Montana State’s offensive line is expected to be one of the Big Sky Conference’s most experienced and solid units. But the Bobcats have a different look up front thus far in fall camp.
As Montana State completes its first of two weeks of camp, senior guard Kyle Godecke and senior right tackle Alex Eekhoff have not participated in any contact drills or situations. Godecke, a 6-foot-6, 325-pounder from Dillon, started 21 games as a redshirt freshman and sophomore but has been out of the starting lineup since breaking his foot last August. Eekhoff, a 6-foot-7, 295-pounder from Reno, started four games as a sophomore and all 13 games last season before having off-season shoulder surgery.
As the two veterans nurse injuries, a pair of upstarts have been working in with the All-Big Sky core of senior left tackle John Weidenaar, junior left guard J.P. Flynn and senior center Joel Horn. Caleb Gillis, a 6-foot-6, 285-pound sophomore from Glenn who prepped at Beaverhead County High in Dillon, and Dylan Mahoney, a 6-foot-6, 275-pound sophomore out of Great Falls CMR have been playing both spots on the right side of the offensive line.
Mahoney & Weidenaar
“Caleb and Mahoney have definitely earned the chance to be working with the 1’s,” said Flynn, a preseason All-America. “Those guys are working their tails off to do everything they can to help this team. They are doing a great job and they are acclimating. It’s new. It’s something different for them, a little bit quicker. But they are figuring it out and they are going to be great players.”
While nearly 50 combined starts is hard to look past, Godecke and Eekhoff’s spots are not set in stone pending their return. Montana State offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey and first-year offensive line coach Jason Eck have each emphasized to the duo that they are not just stopgap players. They are battling for a right to start against two veterans who are losing ground by being on the shelf.
“The next few weeks is huge because Mahoney and Gillis have got to be in a situation where they are battling for a spot,” Cramsey said. “The thing we’ve talked to them about is they are not in there filling in. They are in there trying to prove to us that they should be in the first five. We have to get Godecke and Eekhoff back healthy but at the same time, it’s tough because we have to get them enough work to stay healthy but also enough to be ready.”
Gillis
Gillis came to Montana State as a long, skinny walk-on of 220 pounds. By “eating as much as I physically can every time I eat”, Gillis is up to 285 pounds. His physical transformation has been marked. With his added mass, he’s no longer just a try-hard player with toughness. At times, he’s a hard-nosed player who can move a defender at the line of scrimmage. He fully understands what’s at stake for him this fall camp.
“To start, that’s my plan and the older guys are really helping me,” Gillis said. “They are veterans and they have a lot of experience and they are really able to get us up and going.
“Godecke and Eekhoff, they’ve been great to me. They can’t practice but they are always there helping us work on our sets and our practice and getting better every day.”
Gillis came in as a tackle. During spring drills, he tried his hand at guard for the first time. During Friday’s practice, he played right guard and right tackle in equal amounts.
“The biggest difference is that guard is a little more physical and tackle is a little more finesse,” Gillis said. “Getting reps and practice makes perfect.”
Mahoney
Mahoney came to Montana State after an All-State career at CMR. His father, Duff, is a longtime CMR assistant who had a long and strong relationship with former MSU offensive line coach Jason McEndoo.
Mahoney joined the Bobcats as a lanky 235-pounder. Last season, he was slated as a key backup before breaking his toe walking down the stairs at his apartment complex. Now he’s up to 275 pounds and his strength has increased tremendously. He too is treating this fall camp as a battle for a starting job
“I have to have the mentality that I’m going to be a starter,” Mahoney said. “It’s only going to make our team better. If someone goes down, I can’t bring the group down. I have to rise up to the rest of the group.”
Gillis and Mahoney are working with the starters against a suddenly deep Montana State defensive line. MSU is consistently rotating in 10 players with the first and second-string defensive fronts. While the experience is proving to be valuable, it doesn’t compare to when the bullets are live.
“The biggest thing you learn from is game experience,” said Weidenaar, a preseason All-Big Sky selection who’s started 38 straight games on the blind side. “There’s no replacement for in-game experience, so that will be key. But with Eekhoff and Godecke, we don’t know what’s going to happen with them by season, the first game and stuff but the thing is, everybody needs to be ready.
“With Gillis and Mahoney, it’s a matter of getting reps so they can build their confidence.”
Injuries have been a part of the offensive line narrative at Montana State for the duration of the decade. In 2010, starting guard Ben Tauanuu was lost for the season with a broken leg. In 2011, right tackle Leo Davis was in and out of the lineup, causing Alex Terrien to shift from guard and a few other players, namely Stephen Memory, to sub in. In 2012, Montana State started four different redshirt freshmen up front, including Weidenaar, Godecke, Eekhoff and since retired Matthew Devereux. When Devereux went down with a concussion, Godecke made his first of 21 straight starts.
In 2013, an injury to Eekhoff caused for Quinn Catalano to shift to right tackle, opening up a spot for Flynn, who’s started the last 21 games at one of the two guard spots. Last spring, Devereux abruptly retired, meaning Horn, formerly a guard, was thrust into the starting center role. Last season, Godecke’s broken foot meant Catalano moved back to guard and Flynn switched sides.
“You can’t rely on five guys for the season,” said Eck, a well-traveled coach who most recently was the offensive coordinator at Minnesota State-Mankato. “You have to have seven guys you feel good about and I’d love to get to eight. It’s not a good excuse to have one guy go down and have that ruin your season. That’s your job as a coach to have everyone ready.”
Photos By Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
