When the Montana State athletic administration made the decision to relieve longtime head coach Rob Ash following a 54-35 drubbing by rival Montana at the end of the 2015 season, they did so with the intention of bringing in someone who could help the Bobcats win the big games (Ash was only 2-7 versus the Grizzlies during his tenure, and 2-4 in the FCS playoffs.)
While MSU certainly enjoyed its fair share of success under Ash, winning three league titles and a pair of first-round victories in the FCS playoffs, Bobcat Club members and other notable members of the Bobcat faithful expected more results from the support they were showering on the program.
Enter current head coach, Jeff Choate. And while Season 1 under Choate was no cause for celebration as MSU stumbled through a 6-game losing streak and a losing record for the second consecutive season, the Bobcats did finish the year leaving many fans optimistic for the future thanks to an improbable season-ending 24-17 victory over the Grizzlies in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. That victory was expected to propel the ‘Cats into a productive offseason and a much more successful 2017. Except is hasn’t happened.
Although MSU did have a great deal of success in the recruiting arena this past offseason, securing such notables as in-state product Troy Anderson, and a pair of highly regarded defensive backs out of California, those successes, and many others like them have not equated into an equivalent amount of victories on the field.
But it’s not just the fact that MSU continues to stumble in the win column, it’s the way in which they manage to lose that is so maddening. In Choate’s first two seasons, MSU is currently 2-8 in games decided by 10 points or less. And while I agree with the decision for MSU to go for the win in Flagstaff recently by attempting a two-point conversion rather than go to overtime, the majority of those losses are a result of MSU’s inability to make a winning play with the game on the line.
Case in point, MSU held a 14-13 lead over Kennesaw State, a team from the cozy comforts of Southern Georgia, late in a cold, blustery Bobcat Stadium with just under 12 minutes to play. KSU marched 98 yards in 20 plays to steal the game. Twice the Owls faced fourth down, the last a 4th and 6 from the Bobcat 41 yard line. MSU would be unable to make a stop, and four plays later KSU would kick a 37-yard field goal to take a 16-14 lead. MSU would get the ball back one final time, but an errant pass from quarterback Chris Murray resulted in a game-sealing interception for Kennesaw State. And there are many other examples just like this.
So as MSU gears up for its season-ending rivalry game with Montana with little more than pride on the line, yet again, Bobcat fans will be left with an offseason of ‘what-ifs’ to ponder after another season of close calls.
Danny Waldo is a local freelance writer covering Montana State Bobcat and Bozeman Hawk athletics.
