BOZEMAN – The rout was on immediately at Bobcat Stadium, where Montana State wide receiver/kickoff returner Carter Dahlke took the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, Bobcat captain Caden Dowler recorded his first interception as a senior and Justin Lamson turned on the jets as the Bobcats turned a 14-0 blitz and a 48-7 halftime lead into a 61-7 victory on Saturday.
Dahlke wasn’t finished. He hauled in a 44-yard touchdown pass to put MSU (8-1 overall, 5-1 Big Sky) up 21-0 in the first quarter and finished the half – and the game – with seven catches for 103 yards. He was on the receiving end of a sharp performance from Justin Lamson, who completed 15 of 19 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns. Lamson also ran for two scores, including a 20-yarder on MSU’s first full possession after a Caden Dowler interception set the Bobcats up at the Cal Poly 30.
“Yeah, it’s just trust, honestly,” Dahlke said. “It’s trusting the 10 guys. (Special teams) Coach (Marcus) Monaco had a scheme planned up that we were confident in, and then we got a good kick that was returnable, and then it’s just trusting the 10 guys blocking for you. You can see at the end I was getting tired, but they were making blocks, and that’s the only reason I scored.”
While MSU’s first possession after Dahlke’s return was a little herky-jerky, Lamson settled in on the next drive as the Bobcats went 82 yards on 10 plays, with Lamson hitting Dahlke for the final 44.
“Yeah, it was definitely an emphasis during the week, and I thought we were harping on it so much that the guys really felt it,” Lamson said of the fast start. “Special teams probably had a little bit of a chip on their shoulder from last week, and obviously the offense too had a chip on our shoulder from not getting a touchdown on that first drive last week. So, when you see all three phases flying around early in the game, it gets the crowd going. I thought our guys responded well to the coaching this week, and it was a good start.”
The defense got into the action as well with three interceptions, including two by reigning Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year Dowler. The Bobcats also held Cal Poly to 4 of 13 on third downs and 1 of 4 on fourth downs.
“We want to start fast every week, and just because you want it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” MSU head coach Brent Vigen said. “And just because it doesn’t happen doesn’t mean it’s the end of the day. But it was about putting our phases together, and I thought that’s the way the first half played out. Certainly, special teams set the tone with that play, and then from that point forward the defense really set the offense up well. The offense needs to capitalize so the offense can then set the defense up, with a kickoff to start the next sequence.”
Cal Poly, which fell to 4-6 overall and 3-4 in the Big Sky, was without 11 starters in what was easily MSU’s most complete game of the season.
“So yeah, we’re continuing to chase our best and a better version of ourselves each and every week, and I think we did that today,” Vigen said. “Each opportunity is its own. Each opponent brings what they bring to the table; that’s really not our problem. We’ve got to do everything we can to bring our best, and I thought we certainly did that today.”
The Bobcats continued to improve and impress on the ground, running for 285 yards on 41 carries. MSU has run for more than 200 yards in five straight games after not reaching that mark in any of its first four. MSU averaged just 4.2 yards per carry in its first four games and 6.9 over the last five. MSU’s offensive line opened the season with two new starters and also moved Titan Fleischmann to tackle after he played guard last season.
“Well, it was a little bit of a slow go initially, but we made some plays in the passing game, and I thought our backs ran well today for the most part,” Vigen said. “Ultimately, we ended up playing our whole crew of offensive linemen too, and that’s a huge step for that room, because their front throws a lot at you. It’s a pretty aggressive bunch. I think that group continues to come into its own, and we got some younger guys out there. We haven’t been able to do that as much, so that experience is going to be great for them. But for that first group, and for our coaches, this is who we are as a run team and who we are as an offense. These are our strengths up front. We’ve continued to fine-tune that, and I think it’s been apparent in our production.”
MSU converted its first 10 third downs and finished 10 of 11 on the day.
“It’s generally good quarterback play,” Vigen said. “That’s good quarterback play. Maybe some short-yardage plays in there that you’ve got to capitalize on, and you put those together and you get winning third-down numbers. Certainly 10-for-11 is a winning third-down number. Justin, but Patrick too, made some plays on third down. And we’ve been better now in the short-yardage area too, where I know in maybe the first half of the season we missed too many of those. So I think it’s continuing to fine-tune the plan, who we are, and how we can continue to stay on the field.”
Running back Jared White continues to excel behind starter Adam Jones. White nearly added another long touchdown to his runs of 32 yards against Idaho, 33 yards against Eastern Washington and 57 yards against Weber State last week. This time, he broke a 57-yard run up the middle, only to be caught at the Cal Poly 3-yard line. He finished with 61 yards on just four carries.
Jones had 61 yards on 13 carries and scored his 40th career touchdown in the second quarter. He joins Cody Kirk (47) and Tommy Mellott (42) as the only members of 40-TD club at MSU.
“Super consistent, durable, a guy that’s clearly after a higher level each and every time out there,” Vigen said. “He really pushes himself. Whether he’s got to carry more of the load or less of the load, he’s going to do everything he can with the opportunities he gets. I think he embodies what we want to be as players on this team: an unselfish nature and just doing whatever he can. And the durability piece at that position means a lot, because the more durable you are, the more opportunities you get, and he’s really done well with them.”
Dowler’s two interceptions harkened back to last season, when he went on a late-season tear with six interceptions in five games, returning two for touchdowns. He missed four games before returning three weeks ago against Eastern Washington.
“It’s cool being back,” Dowler said. “Anytime you get to suit up with your brothers and go out there and play, it’s a fun time. However many interceptions I have, I’m going to have fun regardless. I think (defensive backs) Coach Shep(ard) does a really good job with us. Our film study is really intensive, and we go through all situations, so he does a really good job of scheming us into those. (Defensive coordinator) Coach (Bobby) Daly, too. They do a really good job of putting us in good spots, and the ball seems to come to us.”
The Bobcats held Cal Poly starting quarterback Anthony Grigsby Jr., who has been a catalyst for the Mustangs, to one completion in eight attempts for 11 yards and intercepted him twice – both by Dowler. Tayvion McCoy scored Cal Poly’s lone touchdown when he hauled in a 28-yard pass from backup quarterback Bo Kelly with 17 seconds left in the first half.
MSU was exceptionally balanced, with 285 yards rushing on 41 carries and 233 yards passing on 29 attempts. Ten players carried the ball and eight caught passes. Sophomore running backs Malachi Claunch and Cale Breslin combined for 87 yards on 12 carries. Backup quarterback Patrick Duchein completed eight of 10 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Wide receiver Parker Mady continues to work his way back into the lineup after suffering an early-season injury shortly after earning a starting spot, and fellow wideout Jordan Reed continues to become more involved, catching a touchdown pass for the second straight week. Six Bobcats scored touchdowns, including tight end Luvens Valcin and running back Colson Coon.
The Bobcats now hit the road for their next two games, starting at Idaho State against the Bengals (6-3, 3-3 Big Sky), who were hot early in the season but lost three straight games before beating Portland State last week and holding on to defeat Utah Tech 31-24 on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
PHOTOS BY JASON BACAJ & ABBIE MICKELSON, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
