BOZEMAN — The whipping wind won the day at Bobcat Stadium on Saturday.
Whether punting waywardly or throwing sporadically, any time the football went into the Bozeman air, something unexpected was bound to happen.
Montana State head coach Jeff Choate noticed the gusts as he walked from Brick Breedin Fieldhosue before the game. Sophomore right tackle Mitch Brott noticed the audible sound of the bluster early in the first quarter. MSU quarterback Chris Murray recognized the effect the wind might have after scoring his first of two rushing touchdowns late in the first frame. Thereafter, the Bobcats adjusted accordingly.
MSU scrapped its passing game dominated the line of scrimmage against desperate, winless Portland State. Montana State ran an array of triple option elements out of a diverse collection of formations to the tune of 403 rushing yards on the way to a 30-22 win, its second Big Sky Conference and overall victory this season.
Montana State quarterback Chris Murray (8) and running back Nick LaSane (23) run a zone read play vs. Portland State
“The wind was a huge factor today,” Choate said after his team’s first home victory this season in front of a third straight sellout crowd of 18,977. “When you had the wind in your face, it was very difficult to throw the football and I think that played a role in our play-calling.
“When the wind is blowing the way it is, you have to run the ball and they were packed in. I thought Chris did a tremendous job of making decisions, putting the ball in the right places and when things weren’t there, cutting our losses and not putting us behind the chains too much. I thought the matchup up front was good for us and the (offensive line) worked all week to be ready to operate.”
Murray finished with 126 yards rushing, giving him more than 100 yards in four straight games. He is one of just seven Bobcats — Cody Kirk had five straight in 2011, Demetrius Crawford had five straight in 2008, Ryan Johnson had five straight in 2001, Steve Kracher notched five straight in 1975, Matt Engelking totaled four straight in 1994, Fred Moore had four straight in 1993 — to surpass 100 yards in four straight games.
The Bobcats won their second game with Murray as the starter with two or less pass completions. Murray finished 2-of-9 for nine yards Saturday. He completed just two passes in MSU’s 24-17 win over Montana last season as well.
Murray connected his first two throws of the game, the first to tight end Connor Sullivan for a yard, the second to Mitch Herbert for eight. He did not complete a pass thereafter and MSU hardly tried to throw. During one portion of the third quarter, the Bobcats ran 25 consecutive run plays with the wind in their faces.
Montana State running back Nick LaSane (23) take a pitch play vs. Portland State
“With the wind going with you or the wind going toward you, you can definitely feel the difference and that obviously effected our play calling,” Murray said. “I just had poor passes today so we decided to go more run-heavy.”
The Bobcats ran the ball 57 times and averaged 7.1 yards per rush. Senior Nick LaSane returned to the fold after missing four games due to suspension to run for 63 yards on a team-high 17 rushes. LaSane’s return caused the coaches to contemplate playing true freshman Troy Andersen at linebacker rather than running back as he had MSU’s first four games. Sophomore Edward Vander rushed for 58 yards on eight carries before suffering what Choate deemed “a ding” that sidelined him in the second half.
After warming up with the linebackers, Andersen jumped back on offense and showed his pure speed and power once again. The Dillon product rushed for 85 yards on eight carries, including a 59-yard rumble to get MSU into the red-zone. Andersen helped contribute to the sixth-highest team rushing total in school history.
“We had some plays in the first quarter where we couldn’t connect because of the wind,” Mitch Brott said. “We had to realize it was going to be a running game. The wind definitely had a factor in our passing game.
“We love blocking for Troy. I wouldn’t’ want to talk him. He’s so big and powerful and fast.”
Montana State’s first home victory keeps the Vikings winless. Portland State has now lost five straight and 13 of its last 18 dating back to the beginning of last season. Montana State’s defensive front owned the line of scrimmage all day, holding the Vikings to 2.8 yards per carry on 37 rushes and forcing PSU to throw the ball 52 times.
Portland State head coach Bruce Barnum
“They did a great job of running the football and holding us down,” Portland State head coach Bruce Barnum said after his first game coaching at Bobcat Stadium as a head coach. “We are still keeping young kids how to fight through adversity. The world is not ending. We are 0-5 and we have another one next week.”
Portland State senior quarterback Josh Kraght completed 28-of-52 passes for 317 yards and two touchdowns, both to tight end, the first a 26-yarder into a window to cut the Bobcat lead to 231-3 with 2:14 in the third, the second a 24-yarder with 1:21 left to cut the lead to the final margin. But the Vikings mustered no progress in the run game.
