They’re back… after long hiatus, Bobcat Football returns
by Danny Waldo
It’s been roughly 600 days since the Montana State Bobcat football team walked off the field in Fargo, North Dakota following a 42-14 defeat at the hands of North Dakota State in the FCS semifinals. Much has changed for MSU since then, but everything will be right in the football world when the Bobcats lace them up for the season-opener at Wyoming on September 4th to kick off the 2021 season.
Most notable amongst the changes for the Bobcats is the man in charge. Not only will the contest versus Wyoming jump start a new season for Montana State, it will also kick off the coaching tenure of Brent Vigen following his hiring in February. Vigen, who’s no stranger to success at the FCS level, takes over a program on the rise after MSU’s first visit to the FCS semifinals since 1984, and he comes to Bozeman with a familiarity of the Bobcats after previous encounters at his former coaching stops. Prior to coming to Montana State, Vigen spent time on Craig Bohl’s staff at North Dakota State, as well as at the University of Wyoming, serving in a variety of roles on the offensive side of the ball, most recently as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator. During his time in Fargo, Vigen was a part of three straight FCS national championships with the Bison, and helped lead the Wyoming Cowboys to three bowl games before leaving to take over the Bobcat program.
Montana State opted out of the 2020-2021 pandemic shortened season in part to give Vigen an opportunity to adjust to his new team and develop his vision for the future of Bobcat football. That extra time should pay dividends, as several key players were able to rest their bodies this past spring, leaving MSU with a stacked roster of healthy players ready to compete for the program’s first conference title in nearly a decade. But, in order for that to happen, the Bobcats are going to have to navigate arguably one of the toughest schedules in the Big Sky Conference with road contests versus Weber State, Eastern Washington and Montana on the docket, as well as a visit to his former employer, the University of Wyoming to start the season, leaving Vigen no shortage of opportunities to demonstrate he has the pedigree to keep moving Montana State football in the right direction. With no prior head coaching experience, will he be up to the task?
OFFENSE
While the Covid-19 pandemic has turned nearly everyone’s world upside down for the past year and a half, there has been a bright spot provided in the athletic world as the NCAA granted every athlete an additional year of eligibility, meaning Coach Vigen did not come to Bozeman with a bare cupboard, thus, giving him the opportunity to continue his trend of fielding high-powered offenses. Vigen arrived on campus with a national reputation for developing quarterbacks, with current NFL players Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) and Carson Wentz (Indianapolis Colts) benefitting from his tutelage, and that is where he’ll have to start to take the Bobcats’ offense to the next level. Starting at quarterback at Montana State has turned into a revolving door of “Who’s next?”, but hopefully that trend will end with junior transfer Matthew McKay taking hold of the reins for possibly the next two seasons.
McKay comes to Bozeman via transfer from North Carolina State where he threw for more than 900 yards and rushed for four touchdowns in 2019. McKay possesses the dual threat capabilities that Vigen values in his quarterbacks, but it has been his leadership that has really stood out to the new head coach. “Probably the thing that has impressed me most is his approach,” Bobcats head coach Brent Vigen said. “I think he understands that he’s made progress but that he still needs to make a significant amount. I think his ability to make plays with both his arm and feet are in front of him, but there’s work ahead of him, too.”
However, McKay won’t be relied on to carry the load by himself thanks to a plethora of capable running backs behind him. “I think that’s a spot that we’d like to play four, five guys,” Vigen explained. Junior Isaiah Ifanse is listed at the top of the depth chart, but expect significant contributions from Lane Sumner, Demareus Hosey, Elijah Elliott and Jaharie Martin as well. Additionally, the Bobcats would like to continue to develop their vertical game with the receiving corps and have a talented group to lean on to stretch the defense. Led by senior Lance McCutcheon and Utah transfer Cam Gardner, Montana State hopes to be more dynamic in the passing game in an effort to keep defenses from keying on the run game which was a staple of the Bobcat offense throughout Jeff Choate’s time in Bozeman.
Any football aficionado knows that an offense is only as good as its line, and thankfully the Bobcats have a great one. Led by Pre-Season All-American Lewis Kidd, Montana State should have little difficulty keeping McKay upright, allowing him time to make plays with his arm, while also plowing holes for the stable of running backs to churn out large gains. Taylor Tuiasosopo has also developed into one of the top linemen in the FCS, making MSU’s front five even more formidable.
DEFENSE
For all of the experience and talent returning on the offensive side of the ball, the Montana State defense should elicit fear in the hearts of its opponents. Led by Mr. Everything, Troy Anderson, the Bobcats return a ton of talent on the defensive side.
After being sidelined for over a year as he recovers from a knee injury suffered in 2019, Andersen returns to the Bobcat lineup in the position he was originally recruited and feeling healthier than ever. Andersen will man the outside linebacker position enabling him to make plays all over the field, and it’s something he’s looking forward to. “It’s more fun to tackle people than to get tackled,” Andersen said. “You’re a little bit more in control.”
Joining Andersen at starting linebacker is junior Callahan O’Reilly who led the team in tackles in 2019, while Daniel Hardy, Chase Benson and Amandre Williams will man the trenches, allowing Andersen and O’Reilly to roam freely behind them. Hardy, Benson and Williams should be able to put ample pressure on opposing quarterbacks, aiding a young, yet hungry and competitive group of defensive backs in holding down the back end of the Bobcat defense.
The Bobcats return Tyrel Thomas, a multi-game starter who will fill the Nickel position, in addition to Ty Okada and Level Price Jr., both of whom have seen plenty of action during their time at MSU. The Bobcats also picked up FBS transfer Jeffrey Manning from Oregon State to help provide experience and depth at the safety position.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Special teams could be another bright spot for the Bobcats after picking up Luke Pawlak as a transfer from Kent State, in addition to signing four-star prospect Blake Glessner from Woodinville, WA. The duo may split kicking duties in an effort to replace the productivity of Jerad Padmos who graduated following the 2019 season.
The tools are all there for the Bobcats to make a run for the Big Sky title in 2021 and make another deep run in the FCS playoffs, but they will have to navigate one of the toughest schedules in the FCS to do so. How quickly can the Bobcats adapt to Vigen’s coaching, and can they manage to keep Andersen healthy throughout the season will go a long way toward determining their fate.
The wait is almost over. The speculating is about to stop. It’s time to play some football! Go ‘Cats!
Find the full season schedule at msubobcats.com/sports/football. •
