The top billed showdown in the Big Sky might just boil down to a battle of the big boys up front.
The Idaho at Montana State primetime showdown this Saturday night on ESPN2 will certainly hinge on the play of the highly touted Vandal defensive line against the always formidable Bobcat’ offensive line…right?
Well, sometimes it seems like whenever everyone thinks they know what’s going to decide the outcome of a game, they’re almost always wrong.
One thing, however, is for sure: the battle between Idaho’s defensive line and MSU’s offensive line is going to be epic. And certainly a duel of two of the fronts in the Big Sky Conference. It may not determine the winner, but the overused cliché of the immovable object – MSU – versus the irresistible force – Idaho – applies wholeheartedly in this case.
The Bobcats have been steamrolling defensive fronts dating back to 2018 when Troy Andersen was converted from a running back/linebacker to quarterback and used his 6-4, 235-pound frame to compliment his offensive line’s skill and bulldoze his way into Montana State immortality.
This season, MSU has toned down its run game in terms of yards per carry slightly due to not using its quarterback to run the ball quite as much as it has in recent years. That fact may make what the Bobcats are doing this season more impressive since teams aren’t paying as much attention to quarterback Tommy Mellott.
MSU may be down to 6.5 yards per carry from its 7.3 average of a year ago, but that is probably because Mellott is only averaging about six carries per game this season, while the combo of Mellott and his quarterback sidekick of the past two seasons, Sean Chambers, had been averaging 21 carries per game the past two seasons. And many of those QB runs were explosive gashes for long gains.
Idaho doesn’t have the long history along its defensive line that MSU has with its offensive line, but the Vandals are on fire this season. UI leads the Big Sky Conference and are third in the nation in sacks with 18. Helena High product Keyshawn James-Newby leads the way with eight, including five sacks combined in UI’s 24-14 loss at Oregon and 17-13 win over Wyoming.
MSU head coach Brent Vigen is well-aware of Idaho’s propensity to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
“Keyshawn James-Newby in particular, I think he’s got eight sacks and he’s been an absolute menace thus far and on third down in particular,” Vigen said. “I think what you see on defense is they fly to the football. They’re very principled, they’re generally in the right place and they play with great effort.”
More importantly, the Vandals are the No. 2 defense in the Big Sky against the run allowing just 2.8 yards per carry. This number comes despite playing two FBS teams – No. 3 ranked Oregon and Wyoming. They held the Ducks to just 133 yards on 31 attempts discounting sacks and kneel downs. Idaho has also taken on UC Davis and preseason BSC offensive MVP running back Lars Larison. The Vandals held Larison in check with just 46 yards on 18 carries.
“Defensively, I think you just look at their numbers,” Vigen said. “They’re giving up less than 20 points a game, less than 100 yards a game rushing, they have 19 sacks, so they’ve made it really hard on opposing offenses to run the ball first, but then they’ve gotten in those passing situations, and they’ve really been able to get after the quarterback.
“They’re a team overall that has the right attitude. They’re well-coached, they don’t put themselves in bad positions. They play complimentary football and it’s going to take a great effort for us on Saturday. We’re looking forward to playing at night, playing on ESPN2.”
The MSU offensive line has been solid for years and machine-like this season. The Bobcats have been hit hard with injuries, but nevertheless haven’t shown any signs of slowing down. If a wheel or cog gets damaged, a new part is right there to slide into place.
Just before the start of the season the guy who is considered the heart-and-soul of the line, senior captain center Justus Perkins, suffered a severe ankle sprain and hasn’t been on the field to date. Guards JT Reed and Burke Mastel were also injured before the first game and a wholesale shuffling of the line occurred. Senior Cole Sain moved to center, while tackles Marcus Wehr and Conner Moore moved into the guard positions. Cedric Jefferson and Titan Fleischmann came off the bench to fill in for Wehr and Moore, which meant not one offensive lineman was at the position they were slated to start the year at.
Despite that, the Bobcats threw up 567 total yards against FBS New Mexico on the road with 362 of them coming from MSU’s vaunted running game. The Bobcats have seen Reed and Mastel return, but Sain, who must be in the running for the team’s most valuable player award, is still at center and performing at a high level.
Where the Bobcats will need to be careful is with the Idaho pass rush.
“They’ll chip with a back, which we should expect,” Idaho head coach Jason Eck said referring to how MSU will use a running back to help its offensive line against the Idaho pass rush. “That opens up some opportunities for some other guys. You look at (defensive end) Malakai Williams, who’s had a sack in each of the last two games. There’ll be times when they trust their O-Line, they’re a good O-Line those guys have played a lot of football. There’ll be times when we get one-on-ones and we’ll hope to win those one-on-ones.”
Mellott has developed a decent play-action fake, and the offensive line will most likely need that to get an edge against Idaho.
“The O-Line and the quarterback are really the difference makers,” Eck said. “The Oline is so good. Coach Johnson (like Eck, a Wisconsin alum) does a good job getting those guys coached up. They come off the ball on tracks, they move well. It’s tough to do anything that’s going to confuse them and throw them off their game.”
The game within the game that is Idaho’s defensive line versus Montana State’s offensive line will be one to watch as “Big Sky After Dark” re-commences at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday night at Bobcat Stadium.
