Battle of the Cats at Weber State

The Montana State Bobcats needed a win over the University of Idaho for a myriad of reasons.

First, it kept the Cats (2-1, 4-2) not only firmly entrenched in the hunt for the FCS playoffs, but also within shouting distance of the race for the Big Sky Conference championship.

Perhaps more importantly, though, the Cats needed to beat the Vandals, which they did 24-23 last Saturday in Bozeman, because their next two games are going to be two in which the Cats will be decided underdogs.

MSU's two-game road trip starts this Saturday when the Bobcats visit No. 7 Weber State (2-1, 4-2) in Ogden, Utah. The Wildcats are fresh off a dominating defensive win over then No. 3 Eastern Washington last Saturday, and the way Weber slowed down the high-powered Eagles, who were missing starting QB Gage Gubrud, certainly has Bobcat head coach Jeff Choate's attention.

"I think they have an elite defense right now," Choate said. "Probably look more like a Mountain West defense than they do a Big Sky defense. They are big, they have great team speed, extremely athletic and a lot of experience. They've been dominant. Absolutely dominant."

Indeed. The Wildcats, who made a run to the FCS quarterfinals a year ago, lead the Big Sky in scoring defense (21 ppg), total defense (353 ypg), and rushing defense (130 ypg).

That last stat should be particularly concerning to MSU, considering the Bobcats rely heavily on the run, starting with sophomore quarterback Troy Andersen, who ranks fourth in the Big Sky with his 112 yards per game on the ground.

Weber also leads the Big Sky in turnover margin, so without question, the Wildcat's defense is simply what Choate says it is, dominant. Add to that MSU lost backup quarterback Tucker Roving to a season-ending injury, and the fact that the Cats' passing game has struggled at times this season, and the Cats' offense will certainly be facing its biggest challenge of the year thus far.

Still, the equalizer for the Bobcats might be their own defense, led by Bryce Sterk and Brayden Konkol. MSU veteran Grant Collins also had a huge game for the Cat defense last week, a defense that allows just 28 ppg. And with Weber ranking just 12th in the Big Sky in scoring, even with the talented Josh Davis at running back (121 ypg) and John Constantine, a Boise State transfer at quarterback, the Wildcats have, at times this season, had their own offensive woes.

So, while Weber looks like a juggernaut that MSU might be overmatched by on paper, with the Cats' defense playing at a high level, Saturday's game is going to be a battle of who can crack the other's defense first.

"It's going to be a heavyweight bout," Andersen said. "Their defense is good and our defense is good, so it's just going to come down to who can make the most plays, take care of the ball and make good decisions. All across the board they're a good, solid defense. So we're going to have to get off the ball and make plays."

And MSU is hoping that it can make the plays necessary to get out of Ogden with a win because things don't get any easier. Next week, the Cats return to the road to take on Idaho State, which possesses one of the top offenses in all of the FCS right now.

Saturday's game between the Bobcats and Wildcats kicks off at 4 p.m. in Ogden. The game will be televised nationally on Root Sports.

Meanwhile, after two straight losses, the Montana Grizzlies dropped out of the Stats FCS Poll this week. Now the Griz have a bye, and head coach Bobby Hauck talked this week about how he'll use the bye to help lift the wounded Grizzlies back up. Montana's next opponent, the No. 10 UC Davis Aggies, will come to Washington-Grizzly Stadium Oct. 27, then, the Griz (2-2, 4-3) have two straight road games, so UM has little to margin for error at this point.

"We need to get back to doing the little things right, so the big things will follow, and having fun playing football. That'll be a point of emphasis," Hauck said. "We'll freshen our team up this week and get back to enjoying the game.

"I hope they bounce back," Hauck added. "I know they're pretty down. I think our young guys have not encountered maybe the pressure of college football, and certainly that's a good percentage of our team, so we need to help them work through that."