Idaho defensive coordinator Mike Breske has long been known for his propensity to blitz. Bryant’s multiple defense brought pressure from various angles and lined up its 308-pound nose tackle as a standup inside linebacker as much as Marquise Watson played with his hand on the ground. Western Oregon ran what Montana State offensive guard J.P. Flynn called “a junk defense” that also brought pressure from various angles.
But none of Montana State’s first three opponents ran a defense quite like the University of North Dakota. Montana State hosts the Fighting Hawks for its homecoming game to open up Big Sky Conference play for both teams on Saturday.
“This is a max pressure unit,” Montana State head coach Jeff Choate said on Monday. “They bring it from a lot of different angles, a very hard team to prepare for. They run multiple fronts. They are challenging in terms of the multiple schemes you are going to see. They mix coverage, they blitz over 60 percent of the time. They are a high-risk, high-reward type of defense.
“They make a lot of negative plays and that’s been something that has hurt us on offense. When we get behind the sticks, whether it’s them getting a tackle for loss or us jumping off side, that’s something they thrive on defensively.”
North Dakota junior safety Cole Reyes, right pictured here against MSU last season, is one of UND’s defensive leaders/ Photo by Brooks Nuanez
North Dakota’s defensive 3-4 defensive scheme has continued to grow its reputation as a baffling, play-making unit since Bubba Schweigert took over at his alma mater before the 2014 season. From defensive linemen Noah Johnson and Tank Harris to inside linebacker Connor O’Brien to outside linebacker and pass rush specialist Brian Labat to physical safety Cole Reyes to play-making cornerback Deion Harris, UND’s defense earned Choate’s praise on all three levels during Monday’s press conference.
“The true test is this week, no question,” Choate said. “This is a team that probably should’ve been a playoff team a year ago. Coach Schweigert and their staff have really built it over time. They return nine starters on defense and they are a very good defensive outfit. I think this is going to be the measuring stick for us early in the season is this game.”
North Dakota enters its Big Sky opener with a 1-2 record that could be 3-0 if a play or two in each of its losses went in UND’s favor. In their season opener in Long Island at Stony Brook, the Fighting Hawks stuffed the Seawolves, allowing 1.8 yards per carry on 34 rushes to a traditionally strong running team. The Fighting Hawks notched nine tackles for loss, four sacks and forced three fumbles. North Dakota gave up just 221 total yards and no offensive touchdowns. Reyes’ safety with 11:51 left in the third quarter gave UND a 9-7 lead.
But Stony Brook pulled out an unlikely victory over the then-No. 19 team in the FCS. Gavin Heslop blocked Austin Dussold’s punt and Kyle Morgan returned it seven yards for a touchdown with 8:52 to play to lift SBU to a 13-9 win.
The following week playing at FBS Bowling Green, UND again smothered the run, giving up 88 yards on 34 carries, or 2.6 yards per rush. North Dakota notched seven tackles for loss, three sacks and picked off three passes, including two by Harris. The 6-foot-3 junior captain’s 61-yard interception return for a touchdown helped UND enter the fourth quarter trailing 27-20.
“That’s our goal every week is to put the pressure on the offense, put them on their heels and make them uncomfortable,” said Harris, the reigning Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week. “We work interceptions in practice, when we get the ball in our hands, we work blocking whoever is in front of us. We want to score every time.”
UND junior quarterback Keaton Studsrud led UND on a nine-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with Stetson Carr’s 3-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining. UND went for two, Studsrud’s game-winning attempt bounced off Carr’s hands and North Dakota fell to 0-2 with the 27-26 loss.
Last week in the 51st Potato Bowl against South Dakota, North Dakota fell behind 34-14 late in the third quarter. UND rallied back to tie the game 34-34 when Harris took an interception 33 yards for his second touchdown in as many weeks with 3:28 left in regulation.
UND cornerbackDeion Harris (19) takes an interception back for a touchdown in his team’s 47-44 2OT win over USD last week/ by Tyler Ingham, UND athletics
“I just expected it, you have to think of stuff before the play and think of what might happen and he did what I thought he was going to do,” Harris said. “I broke on it and had to make a play.”
Stud sophomore running back John Santiago ripped off a 25-yard touchdown run to begin overtime before setting up Studsrud for the winning one-yard plunge with a seven-yard burst of his own in double overtime. UND prevailed, 47-44. Reyes also added a first-quarter interception return for a touchdown, giving UND a Big Sky-best three defensive scores already this season.
“They are confusing people,” MSU first-year offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham said. “Generally when you are seeing pick-6s, the quarterback didn’t realize what the coverage was and basically threw it right to a guy who is breaking down hill on it. From my standpoint, that’s what Tyler (Bruggman) and any of our quarterbacks have to understand at any given point what they are trying to do to us.”
North Dakota’s five interceptions is second in the league behind Montana State’s seven. UND leads the league in rushing defense (112.7 yards per game) and its seven sacks ranks second. Harris is tied with MSU’s John Walker for the league lead in interceptions with three each.
“They are a high-risk, high reward defense,” Choate said. “They play some zero coverage, meaning they are going to play man all the way across the board. You aren’t going to have a post safety when the ball pops through the line of scrimmage or you catch a quick slant, there’s nobody there. You are banging your head against the goal post and that’s who is going to stop the guy with the ball. But this is who they are. They are not trying to manufacture things. This is their identity and their DNA on defense.”
Big plays have plagued the Fighting Hawks at times this fall. Scott Miller caught a 71-yard touchdown in the first quarter and scored on a 51-yard reception in the second quarter to stake Bowling Green to a 21-10 lead. The Falcons totaled six plays of more than 20 yards in the win. South Dakota’s Drew Potter scored on a 30-yard reception and Riley Donovan added a 63-yard touchdown catch in the first half, two of five plays of more than 20 yards from the Coyotes.
“They give up two or three a game, but they can live with that because they create a ton of negative plays, a ton of tackles for loss, they hit the quarterback a bunch and he starts making bad decisions,” Choate said. “Most of their turnovers are happening in the second half and that’s something you see as a result of some of the shots the quarterback takes early in the game.”
MSU quarterback Tyler Bruggman/ by Brooks Nuanez
Montana State’s offense has found its rhythm on the heels of explosive plays thus far this season. Bruggman’s 29-yard completion to Mitch Herbert on the first play of the year sparked a touchdown drive at Idaho on MSU’s first possession of 2016. MSU’s second touchdown drive of the season included a 20-yard completion from Bruggman to Chad Newell and a 22-yard reception by John D’Agostino.
In a 27-24 win over Bryant, Gunnar Brekke’s 28-yard run sparked MSU’s first touchdown drive. Chris Murray’s 33-yard quarterback keeper set up MSU’s second. In MSU’s 55-0 win over Western Oregon last week, the first two touchdown drives were set up by MSU takeaways deep in WOU territory. MSU’s third TD drive included a 24-yard throw from Bruggman to Herbert. It’s fourth scoring drive included a 15-yard Bruggman scamper and a 30-yard touchdown pass to Justin Paige. Montana State only has two offensive possessions this season that have included a 15-yard play and not resulted in a touchdown.
“One of the things against North Dakota is you can’t miss opportunities,” Messingham said. “When you watch the South Dakota-North Dakota game, you watch South Dakota take advantage of just about every one of those opportunities to score touchdowns. We can’t leave plays out there. When opportunities come, we have to take full advantage.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
