BOZEMAN — More often than not in the Big Sky Conference era, Montana State has prided itself on playing tough defense.
For the duration of Jeff Choate’s career in football — from his first introduction to the Treasure State as a linebacker at Montana Western to his decade-plus coaching high school football in Idaho to his time as an assistant under well-respected head coaches like Mick Dennehy, Chris Petersen and Will Muschamp to his first two seasons as a college head coach — the driven mentor has hung his hat on defense, as well.
As Montana State enters its third season under Choate, the talent defensively has been restocked and depth has been potentially cultivated. The last two seasons have seen a stark turnaround for a unit that fell from the ranks of the nationally elite at the beginning of this decade to a defense that quite literally couldn’t stop anyone.
[restrict paid=”true”]MSU led the country in scoring in 2015 but finished 5-6 thanks to a porus defense that gave up yards and points in bunches. The pendulum has swung the other direction, finishing second in the conference in scoring defense each of the last two seasons but struggling to score points during a 9-13 stretch.
Over the last two seasons, Montana State has played a collection of close games. Last year, MSU lost to Weber State by eight, beat Portland State by eight, beat Northern Colorado on a last-second field goal, lost to nationally-ranked Kennesaw State by two, lost to Northern Arizona by one on a two-point conversion and finished the season with a 31-23 win over rival Montana.
“I’m not in the business of saying we’ve got to go win by 40,” Choate said. “I’m in the business of saying, ‘Ok, what do we have to do to win.’ We have a saying: ‘dragging them into deep water,’ get deep into the fourth quarter and then figure out what has to happen.
“We’ve been in a lot of deep water. Now it’s time to start rising to the top and dragging the opponent underneath the water. I think we’ve got plenty of experience in that regard and that philosophy has played out pretty well for us in terms of getting us into an opportunity to win games. Now can we take the next step and finish?”
The trend in the Big Sky centered on explosive offenses guided by transcendent quarterbacks. Idaho gunslingers John Friesz and Doug Nussmeier set the pace in the late 1980s and early 1990s before Montana’s reign began thanks to the offensive innovations of head coach Don Read and the wizardry of Griz legend Dave Dickenson.
In the 2000s, Montana’s dominance continued with a starkly different philosophy under Bobby Hauck. Those Griz won seven straight Big Sky championships thanks to an aggressive style that battered opponents for 60 minutes, closing out game after game with relentless effort and an ability to pound the rock to erase the clock.
In 2010, Eastern Washington rode its trademark high-flying aerial attack all the way to the FCS national championship, the last title claimed by a Big Sky team. That breakthrough caused for many teams, including traditionally competitive programs like Montana State and Northern Arizona, in the Big Sky to shift into a similar philosophy.
As the league continues to fight for national recognition, the pendulum is swinging again. Weber State used a ball control offense and an athletic, hard-hitting defense to 11 wins, a Big Sky title and a berth in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. Southern Utah shared the league title with the Wildcats, using its physical mentality and a sneaky-explosive offense to earn a second Big Sky banner in three seasons.
It marked the third straight year that defense won the day in the Big Sky. In 2015, Patrick Onwuasor’s peerless ball-hawking (nine interceptions) ignited Portland State to nine wins and a No. 6 seed in the FCS playoffs. That same season, the future NFL trio of defensive end James Cowser, cornerback LeShaun Sims and safety Miles Killebrew spurred SUU it its first-ever Big Sky title.
In 2016, Eastern Washington had one of its most talented and prolific squads. But the Eagles shared the Big Sky title as North Dakota used its methodical ball control offense and blitzing high-pressure defense to an identical 8-0 record as EWU.
Choate firmly believes that you can win with a defensive identity in the Big Sky. And playing that style of football defines his coaching style.
“It’s who I am, a personality thing,” Choate said. “(Weber State head coach) Jay (Hill) and I have similar backgrounds. I think you look at (Southern Utah head coach) DeMario (Warren) and what he’s done at Southern Utah, that’s kind of been the hallmark of their emergence in this league is how well they’ve played on defense.
“I think it’s stylistic to a certain degree but I also think everybody has a philosophy. That’s quite honestly my philosophy is play great defense, play great special teams, run the ball well, take care of the football and you are going to have a chance to win in the fourth quarter.”
Montana State achieved one of its best stretches in program history to begin the second decade of the 21st century. Behind the dynamic leadership of two-time Big Sky Offensive MVP DeNarius McGhee and a defense that forged one of the most productive pass rushes in the nation, the Bobcats claimed three straight Big Sky titles for the first time between 2010 and 2012.
In 2013, former Montana State athletic director Peter Fields negotiated a buyout of MSU’s slated season-opener against No. 1 North Dakota State. The No. 2-ranked Bobcats instead played at Southern Methodist. In Dallas, the Bobcats gave SMU everything they could handle before falling 31-30. In that game, McGhee suffered a separated shoulder, the first in a string of injuries to crucial players that played a heavy role in MSU losing three straight games to finish the season 7-5 and outside the FCS playoff picture for the first time since 2009.
