Bobcats seek success at Sacramento State
Montana State’s football team usually gets into shootouts in Sacramento.
But that’s not what the Bobcats are aiming for these days.
“We’re going to be tested,” said MSU first-year coach Jeff Choate, whose team takes on the winless Sacramento State Hornets Saturday night at 7 (KFBB Fox-TV; FM-102.7) in a Big Sky Conference game. “It’s a must-win game for them.”
It’s also pretty important for the Bobcats, 0-1 in league play and 2-2 overall after last week’s 17-15 home loss to North Dakota.
“We played a very spirited game, we had a good opponent in our house, our crowd was phenomenal, (and) it was a golden opportunity to get a win,” Choate said. “And we didn’t do enough to win it.”
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The Hornets know the feeling.
Sacramento State (0-1, 0-4) is trying to break a seven-game losing streak dating back to last season. Coach Jody Sears’ team opened the season with a 38-30 loss to Western Oregon, the same NCAA Division II foe that Montana State blasted 55-0 a few weeks ago.
The Hornets are playing better lately, based on narrow setbacks at Weber State (14-7) and Idaho State (42-34). Sac State has also lost on the road at FBS Fresno State (31-3).
“They’re definitely better than their record indicates,” Choate said. “Not just the Weber State game, but you look at the Fresno State game and it was essentially a 10-3 game going into the fourth quarter. They’ve played some really good defense at times. They’re very explosive.
“You can see they’ve improved each week.”
Bobcat trips to Hornet Stadium in recent years have produced victories by outlandish scores such as 59-56 (in 2014) and 64-61 (in OT 2010). Montana State’s defense, led by new coordinator Ty Gregorak and Choate, a former top defensive aide at Boise State and Washington, has made tremendous strides and enters this week allowing an average of only 336 yards per game.
But the Bobcat offense has averaged only 350 yards. Junior quarterback Tyler Bruggman has displayed accuracy and poise, but he’s not show much arm strength and last week threw three interceptions in the narrow loss to North Dakota.
Choate called his offensive performance in that one a case of “one step forward, two steps back.”
“We’re just not quite mature enough to win those types of games right now,” Choate said. “We’ve lost two games by a total of five points (including a 20-17 setback at Idaho). I think we’re playing well on defense, but we’ve got to find a rhythm and more consistency on offense.”
Senior halfback Chad Newell rushed for 100 yards after missing two games with a hand injury. But the rugged runner from Billings Senior also hurt his knee and might not be available on Saturday. If that’s the case, halfback Gunnar Brekke will have to pick up the slack.
Bruggman might also be looking more often for freshman receiver Kevin Kassis, who made some big plays last week.
We did get some explosive plays in the pass game. But it was one step forward, two steps back.
Sac State is led by sophomore quarterback Nate Ketteringham, who threw for 327 yards and rushed for 96 last week at Idaho State. Junior receiver Isiah Hennie is his top target.
“Their quarterback is settling in and maturing, especially (Hennie),” Choate said. “They’ve got some versatility in the backfield and their quarterback’s a good runner, too. He’ll hurt you with his feet if you don’t leverage him.”
The Hornets have lost 13 or their last 14, including seven in a row, dating back to last year. But Sears, 9-18 in his third season, said his players and staff, which includes former Eastern Washington and Washington State head coach Paul Wulff as his top assistant, remains upbeat.
“We don’t just look at our record and hound-dog it all day,” Sears said. “That’s not how we do our business.
“You can just stare at your record and do the ‘woe is me,’ but that’s not how these guys are wired. They come hungry every day. They play hard. They’re just not getting the results they want to see. Over the course of time you keep rowing, you keep at it, you keep sawing wood so to speak, you coach ’em hard and you coach ’em positive.”