BOZEMAN — Ty Gregorak has been around the Big Sky Conference so long, he references fierce battles against Weber State to fellow coaches and sometimes gets sideways looks. But Gregorak remembers a time when he was at Montana in the latter part of the last decade when the showdown between his former team and the Wildcats quite literally determined the conference title.
Weber State shared the Big Sky title in 2008 with Gregorak and the Griz . WSU made the playoffs again the next year. Ron McBride retired after the 2011 season and Weber State disappeared from the ranks of competitive Big Sky team for a few seasons. In Jay Hill’s fourth year at the helm, the Wildcats are back.
Jeff Choate does not need a reminder of how tough Weber State has been or can be. His first matchup as Montana State’s head coach against the 2016 playoff qualifiers may have conjured up memories of the McBride Weber teams without solicitation given the way WSU whipped Montana State’s first-year head coach in Ogden last October.
Montana State head coach Jeff Choate/ by Brooks Nuanez
“That wasn’t a learning moment,” Choate said on Monday. “That was a woodshed moment because they took us out. That was the most devastating loss for a tough season for me as a head coach last year.”
Weber State executed an 11-play, 79-yard drive on its first offensive possession. On MSU’s second possession, Montana State true freshman quarterback Chris Murray fumbled on a speed option play where he was required to pitch with his non-dominant left hand. Weber State scored four plays later. Montana State fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Weber State scored two plays later.
In the first start of Murray’s career, Montana State trailed 21-0 before the game was 10 minutes old. The Wildcats would go on to score on their first six possessions to build a 42-14 halftime lead. The second half was irrelevant as WSU cruised to a 45-27 victory made closer Murray’s touchdown pass on the last play of the game.
“We did not put our best foot forward in terms of competitive fire we brought to the table,” Choate said of that October day at Stewart Stadium. “We turned the ball over, didn’t have an answer for them on defense and it was over by the end of the first quarter. It took us until the second half to regroup and compete. That was a tough day in Ogden.”
On Saturday, Choate and the Bobcats will get their latest crack at Jay Hill’s Wildcats. WSU comes to Bobcat Stadium for MSU’s homecoming game with a No. 18 national ranking, a 3-1 record that includes two straight wins over Sac State (31-24) and UC Davis (41-3) and a ton of swagger.
Montana State coaching staff (from L) Gerald Alexander, Byron Hout, Jeff Choate & Kane Ioane give a 4th down signal vs. Weber State
Weber State breaks every huddle by chanting “Big Sky champs!” If early returns are any indication, those are real aspirations for the 2017 Wildcats.
“I think they are the best team in the Big Sky Conference right now,” Choate said. “If we were handing out a trophy today, I think Weber State would get that trophy.
“They’ve been explosive, dynamic, jumped out to leads in every one of their games, including the Cal game (a 33-20 loss. Cal really had to come back from behind to beat them. They had to do what they do on offense.”
Gregorak, now in his second year coordinating Montana State’s defense after spending 12 years in Missoula, sees a similarly challenging foe. He also hopes to erase the memories of last season.
“It was one of the worst halves of football I’ve ever seen or been a part of last year in Ogden,” Gregorak said. “I’m hoping we go out and make amends for it. We will have to play well because they are good.”
The showdown with the fellow original Big Sky member marks the fourth straight top 20 team Montana State will play to start the 2017 season. MSU fell 31-0 to now-No. 16 FBS power Washington State in Pullman. The Bobcats took No. 4 South Dakota State down to the wire before a 31-27 loss in their home opener.
MSU head coach Jeff Choate and defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak before the Weber State game last season
MSU took an early bye before last week’s game at North Dakota. The Bobcats dismantled the No. 17 Fighting Hawks, taking advantage of the injury-ravaged defending Big Sky champions. MSU rushed for 341 yards and scored on seven of nine possessions during one stretch in a 49-21 victory.
“I wouldn’t want a schedule any other way,” MSU junior All-Big Sky defensive tackle Zach Wright said on Wednesday. “You find out who you are and what you are made of against teams like this. It’s never something we are scared about. I know for sure all of us are in the mindset of regardless of what’s in front of us, from Washington State to North Dakota to South Dakota State, it’s the same mentality: put your head down and get to work.”
