When He Was Needed, Taylor Tuiasosopo - and His Linemates - Answered the Call

Saturday, October 23

BOZEMAN

1 p.m.

Montana State University

7-1 , 5-0

Idaho State

1-6 , 1-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Idaho St.

Montana St.

Taylor Tuiasosopo

Photo by: Garrett Becker

When He Was Needed, Taylor Tuiasosopo - and His Linemates - Answered the Call

10/23/2021 6:45:00 PM | Football

Box Score

Montana State used different offensive and defensive line combinations than normal but beat Idaho State anywa

By: Bill Lamberty

BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State senior Taylor Tuiasosopo, a guard for most of his stellar career as a Bobcat offensive lineman, summed up his team's mood entering its game against Idaho State on Saturday.

"Whatever the team needed," Tuiasosopo said of moving from guard to right tackle and helping lead his tea to a 27-9 win over the Bengals in Bobcat Stadium. "They called, I answered."

What an answer it was. With usual starting right tackle TJ Session injured, Tuiasosopo in that spot, and Cole Sain starting at guard, the Cats plowed through Idaho State for 242 rushing yards. The result was a game that flowed unevenly but ended as a resounding Bobcat win.

"It wasn't a thing of beauty," said Bobcat coach Brent Vigen, before conceding that every win is beautiful in its own way.

The way this win was beautiful for the Cats was through the resolve it showed in the triumph. In addition to the regulars sidelined with injury, MSU was missing starting nose tackle Chase Benson, easily the Big Sky's dominant interior lineman, along with starting linebacker Callahan O'Reilly and cornerback Tyrel Thomas.

The reshuffled lineup on both sides of the ball led to uneasy moments early. The Bobcat offense logged only three first downs in the first quarter, while David Allish's 44-yard field goal with 5:41 to play in the first period gave ISU the first lead a visiting team has held in Bobcat Stadium all season.

As has become customary, MSU's defense dialed things down while the offense got untracked Blake Glessner booted a 54-yard field goal on the third play of the second quarter, and the Cats forced Idaho State punts on the Bengals' next two possessions. On the second Bobcat possession of quarter two, Isaiah Ifanse rumbled in from 10 yards to give MSU a lead it would never relinquish.

Bobcat quarterback Matthew McKay may not have been as crisp as usual in the first half – he was 4-for-9 passing at the intermission with 26 yards – but he was effective spreading the ball around. Three different receivers accounted for those four catches, and Ifanse was already asserting himself. He had seven carries for 57 yards in the first half.

The second half saw more of the same – Allish's excellent kicking, a diverse Bobcat offense, and a defense that allowed more yards and first downs than in any other game this season while keeping the opponent out of the end zone and under 10 points.

"It was kind of a weird game," said Bobcat coach Brent Vigen, and that weirdness manifested mostly in time of possession. Idaho State held onto the ball for a preposterous 42:17 of the 60 minutes. The Bengals also ran the ball 54 times for 213 yards, a high number of rushing attempts for an outfit that didn't lead in the game's final 44 minutes.

While the game never really felt like a Bobcat runaway, it also never felt like Idaho State was deeply involved after MSU took the lead. Of the Bengals' 213 net rushing yards, 65 came in the first quarter while the Bobcats figured things out and 62 more came in the fourth quarter when the Bengals seemed fine taking steady ground gains rather than trying to catch up quickly and the Bobcats seemed fine letting them.

Montana State's knockout blows came early in the fourth quarter, when Lance McCutcheon caught a 27-yard touchdown pass with 14:54 to play to stretch the Bobcat lead to 20-6, and Willie Patterson hauled in a 65-yard touchdown pass two minutes later to seal the win.

And speculation to the contrary, it was a beautiful win. The Bobcats largely dominated the line of scrimmage in spite of missing a dominant defensive lineman and a reliable member of the offensive front.

The 2021 Bengals feature two players that began their college careers at Montana State – linebacker Todd Payne had three tackles Saturday, and cornerback Tylor Bohannon also plays mans a spot on the ISU roster – and a pair of coaches with deep MSU ties. Defensive coordinator Roger Cooper is one of MSU's greatest players ever, and defensive line coach Byron Hout molded that unit at MSU from 2016-19.

But on Saturday it didn't matter. Montana State's patched up lines held ISU in check, the team's skill players rose to the occasion, and the Bobcats earned an 27-9 win to raise their record to 7-1 overall, 5-0 in the Big Sky, entering the team's bye week.

Awaiting on the other side of the bye is top 10 rival Eastern Washington, ancient rival Idaho, and arch-rival UM. With eight games in the rear view mirror, the most important part of MSU's schedule lies ahead.

#GoCatsGo