Damien Washington
Photo by: Garrett Becker
BOBCAT QUOTEBOOK: Week Four vs. Norfolk State
9/19/2019 12:58:00 PM | Football
A look at this week's game through quotes from Jeff Choate and Bobcat players...
A look at Montana State football through the thoughts of Bobcat coaches and players….
Head Coach Jeff Choate
On playing Norfolk State: "This team makes you defend all 11 (offensive players). And that's not to say that SEMO or Texas Tech or Western Illinois didn't, but they just didn't have a lot of designed quarterback runs. If the play breaks down (against those teams) you've got to leverage the quarterback. In this situation (against Norfolk State), you're going to have to account for (Juwan Carter) in everything. The thing that it also changes stylistically is you don't want to play a lot of man-to-man (coverage). You've got to keep your eyes in zone eyes so that if he breaks the pocket or he gets into a situations that is a designed quarterback run you don't have your back to the ball and he's turning a six- or eight-yard gain into a sixty- or eighty-yard gain. So having to defend the quarterback both as a runner and as a passer changes things quite a bit."
On Logan Jones against Western Illinois: "He was awesome. He showed his speed a couple different times, but if you go back to the last four games, we sat him against Incarnate Word and North Dakota State (in 2018) – and I'm glad we did, so he'd have a chance to come back and have an impact over the course of a full season – he was hugely impactful in those games as well. He's a guy who's got a lot of ability. He's really taken care of his body better, he's matured, and he's really maximizing this opportunity he's got to take one more ride. He's dynamic, man. He's going to pop a kickoff pretty soon, too."
On playing a 12-game season, which includes a fourth non-conference game: "It was almost weird for me to play an 11-game schedule because I was used to playing a 12-game schedule at the FBS level. I think it's really valuable because it allows you to find out more about yourself. In three games, it's hard to say, especially the way we scheduled this year. We played an FBS opponent, so you go compete and find out a little about yourself. Then we had a really good non-conference opponent at home, and that gave us a glimpse of who we can be, then you go on the road, tough environment, and then you look at (the Norfolk State game), and maybe this is the best marker of where we're at."
CB Damien Washington
On Norfolk State's offense: "They have a really dangerous offense, especially the quarterback. When he gets outside the pocket he's a really good runner. Coach mentioned that Chris Murray-type of quarterback, which is almost spot on. He's really great, has a good arm. Their receivers are good, they're athletic, they're long, they're big, they can move when they get the ball. So they're a really dangerous offense if you go out there and sleep on them."
On playing a less mobile quarterback: "(Covering downfield) is very important because (the quarterback) can obviously create passes off of scrambles. It's important for us to have good eyes whether it's in man or zone to know, 'The quarterback's breaking the pocket, stay in coverage until he's running.' It's really about our eyes and our discipline."
WR Coy Steel
On playing special teams: "I definitely embrace it. I think it's kind of fun to go out there as a guy who got to play offense and defense in high school. Sometimes you miss going out and tackling people so it's kind of fun to go out and do that during the games."
On playing with confidence: "I think it starts when you make a big play, you get put in a good position and the ball kind of finds you and then it's like you don't think any more, you just go out and make plays. I don't think confidence has been an issue, you don't go out there if you're not confident. That comes from preparation."
Offensive Coordinator Matt Miller
On enhancing MSU's offensive efficiency: "It's just a matter of everyone doing their job on every play. When everyone does their one-eleventh we can operate at a pretty high level."
Head Coach Jeff Choate
On playing Norfolk State: "This team makes you defend all 11 (offensive players). And that's not to say that SEMO or Texas Tech or Western Illinois didn't, but they just didn't have a lot of designed quarterback runs. If the play breaks down (against those teams) you've got to leverage the quarterback. In this situation (against Norfolk State), you're going to have to account for (Juwan Carter) in everything. The thing that it also changes stylistically is you don't want to play a lot of man-to-man (coverage). You've got to keep your eyes in zone eyes so that if he breaks the pocket or he gets into a situations that is a designed quarterback run you don't have your back to the ball and he's turning a six- or eight-yard gain into a sixty- or eighty-yard gain. So having to defend the quarterback both as a runner and as a passer changes things quite a bit."
On Logan Jones against Western Illinois: "He was awesome. He showed his speed a couple different times, but if you go back to the last four games, we sat him against Incarnate Word and North Dakota State (in 2018) – and I'm glad we did, so he'd have a chance to come back and have an impact over the course of a full season – he was hugely impactful in those games as well. He's a guy who's got a lot of ability. He's really taken care of his body better, he's matured, and he's really maximizing this opportunity he's got to take one more ride. He's dynamic, man. He's going to pop a kickoff pretty soon, too."
On playing a 12-game season, which includes a fourth non-conference game: "It was almost weird for me to play an 11-game schedule because I was used to playing a 12-game schedule at the FBS level. I think it's really valuable because it allows you to find out more about yourself. In three games, it's hard to say, especially the way we scheduled this year. We played an FBS opponent, so you go compete and find out a little about yourself. Then we had a really good non-conference opponent at home, and that gave us a glimpse of who we can be, then you go on the road, tough environment, and then you look at (the Norfolk State game), and maybe this is the best marker of where we're at."
CB Damien Washington
On Norfolk State's offense: "They have a really dangerous offense, especially the quarterback. When he gets outside the pocket he's a really good runner. Coach mentioned that Chris Murray-type of quarterback, which is almost spot on. He's really great, has a good arm. Their receivers are good, they're athletic, they're long, they're big, they can move when they get the ball. So they're a really dangerous offense if you go out there and sleep on them."
On playing a less mobile quarterback: "(Covering downfield) is very important because (the quarterback) can obviously create passes off of scrambles. It's important for us to have good eyes whether it's in man or zone to know, 'The quarterback's breaking the pocket, stay in coverage until he's running.' It's really about our eyes and our discipline."
WR Coy Steel
On playing special teams: "I definitely embrace it. I think it's kind of fun to go out there as a guy who got to play offense and defense in high school. Sometimes you miss going out and tackling people so it's kind of fun to go out and do that during the games."
On playing with confidence: "I think it starts when you make a big play, you get put in a good position and the ball kind of finds you and then it's like you don't think any more, you just go out and make plays. I don't think confidence has been an issue, you don't go out there if you're not confident. That comes from preparation."
Offensive Coordinator Matt Miller
On enhancing MSU's offensive efficiency: "It's just a matter of everyone doing their job on every play. When everyone does their one-eleventh we can operate at a pretty high level."
Players Mentioned
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CB
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