During Monday’s press conference, Choate praised Hill, a rising star in the coaching world with a similar background as MSU’s head coach. Choate built his reputation as a special teams guru and position coach at Boise State, Florida and Washington before taking his first head coaching job. Hill cut his teeth as the special teams coordinator and ace recruiter on Kyle Whittingham’s staff at Utah, Hill’s alma mater, before coming to Weber State before the 2014 season.
Hill endured nine straight losses to begin his head coaching career before the incremental building began. Hill’s second season brought Weber’s first win in Missoula over Montana since 1987 and a 6-5 record. Last season, Weber broke a seven-year postseason drought with a trip to the FCS playoffs.
WSU head coach Jay Hill
Choate referenced Hill’s solid ability to mesh talented high school recruits, return LDS missionaries of which Weber State has a collection of and the right mix of drop-downs from Utah’s variety of FBS programs.
“That’s hard to do because there’s a lot of chemistry that has to take place there so that tells me he’s built a strong culture,” Choate said. “I think Weber State has a renewed commitment to football. I have a lot of respect for Jay.”
Hill first told Skyline Sports of his admiration for Choate during the Big Sky Kickoff media days in Park City, Utah in the summer of 2016 before Choate had ever coached a game. He echoed those comments earlier this week.
“This game is going to be a dogfight,” Hill said on Wednesday. “I think the world of Jeff Choate, how he coaches his football team, what he stands for. He’s a tough, no-nonsense coach and his team is playing that way right now.”
From hard-nosed quarterback Stefan Cantwell to lightning-fast running back Treshawn Garrett — the former champion sprinter tied a Big Sky record with a 98-yard touchdown last week against Davis — to NFL prospect tight end Andrew Vollert, Weber’s offensive arsenal is loaded. Add in Rashid Shaheed’s elite speed — his 36.2 yards per catch on nine receptions leads the FCS — and it’s no surprise why Weber’s 42 points per game lead the Big Sky.
Defensively, senior defensive tackle McKay Murphy has been dominant. He had 3.5 tackles for loss against Cal and his seven tackles for loss total are among the best totals in the league early on. He paces a unit that also leads the league in scoring defense.
Montana State linebacker Josh Hill covers Weber State All-American tight end Andrew Vollert
“He’s always had the athletic ability,” Hill said. “He had two brothers that played in the NFL. His dad (7-time All-Star Dale Murphy) is a Major League Hall of Fame type guy. He comes from great genes. He’s a guy who I’ve known since he was in high school would be a great player.
“As a sophomore, he blew his knee so people in the league didn’t get to see him last year. Last year, quite frankly, he was still recovering from it. Now he’s back to full speed and he’s in top form. In my opinion, he’s one of the premier d-tackles in the league. He’s got all kinds of NFL scouts right now looking at him.”
Choate said All-American cornerback Taron Johnson, slashing linebackers Landon Stice and LeGrand Toia all stood out when studying WSU’s film. But no WSU player popped more than Murphy.
“He’s a bad dude,” Choate said. “He has really good twitch for a large human being. That’s one thing when you get guys who are big, they are space eaters. You can eat up double teams and keep guys off defenders. When you have guys who can move laterally and vertically as well as he can, he creates a lot of problems for you.”
Although Choate has less than fond memories of his first game against Weber State, he said he refuses to use that as motivation this week. He states that focusing on revenge, as motivation is shallow. He knows conjuring up images of last year won’t score his team any points on Saturday.
Montana State true freshman quarterback Chris Murray piled up 330 yards of total offense in his first career start at Weber State
With a sellout crowd on the docket for the scheduled 1:30 p.m. kickoff, the Bobcats are simply excited to take their latest stout challenge head on.
“The level of game this is going to be puts all of this behind you,” Montana State sophomore Derek Marks said Wednesday. “We want to carry that momentum forward of being 1-0 in conference. This is a big-time game. Weber is supposedly the best team in the conference. We know that and we welcome that challenge.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
