 45 points five times in the last six games. Sophomore signal caller Tucker Rovig threw for 279 yards on a career-high 24 completions against UAlbany last week, and in the last three games he is 48-for-68 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. That run began with a 17-for-25 effort at UC Davis. "I really think that the UC Davis game was the game that gave him the most confidence, and from that point on he's just operated really, really smooth," Choate said.
Hudspeth concurred that MSU's improving aerial attack makes the Cats more difficult to defend. "That's a concern, a team that rush the ball that well then turns around and has that kind of (passing) performance," he said. "When you look at their wide outs, you look at (Travis Jonsen), who's an incredible player, a tough target, big target. That's going to be a big challenge because you've got to put a lot of people in the box to stop the run, and when you do that you're susceptible to the pass. When you see them having that success in the pass that's a concern. It's hard to stop both, that's for sure."
Still, Choate said that Austin Peay's defensive priority is easy to identify. "Defensively they're 11th in total defense and 7th in rushing defense," Choate said. "They give up less than 100 yards a game rushing. This is going to be a very interesting matchup from that perspective. They are very stout and hard to move on the interior of the defensive line. I really like their inside linebackers, (Pat Walker and Jack McDonald) are faster and more athletic, maybe not as big as some of the guys we've played in recent weeks, but they're faster and more athletic. And that's probably a thing you'll see throughout this."
Defensive tackle Josephus Smith anchors what Choate calls a "stout and good." Smith is "a nose (tackle) who has seven-and-a-half sacks, he's twitchy. (Smith and John Wesley Whiteside) are good. They present some problems for you." Choate says the back end of the Governors' defense features "athletic linebackers and active DBs," with special teams units that "are creative. There are a lot of things to prepare for." That includes the onside kick the Govs sprung on Sac State early in that game to steal a possession.
Choate boils the challenge of facing a hot, athletic Austin Peay squad as simple to identify but hard to deal with. "I think the identity I see of this whole team – they're fast, they're aggressive, and they're very creative in terms of how they attack an opponent."
Kickoff is 6 pm Friday in Bobcat Stadium, and good tickets remain. The game is not televised, although it is streamed on ESPN3. For ticket information, call the Bobcat Ticket Office at 406/994-CATS or visit msubobcats.com.
#GoCatsGo
"I kind of feel the pain for teams that have to prepare for us," Choate said simultaneously chuckling and wincing, "because there's a lot of similarities in what they do and what we do on the offensive side of the ball. There's a lot of variety to their run game, a lot of different formations, a lot of different people handling the ball. You can get your eyes mixed up in a hurry, it can be very, very challenging. When you combine that with the level of personnel that they have, it's very interesting."
In No. 15 Austin Peay (11-3 overall), the Cats face a team that led the Ohio Valley Conference in rushing offense at over 190 yards a game in the regular season and in rushing defense (91.6 yards per game). Governors coach Mark Hudspeth says if the formula sounds familiar, it should. "If you look at them I think they probably believe in the same things we do, that you've got to be able to run the ball and you've got to be able to stop the run," Hudspeth said of the Bobcats. "When you look at them, they're number one in their conference in rushing, they're number one in their conference in rush defense, and I think to win a championship you've got to be good at both."
Austin Peay earned the trip to Bozeman on the strength of a 42-28 win at Sacramento State on Saturday. More than most people that stands out to Bobcat fans, whose team advanced to the FCS Quarterfinals with a 47-21 home win over UAlbany. Montana State (10-3 overall) fell to the Hornets 34-21 on October 12, with Sacramento State riding red-hot quarterback Kevin Thomson and a precision run-pass option offensive attack throwing for 260 yards and rushing for 118 more.
The Governors rushed for 293 yards – 160 by quarterback JaVaughn Craig – in shredding Sacramento State's defense. While the Hornets gained 405 yards in that game, much of it came after APSU had built a 28-0 lead midway through the third quarter.
