By Danny Waldo
Bolstered by the return of eight full-time starters, Coach Rob Ash and crew will be banking on an experienced, high-powered offense to lead the Montana State Bobcat football team in 2015. Led by junior sensation, Dakota Prukop, at quarterback, the Bobcats return the bulk of their offensive production that saw them lead the league in a number of statistical categories a season ago.
Prukop, a pre-season Offensive Player of the Year candidate, burst onto the scene in 2014 by replacing four-year starter Denarius McGhee and putting his own stamp on the program, throwing for 2,279 yards and 17 touchdowns against just six interceptions, while rushing for an additional 932 yards and six more scores. All this despite missing the final two games of the regular season with a knee injury.
But Prukop is not the only returning offensive player with the ability to put up big numbers. A trio of sophomore receivers return to the delight of all Bobcat fans after a freshman campaign that saw Mitchell Herbert, Jayshawn Gates and Justin Paige electrify Bobcat Stadium with several highlight reel moments. The trio combined to catch 48 passes for 982 yards and six touchdowns. Gates and Paige, especially, showed a penchant for making the homerun plays, as the two averaged 28.2 and 31.2 yards per catch respectfully. Throw into the mix senior captain Mitch Greibel and fellow senior Tanner Roderick, and the Bobcats have the makings of a lethal passing attack. Griebel led the Bobcats in receptions last season with 41, while Roderick chipped in with 15 catches and a trio of touchdowns, but offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey knows Roderick is capable of much more.
For as much firepower as Montana State brings offensively to the table on the outside, at the skill position, the bread and butter for the Bobcats will once again need to be the ability to churn out tough yards with a host of runners in the backfield. But fear not, as MSU boasts one of the toughest ‘backs in the Big Sky, junior Chad Newell, a returning All-Big Sky performer on special teams who also took home honorable mention accolades at the fullback position as well. The last time Bobcat fans saw Newell, he was rumbling for 117 yards and five touchdowns in an FCS playoff loss to South Dakota State last November. Newell looks ready to ascend to the top of the depth chart at running back, but he will most likely share carries with fellow junior, Gunnar Brekke, the other half of Montana State’s current version of ‘Thunder and Lightning.’ Brekke missed most of spring ball and fall camp with injuries, but showed what he is capable of in the Bobcats’ last scrimmage of fall camp, taking an inside screen pass and turning it into a 50-yard touchdown.
But no matter how talented MSU’s running backs are, they will have difficulty finding much ground if the big boys up front fail to provide the necessary running lanes. But fortunately for Bobcat fans, the boys in Blue and Gold boast one of the top offensive linemen in the country in junior JP Flynn, a preseason 1st Team All-American candidate. The other four members of the offensive line are all experienced seniors, so protection and running lanes should be at a premium this season.
However, regardless of Montana State’s prowess on the offensive side of the ball, if the defense cannot carry its own weight again, MSU will once again find itself in shootouts each Saturday, a scenario that did not play out well last fall. MSU finished near the bottom of most defensive statistics last season after giving up over 480 yards of offense and 32 points per game. Throw in the fact that MSU must replace eight full-time starters, and the pressure on the defense is at a fever pitch.
To help shake things up defensively, head coach Rob Ash named long-time assistant Kane Ioane, as Co-Defensive Coordinator with Jamie Marshall, putting Ioane in charge of calling plays and directing the defense from the sideline, while Marshall will move upstairs to the booth this fall.
Ioane brings a wealth of experience and credibility to the defense having won the league defensive player of the year honors in his senior season at Montana State, as well as All-America accolades. But Ioane’s playing days are over, meaning the boys on the field will have to be able to match his intensity and apply his principles for themselves.
The first order of business will be to replace a highly productive defensive line that saw the departure of junior Odin Coe and senior Taylor Dees. (Coe opted not to return for his senior season.) Coe led the team in sacks last season with six. Senior Taylor Sheridan will be the anchor on the D-line this fall. Sheridan posted five tackles for a loss a season ago, including 2.5 sacks, and will be counted on to provide pressure in the backfield once again. Shiloh LaBoy, a junior transfer from Hawaii will be counted on to provide production in the trenches as well.
The biggest hit to the defense came in the linebacking corp where the Bobcats saw the graduation of Alex Singleton, the team-leader in tackles last year, as well as Na’a Moeakiola and Cole Moore. Redshirt freshman Grant Collins looks to fill the ‘Mike’ position, while transfer Marcus Tappan and Blake Braun are in contention for the ‘Will’ spot. Sophomore Mac Bignell appears to have secured the nod at the ‘Sam’ position.
MSU also saw a mass exodus in the defensive backfield following the graduations of Robert Marshall, James Nelson, Deonte Flowers and Eryon Barnett. Flowers was the most accomplished of the quartet, starting at cornerback all four years at MSU and earning recognition from league coaches as one of the top cover corners during his time in Bozeman. Trace Timmer and Bryce Alley look to fill the ‘Field Corner’ position, while Bryson Keeton slides over to take over the ‘Boundary Corner’ position vacated by Flowers. Desmon Carter, a transfer from UAB is in a battle to man the ‘Rover’ position, while Demonte King and Khari Garcia are locked in a battle to be the new free safety.
2015 schedule does not do Montana State any favors, either, as MSU faces three teams ranked in the FCS top 25, while two other opponents garnered votes as well. For a complete schedule of Bobcat football action, log on to www.msubobcats.com. •
Danny Waldo is a local freelance writer covering Bozeman Hawk and Montana State Bobcat athletics.