BOZEMAN — Montana State’s offense has a slew of question marks as the Bobcats march through their third fall camp under head coach Jeff Choate.
Who will be the wide receivers to rise up and replace the production of graduated captain Mitch Herbert and injured senior Jabarri Johnson?
How will the Bobcats replace four of their five leading rushers from the ground attack that led the Big Sky Conference last season?
Who will be the man to replace the leading rusher in the league, quarterback Chris Murray?
The one spot of stability on the MSU offensive attack is in the trenches. The Bobcats return senior captain Alex Neale for his third straight season starting at center. Junior Mitch Brott is also a three-year starter, although he will start on the blindside instead of at power tackle like he has the last two seasons. Because of an injury then an abrupt departure from the program by Jake McFetridge, Taylor Tuiasosopo started eight games as a redshirt freshman last season. Because of an injury to Caleb Gillis, converted defensive lineman Lewis Kidd started five games at right guard last season.
The only player the Bobcats lose from a unit that helped the Bobcats rush for 250 yards per game last season is second-team All-Big Sky left tackle Dylan Mahoney. Other than that, the front line of the Bobcat offense is flush with young talent and gaining experience.
“Guys understand the expectation,” MSU second-year offensive line coach Josh Taufalele said. “They understand what we want as a program, practice standards and it’s awesome that the guys who know have taken the young guys under their wings and showed them the way.”
Brott, a 6-foot-6, 290-pounder out of Billings, is entrenched as a starter on the unit, as is Neale, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound former UNLV transfer. Who might start where at the other three spots is dependent on who continues to emerge from a group that includes Tuiasosopo, Kidd, redshirt freshmen Connor Wood and Zach Redd and sophomore Jake Sessions.
“I think we have seven or eight guys right now,” Taufalele said. “It’s good for us to have different roles, put guys in different spots and see what the best five is.
“I think it adds value to them knowing they can play multiple positions. Personally, I think you have to play multiple positions instead of being a one-trick pony.”
The primary position battle is between Redd and Wood, a pair of Boise natives who were among the top signees in Choate’s second recruiting class. The duo is competing for a spot, albeit not the same spot.
For the last week, Wood has taken repetitions with the starting offense at right tackle, which pushes the 6-foot-6, 295-pound Kidd, a converted defensive tackle, into right guard. Redd has pushed Neale at center — Neale took most of his reps at guard during spring football — while Redd has also taken snaps at both guard positions. When Redd is at right guard, Kidd bumps out to right tackle.
“We are trying to find our five best guys and that’s what we are going through right now,” Choate said. “Can Woody be our right tackle? How does that look for the rest of the offensive line?
“Josh likes Woody at right tackle and Lewis at right guard. We know Zach will continue to push Alex at center, which means Tui has to dial in, get his stuff together because if Redd plays center, Alex is on Tui’s heels at guard. And Jake Sessions has had a really good camp.”
Kidd and Tuiasosopo experienced getting thrown into the fire early as redshirt freshmen last fall. Kidd came to Montana State as a two-way player out of Twin Cities-area powerhouse Totino-Grace High. He spent his redshirt season in 2016 moving between defensive end and defensive tackle. Last spring, he switched to offensive line and started getting first-team repetitions almost immediately.
Tuiasosopo, a first-team all-state selection at Paraclete High in Lancaster south of Los Angeles, stood out from the day his stepped on campus because of his physicality, his vibrant personality and his instant competitiveness on MSU’s scout team. Three games into the season, McFetrdige suffered an injury that ultimately resulted in his retirement.
“Mental toughness and experience,” Tuiasosopo said when asked about what he learned his first season. “Being able to finally get my feet wet and know what I am capable of, finally get a taste of college football because last year was my first year playing since my senior year of high school. I know the speed is fast.”
Kidd and Tuiasosopo were in the same position last fall camp as Wood and Redd are in now. Even though they are just one year removed from the experience, Kidd and Tuiasosopo have tried to provide guidance for the younger linemen.
“It’s crazy going from a redshirt freshman who doesn’t play, haven’t played real football since your senior year of high school and that’s a shock for some guys,” Kidd said. “Senior year, you know you are going to college, you don’t have to compete for a spot. A lot of these guys, it’s a shock that they have to really hone in on the aspects you might not necessarily learned or become acclimated to in high school.
“Those guys have to grow up faster. I think they’ve done a great job since spring ball getting in extra film, getting in extra work and helping each other up their games. It comes down now to who is doing it the most. They are both great competitors and it will be great to see who gets it.”
Although Montana State’s offensive line performed among the top units in the Big Sky last season, during spring drills the MSU defensive line had their way. A Bobcat front that includes seniors end Tyrone Fa’anono, nose guard Tucker Yates and tackle Zach Wright along with a collection of other talent pushed the offensive front to the brink daily.
That battle continues as MSU approaches the second half of fall camp this month. If the competition in the trenches is any indication, Choate likes the improvement of the offensive line.
“It’s not fun for the young guys to go against those experienced d-linemen,” Choate said. “I think our entire offensive line has improved dramatically. In the spring, they got taken to the woodshed most of the spring with our pass rushers. Those guys, I can tell, are putting the time and effort in. They are taking the coaching Coach Taufalele is giving them. They are taking pride in protecting the quarterback. We can help them out by doing some things at times but those guys have definitely improved.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
Big Sky teams employ various strategies for developing offensive linemen
