Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
GAME #3: Maine Black Bears Visit Bozeman for Saturday's Gold Rush Game
9/4/2024 4:43:00 PM | Football
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Bobcats look to extend hot start against CAA squad
BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State's football faces the same situation as only two previous Bobcat squads Saturday, when the team welcomes Maine to Bobcat Stadium for the annual Gold Rush game.
After two games in opponent stadiums, the Bobcats are 2-0. The only times that has happened previously were 1957 and 1899.
"After being on the road for a couple of weeks, the travel and the heat and different environments, we're excited to be back in Bobcat Stadium for our first home game," said MSU head coach Brent Vigen.
This year's Gold Rush game kicks off at 6 pm on Saturday, and offers an intriguing intersectional matchup. Maine and MSU match up for the first time on the gridiron, but a small degree of familiarity exists. From a big-picture perspective, become the third Coastal Athletic Association (previously Colonial Athletic Association) opponent MSU has faced for Gold Rush and the eighth current CAA member overall.
Some intrigue also presents itself on a personal level. Montana State receiving yards leader through two games is Rohan Jones, a junior who transferred to MSU from Maine. The Black Bears' rushing leader after the opener is Jaharie Martin, who transferred to Maine from Montana State.
"I'm not really focused on them, it's all about us," Jones said of facing his former team. "It's my first home game here in Bobcat Stadium so I'm really excited to play here in front of our fans in our fans in our town. I'm excited about that."
Jones has been stellar early in his first season with the Cats, catching seven passes for 92 yards and a 46-yard touchdown. For his part, Martin rushed for 66 yards last week. That included a touchdown run late in the third quarter that gave the Black Bears a 17-7 lead and swung the momentum in Maine's favor.
As a program, Vigen said Maine's momentum is all positive. "At a glance they have a lot of experience," Vigen said. "They have 27 guys on their two-deep that are listed as seniors or graduates. They were 2-9 last year but it was still a team that averaged 24 points a game with a bunch of close losses in there, and they're very good on both the offensive and defensive lines. You can see it's a team that is trending in the right direction."
While Jones is among several offensive players to emerge as highlights for the Bobcats, the defense has become the storyline. Specifically, third down defense.
"We made a lot of plays on third down," Vigen said of his team's stifling defensive effort at Utah Tech. The same applies to the opener at New Mexico, when MSU held the Lobos to 1-for-8 on third down, but the Utah Tech outing was noteworthy. MSU didn't allow a Trailblazer first down until early in the fourth quarter.
"When you don't give up a first down until the fourth quarter that speaks volumes for the execution, but really the effort was phenomenal," Vigen said. "I thought we were flying around, but more than flying around I thought the effort was intentional. We were where we were supposed to be, we tackled well, we really made it hard for their quarterbacks to get in any kind of rhythm."
Offensively, Montana State's production remains tilted toward the running attack. The Cats average 350.5 rushing yards in its two games, throwing for 178.5, with nearly two-thirds of the team's offensive plays on the ground. But none of that matters much to Vigen, he said.
"We win as a team, and we put a lot of pieces together" in the first two outings, he said. "The defense picked up the offense by and large in the first half (at Utah Tech), and we took control of the game in the third quarter. It was a good win.
Saturday's game airs via Scripps Sports Montana on CBS stations around the state. Ben Creighton, Ty Gregorak and Grace Lawrence have he call. The game is also broadcast on the Bobcat Radio Network, with Keaton Gillogly joined by former Bobcats Michael Rider in the booth and Dan Davies on the sideline.
#GoCatsGo
After two games in opponent stadiums, the Bobcats are 2-0. The only times that has happened previously were 1957 and 1899.
"After being on the road for a couple of weeks, the travel and the heat and different environments, we're excited to be back in Bobcat Stadium for our first home game," said MSU head coach Brent Vigen.
This year's Gold Rush game kicks off at 6 pm on Saturday, and offers an intriguing intersectional matchup. Maine and MSU match up for the first time on the gridiron, but a small degree of familiarity exists. From a big-picture perspective, become the third Coastal Athletic Association (previously Colonial Athletic Association) opponent MSU has faced for Gold Rush and the eighth current CAA member overall.
Some intrigue also presents itself on a personal level. Montana State receiving yards leader through two games is Rohan Jones, a junior who transferred to MSU from Maine. The Black Bears' rushing leader after the opener is Jaharie Martin, who transferred to Maine from Montana State.
"I'm not really focused on them, it's all about us," Jones said of facing his former team. "It's my first home game here in Bobcat Stadium so I'm really excited to play here in front of our fans in our fans in our town. I'm excited about that."
Jones has been stellar early in his first season with the Cats, catching seven passes for 92 yards and a 46-yard touchdown. For his part, Martin rushed for 66 yards last week. That included a touchdown run late in the third quarter that gave the Black Bears a 17-7 lead and swung the momentum in Maine's favor.
As a program, Vigen said Maine's momentum is all positive. "At a glance they have a lot of experience," Vigen said. "They have 27 guys on their two-deep that are listed as seniors or graduates. They were 2-9 last year but it was still a team that averaged 24 points a game with a bunch of close losses in there, and they're very good on both the offensive and defensive lines. You can see it's a team that is trending in the right direction."
While Jones is among several offensive players to emerge as highlights for the Bobcats, the defense has become the storyline. Specifically, third down defense.
"We made a lot of plays on third down," Vigen said of his team's stifling defensive effort at Utah Tech. The same applies to the opener at New Mexico, when MSU held the Lobos to 1-for-8 on third down, but the Utah Tech outing was noteworthy. MSU didn't allow a Trailblazer first down until early in the fourth quarter.
"When you don't give up a first down until the fourth quarter that speaks volumes for the execution, but really the effort was phenomenal," Vigen said. "I thought we were flying around, but more than flying around I thought the effort was intentional. We were where we were supposed to be, we tackled well, we really made it hard for their quarterbacks to get in any kind of rhythm."
Offensively, Montana State's production remains tilted toward the running attack. The Cats average 350.5 rushing yards in its two games, throwing for 178.5, with nearly two-thirds of the team's offensive plays on the ground. But none of that matters much to Vigen, he said.
"We win as a team, and we put a lot of pieces together" in the first two outings, he said. "The defense picked up the offense by and large in the first half (at Utah Tech), and we took control of the game in the third quarter. It was a good win.
Saturday's game airs via Scripps Sports Montana on CBS stations around the state. Ben Creighton, Ty Gregorak and Grace Lawrence have he call. The game is also broadcast on the Bobcat Radio Network, with Keaton Gillogly joined by former Bobcats Michael Rider in the booth and Dan Davies on the sideline.
#GoCatsGo
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