“Methodical, yet messy.”
That’s what Montana State head coach Brent Vigen called his team’s 34-17 win over Cal Poly this past Saturday. He didn’t add that he had seen this script play out before. He’s traveled through this dimension. A dimension of not only location, but of the same methodical pace and messiness.
“Methodical is okay,” Vigen said. “You can possess the ball and grind it out but it’s hard. It’s hard to go on 15-plus-play drives and have that happen over and over again and expect points. There’s a methodical nature to what our offense can be too, and that’s to the benefit of the ability to grind a team down as long as you put points on the board and your defense is over on the sideline.
“How can we improve on that? We didn’t make any big plays in the passing game. That’s certainly a benefit if it is (an element of the offense). That’s a way to remove the methodical a little bit and get that ball moving down the field. The penalty piece – we had three pre-snap penalties – that’s gonna look and feel messy.”
The last two trips to California for the Vigen-led Bobcats have seen fourth quarters that are reminiscent of Twilight Zone episodes as the wondrous land of imagination turns into a near macabre scene. Last seasona, the Bobcats led at UC Davis 30-8 only to see the Aggies score 20 straight points in the last 10 minutes of the game. But MSU extended its winning streak when linebacker McCade O’Reilly intercepted their two-point conversion attempt.
This trip to the Golden State, the Bobcats led 27-3 when Cal Poly drove 77 yards for a touchdown after being held to just 105 yards over the first three quarters. Almost predictably, MSU fumbled the ball back to the Mustangs early after just two plays early in the final frame to set up a 56-yard scoring drive capped by miraculous catches on back-to-back plays by CP wide receiver Logan Booher, who had just one catch for six yards prior to that.
“We weren’t sharp, at the same time,” Vigen, who saw his team run 29 plays for 125 yards on its second and third possessions but only score three points, said. “Sometimes that’s the way the game goes. Against Idaho State, both sides were sharp from the get-go. We open up a lead and that creates a different look and feel to the game. This one was a little bit of a slower go and that’s the way football goes from time to time.”
Booher’s first grab was made out of pure desperation on 4th & 3 when he came back to a scrambling Bo Kelly, who rifled a low throw that Booher was able to scoop up for a first down. The next play Booher made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch as he landed just in bounds for a touchdown.
MSU allowed 133 yards in the fourth quarter, while the offense generated just 77, including a fumble by Julius Davis. The Bobcats bounced back in all three phases, however, as the special teams got a 58-yard kickoff return by Jabez Woods, the offense rewarded that with a touchdown to salt the game away, and the defense forced its sixth three and out to finish the Mustangs off.
Are these struggles just coincidence or was MSU exhibiting a flaw?
After the UC Davis game last season – one that saw the Bobcats allow numerous big plays during the Aggie’ rally – MSU began allowing a large number of plays of 20 yards or more in almost all of its remaining games, which included the playoffs. MSU survived those until North Dakota State had five such plays in the national title game and the then-undefeated Bobcats lost 35-32.
Cal Poly had four plays of 10 yards or more on its first touchdown drive and followed that two more on the next scoring drive, which also featured a pass interference call against the Bobcats. The Mustangs had just two plays over 10 yards prior to the fourth quarter.
The good news for MSU is that only one of Cal Poly’s big plays was of the gash variety. The Mustangs had a play of 36 yards but that came during their field goal drive in the first half. They had just two other plays of 20 yards or more, unlike the UC Davis game that saw plays of 77, 42, and 37, along with two others of 20 or more.
The bad news for the Bobcats is that there are two teams with explosive offenses on the horizon in UC Davis and Montana, while this week’s opponent – Northern Colorado – is showing vast improvement on offense and also likes to take deep shots down the field with former LSU transfer QB Eric Gibson loving to huck it to potential NFL receiver Carver Cheeks for big plays.
“We had moments of dominance on both sides,” Vigen said right after the Cal Poly game. “It felt methodical at times. Our inability to put touchdowns up early while our defense was really suffocating them really kept them in the game.”
The Bobcats weren’t off by a lot against Cal Poly, but that fine line can have two distinctly different results.
“It wasn’t as if we were a million miles off,” Vigen said. “We still scored 34 points; we still had a good rushing day where we approached 300 yards (290). But our expectations are such that we do finish off those long drives with more than just three points. We do convert on fourth and short when we’re down in the red zone. It’s not this urban renewal that we need but we gotta be a little bit sharper.”
November is the most crucial month in college football. The Bobcats have four games remaining with the first against the stout defense of Northern Colorado. The Bears are third in the Big Sky in points allowed per game (24.6) and their defense is third in terms of yards allowed per play (5.6) and fourth in yards allowed per game (396.9). UNC is stingiest in the pass game where it is ranked first in the league in yards allowed per game (180.3) and defensive pass efficiency (105.2).
UNC has always played MSU tough at Nottingham Field. The last time the Bobcats were there was in 2022 and they were down 14-3 in the second quarter but bounced back for a 37-14 win. In 2017, MSU needed a last second field goal to claim a 27-24 win and in 2013, the Bobcats trailed 28-27 late in the fourth quarter but came back for a 35-28 win. One of the most infamous games in Bobcat’ history occurred in 2007 when a winless Bear’ team took a 16-13 win over MSU that sent it into a tailspin from 5-2 overall to 6-5, causing them to miss the FCS playoffs. That game also marked the first Northern Colorado win in its Big Sky Conference history after moving up from Division II prior to the 2006 season.
Kickoff is set for noon MT in Greeley on Saturday.
