Nick LaSane pressed the hole before a gap that seemed a mile wide opened in front of him. Gunnar Brekke cut one Grizzly defender down at the waist as LaSane jolted up field. Keon Stephens chucked Montana safety Justin Strong to the side as LaSane opened up his top gear, sprinting deep into enemy territory.
In Montana State’s season finale in Missoula last November, LaSane showed a flash of the running back many envisioned he would become when he signed with Montana State five years ago. The 5-foot-11, 220-pounder has always looked the part physically but has been stuck in a crowded MSU backfield that has included Chad Newell, Gunnar Brekke, Shawn Johnson and Anthony Knight during LaSane’s time in Bozeman.
Last season, MSU punched the rival Grizzlies in the mouth early and never let UM off the ropes. LaSane’s 61-yard run in the third quarter set up Newell’s four-yard touchdown plunge to put MSU up 24-7. The Bobcats would hang on from there, posting a 24-17 victory at Washington-Grizzly Stadium to stamp an otherwise disappointing 4-7 season with a successful finale.
[restrict paid=”true”]
“Having to wait patiently, it’s been hard to find myself but I think I definitely found myself with that run,” LaSane said of his long run. “I’m ready.”
The Lovejoy High product from the Dallas-Fort Worth area came to Montana State with lofty expectations. The powerful and fast running back seemed a rare blend of size and speed for the FCS level. His college recruitment hit a speed bump when he tore his ACL in high school. His career at MSU hit another hurdle when he tore the ligament again in college.
All the while, Montana State has run the ball effectively, using explosive big-play backs like Johnson to hurt teams with speed while using hard-nosed inside runners like Newell and Knight to churn out tough yards and each up clock.
“My expectations are set really high. I want to go above and beyond. I want to show you guys what I can really do,” LaSane said. “I’ve had to wait patiently behind and lot of Montana State greats, and I’m ready to take the reins.”
The 61-yard run in Missoula proved to be one of the final nails in the Grizzlies’ coffin in the signature win of Jeff Choate’s first season at the helm for the Bobcats. But the talk around MSU spring football right now, in regard to LaSane and in regard to the rest of the team, is to not take one victory, or one play for that matter, and be satisfied.
“At the end of the day, that play wasn’t anything Nick did,” MSU running backs coach Michael Pitre said. “It was the other 10 guys on the field doing their jobs. If you watch that play, Gunnar and Chad both had big-time blocks to spring the play. If they don’t do their job, we don’t see that flash. At the end of the day, in order to be a good running back, you need to have really good players around you.”
Montana State’s offense returns largely in tact aside from the tailback position. Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year Chris Murray is back under center after using his legs to light up the league a season ago. The offensive line returns three starters — All-American J.P. Flynn graduated while senior right guard Monte Folsom had to retire earlier this spring because of back troubles — and the Bobcats return several tight ends with experience. Senior Mitch Herbert headlines a wide receivers group with a collection of players with game experience.
“It’s definitely different not having those familiar faces but it’s really exciting to see the hard work that Noah James and Nick LaSane have put in here during their time waiting their turn,” Pitre said. “It’s cool seeing the hard work pay off and seeing those guys be ready to be the cowbell.”
LaSane is the most experienced of a running backs group that also includes James, a 6-foot-1 fourth-year junior from Kalispell who is up to 218 pounds this off-season. The backfield also includes Jake Roper, a redshirt freshman transfer from Boise State who Choate wanted to bring in last season but did not have room on the roster for. Junior Logan Jones, like James a Kalispell Glacier product, is out this spring after having off-season surgery. Anthony Pegues, a 5-foot-7, 190-pound stick of dynamite, played sparingly as a true freshman a year ago. The group could also add Edward Vander from Saddleback Community College if the former 3-star recruit who prepped at JSerra Catholic in California’s vaunted Trinity League can earn academic eligibility his last semester of junior college.
But so far in spring drills, the leader for No. 1 running back carries is LaSane. The physically formidable ball carrier enters his senior season with 69 carries for 446 yards (6.46 yard per carry) and four touchdowns. He had 35 carries for 263 yards and a touchdown as a junior last fall.
“Nick’s been waiting his turn a long time. He’s got an opportunity now to do what he came here to do, which is to be the guy that’s packing the rock for us,” Choate said. “I just think it’s a heck of a story. There’s a lot of guys that don’t persevere through that. He’s had some nicks physically but he’s also had to wait his turn to produce.
“In limited opportunities last year he was very explosive and dynamic — probably should have had more carries. There was only one football. Now he’s got an opportunity to establish himself as a leader in that room and within our offensive unit.”
Pitre said he goal for the duration of spring drills is to “constantly challenge” LaSane, both physically with the nuances he hopes to help him develop on the field and mentally with the leadership role he hopes his fifth-year senior embraces.
Pitre, who was an All-Pac 10 fullback at UCLA last decade, said he thinks the game has slowed down for LaSane, something he has preached would happen if LaSane practiced patience. Pitre said he watched some cut-up highlights of LaSane from when Pitre first arrived in Bozeman before the 2014 season. Pitre noticed a huge difference between then and now in details like patience, field vision, pressing the hole and knowing when to use his explosive speed.
“I think the intangibles is the key for a lot of running backs and it comes sooner for some than others,” Pitre said. “The more football you played growing up, the more you have a chance of understanding some situational things. That was a gap of working with Nick since I’ve gotten here. We are both happy with the progress we’ve made up to this point but I’m really excited for the future.”
LaSane is not shy to acknowledge the challenge is has been to be patient, both in waiting his turn and in regaining his health. He said the hardest part of coming back from his knee injuries was enduring the doubt that comes with recovering from a catastrophic injury. He said he spent the winter honing his physical well-being, working on flexibility and overall balanced health in an effort to set the table for a standout senior year.
“It’s all about the heart and the drive. You come in with the right mindset you’re going to achieve what you want to achieve.”
“Waiting is always hard. You just want to get out there, you want to show people what you can do, you want to show people you have what it takes. For me, it’s about that time.”
[/restrict]
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
