Photo by: Garrett Becker
GAME #3: Bobcats Visit Western Illinois for 'Defining Game'
9/11/2019 5:40:00 PM | Football
Bobcats face tough road test against Missouri Valley squad
BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State football coach Jeff Choate knows that on the team's annual calendar, the Gold Rush game is more anticipated by Bobcat fans than any contest other than Cat-Griz. And he gets it.
But his calendar doesn't set up that way. "We've talked since the season started what a big game this Western Illinois game is," Choate said as his team prepares to battle the Leathernecks on Saturday at 2 pm MT in Macomb, Illinois. Saturday's tilt counters last year's contest with WIU in Bozeman, which the Bobcats won 26-23. The game is only available on ESPN+.
"There was some talk last week about the SEMO game being a statement game," Choate said of his team's 38-17 win over then-No. 12 Southeast Missouri last Saturday, "but to me the real statement's going to be made by how we prepare and play this week. We've not been the best road team during my tenure. We've played some very challenging opponents on the road, but that's no excuse. This is the game that I think is going to define who we are as a team. How we prepare, how we play, the type of mindset we take into this, is very critical."
Western Illinois enters Saturday's game 0-2, but the Leathernecks have yet to play at home. WIU dropped a 26-17 game at North Alabama to open the season, the "walked into a little bit of a buzz-saw" in a 38-13 loss at Colorado State last weekend. But Choate cautions not to let the results distract from Western Illinois' quality. "(When) you watch these kids compete and play at the end of that (Colorado State) game, I was really impressed," Choate said. "There's no doubt that the culture's where it needs to be there. They have some talented players."
Jared Elliott's first game as WIU's head coach was the loss to Montana State last season. He has built a reputation as a creative, effective offensive coach. "I think Coach Elliott is a pretty sharp offensive mind. He does some things that really present challenges to defenses. They test you on the perimeter with the fly sweep game, that's a big part of what they do."
Quarterback Connor Sampson takes the reins of the Western Illinois offense this season, and is 40-for-67 passing for 334 yards with one touchdown and one interceptions on the season. "I like their quarterback," Choate said, "he's not as mobile as the guy they had last year, doesn't have as much experience perhaps, but he's very accurate and can make all the throws. (He's) 6-foot-3, 215 lbs, more of a conventional pocket passer, but he can make all the throws."
The Leathernecks' offense may begin with Sampson, but Choate says it hardly ends there. Kendon Walker leads the team with 19 carries and 103 yards, while fullback Clint Ratkovich and receiver Tony Tate also contribute. "They have weapons," Choate said. "(Tate) is a good player. He's a threat in the return game, and they're going to get him the ball. He's going to get his touches. The other guy that's going to get his touches is (Ratkovich). They very much have a DNA in terms of their run game. They use a lot of tight ends, a lot of formations, they have great tempo getting in and out of the huddle, they've run some unbalanced sets, but they're unique in that they're a little more of a game-plan outfit when it comes to the pass game. They're going to identify weaknesses when it comes to your coverages, and they're going to exploit them."
Choate praises Western Illinois' defensive line, which lost Khalen Saunders to the Kansas City Chiefs via the NFL Draft but which he says returns plenty of talent. Defensive end Kyle Williams has a team-high three tackles-for-loss with one sack. "Their defensive line is the strength of their defense," Choate said. "They have an excellent defensive line, they're a well-coached, big, physical group. I like their scheme on defense, I think they're sound, they 'll attack you, they'll attack your protections. They're going to try to take away what you do well, and they've got talent."
Four of Montana State's projected offensive line starters played against the Leathernecks in Bozeman last season, as did running back Isaiah Ifanse and the three starting receivers. Andersen starred in that game, his first as the team's starting quarterback, rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns in MSU's 26-23 win. This year he starts at Sam linebacker and also plays running back. A week ago, in the first 12 plays against Southeast Missouri, Andersen ran for a touchdown and logged a third-down sack that knocked Southeast Missouri out of a drive.
The Bobcats methodically piled up 456 yards against SEMO, while the defense was limiting the Redhawks to 12 first downs and 245 total yards. Defensive end Bryce Sterk (three sacks) and Andersen (one sack, one other tackle-for-loss) paced the defense.
While the Bobcats enjoyed a pulsating Gold Rush atmosphere on Saturday, Choate expects to get a similar treatment in Macomb this week. "This is the first opportunity they have to play at home," he said. "It's their home opener so (WUIU has) been on the road for two weeks and school's in session, I think it'll be a good environment. (WIU fans) will be excited to come out and support their team. The community is centered around the university, it's a college town. Being a home opener I anticipate there will be a good crowd. We'll have to be our best."
As usual, Choate said the most important side of the line-of-scrimmage to him is whichever is occupied by the Bobcats. "I think we've been a very business-like outfit for a while. Our fall camp was very much like that. We had an experience last year where we played a ranked team that was a playoff team the year before, had an emotional win at home, then we played extremely poorly the next week on the road at South Dakota State. That's one of the things we talked about (Sunday), and I think it's definitely in our guys' minds. We've got to be on a different mission. We get nothing this week for what happened on Saturday night. Nothing. We play a really good opponent that's going to be challenging to compete against, and we need our best."
