Bobcat Ground Game Shines in 2021 Sonny Holland Classic

Saturday, April 24

BOZEMAN

1 p.m.

Montana State University

Sonny Holland Classic

Jaharie Martin

Photo by: Garrett Becker

4/24/2021 8:39:00 PM | Football

Isaiah Ifanse leads strong performance by MSU running backs

By: Bill Lamberty

BOZEMAN, Montana – A lot has changed since Montana State running back Isaiah Ifanse and his teammates last romped on the Bobcat Stadium playing field in a game, but on Saturday it all looked very similar.

Ifanse rambled for 111 yards on 14 carries behind an experienced and talented offensive line. The Bobcat passing game operated to positive effect, even if it didn't post gaudy numbers. Montana State's defense chipped in big plays, with Danny Uluilakepa forcing a fumble that Jeffrey Manning recovered and interceptions by Miles Jackson and John Knight.

For the record, Ifanse's Blue team won 21-10. Ifanse capped the side's impressive first drive with a four-yard run, freshman Elijah Elliott scored from seven yards out, and Derryk Snell caught a 34-yard pass from Blake Thelen to close the scoring. Blake Glessner's 37-yard field goal and Tucker Rovig's one-yard run provide the White's points.

The teams combined for 6.5 yards per rush on Saturday. "We've said it from the start, that offensive line is a group that's got experience, it's a group we need to be able to lean on," Vigen said. "I think we have a good stable of running backs. You can see they bring a lot of different skills to the table, and I think and I think that was evident today. All five of those guys that will be in the mix got a chance to showcase themselves at least a little today and throughout the spring."

The White team took the game's initial possession and marched from its own 25 to the Blue 14. After a pair of Tucker Rovig incompletions, Blake Glessner nailed a 37-yard field goal.

On the Blue's ensuing possession, Matt McKay threw incomplete passes on first and second down. On third down, he handed the ball to Ifanse. That play set the day's tone. Ifanse tore through an opening in the line for 13 yards. He gained nine more, then after McKay was held for a loss of one, Ifanse gained three for a first down.

After a sack, Ifanse rushed for gains of 13 and 31 yards. Once the team moved inside the five, he gained one and four for the touchdown. The teams then traded punts to close the first half.

The early moments of the second half provided defensive fireworks. After McKay drove the Blue team to the White 22, Elijah Elliott was hit by Uliulakepa and Manning recovered the fumble. On the next play, Rovig was intercepted by Miles Jackson.

After an exchange of punts, the Blue team took over at its own 43, then put its fortunes in Ifanse's hands. The powerful junior gained four, then 11, four more, then five. McKay carried twice for 18 yards, then threw an eight-yard pass to Jaden Smith. On first-and-goal from the seven, Elliott redeemed himself with a seven-yard scoring run.

Vigen liked the Blue's running back combo. "What was the old (combo), Blanchard and Davis for Army? Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside," he asked with a laugh. "Isaiah is certainly pretty complete. He can run between the tackles but I think he's got the speed to get on the edge. Elijah's game is a little more on the perimeter. With his size he can certainly get away with runs between the tackles. They're certainly different, and the complement of plays we can run with both, there's some overlap but there's some difference and I think the pace is a little bit different. The change of pace can be complicating for defenses at times."

The White offense wasn't finished. Rovig threw a 42-yard pass to Nat e Stewart, and three plays later scored from one yard out to cut the lead to 14-10.

Then just like that, things were decided. Blake Thelen found Smith for two passes that moved the Blue to the White 43. After a short run by Lane Sumner, Thelen found Derryk Snell for a touchdown to close the scoring.

"Blake, obviously from Great Falls, he's a guy that goes out there and finds a way to get things done," Vigen said. "He's young yet, a redshirt freshman, and it's good to see him have that success. Derryk got behind the defense and Blake made a nice throw to seal the game."

Vigen appreciated the opportunity to compete Saturday afternoon. "When you look at that spring game, and our initial thought going back to the end of February was that we hoped we could have an event, and beyond the play on the field we had an event there. It was a great crowd, you could feel the crowd, and I think that's what the guys needed. Big crowd, the lights were on, competitive game."

Montana State students now enter finals week, with the football team getting much of May off before regrouping in June and July for player-run workouts. Vigen leaves no doubt how he feels about the importance of those sessions.

"Championship teams," he said, "are built in the summer."

SCORING: Blue 21, White 10
White – Blake Glessner 37 field goal
Blue – Isaiah Ifanse 4 run (Luke Pawlak)
Blue – Elijah Elliott 7 run (Luke Pawlak)
White – Tucker Rovig 1 run (Blake Glessner)
Blue – Derryk Snell 34 catch from Blake Thelen (Luke Pawlak)

TEAM STATISTICS
FIRST DOWNS (Rush-Pass/Total): Blue – 8-4/12, White 3-6/9
RUSHING: Blue 28-211-2, White 17-82-1
PASSING YARDS: Blue – 99, White 137
TOTAL YARDS: Blue –45-310-2 , White – 27-219-1
3^rd DOWN CONVERSIONS: Blue – 3 of 6, White 1 of 5
4^th DOWN CONVERSIONS: Blue 1 of 1, White 1 of 1
TURNOVERS (Fumbles lost-Passes Intercepted): Blue – 1-0, White 0-2

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Isaiah Ifanse 14-111-1, Jaharie Martin 7-37, Tucker Rovig 2-4-1, DeMareus Hosey 2-26, Matt McKay 2-3, Tommy Mellott 3- -1, Elijah Elliott 7-75-1, Lane Sumner 4-19, Garrett Coon 2-5, TEAM 2- -13. TOTAL 45-256-3

PASSING: Tucker Rovig 5-8-1, 89, 0; Matt McKay 3-8-0, 23, 0; Tommy Mellott 2-6-1, 36, 0; Blake Thelen 5-9-0, 88, 1. TOTAL 15-31-2, 236, 1

RECEIVING: Quincy Kent-Schneider 1-13, Nate Stewart 2-53, Tyrone Marshall 3-52, Treyton Pickering 1-7, Ryan Davis 1-7, Lane Sumner 1-8, Jaden Smith 3-47, Lance McCutcheon 2-15, Derryk Snell 1-34-1. TOTAL 15-236-1

INTERCEPTIONS: Miles Jackson 1, John Knight 1

FUMBLES FORCED: Danny Uluilakepa 1

FUMBLES RECOVERED: Jeffrey Manning 1

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