BOZEMAN — Less than 48 hours after a heart-wrenching defeat in what Jeff Choate called a program-defining win, Montana State’s second-year head coach sat down to watch film. With 12 days to prepare for his next game — MSU had a bye last week — Choate did anything but relax.
Instead, as the video played, Choate had a flashback to the nightmarish finish to the game that marked the beginning of the downward spiral during Choate’s trying first season.
“I watched last year’s North Dakota game this morning,” Choate said on Monday, September 11, less than two full days after his team lost their home opener 31-27 to No. 4 South Dakota State. “I don’t know – That’s bad memories, man.”
MSU quarterback Tyler Bruggman (11) eludes a UND blitzer last season
Choate hung his head when recollecting the dismal ending for his team. Entering MSU’s first Big Sky Conference game of the Choate era, the Bobcats were 2-1, Tyler Bruggman seemed like the quarterback of the present and foreseeable future and early on, MSU’s defensive improvements were on full display as the Bobcats smothered All-American running back John Santiago.
In the last four minutes of the game, it all fell apart for the Bobcats. A pair of Bruggman interceptions in the final 3:48 combined with a 60-yard touchdown run by North Dakota stud Brady Oliveira turned a one-point game into a 17-9 UND advantage.
The Bobcats cut the lead to 17-15 before Bruggman’s second fourth-quarter pick only to have eventual Big Sky Defensive MVP Cole Reyes stand All-Big Sky fullback Chad Newell up in the hole on the goal line to thwart a game-tying two-point attempt. MSU’s next possession ended with Zach Arnell intercepting Bruggman, signaling the his fall from grace as MSU’s gunslinger and opening the door for true freshman Chris Murray.
The Bobcats lost to the eventual Big Sky champions that day, 17-15. The following week, Murray came off the bench to rush for 180 yards but his fumble late cost MSU in a damning 41-38 loss at Sacramento State. From there, injuries, inexperience, inconsistency and a revolving rotation at quarterback sent MSU to losses in Choate’s first six Big Sky games.
Montana State’s defense bottles up John Santiago last season
“What is there, 3:48 on the clock and we are down by one? We turned the ball over three times in a one-point ball game and lost by two,” Choate recalled. “We really had out-played them for the majority of the first half and into the second half. They are a physical outfit. That’s what they do. They grind you down. They win games in the second half.”
The Bobcats will get a chance at redemption on Saturday. MSU opens its second conference slate under Choate with the head coach’s first-ever trip to Grand Forks. North Dakota’s two-point win over Montana State last season sent MSU on a six-game losing streak while lighting the fuse for an eight-game rip through the Big Sky by the Fighting Hawks. North Dakota won nine games overall last season to claim a share of the first Big Sky crown in school history.
“We moved the ball effectively but we had a lot of missed opportunities a year ago,” MSU offensive coordinator Brian Armstrong said on September 11. “We have to give our guys a game plan we can execute and allow them to play fast. One of the things North Dakota does is they play fast. And they are committed whether it’s right, wrong or indifferent. They are not afraid to make a full-speed decision. We have to have the same mindset.”
Montana State is 0-2 and fresh off a bye. The Bobcats took some semblance of momentum into the week off after a sudden and somewhat unexpected second-half offensive explosion against SDSU. MSU quarterback Chris Murray threw for 311 yards and rushed for 107, mostly after halftime as MSU overcame a 17-0 deficit to cut the margin to a field goal in the fourth quarter. Murray’s passing yardage total marked a career high as did his four touchdown passes.
Montana State quarterback Chris Murray against South Dakota State
At the Alerus Center Saturday afternoon, Murray and the Bobcat offense will face a swarming defensive unit that blitzes as much as any defense in college football.
“Man, they get off the bus blitzing,” Armstrong said last week. “They bring pressure from the first snap until the last snap. It’s everywhere. It’s linebackers, it’s secondary, it’s safeties, corners, coming from everywhere and they don’t shy away from it. If they don’t get home, they are going to keep bringing it.”
The defined identity of the UND football team carries over to the offensive side. Although the Fighting Hawks have been decimated by injuries on both sides of the ball— All-American cornerback Deion Harris tore his Achilles tendon in July, key players like All-Big Sky offensive guard Demon Taylor, starting inside linebackers Donnell Rodgers and Cam Hunt, starting fullback Kyle Norberg and veteran wide receiver Josh Seibel are out indefinitely against MSU and starters cornerback Evan Holm plus offensive tackles Mat Cox and A.J. Stockwell are all listed as questionable — North Dakota’s tough-minded style is easy to observe offensively and defensively.
“They know who they are, what their identity is,” MSU second-year defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak said on Monday. “Sure enough, that identity co-champed the league last year. Run the ball, control the clock…shoot, they had nine wins in a pretty dang competitive league. They know what their identity is defensively too.
“They are good. You can tell he has that thing into a well-oiled machine. They will be a challenge for us.”
Montana State running back Chad Newell (17) fights for yards against North Dakota safety Zach Arnell (20)
While Montana State enters the game after having 14 days to contemplate its most recent home heartbreaker, North Dakota is coming off a beat down by its border rival.
South Dakota pounded UND in Vermillion last Saturday, building a 38-0 halftime lead in a 45-7 victory. The loss dropped North Dakota from No. 10 to No. 17 in the most recent FCS polls. Just like last season, UND enters league play 1-2.
Choate has watched all three of UND’s game so far this season. In North Dakota’s 37-16 loss against No. 23 Utah in the opener, Choate observed a visiting team that matched the Utes’ physicality for much of the contest. In the Fighting Hawks’ 34-0 win over Missouri State, Choate saw a team that dominated the game in tempo, tone and temperament to post the first shutout under fourth-year head coach Bubba Schweigert.
Against South Dakota, both Choate and Gregorak observed a South Dakota team that “set the tone from the outset”, Gregorak said. The injuries seemed to mount and the momentum got away from the Fighting Hawks. Despite the recent lopsided result, Choate emphasized to his players Monday to judge the South Dakota loss as an anomaly rather than what to expect from their hosts on Saturday.
“They did not play up to what I think of that program,” Choate said. “I told our players, ‘Don’t watch this game, watch the Utah game, how they compete and how they fly around.’ They are a well-coached outfit.”
“Coach Schweigert is a great football coach who has won a lot of games and been around that football program for a long time. That’s a championship outfit and I know they will respond. I know what’s coming for us. I’ve tried to let our kids know that.
“This is a team that won the conference championship a year ago and I know that coaching staff will have their full attention. We are going to have our hands full.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved
