Tommy Mellott fires to Ryan Lonergan
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
GAME #9: Bobcats Enter Home Stretch of 2024 Regular Season Against High-Flying Eagles in Cheney on Saturday
10/31/2024 8:13:00 AM | Football
Montana State sends dominant ground game against EWU's potent passing attack
BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State begins the stretch run of its 2024 regular season on Saturday, when the Bobcats visit Eastern Washington Saturday. Kickoff between the No. 2 Bobcats and a 2-6 Eagles team that MSU head coach Brent Vigen cautions is dangerous and explosive is 2 pm MT.
"They've been in close games, and they've scored points in every which way," Vigen said. "They're averaging 33 points right now — which is significant — well over 400 yards of offense, and they're pretty balanced in that regard. They're rushing for just under 200 at this point in time and they've made a real concerted effort in the conference season in particular to get the running game going, and they've been pretty consistent."
Eastern Washington's 424.4 yards a game of total offense ranks 16th in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and its 33.0 points per contest places them 21st nationally. "They have a lot of weapons on the offensive side," Vigen said.
Quarterback Kekoa Visperas throws for 211.5 yards a game with 13 touchdowns and just one interception. While Visperas is active in the run game, three Eagles backs average more than five yards a carry. Teammate Tuna Altahir leads the way with a team-high 93 carries (5.4 yards per carry, 62.6 yards a game), but running back Malik Dotson (5.3 per carry, 52.5 per game) and quarterback Jared Taylor (5.6 per carry, 52.7 a game) add punch. The Eagles also possess one of the Big Sky's top pass-catchers. Returning First Team All-Big Sky receiver Efton Chism III averages 108.0 yards and nearly 10 catches per game.
"Visperas has had a good season at this point, completing well over 70 percent of his passes with a 13-to-1 touchdown to interception (rate)," Vigen said, "and at the other end of a lot of those passes is Chism, who is clear and away their leading receiver. He has 76 catches, and they're next leading receiver has 14. They find ways to get him the ball and he finds ways to get open, and once he gets the ball in his hands, he's a dynamic runner after the catch."
Montana State offers a stout defense in opposition to the explosive Eagles. The Cats allow just 102.0 yards a game on the ground, ninth nationally, and 179.5 yards a game passing, 21st in the FCS. Senior defensive end Brody Grebe paces the Bobcats defensively with seven sacks, 21st in the FCS. Across the board, though, MSU's aptitude for team defense shines more brightly than individual achievements. "I think this defense plays together well," Vigen said.
The Bobcats ride the Big Sky's best offense into Roos Field on Saturday, averaging a league-best 41.6 points and 512.1 yards per game. Running back Scottre Humphrey leads a diverse ground game, rushing for 7.6 yards a carry and 119.0 yards a game. Three Bobcats —– Humphrey, quarterback Tommy Mellott and running back Adam Jones —- - rank in the Big Sky's top 11 in rushing touchdowns to fuel MSU's scoring barrage. Mellott leads the nation in passing efficiency, as well.
Eastern Washington's defense hasn't matched the team's offensive effectiveness. The Eagles allow 202.3 yards a game on the ground, 108th in the FCS, while surrendering 38.1 points a game, ranking 115th nationally. Vigen asserted the challenge lies in preparation for a wide range of schemes. "They've been all over the map defensively" regarding the variety of fronts and coverages employed, he said.
The Bobcats rolled into last week's bye on an all-time roll, standing 8-0 for only the third time in program history. The previous two starts of that magnitude occurred in 1954 (8-0) and 1956 (9-0). Vigen knows that preparation, not past success, is what fuels this year's Bobcats. "These guys have bought into the 1-0 mentality," he said.
Saturday's game airs on MTN stations around Montana, with audio available on the Bobcat Radio Network and the Varsity Network app.
#GoCatsGo
"They've been in close games, and they've scored points in every which way," Vigen said. "They're averaging 33 points right now — which is significant — well over 400 yards of offense, and they're pretty balanced in that regard. They're rushing for just under 200 at this point in time and they've made a real concerted effort in the conference season in particular to get the running game going, and they've been pretty consistent."
Eastern Washington's 424.4 yards a game of total offense ranks 16th in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and its 33.0 points per contest places them 21st nationally. "They have a lot of weapons on the offensive side," Vigen said.
Quarterback Kekoa Visperas throws for 211.5 yards a game with 13 touchdowns and just one interception. While Visperas is active in the run game, three Eagles backs average more than five yards a carry. Teammate Tuna Altahir leads the way with a team-high 93 carries (5.4 yards per carry, 62.6 yards a game), but running back Malik Dotson (5.3 per carry, 52.5 per game) and quarterback Jared Taylor (5.6 per carry, 52.7 a game) add punch. The Eagles also possess one of the Big Sky's top pass-catchers. Returning First Team All-Big Sky receiver Efton Chism III averages 108.0 yards and nearly 10 catches per game.
"Visperas has had a good season at this point, completing well over 70 percent of his passes with a 13-to-1 touchdown to interception (rate)," Vigen said, "and at the other end of a lot of those passes is Chism, who is clear and away their leading receiver. He has 76 catches, and they're next leading receiver has 14. They find ways to get him the ball and he finds ways to get open, and once he gets the ball in his hands, he's a dynamic runner after the catch."
Montana State offers a stout defense in opposition to the explosive Eagles. The Cats allow just 102.0 yards a game on the ground, ninth nationally, and 179.5 yards a game passing, 21st in the FCS. Senior defensive end Brody Grebe paces the Bobcats defensively with seven sacks, 21st in the FCS. Across the board, though, MSU's aptitude for team defense shines more brightly than individual achievements. "I think this defense plays together well," Vigen said.
The Bobcats ride the Big Sky's best offense into Roos Field on Saturday, averaging a league-best 41.6 points and 512.1 yards per game. Running back Scottre Humphrey leads a diverse ground game, rushing for 7.6 yards a carry and 119.0 yards a game. Three Bobcats —– Humphrey, quarterback Tommy Mellott and running back Adam Jones —- - rank in the Big Sky's top 11 in rushing touchdowns to fuel MSU's scoring barrage. Mellott leads the nation in passing efficiency, as well.
Eastern Washington's defense hasn't matched the team's offensive effectiveness. The Eagles allow 202.3 yards a game on the ground, 108th in the FCS, while surrendering 38.1 points a game, ranking 115th nationally. Vigen asserted the challenge lies in preparation for a wide range of schemes. "They've been all over the map defensively" regarding the variety of fronts and coverages employed, he said.
The Bobcats rolled into last week's bye on an all-time roll, standing 8-0 for only the third time in program history. The previous two starts of that magnitude occurred in 1954 (8-0) and 1956 (9-0). Vigen knows that preparation, not past success, is what fuels this year's Bobcats. "These guys have bought into the 1-0 mentality," he said.
Saturday's game airs on MTN stations around Montana, with audio available on the Bobcat Radio Network and the Varsity Network app.
#GoCatsGo
Players Mentioned
Thursday, July 31
Monday, May 19
Wednesday, May 03
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