by Danny Waldo
As the calendar officially turns to November, the Montana State Bobcats look to maintain their perfect record and earn the program’s first outright Big Sky Conference championship since 2011. MSU, the current FCS No. 2 ranked team, sits atop the conference standings at 4-0 (8-0 overall), with four games remaining, including a pivotal road test at UC Davis on Nov. 16th, and are in line for a top two seed in the expanded FCS playoffs if they maintain their standing.
Nothing on the field has suggested that the ‘Cats will lose their grip on the conference lead after a dominant first two months of the season, including a 38-7 drubbing of Idaho before a live national audience that was supposed to be a battle between two of the conference’s top teams. MSU has beat down its opponents on both sides of the ball, using a more balanced offensive attack, combined with a more aggressive defensive approach to wreak havoc on opposing coordinators.
Coming into the season, Montana State head coach Brent Vigen knew he needed to lessen the load of quarterback Tommy Mellott, who was last seen being helped from the field in the Bobcat’s FCS playoff loss to North Dakota State. A concerted effort in the offseason to share the load has paid dividends for MSU, as Mellot’s carries have decreased, as have the number of big hits he has taken, but his efficiency and accuracy in the passing game have improved, and other stars have emerged to create the multifaceted attack the Bobcats were seeking.
The biggest benefactor of the Bobcats’ new offensive attack has been sophomore running back, Scottre Humphrey, who leads the Big Sky Conference in rushing. The sophomore from Seattle earned attention with a productive freshman campaign, but was expected to back up returning senior running back Julius Davis coming into the fall. However, injuries to Davis opened the door for Humphrey, and he has taken full advantage of the opportunity. Through eight games, Humphrey has churned out 952 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 119 yards per game, and is the No. 6 rusher in all of FCS.
But Davis isn’t the only Bobcat running back to turn heads this fall. Fellow running back Adam Jones has been impressive in his own right, providing the change of pace back Montana State needs to offset Humphrey’s punishing style. Jones burst onto the scene after ripping off a 93-yard touchdown scamper in the ‘Cats season-opener at New Mexico that propelled Montana State to a comeback victory. Jones has continued to display his big play ability in both the run and pass game, and is the No. 7 rusher in the Big Sky Conference with 452 yards and five touchdowns in seven games of action.
The performance of Humphrey and Jones has relegated Mellott to just the 13th best ball-carrier in the conference, but he still has rushed for over 400 yards and added seven more touchdown carries to his resume. But where Mellott has shined this season has been in the passing game. Through eight games, the senior from Butte has thrown for over 1400 yards and 17 touchdowns without a single interception. Mellott is averaging 180 yards through the air, while completing 70 percent of his passes. He currently is one of only two quarterbacks in the FCS’ top 50 without an interception, and he boasts the best TD/INT ratio of all quarterbacks. His improved accuracy in the passing game has improved the RPO aspect of Montana State’s offense as defenses can no longer assume Mellott is a run-only option at QB.
But offense is not the only area where Montana State has excelled this season. The Bobcat defense has been downright dominant, as well, leading the Big Sky in scoring defense, rushing defense and total defense, while being No. 2 in passing defense. Behind new defensive coordinator, Bobby Daly, his unit has stonewalled opponents, holding them to a mere 16.3 points per game, with many of those coming well after the game has been decided, and the starters long replaced by reserves earning valuable experience.
The Bobcats currently surrender 101.3 yards rushing and 179.5 yards through the air, while boasting the nation’s No. 8 ranked defense in third down efficiency. Opponents are converting on third down just 29% of the time. The strength of the Bobcats’ defense has been in its collective dominance. MSU does not boast a single player in the top 10 in tackles for the Big Sky Conference. Linebackers Danny Uluilakepa and McCade O’Reilly are the team leaders with 39 and 44 tackles respectively. However, senior Brody Grebe is No. 3 in the conference for sacks, and is also amongst the top 10 in tackles for loss.
Grebe’s dominance on the line of scrimmage has allowed the back end of the defense to play more aggressively in the passing game, and Montana State has seen huge improvements in their pass defense from a year ago. Opponents are completing less than 60% of their passes for just 5.7 yards per play, and Montana State has given up just nine touchdowns through the air, which is tops in the conference.
The Bobcats’ special teams play has also been a bright spot for Vigen and his staff, as kicker Brendan Hall has mastered the art of the touchback, limiting opponents opportunities in the return game, and sophomore placekicker Myles Sansted has added stability to the field goal unit, hitting on 75% of his tries, and converting 42 of 43 PAT attempts this season. Taco Dowler has been explosive in the punt return game averaging 13.7 yards per return, good for No. 2 in the Big Sky.
Overall, MSU has dominated its first eight opponents on the way to their 8-0 record, but the schedule gets decidedly more difficult in the last month of the regular season. The Bobcats will hit the road following their bye week to face an Eastern Washington team that is better than their 2-6 record would indicate Nov. 2nd before welcoming an always dangerous Sacramento State team to Bobcat Stadium on Nov. 9th.
The real challenge awaits the final two weeks of the regular season as MSU will head south to face No. 4 UC Davis on Nov. 16th in what will likely decide the Big Sky Conference title before returning home to host Montana in the annual Brawl of the Wild on Nov. 23rd. If the ‘Cats can successfully navigate November, a likely top 2 seed awaits in the FCS playoffs, providing home field all the way to Frisco and a return to the FCS national championship game in January.
For complete Bobcat season information, log onto www.msubobcats.com.
Danny Waldo is a local freelance writer who has covered local sports for both high school and college. His work has also appeared on Bleacher Report. •
