Justin Paige entered the 2016 season averaging more than 32 yards per catch during his first two years in Bozeman. The lightning fast wide receiver caught seven touchdowns of more than 40 yards among his 25 career catches entering his junior season.
Jayshawn Gates entered his junior season with five touchdowns of more than 35 yards, either receiving or rushing.
In 2014, Montana State broke a school record by scoring 496 points en route to the FCS playoffs. The Bobcats averaged 6.7 yards per ply, 5.3 yards per rush and 13.9 yards per catch as 10 players scored touchdowns of more than 35 yards. In 2015, MSU led the Big Sky Conference by averaging 42 points and 519 yards per game. Paige averaged 34.8 yards per catch, Gates averaged 22.2 yards per catch and tight end Beau Sandland piled up nine touchdowns and averaged 17.1 yards per catch as an astounding 15 different Bobcats notched plays of at least 39 yards.
But Tim Cramsey, the puppeteer of MSU’s explosive spread offense, was sent packing with Rob Ash’s firing in December. Star quarterback Dakota Prukop transferred to Oregon within the month. With them, Montana State’s explosive abilities offensively, particularly in the pass game, left Bozeman as well.
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“That’s not how we play games anymore,” MSU senior offensive guard J.P. Flynn said following his team’s homecoming 17-15 loss to North Dakota last week. “Our style of play is not run and gun, go shot for shot, try to keep a game rolling. It’s throw a punch, throw a punch, stick a jab, stick a jab, stop the run on defense and try to win hard-fought games.”
With Courtney Messingham calling the offensive plays, the Bobcats have struggled to make plays down the field. Montana State has one rush for more than 30 yards this season — a 33-yard scamper by true freshman Chris Murray in the middle of the second quarter of a 27-24 victory over Bryant on a drive that manufactured no points.
Montana State has four passing plays for more than 30 yards: a 32-yard touchdown catch from Bruggman to Mitch Herbert in MSU’s 55-0 blowout of Division II Western Oregon; a 42-yard yard throw from junior Tyler Bruggman to Paige on a drive that resulted in MSU’s third field goal of the day in a 17-15 loss to North Dakota; a 39-yard completion from Bruggman to sophomore tight end Connor Sullivan on the last play of the first half against UND; and a 55-yard catch and run by true freshman Kevin Kassis late in the fourth quarter to set up a Chad Newell touchdown run. Newell got stuffed on the ensuing two-point try and UND emerged with a victory in Bozeman.
“One thing we have to do a better job of as receivers is we have to do a better job of winning more 50/50 balls,” MSU Choate said. “There was a lot of opportunities for us, some tight coverage, us knocking the ball down. Herby (Herbert) had two in that game where I thought, heck, if he makes that one, maybe we are in a different situation.”
“We have to put our guys in position where throws are contested and we go and compete for the ball and we have to win those battles more frequently.”
This season, Paige has 11 catches for 137 yards after averaging more than 32 yards per catch each of the last two seasons. Gates has been hindered by an ankle injury and has just one offensive touch. Sophomore John D’Agostino has emerged as Bruggman’s top target, catching 16 balls but averaging 9.5 yards per grab.
“I challenged my guys the other day to have somebody step up and be an explosive playmaker,” MSU first-year wide receiver coach Matt Miller said on Monday. “I think that’s one thing we are missing right now is somebody who can really stretch the field, make plays and catch those 50/50 balls. I think once we get that going, we are going to be a very dynamic offense and people will like the product we put on the field.”
Choate admitted on Monday that having Gates, a 5-foot-8, 155-pounder from Palo Alto, California with speed to burn, on the shelf has removed a speed element of MSU’s formerly explosive attack. He is set to return either this week against Sacramento State — a team he caught a 45-yard touchdown against in 2014 in MSU’s 59-56 victory in Sac — or next week against Northern Arizona in Bozeman.
“I hope Jayshawn is one of those guys who can take the top off the defense,” Choate said. “He’s got a little different speed than some of the guys we have right now.”
Herbert, a third-team All-Big Sky selection last season, has 15 catches for a team-best 221 yards (14.7 yards per catch) and two touchdowns. But he has not been the red-zone threat he was a year ago when he hauled in eight touchdowns as a second-year sophomore.
“Mitch is an easy guy to coach because he’s so eager to learn and he’s a guy who wants to take as much football knowledge as he can,” Miller said. “The big thing is challenging him not to be satisfied and trying to get him to always want to improve and compete and be the best guy, not only in the room but in the league and then in the country. He has to have that chip on his shoulder and he will keep getting better and better.”
While Paige and, when healthy, Gates have looked like better fits for MSU’s previous offense, D’Agostino and Kassis have shown flashes as young players. Kassis, a 5-foot-10, 177-pounder from El Dorado Hills, California, has broken into the rotation despite being on MSU’s campus for less than three months. The shifty, sharp route runner has become MSU’s primary kick and punt returner in recent weeks but did not receive any touches MSU’s first three games.
Last week, Kassis was targeted on three straight plays in the second quarter, catching all three Bruggman balls. Late in the fourth quarter, he broke off UND freshman Torrey Hunt on a slick hitch route, juked up field and sprinted within three yards of the end-zone for a career-long 55-yard gain to set up Newell’s touchdown.
“He’s got a lot of room left still to grow but he’s getting more responsibility within the offense over the last few weeks in terms of what he can handle mentally because physically, he’s a very good player,” Miller said. “Once he gets the mental aspect of football and what we are trying to accomplish offensively, he will be very good for us.”
Montana State heads to Sacramento State, a team that is giving up 275 passing yards per outing. Quarterbacks are racking up an efficiency rating of 149.5 against the Hornets, higher than all but three teams in the 13-team Big Sky. Last week, Idaho State’s Tanner Gueller completed 26-of-34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns in ISU’s 42-34 win over Sac State.
“Our room, we left a lot of plays out there we didn’t make against UND and that’s something we have to fix,” Miller said. “I tell my guys every week if we are the difference between winning and losing, if we go make those plays, it changes the whole game. We have to. That’s our main focus is making those plays down the field or turning the hitch route into a 50-yard gain.”
[/restrict]Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