#GoCatsGo
But his calendar doesn't set up that way. "We've talked since the season started what a big game this Western Illinois game is," Choate said as his team prepares to battle the Leathernecks on Saturday at 2 pm MT in Macomb, Illinois. Saturday's tilt counters last year's contest with WIU in Bozeman, which the Bobcats won 26-23. The game is only available on ESPN+.
"There was some talk last week about the SEMO game being a statement game," Choate said of his team's 38-17 win over then-No. 12 Southeast Missouri last Saturday, "but to me the real statement's going to be made by how we prepare and play this week. We've not been the best road team during my tenure. We've played some very challenging opponents on the road, but that's no excuse. This is the game that I think is going to define who we are as a team. How we prepare, how we play, the type of mindset we take into this, is very critical."
Western Illinois enters Saturday's game 0-2, but the Leathernecks have yet to play at home. WIU dropped a 26-17 game at North Alabama to open the season, the "walked into a little bit of a buzz-saw" in a 38-13 loss at Colorado State last weekend. But Choate cautions not to let the results distract from Western Illinois' quality. "(When) you watch these kids compete and play at the end of that (Colorado State) game, I was really impressed," Choate said. "There's no doubt that the culture's where it needs to be there. They have some talented players."
Jared Elliott's first game as WIU's head coach was the loss to Montana State last season. He has built a reputation as a creative, effective offensive coach. "I think Coach Elliott is a pretty sharp offensive mind. He does some things that really present challenges to defenses. They test you on the perimeter with the fly sweep game, that's a big part of what they do."
Quarterback Connor Sampson takes the reins of the Western Illinois offense this season, and is 40-for-67 passing for 334 yards with one touchdown and one interceptions on the season. "I like their quarterback," Choate said, "he's not as mobile as the guy they had last year, doesn't have as much experience perhaps, but he's very accurate and can make all the throws. (He's) 6-foot-3, 215 lbs, more of a conventional pocket passer, but he can make all the throws."
The Leathernecks' offense may begin with Sampson, but Choate says it hardly ends there. Kendon Walker leads the team with 19 carries and 103 yards, while fullback Clint Ratkovich and receiver Tony Tate also contribute. "They have weapons," Choate said. "(Tate) is a good player. He's a threat in the return game, and they're going to get him the ball. He's going to get his touches. The other guy that's going to get his touches is (Ratkovich). They very much have a DNA in terms of their run game. They use a lot of tight ends, a lot of formations, they have great tempo getting in and out of the huddle, they've run some unbalanced sets, but they're unique in that they're a little more of a game-plan outfit when it comes to the pass game. They're going to identify weaknesses when it comes to your coverages, and they're going to exploit them."
Choate praises Western Illinois' defensive line, which lost Khalen Saunders to the Kansas City Chiefs via the NFL Draft but which he says returns plenty of talent. Defensive end Kyle Williams has a team-high three tackles-for-loss with one sack. "Their defensive line is the strength of their defense," Choate said. "They have an excellent defensive line, they're a well-coached, big, physical group. I like their scheme on defense, I think they're sound, they 'll attack you, they'll attack your protections. They're going to try to take away what you do well, and they've got talent."
Four of Montana State's projected offensive line starters played against the Leathernecks in Bozeman last season, as did running back Isaiah Ifanse and the three starting receivers. Andersen starred in that game, his first as the team's starting quarterback, rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns in MSU's 26-23 win. This year he starts at Sam linebacker and also plays running back. A week ago, in the first 12 plays against Southeast Missouri, Andersen ran for a touchdown and logged a third-down sack that knocked Southeast Missouri out of a drive.
The Bobcats methodically piled up 456 yards against SEMO, while the defense was limiting the Redhawks to 12 first downs and 245 total yards. Defensive end Bryce Sterk (three sacks) and Andersen (one sack, one other tackle-for-loss) paced the defense.
While the Bobcats enjoyed a pulsating Gold Rush atmosphere on Saturday, Choate expects to get a similar treatment in Macomb this week. "This is the first opportunity they have to play at home," he said. "It's their home opener so (WUIU has) been on the road for two weeks and school's in session, I think it'll be a good environment. (WIU fans) will be excited to come out and support their team. The community is centered around the university, it's a college town. Being a home opener I anticipate there will be a good crowd. We'll have to be our best."
As usual, Choate said the most important side of the line-of-scrimmage to him is whichever is occupied by the Bobcats. "I think we've been a very business-like outfit for a while. Our fall camp was very much like that. We had an experience last year where we played a ranked team that was a playoff team the year before, had an emotional win at home, then we played extremely poorly the next week on the road at South Dakota State. That's one of the things we talked about (Sunday), and I think it's definitely in our guys' minds. We've got to be on a different mission. We get nothing this week for what happened on Saturday night. Nothing. We play a really good opponent that's going to be challenging to compete against, and we need our best."
#GoCatsGo
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