Analysis

All part of the plan: The Bobcat quarterback controversy that isn’t

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally was published in Explore Big Sky (explorebigsky.com).

BOZEMAN—Many an eyebrow raised when the news hit just a day after Montana State’s storybook season ended abruptly at the hands of the North Dakota State University juggernaut.

Why would MSU bring in a transfer quarterback? Sean Chambers? Like, the three-year starting quarterback who led a fourth quarter comeback for the University of Wyoming Cowboys to beat the Bobcats in Laramie last season?

Chambers had originally been recruited to Wyoming by now-MSU head coach Brent Vigen, who previously served seven seasons as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator. And now Vigen was bringing him to Bozeman.

The rationale behind the decision has roots in the first quarter of the Football Championship Subdivision national championship game against NDSU in January, when golden boy quarterback Tommy Mellott suffered a lower leg injury that took him out of the game—a lopsided 38-10 Bison win.

Prior to that injury Mellott, a former Montana Gatorade Player of the Year who hails from “Butte, America,” had taken the FCS by storm.

He was a dual-threat dynamo who took over starting quarterback duties following an embarrassing 29-10 loss to archrival Montana in the regular-season finale. Mellott had engineered a dramatic run, leading the Bobcats to three straight playoff wins, advancing to the title game for the first time in 37 years.

According to Vigen, it was all part of the plan. And thus far in 2022, the plan has worked.

“Our quarterback position has evolved considerably,” Vigen said when asked about the quarterback position at MSU. “Think of where we (were) 12 months ago with Tommy still running down on kickoffs and playing receiver. Tommy’s development, first of all, is the thing you gotta look at.

“I think we were able to react appropriately to the fact that (former starter) Matt (McKay) had already left (transferred to Elon), (former starter) Tucker (Rovig) was going to forgo his last year and graduate and then Casey Bauman was most likely going to leave.

“In Sean we had a guy that started a lot of football games and played a lot of good football and was similar enough to Tommy from a style perspective that if we had to go to him, we shouldn’t have to change our offense.”

Montana State enters November with an unblemished 5-0 record in Big Sky Conference play. MSU ranks No. 3 in the latest FCS national poll with a 6-1 record overall, the lone loss coming to Pac 12 contender Oregon State in mid-September.

During the non-conference portion of their schedule, MSU used a true two-quarterback system with efficiency and precision. Mellott, a 6-foot, 200-pounder with elite speed and quickness, provided the lone bright spot—135 rushing yards—against Oregon State.

Chambers was more of a red-zone quarterback for MSU, evidenced by his FCS-leading 16 rushing TDs through eight games.

“You have an offense, you want to recruit to it,” Vigen said. “Each individual quarterback, their style is little bit different so you can adjust to that, but it can’t be this drastic ebb and flow like we had in the championship game.”

Vigen’s foresight paid off when Mellott smacked his head off the red turf at Eastern Washington early in the ‘Cats conference opener.

All Chambers did is come into the game and rush for 160 yards. Even when he faltered—he threw a pick into the end-zone late in the fourth—he was able to find redemption. One play later, the MSU defense forced a turnover to put the ball back in his hands.

Two plays after that, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Chambers barreled in for the game-winning score in a tight 38-35 game.

With the national dialogue around head injuries heightened by the Tua Tagovailoa saga playing out with the Miami Dolphins, MSU was sure to be plenty careful about Mellott’s return. In the mean time, a quarterback controversy, at least on the surface, sprang up.

Chambers followed up his powerful performance against EWU with a virtuoso one against UC Davis. The stout bruiser showed surprising speed, galloping to a 78-yard touchdown on MSU’s second offensive snap. By the time the dust settled, he became the second quarterback in conference history to both throw and run for more than 200 yards in a single game.

The former Mountain West starter earned FCS National Player of the Week honors after leading MSU to its second consecutive league victory.

Sean Chambers watches pursuing UC Davis defenders on the Bobcat Stadium Jumbotron as he scampers 78 yards for a TD. PHOTO BY JASON BACAJ

He looked sharp the following week, leading MSU to 34 unanswered points in the first half of a win over Idaho State.

When Mellott was cleared to play, Vigen stated that MSU’s “idea would be to start Tommy,” many again scratched their head. Sure, securing Chambers on the open market had paid dividends. And sure, MSU had shown it could operate a two-quarterback system. But riding a three-game conference winning streak and sitting atop the league standings, would it be smart or foolish to re-diversify the scheme?

“Having a two-quarterback system definitely brings a different dynamic to Montana State and I feel like it’s a thing a lot of people aren’t really use to so it catches people off guard,” MSU senior wide receiver Ravi Alston said.

In Mellott’s first start back, he found a rhythm and rolled. He finished 16-of-20 for 217 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-14 win over Northern Colorado. Chambers finished 2-of-4 for 33 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He rushed 11 times for 41 yards, giving him a Big Sky-best 622 rushing yards.

And against Weber State, the Bobcats endured a wild affair with Chambers on the shelf. Mellott took center stage, rushing for a Big Sky Conference single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 273 yards on the ground on the way to Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honors.

This week, Chambers is listed on MSU’s depth chart as the Bobcats travel to Flagstaff to play at Northern Arizona for the first time since 2017. It seems like Montana State intends on using both of its dual-threat options to the best of their abilities. And if the wins keep coming, why not?

“Ultimately, we have two really good quarterbacks and two guys with good skill sets,” offensive coordinator Taylor Housewright said. “Both of them are all about winning. And that’s what matters most to us.”

Photos by Brooks Nuanez and Jason Bacaj. All Rights Reserved.

About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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