For the second time this season, the Montana State Bobcats returned from a disheartening road loss in which their defense was torched to rebound with a solid victory at Bobcat Stadium.
Now the Bobcats must prove they can do something that has largely eluded them since their last Big Sky Conference title season in 2012: win on the road.
MSU running back Chad Newell is stuffed by a slew of NAU defenders
“We have to prove we can play well and win on the road,” MSU first-year offensive line coach Jason Eck said on Tuesday. “That’s what they are talking about on their side is we have been a different team at home as opposed to the road. That’s a huge emphasis this week. The field doesn’t change. It really shouldn’t have an affect. But we have to prove we can win on the road.”
So far this season, Montana State is 3-0 in Bozeman and 0-2 on the road. The MSU defense is surrendering 52 points per game on the road as opposed to 18.3 points per game at home. The Bobcat offense has scored with prevalence regardless of venue, averaging 52 points per game on the road and 45 per game at home. The Bobcats fell behind 28-7 in a 55-50 loss at Eastern Washington. MSU saw a 14-14 game at Northern Arizona balloon to a 42-14 deficit before a late rally meant a 49-41 loss.
“Starting off slow, we have to stop that,” MSU senior defensive tackle Nate Bignell said. “It’s on the defense too, not just the offense. We have to get out and get two or three straight 3-and-outs or punts right off the bat and get the ball to our offense.”
This week, No. 16 Montana State hits the road for a top 25 showdown against the upstart Vikings of Portland State. PSU enters the week as the No. 17 team in the FCS after its second win over an FBS school, a 66-7 drubbing of North Texas last weekend. Portland State defeated Washington State 24-17 in its opener to become the first FCS team since 20007 to defeat two FBS programs in one season.
MSU linebacker Blake Braun misses a tackle against EWU
“There’s always something to prove in this league,” MSU second-year offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey said. “You take a day off, road or not road game…you need to win on the road to win the championship. Every week, you are going to be playing a team where there are no walk-overs so you better come ready to play, execute, play clean, play hard and find a way to win the game in the fourth quarter.”
This season is just part of a recent trend of struggles for Montana State away from Bobcat Stadium. In eight seasons under Rob Ash, the Bobcats are 27-21 on the road but MSU enters Saturday’s game having lost four straight and six of its last eight away from Bozeman.
In 2012, Montana State posted an 11-2 record to win a third straight Big Sky title. That Bobcat squad won all five of its road games. Since then, MSU has won just five times on the road: at North Dakota, at Weber State and at Northern Colorado in 2013 and in back-to-back weeks against Sacramento State and UC Davis in 2014. Since a 54-29 loss at Eastern Washington in 2013 that saw MSU give up eight Eagles’ touchdowns in eight EWU possessions, the Bobcats have won just twice away from home.
MSU’s recent skid includes losses at Cal Poly (35-27) and Montana (34-7) during the stretch run last season as well as the losses at EWU and NAU this fall.
“I frequently give this answer but I think some of it has to do with who we were playing on the road. They have all been good teams and tough places to play,” MSU head coach Rob Ash said. “We don’t put a lot of credence in that, we don’t put a lot of credence in history. What is this matchup this week? How can we line up and try to play against Portland State regardless of where the game is?”
EWU quarterback Jordan West beats MSU linebacker Grant Collins in the open field
Since the beginning of 2013, MSU is giving up 31 points per game on the road including 45 points per outing during its last eight road games. MSU’s four-game road losing streak has been largely due to a defense surrendering 43.25 points per game.
Montana State is well aware of its struggles away from Bobcat Stadium as of late. No Bobcat made available to the media on Tuesday shied away from questions addressing the issue.
“We know we haven’t played well on the road since I’ve been here but we are worried about this week and the most important factor for a road trip is practice today,” MSU sophomore receiver Mitchell Herbert, the lone Oregon native on the Bobcat roster, said before taking the field for Tuesday’s practice. “Every day out here is important and we learned that last week. The most important thing for us is having a good week of practice so we can carry it over to the road on Saturday.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
