As Montana State begins fall camp next, Skyline Sports will break down the Bobcats’ roster by highlighting prominent battles for playing time in each position group.
Today’s position: Field cornerback
The players: Bryce Alley (a 5-foot-11, 175-pound sophomore), Trace Timmer (6-foot, 185-pound senior), Tre’Von Strong (6-1, 190 freshman), Sidney Holmes (5-11, 190 freshman), and Chris Harris (6-2, 190 freshman).
What’s at stake: Along with All-America linebacker Alex Singleton, Deonte Flowers was a bright spot on an otherwise dismal Montana State defense over the last two years. Flowers earned All-Big Sky honors twice, including earning first-team accolades last fall. Even with Flowers in the lineup last season, Montana State still struggled mightily to defend the pass. The Bobcats gave up 293 yards per game, worst in the league and third-worst in the FCS. Opponents threw for 28 touchdowns against MSU.
So to say the cornerback spot opposite senior Bryson Keeton and in place of Flowers is a crucial position battle is an understatement. MSU will need solid contributions from at least a couple of a collection of players who haven’t produced much as Bobcats.
Timmer w/ Keeton
How they fared in 2014: Timmer, a Great Falls High product, and Alley are the only players in the competition that did anything for Montana State last season. Timmer had 13 tackles, mostly playing special teams and broke up a pass in 13 games of action. Alley, a true sophomore out of Houston-area powerhouse North Shore High, had two tackles in seven games of action as a true freshman.
Greene spent last season as a walk-on redshirt at Washington State. He was cut after spring drills.
Strong was a Class AA second-team All-State selection at Billings Skyview. Holmes was a District 5A-22 first-team selection at Beaumont High outside of Houston. Harris led the state in interceptions with nine before blowing out his knee midway through his senior year at Elsinore High in Southern California.
How they fared during spring practice: Montana State had only four corners in spring practice: Keeton, Alley, Timmer and sophomore Jaylen Price, who is no longer with the program. Alley got as many reps as any Bobcat thanks in part to Keeton and Timmer being a bit banged up. Alley had an up and down spring but showed the resiliency and competitiveness it takes to play cornerback at the Division I level.
Keeton is a long, fluid athlete with good upside but he had an up-and-down junior year in which he was often exploited badly. He particularly struggled against teams with fast-paced spread offenses like Eastern Washington, Sacramento State and Idaho State.
Timmer is athletic enough to play corner but he needs to separate himself during fall camp if he wants to claim a place in the top three entering his final season. Injuries have slowed him throughout his career and so has inconsistency.
Bryce Alley (24)
The case for Alley: Alley made enough progress in the spring that, barring injury, he’ll play. He was good enough to play as a true freshman in a secondary that included five seniors. He got as many reps as anyone in the spring so a good fall camp should give him valuable leg up over the competition. Alley should also thrive in Ioane’s system, which should include more press and man-to-man coverage. Alley played a similar system in high school.
The case for Greene: Greene is an unknown in almost every aspect, including if he’ll actually land at Montana State. A source close to the program confirmed his transfer, but another said Greene is more than a week late filing his scholarship papers. One source touts Greene’s talent, but he was a walk-on at WSU who didn’t start on the team until school started and who was cut at the completion of spring drills. He was a no-star recruit out of high school whose scouting page says he runs a 4.78 40-yard dash.
The case for Timmer: Timmer has the most practice reps of anyone in the competition but it hasn’t translated into much time between the sidelines on game day. The son of MSU Hall of Fame linebacker Kurt Timmer has shown toughness in sticking with football despite several injuries and it may pay off if he can have a good showing during fall camp.
Strong
The case for the freshmen: Montana State simply needs more bodies on the outside. Last season, Flowers and Keeton hardly rotated and opponents made Montana State pay. The corners will have what amounts to a mini competition between the freshmen and it’s likely the best of the three will find his name on the two-deep depth chart. If Greene doesn’t show up for fall camp, two freshmen might play.
What they must accomplish during fall camp: For MSU to be successful this season, the Bobcats will need to improve significantly against the pass and that starts on the back end. MSU build a strong defensive reputation during Ash’s first seven seasons thanks to a fierce pass rush and a good ability to make quarterbacks hold the ball due to strong coverage on the outside. The corners that prove they can slow down receivers long enough for MSU’s defensive line to get to the quarterback will be the corners that win starting jobs and playing time.
Also on the roster: Braelan Evans redshirted last fall before suffering an off-season knee injury. If he can return, he could fight for playing time as well.