Behind a new, explosive and dynamic offense triggered by electric dual-threat quarterback Dakota Prukop, the Bobcats returned to the playoffs in 2014 but the complacency, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, that often comes with winning in college football began to creep in.
Stalwart offensive line coach Jason McEndoo left before the 2015 season, cutting the last tie to Mike Kramer’s foundation built before Rob Ash took the reigns at Montana State in 2006. That fall, Montana State led the country in scoring behind Prukop’s wizardry spurred on by a veteran offensive line and a variety of offensive weapons, including future NFL Draft pick tight end Beau Sandland. But the defense reached new lows, giving up gobs of points and yards as the fall from grace continued.
Montana posted a 54-35 win over MSU in Bozeman to cap Montana State’s first losing season in 14. Less than 72 hours after Ash’s seventh loss to the rival Griz in nine meetings, the school’s all-time leader in football victories was fired.
The Bobcat program had been characterized by tough, surly coaches with blue collar roots for most of MSU’s time in the Big Sky Conference since the forming of the league in 1963. From Jim Sweeney to Sonny Holland to Sonny Lubick, the Butte roots from three of the Mining City’s most heralded mentors could be felt amongst the program. Dave Arnold led the Bobcats to the 1984 national championship only to be fired two years later.
Although Earl Solmonson and Cliff Hysell struggled to find consistent success, both carried on the tough-minded characterization of the MSU program. Even with Travis Lulay reviving the MSU offense and quarterbacking the Bobcats to three wins over the hated Griz in four seasons after “The Streak”, a 16-year stretch of futility, Kramer’s Bobcats too encompassed an aggressive defensive mindset.
Ash’s first teams hung their hats on defense and his best teams paired efficient offenses with salty front sevens. Part of his demise came with a shift in philosophy to prioritize points. The 2018 season will be a pivotal step into proving Choate’s principles can be effective in rebuilding Montana State.
“Everything we’ve been doing, everything we’ve been focusing on since last season has been about finishing,” Wright said. “Whether that’s the PRPs (player-run practices) in the summer or in the weight room, that’s what it’s all about. At the same time, we have some young guys who have been contributing to this program like (2017 Big Sky Freshman of the Year) Troy Andersen. Giving them that extra year to mature and giving them an extra year to batten down all the hatches, I think it really gives us the opportunity to clinch football games.”
“We are feeling really good going into this season,” added sophomore middle linebacker Michael Jobman, a Huntley Project product who enters the season as senior Grant Collins’ backup at Mike inside linebacker. “We have that year of a bunch of young guys getting playing time and now we are ready to take the next step and not lose any more of those close games.”
The MSU roster, particularly on offense, is still young. Center Alex Neale is the lone senior starter on the offensive line. Logan Jones is the only senior running back, although he was absent at the first day of MSU’s fall camp on Friday. Johnny D’Agostino, a talented Bozeman product who has had his last two seasons ravaged by injury, is the only senior wide receiver.
Defensively, Wright, nose tackle Tucker Yates, end Tyrone Fa’anono and Collins are all seniors with at least three years of starting experience each. Inside linebacker Josh Hill, ends Derek Marks and Marcus Ferriter, cornerback Damien Washington and strong safety Brayden Konkol are all juniors with multiple years of game experience, although like Jones, Hill was not at practice the first day of fall camp.
“When you lose football games by that small of margin and you come back the next day to get ready for your next game and you are watching film, you think to yourself, ‘Wow, we were that close to winning, our standing could be completely different.’ It’s kind of the only think you can think about at night,” Neale said. “With so many of us going through that last year, it’s the only thing we can think about. We plan to change that this year.”
Although MSU has objectively fortified its roster, the Bobcats still are striving to earn respect in the Big Sky. After losing its first six Big Sky games under Choate, MSU has won seven of its last 10, the three losses including the 37-36 loss at NAU that came down to a missed two-point conversion and the 25-17 slugfest defeat on a rainy Bozeman day to Weber State.
The Big Sky’s coaches and affiliated media each picked the Bobcats to finish eighth in the 13-team Big Sky. His first two seasons at the helm, Choate has talked opening about MSU’s roster deficiencies and the growing pains that are sure to come with a stark culture change. But entering 2018, Choate has different thoughts about his team’s aspirations.
“I think we are a talented outfit,” Choate said. “I think we are underrated. We’ve only had two first-team all-conference guys my first two years here: J.P. Flynn two years ago, Mac Bignell last year. We’ve got one on the preseason all-conference list (Yates) right now. I guess that means that maybe people don’t think we have the personnel I think we have.
“I’m motivated. I would think our players would see this and say, ‘What we did last year, even if it wasn’t an 8-4 season, we are that far away from doing it. And I don’t think other people in this room played that same schedule to be frank. We are not comparing apples to apples sometimes. I think we are a little underrated.”
Montana State opened fall camp on Friday. MSU will practice on Saturday and Sunday as well.
[/restrict]Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
