By Danny Waldo
For Bobcat fans accustomed to seeing eye-popping offensive statistics, the on-field results thus far in the 2016 season have been humbling to say the least.
For reference, in 2015, Montana State scored fewer than 30 points in only one contest, a 23-34 loss to Southern Utah. So far, through four games this season, the Bobcats have only broke the 30-point mark once in a 55-0 whooping of significantly outmanned Western Oregon.
A number of factors come into play when considering the drop-off in production, not the least of which is a new signal caller in Tyler Bruggman. In Bruggman’s defense, he has some pretty large shoes to fill in replacing Dakota Prukop, an athlete of which the likes of Montana State may never see again. Prukop had the uncanny ability to create spectacular plays in less than ideal conditions. Bruggman has yet to demonstrate that he possesses that trait.
Then factor in new offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham’s conservative play-calling style, and the opportunity for fireworks has decreased with the Bobcats’ methodical approach to moving the ball. But in order for that system to work, MSU needs a productive run game. Chad Newell broke the 100-yard mark in their season-opening loss at Idaho, but he also suffered a broken hand and missed two weeks. He returned in week four versus North Dakota and broke the century mark yet again, but the running game as a whole has yet to produce as expected.
An advantage to Messingham’s low-risk offense is there are fewer opportunities for momentum-changing turnovers, assuming the ‘Cats take care of the ball. That was not the case in their last outing versus North Dakota, where MSU turned the ball over five times in a 17-15 defeat.
Could this new method of offensive execution be beneficial to the ‘Cats in the long run? That remains to be seen. Keeping the ball out of the opponent’s hands certainly plays to the advantage of MSU and a defense that was downright awful last year. But the inability to finish long drives with touchdowns on a consistent basis won’t win the Bobcats any shootouts in the high-scoring Big Sky.
The Bobcats’ next crack at earning their first Big Sky win of the 2016 season comes on October 1st at Sacramento State. The last time the ‘Cats visited the California capital, they escaped in a 59-56 shootout. •
