By Danny Waldo
Following one of the more improbable results in the history of the 116-year old rivalry between Montana and Montana State, first-year head coach Jeff Choate hopes to use that momentum to spring board the ‘Cats to greater success next season. “What we can’t do is allow one game to cloud the vision for what we need to do moving forward to improve,” Choate asserted. After limping to an 0-6 record in the Big Sky, Montana State finished on a high note, winning two in a row, including the ever-important victory in the Brawl of the Wild series, a 24-17 triumph over the Grizzlies in Missoula, Montana State’s third win in its last four trips to vaunted Washington- Grizzly Stadium. Priority No.1 for the Bobcats has to be improved balance at the quarterback position. Chris Murray, the true freshman who took over as the full-time starter in Week 6, dazzled fans with his breathtaking speed, but left much to desire in the passing game. Murray was ranked outside the top 10 in passing efficiency, and as a whole, Montana State dipped to 11th in the league in passing offense after spending the better part of the past decade ranked near the top. Murray and Co. averaged a mere 155.9 yards per game through the air, and opponents will be sure to try and exploit that weakness again in 2017.
Both Choate and offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham believe Murray, who was recently named the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year, has the ability to be a complete quarterback. Added Messingham, “I think he can make a ton of progress, I truly believe, fundamentally as far as his ability to throw the football. He’s got good fundamentals and he’s got a good release and he’s got pretty good footwork for being an 18-year-old freshman.” For all the struggles the ‘Cats faced on offense this year, the defense made major gains under first-year coordinator Ty Gregorak, improving a defense that was near the bottom of every statistical category a season ago into the No. 3 overall unit in the league this year. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing for the Bobcats to improve upon in the offseason. “I’d love to see us have a big-time offseason in the weight room,” Gregorak said. “We have a lot of young cats, and I look at Derek Marks and some of these guys out here making plays, and to be thrust into action like they were was good, but man, some of these kids are babies still. We just need to have an unbelievable offseason in terms of getting bigger and adding some mass.”
Fans across the state are feeling rejuvenated with MSU’s defeat of its bitter rival, both Choate and his staff know that one victory is just the beginning as they head into the offseason, “We’re a 4-7 ball club. That’s who we are,” Choate reiterated Saturday afternoon (November 19). “We won a game today, and that’s an important game and certainly means a lot to our alumni and to our program and to the state of Montana, but I’m not naïve enough to think we’ve arrived. The work is starting now.” •
