Troy Andersen resoundingly announced his presence at yet another position to the rest of the Big Sky Conference on Saturday afternoon in Portland.
The reigning Big Sky Freshman of the Year earned the honor last season for his versatility playing running back and linebacker for the Bobcats. On Saturday, Andersen’s speed, power and sense of the moment were on full display this time at quarterback as his career day paced Montana State to a 43-23 victory over Portland State in the league opener for both teams.
In June, Montana State’s uncertain quarterback situation became more cloudy with the official announcement Chris Murray would sit out the 2018 season to focus on academics. MSU’s coaches moved the cerebral, well-respected Andersen to quarterback — the offensive position he played at Beaverhead County High in Dillon in high school — in order to operate player-run summer practices efficiently.
By August, Andersen was officially part of the quarterback competition in fall camp. In MSU’s opener, Andersen willed the Bobcats to a gritty win over Western Illinois. Despite Andersen’s 145-yard rushing performance, many wondered if the brutish athlete could be a sustainable solution under center for the Bobcats.
That question lingered for two full weeks. Andersen played sparingly because of an injury to his left (non-throwing) hand. In his place, Tucker Rovig struggled for a half against South Dakota State, found his footing for a half in a lopsided 45-14 loss at SDSU and then broke out against Wagner.
Montana State safety Jahque Alleyne intercepts a pass vs Western Illinois in 2018/by Brooks Nuanez
This week, Andersen practiced at quarterback after having his cast removed. Would it be wise to go away from Rovig after his 310-yard, three-touchdown performance, a showing that was a big factor in MSU’s most balanced offensive performance in Jeff Choate’s three seasons at the helm?
With an 18-yard burst on his first rush following a Jahque Alleyne first-quarter interception, Andersen showed his suddenness to the Vikings defense That burst set up MSU’s first touchdown 10 minutes into the game.
With a 32-yard catch and run on a throw by Rovig, Andersen affirmed he is still just as dangerous a threat out of the backfield even if Rovig is the man taking the snap. That big play led to true freshman Isaiah Ifanse’s second touchdown and gave MSU a 13-6 lead five minutes into the second quarter.
With his 53-yard touchdown strike to Kevin Kassis, Andersen showed that he can spin it a little bit too. With his six-yard touchdown run with a minute to play before halftime, Andersen showed his power while staking MSU to a 26-16 halftime lead.
And with his breathtaking 66-yard touchdown burst late in the third quarter, Andersen reaffirmed yet again just how unique his skill set is.
The do-everything sophomore had a career day in the City of Roses Saturday afternoon at Hillsboro Stadium. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder carried the ball 22 times for a career-high 211 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed 7-of-15 passes for 107 yards and the long touchdown throw to Kassis to help Montana State win for the eighth time in its last 11 Big Sky outings and begin league play 1-0 for the second straight year.
“We had to come out and start fast. That was our mantra this week,” Andersen said. “They talked about stopping the run but that’s our heart and soul on offense. Our offensive line takes it personal for sure and you could see it today. They played a great game.”
Andersen’s rushing total makes him the first Bobcat to surpass 200 yards rushing since Cody Kirk rushed for 202 yards in a 31-21 win over Northern Colorado in 2011.
A week after rolling up 146 rushing yards in MSU’s 47-24 win over Wagner, Ifanse again hit the century mark, finishing with an even 100 yards on 19 carries and MSU’s first two touchdowns. Last season, Montana State rushed for 403 yards in a 30-22 win over PSU in Bozeman. Saturday, MSU finished with 323 yards on 49 rushes (6.6 yards per carry).
Montana State quarterback back Troy Andersen (15) vs Western Illinois in 2018/by Brooks Nuanez
“I thought (offensive coordinator) Brian (Armstrong) and (passing game coordinator) Bob (Cole) got us into runs that were going to be effective against their style of defense,” Choate said. “Really good week of preparation. Quarterback run game is something that had shown up and hurt these guys and certainly having a threat like Troy is a major bonus for us.
“We rushed for over 400 yards at home last year so we knew they would have their tackles up and try to stop the run. But that’s our DNA, that’s what we do.”
Andersen’s first touchdown run capped an 11-play, 70-yard drive to nearly close the first half and stake the Bobcats to a 26-13 advantage. After halftime, Andersen engineered another long drive that ended in a Tristan Bailey field goal, his second of the afternoon.
A Portland State 3-and-out led to Rovig getting his second series at quarterback. He found Travis Jonsen, a quarterback turned wide receiver, for a 29-yard gain into Portland State territory. Three straight Andersen QB runs got MSU into the red-zone and Tyler Natee’s one-yard touchdown plunge pushed Montana State’s advantage to 36-16 with 8:25 left in the third quarter.
PSU sophomore quarterback Davis Alexander orchestrated a 13-play, 75-yard drive capped by his one-yard touchdown run for PSU’s second touchdown of the day with 2:32 left in the third. But that would end the scoring for the hosts.
“We gotta do a better job of leveraging the quarterback and keeping him in the pocket,” said Choate after Alexander rushed for 71 of PSU’s 203 rushing yards to go with 212 yards passing. “When we did that, the secondary did a nice job of locking guys up. But when (Alexander) got out, he was a problem. He did a great job of creating outside the offense. I tip my hat to him. He’s a heck of a player.”
MSU junior Buck end Bryce Sterk led the Bobcat defense with six tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. The former Washington transfer now has five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss this season. MSU sophomore outside linebacker Jacob Hadley notched his first career sack on Saturday.
On the next MSU possession, Andersen lined up in the shotgun, stuttered stepped as a part of a designed quarterback power play to the left, pressed the edge, then showed the speed that made him a prep state champion in the sprints on the game-sealing dagger.
Montana State quartberack Tucker Rovig (12) vs Wagner in 2018/by Jason Bacaj
“Troy is always eager. We have to pull him back. And that’s what I love about him,” Choate said. “You want the guys you have to say, ‘whoa’ to. You don’t want to have to say ‘sick ‘em’. I thought he was awesome today and is a guy we can build around.”
“I think this creates a lot of continuity for us and he’s a guy we have a lot of confidence in, his teammates have a lot of confidence in. Now we have two guys we feel really good about because Tucker did so many nice things for us a week ago against Wagner and was very efficient for us when we put him in the game today. I think it puts a lot of pressure on opposing defenses to play Troy in multiple positions and Tucker gives us the freedom to be able to do that.”
Montana State plays its Big Sky home opener in Bozeman on Saturday against Eastern Washington. The Eagles set a program record for points against a Division I opponent in a 70-17 win over Cal Poly in Cheney, Washington on Saturday.
Photos by Brooks Nuanez or noted. All Rights Reserved.
