Dakota Prukop had not even taken off his Under Armour undershirt or his football pants before the subject was broached. When the prospect of starting in his first game ever against rival Montana was presented to him, Montana State’s quarterback lit up.
[restrict paid=”true”]“I haven’t even thought about it,” Prukop said after piling up 303 yards of total offense in Montana State’s 44-20 win over Idaho State. “I haven’t gotten to play them yet. I’ve watched them for three, four years now. I’m so excited. I’m going to enjoy this win for 24 hours then it’s on to them. Great opportunity ahead of us.”
This is Prukop’s second year at the controls of Montana State’s prolific offense but he has never started a Cat-Griz game. In 2012, Prukop was a redshirt who watched as Montana State defeated Montana 16-7 in Missoula. In 2013, Prukop stood on the sideline as MSU’s third-string quarterback as the Griz posted a 28-14 win over the Bobcats in Bozeman.
Last season, Prukop led Montana State to a 7-3 start before injuring his knee in a 29-23 win over Portland State. Prukop missed MSU’s 44-39 win over Idaho State and MSU’s 34-7 loss at Montana. He returned for Montana State’s 48-41 loss to South Dakota State in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
Montana State head coach Rob Ash said Prukop was a game-time decision for MSU’s game in Pocatello last weekend. Prukop said he knew he was playing all along, just like he will this week against the Griz.
“General all over, there’s multiple things that hurt,” Prukop said. “My ankle, my knee. My neck, that’s why I didn’t wear a helmet all week (in practice). My ankle was pretty bummed up. It all hurts.”
While Prukop’s health is of primary concern to both parties as the most heated rivalry in the West gets set for a 115th showdown in Bozeman on Saturday, it’s far from the only thing on the minds of the Grizzlies and the Bobcats.
For Montana, a victory would almost certainly sew up a bid to the FCS playoffs. Given what happens in Northern Arizona’s game at Southern Utah and Portland State’s game at Eastern Washington and the Griz still have an outside shot at winning the Big Sky Conference crown.
“You beat No. 1 (North Dakota State) and you beat No. 10 (Eastern Washington),” Montana head coach Bob Stitt said following Montana’s 57-16 shellacking of EWU in Missoula on Saturday. “If you beat your rival, it should set us up to extend this thing.”
For Montana State, a win would deny UM the playoff berth while also sewing up a 14th straight winning season, the longest streak in the Big Sky.
“If you are playing meaningful games in November, then you have had a successful season,” MSU ninth-year head coach Rob Ash said. “Not every team is in that situation. We are now in that situation. Winning season, Cat-Griz game in and of itself.
“But we also have the opportunity to dash their hopes. They have done that at least once to us since I’ve been here (in 2013). All those things, it adds excitement to the rivalry game. It will be tremendous. I’m very excited this last week will be a fantastic, fun, exciting week for all the guys in our program because of where we have positioned ourselves right now.”
Montana comes into the game suddenly red-hot after squeaking out a win in Pocatello and destroying Eastern Washington in the Garden City. The Griz defense forced seven turnovers and notched six sacks against the Eagles. Quarterback Brady Gustafson returned against EWU after missing six games with a lower leg injury. Starting senior left tackle John Schmaing returned from a suspension, as did starting senior outside linebacker Kendrick Van Ackeren and backup junior running back Joey Counts.
Montana has a league-leading 36 sacks and last week’s three-interception Saturday gives UM 11 interceptions, the third-best total in the league. The Griz are giving up 20 points per game during league play thanks to a pass defense giving up less than 190 yards per game.
“I’m mostly proud of our seniors. We have so many seniors, whether they are a starter, or they are (reserve linebacker) Connor Lebsock and they come in when they’re needed, I’m just so proud of this class,” UM defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak said following the win over EWU. “They’ve helped us win a lot of games in their four or five years here and I give them all the credit, my hats off to them.
“We were hitting and flying around today. I’d love to get a couple of those scores back, but only giving up 16 points against Eastern? Not perfect by any stretch, but going into Cat week we are playing pretty darn good.”
The Griz defense will face off against one of the most prolific offenses in the league while the Griz offense will match up with one of the most porous defensive units in the league, albeit one that has been finding its footing.
Prukop leads the Big Sky and is fourth in the country with 346.2 yards of total offense per game. He accounted for five touchdowns last week despite the injuries, raising his total to 35 this season, tying Kelley Bradley’s 31-year-old school record. Montana State leads the Big Sky in scoring at 42.6 points per game, the fifth-most nationally. MSU also leads the league in total offense at 521.5 yards per game while the Bobcats average an FCS-best 6.85 yards per play.
But the MSU offense will likely face the Griz without some key cogs. Seniors Kyle Godecke and Alex Eekhoff, the starting right side of MSU’s offensive line, did not travel to Pocatello and are questionable for Saturday. Prukop will play but is not 100 percent. Junior left guard JP Flynn will likely sit out with a shoulder injury suffered against Southern Utah.
“We are just going to attack the week like any other week,” MSU junior captain Chad Newell said following the Idaho State win. “We want to treat it like a faceless opponent. We have a challenge in front of us this week but we are going to attack the week like we always do in the weight room, on the practice field. On Saturday, we will be ready to go with a game plan and we will be ready to go.”
Yet MSU enters the game at 3-4 in Big Sky play and 5-5 overall thanks to a defense that has allowed 37.8 points per game to teams from the Big Sky. Aside from an interception each against Division II Fort Lewis and FCS independent East Tennessee State, MSU has not secured an interception.
Over the last four games, MSU’s defense has shown signs of improvement. The Bobcats have forced 11 fumbles and recovered eight. The defense has also notched 11 of its 20 sacks for the season over the last month.
“We are starting to click finally,” MSU senior cornerback Trace Timmer said. “Our schemes are coming together and the players are coming together. Our techniques are on key and we are starting to click.”
Montana is averaging 429 yards per game on 84.5 plays per game. The offense averages 489 yards per game on an average of 90 plays per game, including 352.6 passing yards per outing in the three full games Gustafson has played this season. Montana is scoring 38 points per game in the games Gustafson plays the duration.
“The goal is always to win and that’s what we are going to go out and do,” Timmer said. “I would like to say it’s just another game but it’s Cat-Griz so you can’t quite say that. We are going to treat it, not change too much and we are going to do what we do and get the win.”
[/restrict]Photos by Brooks Nuanez or noted. All Rights Reserved.
