Cat-Griz Notebook: Running past the Griz now in MSU's DNA

BOZEMAN - "It's in our DNA."

That was a direct statement from Montana State head coach Jeff Choate about the Bobcats' running game following Saturday's 117th Brawl of the Wild. And it rang true.

For the second straight Cat-Griz game, the Bobcats rushed for over 300 yards on a beleaguered Montana defense, this time, coming away with a 31-23 win Saturday in Bobcat Stadium.

And for the Grizzlies, it must have felt like Groundhog Day.

MSU quarterback Chris Murray, who had already become the first Bobcat QB to run for more than 1,000 yards in a season, had 99 yards on 25 carries in Saturday's game, and true freshman Troy Andersen rushed for 64 and two scores.

But it was a monster run by senior Nick LaSane that made Montana's defense feel like they were in the same exact place as a year ago.

Leading 7-3 in the second quarter, the Cats faced a 3rd and 15 in their own territory. Murray handed it to LaSane, most likely with the intent of just trying to get in better punt position. Instead, LaSane, who rushed for 121 yards, broke right through the teeth of the Grizzlies and raced 71 yards to the endzone, putting the Cats ahead 14-3.

"I knew we were going to get our share of explosive runs," Choate said.

And the big runs continued. MSU carried the ball more than 50 times, while Murray attempted just 15 passes on the day. It's been the Bobcat's bread and butter all season, with as many as five running backs, and Murray getting carries this year. And it led to MSU even moving ahead of Cal Poly as the Big Sky Conference's top rushing attack.

"If you can run the ball," Choate said, "you can do everything."

And it worked for the second year in a row, as Montana State battered and bruised a stout Grizzly run defense. And in the last two years, the Cats have now piled up 690 rushing yards in the Brawl of the Wild.

"We just weren't tackling very well in the first half and we just had to let things go," UM head coach Bob Stitt said. "This is a big game, a lot riding on it, you guys just let it rip, trust your eyes and go. You have a little bit of hesitation there when you're not in position to make the play. The long runs really hurt."

New Streaks, Broken Streaks

MSU's 2016 win in Washington-Grizzly Stadium snapped a three-game skid to the Grizzlies. Saturday however, the Cats snapped an even bigger one.

Montana hadn't lost in Bozeman since 2005, a 16-6 Cat victory. Since that time, the Griz had beaten the Cats 41-20 (2007), 33-19 (2009), 36-10 (2011), 28-14 (2013) and 54-35 (2005) in Bobcat Stadium. But thanks to Murray's legs and a defense that held true on Montana's last drive, 20,000 Cat fans got to see the Great Divide Trophy paraded around Bobcat Stadium on the shoulders of MSU players for the first time in 12 years.

The Cats also started a new streak of their own Saturday, and it's one the Grizzlies are hurting over. MSU hadn't won two straight Brawl's since 2002 and 2003. The 2002 win in Missoula snapped "the streak" which was 16 straight wins for the Griz. The Cats then came back to Bozeman and beat the Griz 27-20.

"Last year I had a bad taste in my mouth and this year it's even worse," UM WR Keenan Curran said. "It doesn't get any better."

Defense

The last two Brawl's have been a test of wills for both defenses. MSU's running game put so much pressure on Montana, while Gresch Jensen, Curran, Jerry Louie-McGee and the Griz' offense did the same to MSU's defense.

And on both sides, defensive players rose to stardom. For the Cats, true freshman Tyrel Thomas broke up the fourth-down pass that sealed MSU's victory, one of his three pass breakups on the day.

"Whenever you make a play like that to win the game, you'll be remembered forever, and I don't know if he knows that," MSU linebacker Mac Bignell said. "It was just an incredible performance by him."

Bignell had a big last day in Bozeman, too. He finished with 10 tackles, a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss, while local prep star Brayden Konkol (Belgrade) had 16 tackles and a sack. Khari Garcia, another senior, had the lone interception of Jensen as well.

Not to be outdone, UM senior Connor Strahm had a game-high 17 tackles, including 1.5 for loss. James Banks had 11 stops, two sacks and three TFL's, and Malta star Tucker Schye had eight tackles a sack, which was his team-high eighth of the year and two stops for loss. All three Griz played their final game, as Montana was left out of the FCS playoffs for the second straight year.