BOZEMAN — For a brief moment on Saturday afternoon, Montana State’s defensive headliners collectively could not believe what Ty Gregorak was doing.
MSU’s third-year defensive coordinator signaled in a base defense before Jeff Choate called a timeout in a moment that will never be forgotten, leading to the goal line stuff of the century.
“You can’t even write that,” Gregorak said on Wednesday. “Even leading up to the play itself, the timeout, show one thing then do another. It’s actually kind of funny because I’ve heard from the players how ticked they were at the initial call. I was like, ‘Yeah, you guys aren’t in on the secret.’ I called a very base, vanilla call and we got into a different defense and the rest is history.”
Montana State defensive lineman Zach Wright (96) and Tucker Yates (92) tackle Montana running back Adam Eastwood (25)/by Brooks Nuanez
With 14 seconds left and Montana State clinging to a 29-25 lead, Montana had the ball down to the 1-yard line. UM came out a timeout in a shotgun formation and ran an inside zone play with redshirt freshman Adam Eastwood that appeared to be a go-ahead touchdown.
With the record Washington-Grizzly Stadium crowd bursting into a frenzy, the officials waved the touchdown off. Choate, MSU’s third-year head coach, had waited until the last possible moment to call a timeout. He said Monday he wanted to see Montana’s formation.
Because Choate was “collecting intel”, Gregorak called a base defense. Out of the timeout, Gregorak asked for something more complex. That call combined with defensive tackle Chase Benson blowing UM center Cody Meyer five yards into the backfield cleared the path for senior middle linebacker Grant Collins and senior nose tackle Tucker Yates to blow up Eastwood, forcing a fumble that will resonate forever in the history of one of college football’s oldest and fiercest rivalries.
“You just can’t write it in terms of the history of the game and that many Montana boys in on one of the biggest plays probably ever in the Brawl,” Gregorak said. “I know there’s been a lot of big ones, a lot of great games, but my gosh. It wasn’t even on the 1-yard line. It was on the six-inch line. You just can’t even write it and they will talk about it for another 118 years.”
Montana State’s third straight win over the Griz made history in a variety of ways, including marking the first three-game winning streak for MSU over UM since 1985. For the first time since 2014, Montana State does not have much time to celebrate. Instead, MSU is hosting a playoff game.
Montana State head coach Jeff Choate/by Brooks Nuanez
“Hey, this isn’t a victory lap, man,” said Choate, whose Bobcats (7-4) host Incarnate Word (6-4) of the Southland Conference on Saturday. “This isn’t ‘I got bowl eligible and I’m going to go to Shreveport, Louisiana and get some bowl gifts.’ That’s not what it is at the FCS level. It’s high stakes poker and you’ve gotta be ready to go. You have to have your edge. You have to prepare, get back into your routine coming off a big rivalry game. You can’t have an emotional let down.”
Choate has experienced postseason football in a variety of forms throughout his coaching career. He’s coached in the high school playoffs during the first chapter of his career in Idaho in the 1990s. Choate’s first college football postseason experience came during his one season at FCS Eastern Illinois.
From 2006 until 2011, Choate coached six straight bowl games on Chris Petersen’s staff at Boise State, including coaching running backs in BSU’s unforgettable Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma. The Broncos emerged as a 43-42 victor in overtime running back Ian Johnson converted a go-ahead two-point conversion on a Statue of Liberty play.
Choate helped Boise State to four bowl wins in six seasons, including winning the Fiesta Bowl in 2009 again. In two seasons on Petersen’s staff at Washington, Choate helped the Huskies to a pair of bowl games, winning the Heart of Dallas Bowl a few weeks after officially accepting the Montana State head coaching job.
“When you get on the field, you feel the passion of these playoffs,” Choate said. “Every play is so impactful, every possession matters so much more it seems. I think there’s a lot of purity to it. Sometimes when you are in the bowl games, unless you are in a New Year’s Six game, there’s some finality to it. You see it every year – some guys use it as vacation while some guys are motivated to go win. Your objective should always be to win your next game and right now, this is the next game we’ve got, guaranteed. There is going to be a different level of pressure in this game.”
Montana State running back Troy Andersen (15) tackled by a pair of Montana safeties Robby Hauck (17) and Reid Miller (10)/by Brooks Nuanez
Montana State has been under pressure for most of the second half of the season. After a 3-2 start that included lopsided losses against No. 3 South Dakota State and No. 5 Eastern Washington, MSU managed just seven first downs in a 24-23 win over Idaho.
The following week, the Bobcats turned two first half takeaways into a 17-7 lead over No. 7 Weber State. But MSU again could not manufacture any sort of production on offense, eventually losing 34-24. The following week, MSU nearly came back from a 24-7 fourth quarter deficit but fell short in a 24-17 loss at No. 24 Idaho State. The Bobcats entered November with a 4-4 record that included a 2-3 mark against Big Sky Conference competition.
Following the Weber State game, Choate made changes to his coaching staff. He fired passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Bob Cole, demoted offensive coordinator Brian Armstrong to tight ends coach and promoted wide receivers Matt Miller to offensive coordinator.
Montana State has not lost since, stringing together its first three-game winning streak of the Choate.
“A 4th & 1 mindset. Every single day, it was 4th & 1,” Choate said. “We had our backs against the wall, no margin for error.”
Over the past month, Choate said he has seen “the cultural shift” in his program more noticeably than in the previous two and a half years. That was clearer than ever at halftime of the Montana game. Trailing 22-7, Choate said he didn’t have to say anything.
Montana State wide receiver Travis Jonsen (10) and Montana defensive end Andrew Harris (94) grapple last Saturday/by Brooks Nuanez
“Those guys had done all the yelling and screaming,” Choate said.
“Culture wins, man. That’s what happens when the wheels start spinning. There’s a lot of synergy that takes place there and those guys are awesome”
Montana State is 6-7 all-time in the FCS playoffs, the last victory coming in the second round of the 2012 playoffs against Stony Brook in Bozeman. MSU lost to South Dakota State 47-40 in Bozeman in 2014.
Fresh off one of the most memorable rivalry victories in the history of the school, Montana State will host the Cardinals from San Antonio, Texas in the first playoff game of the Choate era. Montana State’s head coach and his players are squarely focused on the upcoming challenge.
“An old football coach told me one time that you’re not ever going to really appreciate any of it until you are sitting on your rocking chair someday,” Choate said. “You will look back on some of the cool things that have happened in your career but the nature of this business is what have you done for me lately and we have another opponent this week.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
