GAME #6: Montana State welcomes longtime rival for homecoming

football
Oct 4, 2024 10:49:00 am

Bill Lamberty

MSU hosts the Northern Colorado Bears

BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State coach Brent Vigen knows one of the major storylines surrounding his team's opponent this week, Northern Colorado, and he doesn't want to hear about it.

“In Northern Colorado we are dealing with a team that has struggled with records, but has competed very well at times this year,” Vigen said. “They took Abilene Christian, a top-ranked team, to the brink. Abilene Christian needed a last-second field goal to win the game. They had lightning.”

The Bears, 0-5 this season and 0-1 in Big Sky play, come into Bobcat Stadium on a 17-game losing streak. This year's roster is led by a veteran defensive front that includes four veteran starters and three veteran linebackers. The team gives up 33.2 points per game, but that number is skewed by Colorado State's 38 points allowed and Stephen F. Austin's 48 points scored. None of the other three opponents reached 30 points.

“They have some good players up front and that’s always the first thing you notice,” Vigen said. “They have some talented players in their front seven, some with good size and good athleticism for that size. They move in and out of different fronts and are not afraid to apply pressure.”

Safety Cam Chapa's 30 tackles lead a UNC defense that has 10 players with at least 20 tackles. Chapa and Keenan Guthrie led UNC's interceptions this season, while Guthrie and Ladavion Osborn forced fumbles that UNC recovered. These are the team's four successes this season.

Northern Colorado's offensive season was marred by injuries at the quarterback position. Five different players have thrown more than one pass and four different Bears have started a game at that position. “That alone turns your stomach as a coach,” Vigen said of the revolving door at quarterback.

Montana State's fourth-year head coach said the process of preparing a defensive plan for a team with multiple quarterbacks starts with who is likely to be available. “I think we feel like there are a few guys that are out there, so you narrow it down to the guys that you think are going to play and what's their mode, what's their style? In the last game, those two guys didn't appear. “They'll be out this week and they're two different guys (Kia'i Keone) is much more of a runner, and as far as their running game goes, they have an element of quarterback running.” , and he would be their biggest threat.

Keone is the team's second-leading rusher, averaging 4.0 yards per carry and 43.7 yards per game. Darius Stewart leads the team with 5.0 yards per carry and 58.8 yards per game. Kaiden Box made his debut behind center for the Bears last week when he started the game and completed two of his eight pass attempts.

The Cats return home after a hard-fought win last week at Idaho State. “It wasn’t easy,” said Vigen. “Our guys had to fight for it and a lot of the credit goes to Idaho State. They definitely have some players that cause some problems.”

The Bengals cut MSU's lead to 17-10 early in the fourth quarter, but after that it was all the Bobcats. “Our players didn’t panic when it got to the point where there was only one result,” Vigen said. “They responded with a touchdown, a big play, then got a stop and a long drive for a touchdown.”

The win increased Montana State's record to 5-0 on the season, 1-0 in Big Sky play. When the 1984 National Championship Bobcats are honored at the Homecoming competition this week, members of that team's high-flying offense may have difficulty recognizing this year's ground attack as descendants. That team gained three-quarters of their yards through the air, while the 2024 Cats gained 64% of their yards through the air.

Sophomore running back Scottre Humphrey continues to be one of the best ball carriers in the country. He enters this week's game with 117.4 rushing yards per game, ranked sixth in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and a freshman running back Adam Jones' 79.2 yards per game is 38^Th. Senior quarterback Tommy Mellott Runs for 42.0 yards per game and completes passes at a rate of .682 (70-102, no interceptions and eight touchdowns), 10th^Th in FCS.

Efficiency also remains a hallmark of the Bobcats defense. MSU's 18.4 points allowed per game ranks eighth nationally and the team ranks 14th^Th in third defense (.294). Security for seniors Rylan Ortts ISU's first interception of the season came at a crucial moment in this contest, on a Bengals takeaway, and he is second on the Bobcat team with 25 total tackles. Linebackers McCade O'Reilly (29) and Danny Uluilakepa (25) also top MSU's tackles list.

This week's game begins at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast across Montana on Scripps' CBS stations (along with MTN in Missoula/Kalispell).

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