The number of big plays the Montana State defense has given up so far this season is giving some folks flashbacks to the Bobcats’ 2015 team.
Unlike 2015, however, MSU’s defense has been solid between getting gouged by opposing offenses and some of those breakdowns have gone against the special team coverage units.
In 2015, MSU allowed 34.3 points per game, 247.5 rushing yards, 225.1 passing yards and 472.6 total yards for the season. The situation isn’t quite as severe so far in 2022 as the Bobcats are allowing 33.3 points per game, 161.8 rushing, 200.8 passing and 362.6 in total offense (those numbers include a 68-28 loss to a strong Oregon State squad out of the PAC-12, MSU played no FBS teams in 2015 and played Division II Fort Lewis that year).
Through four games this season the MSU defense has given up 10 plays over 25 yards and six over 30 (80, 75, 66, 56, 31, 31, 28, 27, 26 and 26 yards). The special teams’ coverage units have allowed a 38-yard run on a fake punt, 80 and 33-yard punt returns and an 80-yard kickoff return.
“That can’t be our M.O.,” MSU head coach Brent Vigen said after the Gold Rush game against McNeese State. “We need to make teams go the long way and we didn’t do that tonight.”
Through four games in 2015 MSU had allowed 15 plays over 25 yards and 12 over 30 (78, 62, 45, 44, 43, 38, 36, 35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 28, 27, and 26) and one of those teams was Fort Lewis, which gained 277 yards that day. That squad would go on to allow 38 plays over 25 yards on the season, including 30 over 30 yards.
In a game against Portland State, the Vikings had five runners with gains of 10 yards or more and seven receivers with receptions of 15 yards or more. Even East Tennessee State, which was in its first season back as a football program and was made up almost exclusively of freshmen, had plays of 37 and 29 yards. The Buccaneers gained an unexpectedly high 376 yards that night. Despite winning 63-7 the late season performance played a role in the firing of Rob Ash, who was the winningest coach in MSU’s history.
While the 2022 Bobcats are nowhere near the pace of the 2015 team, the big plays are still cause for concern. They avoided disaster last Saturday in Cheney, Wash. where the Eagles came out swinging and connected for 56 and 28-yard touchdown runs by Micah Smith and a 14-10 lead. The MSU defense settled in after that and only allowed 104 yards over the next 40:06, but a huge 80-yard connection between EWU quarterback Gunner Talkington and wide receiver Freddie Roberson not only blew up that run but swung all the momentum back in EWU’s favor.
The McNeese State game was similar. Morehead State had no offensive plays of significance and Oregon State had no plays of 30 yards or more aside from the special teams returns. But Beavers’ quarterback Chance Nolan averaged 14.7 yards per completion and threw 11 first-down strikes to go with four touchdown tosses.
The Cowboys hit the Bobcats early with a 75-yard touchdown run, then had a 66-yard TD pass play. They mixed in a pair of 31 yard runs that caught Vigen’s attention.
“We gave up some big plays and that’s not what we want to be all about,” Vigen said following the McNeese State win. “Ultimately, we stood up when we had to.”
“Two big plays in particular. I think the first one (75-yard TD run) we were a little over aggressive in the back end and they popped into the secondary and we didn’t have anyone home. The second one (66-yard TD pass play that had about 55 yards after the catch) we missed some tackles.”
Unlike 2015, the Bobcats have been very stout in between the big plays. McNeese gained 203 yards on four plays, but just 100 yards on its other 44 plays. EWU had 164 yards on three plays, but just 175 on the other 52 plays it ran.
The Bobcats gave up 193 yards in returns in the third quarter alone against Oregon State and the Beavers were able to move the ball at will all game as MSU only got stops when OSU was held to a field goal attempt that it missed and when the Beavers took a knee to the end the game.
Montana State will look to clean up the errors on defense this Saturday night when it takes on UC Davis in Bobcat Stadium at 8:15.
