Zach Wright has always liked to eat. And he has never had a problem doing what his coaches ask of him. But the challenge he currently has in front of himself is an arduous one.
“It’s funny, I always joke around, you know life starts getting tough when you don’t want to eat,” the Montana State third-year sophomore said following the Triangle Classic spring football game in Great Falls. It’s breakfast, something after breakfast, lunch, something after lunch, dinner, shakes in between all of those. It can be a little tedious.”
[restrict paid=”true”]“I’m trying to get to 275 minimum right now. I have to get there.”
The 6-foot-3 San Antonio-area native came to Montana State as a 245-pound defensive end out of New Braunfels, Texas. Last season, he moved to defensive tackle but played sparingly after suffering a severe sprained ankle during fall camp. This spring, Wright is up to 265 pounds and has made another move: to nose tackle in the middle of Montana State’s defensive line.
“I’m liking it, having fun with it, making it work,” Wright said. “It’s a good time. I never got to play nose guard in high school so it’s a new adventure for me.”
Wright’s move to the inside is mostly out of necessity for a Bobcat squad looking to replace three of its top four interior defensive linemen. Taylor Sheridan earned second-team All-Big Sky Conference honors each of the last two seasons on the inside for MSU. Connor Thomas and Nate Bignell were steady contributors as juniors and seniors. Last season, Tucker Yates became MSU’s present and future at nose guard as a redshirt freshman but the Colstrip native broke his hand the first week of spring drills in March and has missed most of the first spring session under first-year head coach Jeff Choate.
“Tucker is nothing but mass and mass kicks ass,” MSU defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak said. “We need to get Tucker back. Tucker not taking reps hurts.”
Wright has shifted to the inside and has taken most of the first-team reps at nose tackle with junior Matt Brownlow and senior Joe Naotala also seeing time on the inside. Riley Griffiths, a 6-foot-3, 260-pounder who redshirted last fall, has not practiced in two weeks and showed up to Wednesday’s practice wearing a pink hard cast on his left arm.
“Zach is doing a great job,” Gregorak said. “Whatever we have been here, three months, the kid has really made a move. I’m proud of him. He’s working his butt off. He has to keep going. We need every rep, every meeting, every day until Idaho but if he keeps doing what he’s doing, I really like the trajectory at which he’s going. I think he can be a very, very good Big Sky football player.”
“He didn’t bat and eye and that speaks to the kid’s character,” added first-year defensive line coach Byron Hout. “He’s a total team player who wants to do anything to help us win. I have so much respect for Zach.”
Wright began to show flashes as a player who could contribute last spring. His high-motor style draws the attention of his teammates frequently and the effort he plays with up front is noticeable.
“Zach Wright, he’s light right now but they told him to put on weight and he’ll do anything you tell him to,” MSU All-Big Sky senior offensive lineman J.P. Flynn said. “He’ll be a force to be reckoned with there. He never stops. It’s like he has a three-quarter ton Chevy underneath the hood that never stops running.”
Wright’s desire is never in question but his mass is still a work in progress. Montana State will need more than his emergence to shore up the interior of a defense that has been porous for the last two-plus seasons.
Last fall, Montana State brought in nine transfers, including seven on the defensive side of the ball. Up front, junior college players like Naotala and Shiloh LaBoy never adjusted to former defensive coordinator Kane Ioane’s scheme.
Choate, Gregorak and Hout identified Naotala as a player who could contribute in 2016 if he can lock in the mental part of the game and stay healthy. Naotala is a 6-foot-2, 275-pounder out of Palomar Junior College near San Diego.
“Joe is a guy who has a lot of ability but had an injury last year and didn’t get a lot of reps,” Choate said. “He’s a guy who has surprised me in a positive way.”
“Joe has really come along this spring,” Hout added. “His technique has come along. He’s getting better at the fundamentals. I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen from him as well.”
Brownlow has steadily worked his way up the depth chart after earning a roster spot via tryout three years ago. The 5-foot-9, 305-pound bowling ball out of Missoula Sentinel makes up for his lack of height with an unmovable center of gravity and the strongest lower body on the Bobcats. During winter conditioning, the portly defensive tackle squatted 705 pounds, breaking the MSU school record.
Last season, Brownlow saw his first action, notching a tackle for loss in his only game of action. This spring, he has shown flashes, particularly on Saturday when he notched three solo tackles, including a big hit on MSU senior running back Gunnar Brekke.
“I can’t tell you how much better Brownlow has gotten,” Flynn said. “He might be the most improved player on the team.”
Brownlow’s biggest contribution to the Bobcats may be in the locker room. The affable, gregarious junior is one of the team’s most popular players, the butt of the joke on occasion but a quick-witted comedian who will give grief right back.
“I love what Brownlow brings to the table,” Hout said. “He’s a guy who can bring a lot of energy to the group. He’s hilarious. Guys gravitate toward that and his voice.”
All across the defensive line, players are battling for time as new faces try to emerge. Both the offensive and defensive lines have been banged up thus far this spring, creating opportunities for young players like Wright and emerging players like Brownlow.
“You can see we are a little dinged up and that’s what I keep telling these guys after practice,” Gregorak said. “If you go down — I understand it’s football — but if that guy behind you is taking those turns, he’s going to play. I’m new. I don’t know these guys and I don’t have favorites. You put the work in and you are the one who is going to play. If they don’t see that, you will see it come September.”
Last season, Montana State gave up 247 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns per game. That was with Sheridan anchoring the interior. Now an interior group without a start among them outside of Yates will look to prove themselves when fall rolls around.
“It’s always a work in progress but I feel like we are taking good steps forward right now,” Wright said. “We are a young defense getting everyone going. I’m happy with it because we have guys who work hard.”
“This spring has been a big intensity change. It’s pedal to the medal. All gas, no brakes. We have tireless coaches who ride on it and that’s a good mix. The goal is we have to make steps forward in the big things. We have to make sure we don’t give up big plays. We have a lot of ground to cover.”
[/restrict]Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
