Editor’s note: this is the first in a five-part series of stories coming out of Montana State’s spring football practices. The Bobcats wrapped up the five-week session with the Sonny Holland spring game on April 22.
Brad Daly carved out a reputation as the best pass rusher at Montana State of the modern era and a spot as one of the best defensive ends in the Bobcats’ rich lineage of stud linemen.
The Helena Capital product earned All-Big Sky Conference honors three times, leading the league in sacks despite not playing a starting role as a sophomore in 2011. Daly lined up opposite 2012 Buck Buchanan Award winner Caleb Schreibeis, playing out of position as a first-year full-time starter.
As a senior, Daly cemented his future place in MSU’s Hall of Fame by leading the country with 14 sacks. Daly’s 36 career sacks are just four less than Mark Fellows’ school record.
Even during Daly’s 12.5-sack season in 2011 or his 14-sack campaign in 2013, the explosive pass rusher only reached the quarterback on roughly one of 20 of opponents’ passing attempts.
“Understanding the mindset and the mentality of the pass rush is so important,” Montana State second-year defensive line coach Byron Hout said after one particularly chilly practice of MSU’s 5-week slate earlier this spring. “It’s a relentless deal and you might not win the first two reps or the first 10 but you gotta keep going after it every single play and not give up.”
MSU head coach Jeff Choate coaches defensive lineman Tyrone Fa’anono, Matt Brownlow, Marcus Ferriter and Zach Wright (96) in a double team drill
That’s the primary goal for Montana State’s restocked defensive line as the Bobcats put a wrap on spring drills with Sonny Holland spring game the second-to-last Saturday in April. MSU’s most recent stint of success were stamped with three straight Big Sky Conference championships from 2010 to 2012. Those Bobcat teams had the productive offensive trio of quarterback DeNarius McGhee, running back Cody Kirk and wide receiver Tanner Bleskin but make no mistake: Schreibeis and Daly’s ability to sack and sometimes even strip opposing passers was as key a factor in the success as any.
And it’s among the one-time strengths that has all but disappeared for the rebuilding Bobcats. From All-Big Sky defensive end Odin Coe foregoing his final season to enter the Navy to MSU’s streak of five straight All-American defensive linemen snapping in 2014, the erosion of Montana State’s pass rush has coincided with a 17-18 overall record since Daly graduated.
“Everything starts at the line of scrimmage,” MSU second-year head coach Jeff Choate said. “We have to become more proficient pass rushers. I think we fit and played the run solid last year. That doesn’t mean we are where we want to be. We can be better and I think with more depth and being able to run more guys in there, more talented guys, we will have more productivity in the run game. But where I think where we really have to improve on our ability on the defensive line is in our ability to rush the passer.”
MSU led the league with 44 sacks in 2011 and topped the Big Sky the next season with 39 more. Daly’s senior season total equaled half of MSU’s 28 sacks in 2013. Coe had six of MSU’s 19 sacks in 2014. Jessie Clark’s 5.5 sacks off the bench led a Bobcat squad that managed just 22 sacks in 2015.
UND running back John Santiago (22) jukes MSU defensive tackle Zach Wright (95) and Tucker Yates (92)
Last season, Montana State’s defensive line was annihilated with injuries, so much so that redshirt freshman tight end Woody Brandom played nine games at defensive end. Brandom was part of a strong end group that lost junior Tyrone Fa’anono, junior Devin Jeffries and junior Shiloh LaBoy to season-ending injuries. Brandom backed up redshirt freshman Marcus Ferriter and true freshman Derek Marks, who split time as starters.
Senior defensive tackle Joe Naotala left the program after Choate’s first spring ball. Junior college transfer nose guards Brandon Hayashi and Fou Polataivao struggled with minor injuries and conditioning issues for most of last season. As a result, the Bobcats relied heavily on a converted middle linebacker in sophomore Grant Collins at Buck end, a pair of sophomore tackles in Tucker Yates and Zach Wright along with walk-on senior Matt Brownlow in the middle and the three-man combination of Marks, Ferriter and Brandom on the outside.
The result: a solid performance that helped MSU finish second in the league in scoring defense (25 points per game) and a rushing defense that ranked third in the Big Sky. But the non-existent pass rush — outside linebacker Mac Bignell’s team-best 3.5 sacks led a defense that notched just 15 sacks, last in the league — contributed to Montana State’s 4-7 season.
“It was complete decimation there at the end of fall camp,” MSU second-year defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak said. “A lot of young guys had to play. I look at guys like Marcus (Ferriter), Derek (Marks), Zach (Wright), Tucker (Yates), there was a lot of young dudes that took a lot of turns. I mean even Grant…think about it, the year before, Grant was playing inside linebacker and now he’s at Buck. We played a lot of dudes last year who have a lot of eligibility remaining.
“I know we only won four games so that’s either a bad problem to have (laughs) or we will keep getting better.”
MSU head coach Jeff Choate working with transfer defensive lineman Brandon Hayashi (56) and Fou Polataivao (90)
Yates has missed all spring practices after having off-season shoulder and knee surgeries but the 6-foot, 310-pound nose tackle will be back for fall camp in August. LaBoy (neck) and Jefferies (knee) both made the difficult decision to retire.
The 6-foot-2, 260-pound Fa’anono was back in action for most of the spring — he missed the spring game with an undisclosed injury — and made a noticeable difference with his aggressive, enthusiastic style. Hayashi, a 5-foot-10, 300-pounder formerly of Citrus Community College has recovered fully from a sprained MCL suffered last fall and is taking full advantage of his reps with the 1s with Yates on the bench. Polataivao, a 6-1, 305-pounder from San Mateo has also made progress, Choate said.
“Fa’anono is a really mature kid, a very good football player who has some leadership qualities we certainly missed,” Choate said. “Hayashi has taken a really big step. Fou, I can’t say enough about where he is at. You throw Tyrone in there and you have Tuck, who is one of the better guys getting healed up, Zach is great…we are going to have some options. As we found out last year, we are going to need them.”
Through the slew of bumps, bruises, nicks, broken bones and torn ligaments, Wright proved to be the lynchpin and symbol of durability. The 6-2, 250-pound converted defensive end from San Antonio played as many snaps as any Bobcat defender, earning honorable mention All-Big Sky honors in his first year as a starter.
MSU defensive tackle Zach Wright (95)
“Zach Wright can probably take a million hits,” Hout said with a laugh. “That kid is a war daddy, tough kid, resilient, fight through anything. He does take care of his body. He’s always doing extra stuff in the training room to take care of his body. And his attitude of never quit is the reason why he was able to make it through the whole season, which was fortunate for us.”
Wright attributes his breakout sophomore season to dedication to the weight room and diligence in the training room.
“I finally feel mobile again like I did before the extra weight,” Wright said. “The biggest thing is once you start getting heavy weight on, everything changes. Different muscles are being stretched. Now I’m used to it.
“Part of it is perseverance but the other thing is in the weight room, every little workout that you do, I take them all equally seriously to keep my whole body in line so it holds together.”
The MSU defensive line has also received a boost by a talented collection of players from Choate’s first recruiting class who redshirted last season. Chase Benson, a 6-3, 265-pounder from Helena, is currently backing up Wright. Michael Jobman, a 6-4, 225-pounder from Huntley Project, and Kyle Finch, a 6-4, 230-pounder from Dillon, are both getting second-team reps behind Collins at Buck end.
MSU defensive lineman Derek Marks (95)
“They’ve all grown so much,” Wright said. “Derek Marks came in pretty fresh, pretty young, just a young buck. He’s stepped up and made a lot of plays this spring, doing really well, looking pretty good. All the young guys, they’ve stepped up. I’m proud of every single one of them.”
On the other side of the spectrum, Hayashi’s maturation has been noticeable in the continuity he helps the team cultivate. Last season, Hayashi played in six games, notching six tackles but struggling to find consistent reps. During the off-season, Hout said Hayashi has been among the best workers, constantly studying his playbook and asking Hout to watch film frequently.
“He’s a guy who wanted to be a leader in our room as a senior,” Hout said. “The guys look to him. He’s one of the best teammates we have on our roster. His work ethic is something that all the guys in the room can look up.
“He’s really owning the line of scrimmage and owning that group when it’s his turn.”
Wright said Hayashi has “really hit it hard in the weight room” and that’s something the team notices. Choate has noticed a change as Hayashi enters his final season as well.
“He got set back last year because he had an MCL and he was out for three weeks but more than anything, I can’t say enough about what kind of teammate that young man is,” Choate said. “He’s a guy who really enjoys and embraces the idea of being part of a team. He’s a very selfless player and person. I know he knows this is his last go around and he wants to make the most of it.”
MSU defensive lineman Brandon Hayashi (56 – L)
Hayashi himself said the off-season training the football team endured — from training with MSU strength coach Alex Wilcox to working out at The Pitt, a state of the art facility run by former MSU and NFL standout Dane Fletcher — helped prepare the Bobcats, particularly the defensive line, for the recently completed set of practices. Now he and the rest of his teammates are hoping they can endure the 2017 season in similar fashion.
“I definitely feel a sense of urgency to get things right,” Hayashi said. “I’m blessed to have this opportunity to keep playing and I want to take advantage of it. We all do.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