“The biggest thing was making sure we got our fits right, technique, making sure everyone was in the right places,” MSU junior defensive tackle Zach Wright said after notching one of Montana State’s eight tackles for loss. “That’s always the plan: stop the run, make them one dimensional and change the way the ball game goes.”
Portland State entered the game second in the league averaging 229 yards per game on the ground. The Vikings finished with 102 yards. Jason Talley had team-highs of 12 carries for 39 yards. He scored PSU’s lone first-half touchdown.
“The middle of their defense is strong and they played well,” Barnum said. “Their linebackers made a ton of plays. On my side, I wasn’t happy with how our backs were hitting it but that’s on them. They were seeing something that makes them dance. They did a nice job with our run.”
Montana State linebacker Grant Collins (41) rushes Portland State quarterback Josh Kraght (4)
While Kraght produced — particularly to sixth-year senior Darnell Adams (9 catches, 118 yards total) after halftime — Montana State put the athletic Portland State quarterback under consistent pressure with its defensive front. Junior Grant Collins rotated between middle linebacker and Buck end, notching a sack and hitting Kraght at least five other times. Junior Tyrone Fa’anono continued his strong play, notching two tackles for loss and a sack and helping Collins with another sack. MSU held Portland State to 5-of-18 on third downs.
“(Defensive coordinator) Ty (Gregorak) did a really good job of mixing our coverage looks and our defensive line won some one-on-ones,” Choate said. “Not only were we able to flush the quarterback but we were also able to finish it.”
The Bobcats took a 10-7 lead into halftime after a sloppy first two quarters that included a Murray interception that turned into PSU’s lone touchdown of the first half.
MSU’s field goal came after a possession that moved into the red-zone but was thwarted because of five penalties. Brott said several of the false starts were due to the wind making the snap cadence hard to hear. MSU went to a silent cadence the final three quarters.
Coming out of the locker room, the Bobcats had the ball but not the wind, which blew from North to South all day. MSU executed a 12-play, 75-yard drive into the wind capped by Murray’s five-yard touchdown run, his second scoring spurt of the day.
“That’s what we prepared for all week,” Brott said of controlling the line of scrimmage. “We understand that we have to come off the ball to win a game, move the inside two guys and we did that today.
One the very next PSU possession, MSU pinned the Vikings deep in their own territory. On the ensuing punt, PSU freshman Hayden Cowden’s tough day — he had four punts of under 25 yards in the first half — continued as he bobbled the snap. MSU true freshman Chad Kanow jumped on the ball for a touchdown that gave the Bobcats a suddenly commanding 23-7 lead.
Montana State quarterback Chris Murray (8) evades a Portland State defender
“That was really the game right there, boom boom, we get a 14-point swing midway through the third quarter,” Choate said. “Credit to them, they came back and fought a little bit and we did some things that didn’t give us an opportunity. We should’ve put a few more touchdowns on the board and you can’t do that against a good team. I know we will learn from that and improve.”
MSU continued to run the ball with authority thereafter but couldn’t muster many points. The Bobcats gave up Taumoepeuau’s first touchdown catch, then Andersen’s long run put MSU in position. But four straight run plays six yards away from the end-zone netted no points, giving the Vikings the ball again.
Midway through the fourth quarter, MSU pounded in the final nail. Murray’s first pass attempt in 26 plays was a shot down the field to Justin Paige. He barely overthrew the senior speedster but loosened the coverage. Minutes later, MSU ran an end-around to Paige, Murray put a crucial diving block on PSU senior corner Donovan Olumba and Paige sprinted to his first touchdown of the season. The Houston native’s parents and siblings were in attendance to see the score.
“We always have some things in the game plan to take advantage of matchups and get the ball in the hands of our playmakers,” Choate said. “One guy who hasn’t has the ball a whole lot is Justin Paige and we get them playing a little softer because we take that shot at midfield and that’s important. Even if you don’t complete those, that sends a message. And then I thought the biggest block of the day might’ve been Chris on the edge on that end-around touchdown.”
Montana State linebacker Chad Kanow (54) celebrates a fumble recovery touchdown vs. Portland State
Portland State will look for its first win with Northern Arizona coming to the City of Roses next Saturday. Montana State’s attention now turns to a showdown at defending Big Sky champion No. 8 Eastern Washington.
“That’s a game we probably lose a year ago and we did lose a number of games a year ago similar to this,” Choate said, reminiscing about his team’s 0-6 start to league play in his first season, a 4-7 finish, a year ago. “They start creeping back, our guys take their foot off the gas. But we responded in all three phases. It certainly wasn’t the cleanest football game. I would think that Bruce would say the same thing.
“But wins are hard to come by and this sets us up for a huge game next week against Eastern Washington.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
