BOZEMAN — Montana State’s depth will continue getting tested as the Bobcats head to a foreign venue this week.
MSU has not played at Northern Colorado since 2013. The Bobcats will make the trek to Greeley, Colorado on Saturday looking to improve on a 2-2 Big Sky Conference record.
Montana State has navigated the first half of the conference slate despite a collection of injuries, mostly to its defense. The hits kept coming at Eastern Washington last week in MSU’s 31-19 loss.
In the first quarter, senior left guard Caleb Gillis collapsed on the field after suffering what appeared to be an injury to his right knee. Redshirt freshman Lewis Kidd made his debut, playing the rest of the game between senior left tackle Dylan Mahoney and junior center Alex Neale.-
“We are going to miss Caleb, feel bad for him, hopefully it’s not a career ending deal as a senior,” MSU offensive coordinator Brian Armstrong said. “Optimistic because Lewis stepped in and did a nice job . As a young guy, he’s going to get better the more he plays.”
MSU sophomore running back Edward Vander did not travel to EWU because of what Choate called a “soft tissue injury” suffered two weeks ago. In his place, senior Nick LaSane — fresh off a four-game suspension — played in his second game and produced, rushing 19 times for 87 yards.
Defensively, sophomore inside linebacker Josh Hill made a resounding reappearance by notching 17 tackles after missing the last month with a leg injury. Hill’s return led to junior Grant Collins going back to MSU’s Buck end position after starting for three games at Mike linebacker.
Montana State sophomore inside linebacker Josh Hill/ by Brooks Nuanez
“Seventeen tackles after sitting out a month, evidently,” MSU head coach Jeff Choate said when asked what he brings to the MSU defense. “Pretty impressive performance. You talk about preparation, knowing where it is going before it happens. Josh is one of those kids who is not overly physically gifted. He’s a good, solid football player but he’s a 6-foot, 215-pound kid.
“The great ones just know. They look at that set, see that ball one time and they know how to respond and where to be. He’s a very efficient tackler. That’s his preparation and that’s what makes him such a productive player for us.”
In Cheney, Collins suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the last minutes of the game. Choate said the 6-foot-4, 245-pounder will have more tests this week but will likely not travel.
“Grant has been huge really with some of our issues at inside linebacker and with the things his skill set allows us to do on the edge and what his home base has been the last two seasons,” MSU defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak said. “It’s unfortunate because Grant really cares about this program, really cares about how he’s playing. Grant is not always perfect but he always plays hard and plays emotional and it means a lot to him. I know he will go play hard every down, it’s a tough loss.”
Montana State junior Buck end/linebacker Grant Collins earlier this year against Portland State/by Brooks Nuanez
Collins has struggled with shoulder injuries dating back to his days at Bozeman High. He has had several shoulder operations during the off-seasons. The summer leading up to his redshirt junior year this fall was the first without surgery in his football career.
“I’m bummed for him,” Gregorak said. “He came into the program and has had some issues health-wise. I hope we can get him back. That’s the goal.”
Against Eastern Washington, Montana State true freshman cornerback Jalen Cole saw his redshirt burn. The Mater Dei (California) product played about two dozen snaps after moving up the depth chart due to the hand injury suffered by classmate Tyrel Thomas. With senior Bryce Alley, junior Braelen Evans and sophomore Damien Washington as the only other healthy corners, the Bobcats also played sophomore wide receiver for about 20 defensive snaps at nickel back.
Senior Khari Garcia reassumed his spot in the starting lineup after JoJo Henderson suffered a knee injury in MSU’s loss go Weber State. Choate said Thomas and Henderson remain out this week at Northern Colorado.
“Most of the time when we have guys that need further tests done, we can’t get those done until Tuesday because we get back on Sunday, everything is closed, we set the appointment on Monday and we don’t hear back until Tuesday,” Choate said. “That’s not great for us because we lose a day of preparation if they are ok.
“Both Grant and Caleb are going to require some further tests that we won’t know until tomorrow evening. We will have a more clear answer then. But my guess is based on (trainer) Rob (Higgs) recommendation, neither one of them will play this week at least.
“Tyrel sees the doctor tonight, JoJo does too. If they re-x-ray those things, hopefully, they can be cleared and we can get them practicing next Tuesday and use them down the stretch.”
Montana State true freshman Jalen Cole tackles Eastern Washington’s Zach Eagle/ by Blake Hempstead
Garcia laid a huge hit that left him writhing in pain on the red turf of EWU’s Inferno midway through the second half. Garcia ripped his helmet off immediately, appearing to clutch his previously surgically repaired shoulder. Choate said he’s questionable for the UNC game.
If Garcia and Henderson are both out, MSU might consider switching Will linebacker Brayden Konkol back to strong safety, where he started five games last season. Senior West Wilson and junior college transfer Dre Jackson are next up on the depth chart behind Garcia and senior Bryson McCabe.
“We will have answers like we’ve had answers,” Gregorak said.
“Life is funny. You can gain a guy, lose a guy. That’s football.”
Photos by Blake Hempstead and Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.”