Choate sees a balanced Governors offense led by a confident quarterback. "They're the No. 12 scoring offense in the country and No. 20 total offense in the country," Choate said. "(Craig) is the guy that makes the whole thing go. He has a couple of good targets in (receivers Baniko Harley and DeAngelo Wilson) down the field who he really prioritizes in the pass game, but they really get everything going through him with the plus-one run game."
One staple of Austin Peay's offense is what Choate calls "punch-read, a power read with the quarterback" as the primary ball carrier, which he calls "triple option-esque." As productive as running backs Kentel Williams (886 yards in 2019) and Prince Momodu (379) have been, the run game still begins with Craig. He became the starting quarterback before the team's third game, rushing for 50.8 yards a game since. He also throws for 211.4 yards a game, forcing defenses to defend all phases of the Governors' offense. For his efforts, Craig was named First Team All-OVC quarterback.
"I think that Craig does a really good job running (the option), he's accounted for 36 touchdowns, he's thrown for over 3,000 yards, rushed for over 800 yards," Choate said. "That's a big-time player right there. He's a big kid who's a tough tackle, he's not easy to get on the ground, so we're going to have to do a good job of playing with disciplined eyes." As much as Choate appreciates APSU's offensive players, "The most challenging thing is what they present to you in terms of the scheme. It's very creative, a wide variety in the run game."
Montana State's defense rose to the occasion against a different type of challenge last week. UAlbany quarterback Jeff Undercuffler entered the game as one of the top passing threats in the FCS, and was supplemented throughout the season by a strong ground game. The Bobcats held the Great Danes to seven points, 10 first downs and 186 total yards through three quarters. Saturday's game was the first in which MSU has allowed more than 20 points since the Sacramento State game (six games ago), and the second allowing more than 333 yards (UC Davis, 430 yards) since then.
The Bobcat offense is also evolving and ascending. MSU has churned out over 400 yards in four straight games, averaging 509.0 yards per game in that span, scoring at least 45 points five times in the last six games. Sophomore signal caller Tucker Rovig threw for 279 yards on a career-high 24 completions against UAlbany last week, and in the last three games he is 48-for-68 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. That run began with a 17-for-25 effort at UC Davis. "I really think that the UC Davis game was the game that gave him the most confidence, and from that point on he's just operated really, really smooth," Choate said.
Hudspeth concurred that MSU's improving aerial attack makes the Cats more difficult to defend. "That's a concern, a team that rush the ball that well then turns around and has that kind of (passing) performance," he said. "When you look at their wide outs, you look at (Travis Jonsen), who's an incredible player, a tough target, big target. That's going to be a big challenge because you've got to put a lot of people in the box to stop the run, and when you do that you're susceptible to the pass. When you see them having that success in the pass that's a concern. It's hard to stop both, that's for sure."
Still, Choate said that Austin Peay's defensive priority is easy to identify. "Defensively they're 11th in total defense and 7th in rushing defense," Choate said. "They give up less than 100 yards a game rushing. This is going to be a very interesting matchup from that perspective. They are very stout and hard to move on the interior of the defensive line. I really like their inside linebackers, (Pat Walker and Jack McDonald) are faster and more athletic, maybe not as big as some of the guys we've played in recent weeks, but they're faster and more athletic. And that's probably a thing you'll see throughout this."
Defensive tackle Josephus Smith anchors what Choate calls a "stout and good." Smith is "a nose (tackle) who has seven-and-a-half sacks, he's twitchy. (Smith and John Wesley Whiteside) are good. They present some problems for you." Choate says the back end of the Governors' defense features "athletic linebackers and active DBs," with special teams units that "are creative. There are a lot of things to prepare for." That includes the onside kick the Govs sprung on Sac State early in that game to steal a possession.
Choate boils the challenge of facing a hot, athletic Austin Peay squad as simple to identify but hard to deal with. "I think the identity I see of this whole team – they're fast, they're aggressive, and they're very creative in terms of how they attack an opponent."
Kickoff is 6 pm Friday in Bobcat Stadium, and good tickets remain. The game is not televised, although it is streamed on ESPN3. For ticket information, call the Bobcat Ticket Office at 406/994-CATS or visit msubobcats.com.
#GoCatsGo
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