Photo by: Daryn Hendrickson
GAME #6: Bobcats Return From Open Weekend to Host Cal Poly
10/13/2023 8:39:00 AM | Football
Mustangs look to snap MSU win streak in this series
BOZEMAN, Montana – Fresh off its open weekend, second-ranked Montana State returns to Bobcat Stadium Saturday to host Cal Poly at 6 pm.
"I think we're all looking forward to getting back to a game week," said Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen, "players and coaches and certainly the fans. And we love playing in Bobcat Stadium."
The Cats (4-1 overall, 2-0 Big Sky) welcome a young, talented team for Parent & Family Night. Only one senior and one graduate student starts for the Mustangs (2-4, 0-2), both in the offensive line. Cal Poly is led by quarterback Sam Huard, a Washington transfer who throws for 212.5 yards a game while completing 61.5% of his passes. The Mustangs throw the ball just less than two-thirds of the time, averaging 243.2 yards a game through the air and 64.0 on the ground.
"They like to throw it much more than they run it," Vigen said. "They have big receivers and they like to spread it around."
Giancarlo Woods and Tyrece Fairly-Diyem pace CP with 21 catches each, although at 325 total yards the latter averages 15.5 yards per catch compared to Woods' 9.0. Six Mustangs have caught at least 10 passes.
The Bobcats allow 169.4 yards per game, third-best in the Big Sky, and MSU's team passing efficiency defense is the best in the Big Sky and third-best in the nation. The Cats have intercepted seven opponent passes, second in the league.
Defensively, end Elijah Ponder spearheads an aggressive Mustangs pass rush. His 5.5 sacks leads the team and the Big Sky Conference. As a team Cal Poly stands fifth in the Big Sky in sacks and sixth in team passing efficiency defense. "He jumps out at you right away," Vigen said of Ponder. He has good length, athleticism. They cover well at the corners, and their linebackers are very active."
Cal Poly faces the top rushing team in the FCS on Saturday. The Bobcats average 322.4 yards per game, and only South Dakota State has held the Cats to less than 300 yards on the ground. Quarterback Sean Chambers and running backs Julius Davis and Jared White have each gained more than 300 yards this season.
Montana State has proven effective coming out of bye weeks in recent years. The team is 10-6 after its break in the last 16 years, and Vigen's Bobcat teams beat Northern Arizona after the bye week last season and Eastern Washington in 2021, both on the road.
"We utilized the bye week well," Vigen said. "There's a piece to healing up, there's a piece to going out recruiting, and in between here we continue to build depth instructing on skills, all those kinds of things, with young guys and backups in particular. But now it's good to be back in game week."
Vigen said the bye week was one step in the team's continuing efforts to improve. "I think we're better than we were in August," he said. "That's guys continuing to improve themselves, position groups within our team continuing to gain traction to show improvement. I think our depth hasn't been extremely tested to this point but what has been tested has responded."
The MTN televises Saturday's game on CBS stations around Montana, with Ben Creighton, Ty Gregorak and Scott Breen calling the action. Keaton Gillogly serves as MSU's play-by-play voice on the Bobcat Radio Network, which airs around the state and on the Varsity Network app. ESPN+ also carries the game.
#GoCatsGo
"I think we're all looking forward to getting back to a game week," said Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen, "players and coaches and certainly the fans. And we love playing in Bobcat Stadium."
The Cats (4-1 overall, 2-0 Big Sky) welcome a young, talented team for Parent & Family Night. Only one senior and one graduate student starts for the Mustangs (2-4, 0-2), both in the offensive line. Cal Poly is led by quarterback Sam Huard, a Washington transfer who throws for 212.5 yards a game while completing 61.5% of his passes. The Mustangs throw the ball just less than two-thirds of the time, averaging 243.2 yards a game through the air and 64.0 on the ground.
"They like to throw it much more than they run it," Vigen said. "They have big receivers and they like to spread it around."
Giancarlo Woods and Tyrece Fairly-Diyem pace CP with 21 catches each, although at 325 total yards the latter averages 15.5 yards per catch compared to Woods' 9.0. Six Mustangs have caught at least 10 passes.
The Bobcats allow 169.4 yards per game, third-best in the Big Sky, and MSU's team passing efficiency defense is the best in the Big Sky and third-best in the nation. The Cats have intercepted seven opponent passes, second in the league.
Defensively, end Elijah Ponder spearheads an aggressive Mustangs pass rush. His 5.5 sacks leads the team and the Big Sky Conference. As a team Cal Poly stands fifth in the Big Sky in sacks and sixth in team passing efficiency defense. "He jumps out at you right away," Vigen said of Ponder. He has good length, athleticism. They cover well at the corners, and their linebackers are very active."
Cal Poly faces the top rushing team in the FCS on Saturday. The Bobcats average 322.4 yards per game, and only South Dakota State has held the Cats to less than 300 yards on the ground. Quarterback Sean Chambers and running backs Julius Davis and Jared White have each gained more than 300 yards this season.
Montana State has proven effective coming out of bye weeks in recent years. The team is 10-6 after its break in the last 16 years, and Vigen's Bobcat teams beat Northern Arizona after the bye week last season and Eastern Washington in 2021, both on the road.
"We utilized the bye week well," Vigen said. "There's a piece to healing up, there's a piece to going out recruiting, and in between here we continue to build depth instructing on skills, all those kinds of things, with young guys and backups in particular. But now it's good to be back in game week."
Vigen said the bye week was one step in the team's continuing efforts to improve. "I think we're better than we were in August," he said. "That's guys continuing to improve themselves, position groups within our team continuing to gain traction to show improvement. I think our depth hasn't been extremely tested to this point but what has been tested has responded."
The MTN televises Saturday's game on CBS stations around Montana, with Ben Creighton, Ty Gregorak and Scott Breen calling the action. Keaton Gillogly serves as MSU's play-by-play voice on the Bobcat Radio Network, which airs around the state and on the Varsity Network app. ESPN+ also carries the game.
#GoCatsGo
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