From the Fringe: Why would the Cats change their offense when nobody has been able to stop it?

The Montana State Bobcats really know how to run there football - and they do it despite injuries, roster turnover and even a coaching change.

During Jeff Choate's tenure, he put a heavy emphasis on running the football, and though he didn't have the quarterback that he wanted to run a traditional offense, he made it work with mobile, dual-threat quarterbacks like Chris Murray, and for one year, converted linebacker/running back/safety/do-everything Superman Troy Andersen.

During those years, the Cats ran the ball as well as anybody in the FCS, minus North Dakota State, and along the way, they built up a four-game winning streak against arch rival Montana - a streak that included three straight Brawls in which the Cats shoved over 300 yards rushing right down the Grizzlies' throats.

Choate, with his Cat-Griz intact, then exited stage left to take the linebacker job at Texas, and while new head coach Brent Vigen wanted to somewhat change MSU's run-first, run-heavy offense, it hasn't turned out that way.

Matt McKay started much of last season for the Cats, with star running back Isaiah Ifanse and a veteran offensive line behind him. The result was the Cats leading the Big Sky in rushing, and while McKay was ultimately replaced in the playoffs by Touchdown Tommy Mellott, nothing changed. Mellot ran all over three straight FCS playoff teams, leading the Cats to their first FCS championship game since 1984 - and they did it the same way they built up their streak against Montana - by running the ball without a true passing threat.

A season later, not much is different in Bozeman.

The Cats are off to a 3-1 start, and are easily leading the Big Sky in rushing. And they're doing it without the injured Ifanse, without the injured Lane Sumner, and last week, they beat Eastern Washington without the injured Mellott. That's thanks in large part to the emergence of backup quarterback Sean Chambers, who is second only to Mellott on the team in rushing, as well as the rebirth of a young and talented offensive line. Add to that, a stable of running back depth including youngster Elijah Elliot, and Montana State's formula of running the ball and daring anyone to stop it is once again working.

Indeed, it's probably not exactly what Vigen envisioned his offense to look like when he arrived in Bozeman, but why fix something that isn't broke? Whether it's Murray or Andersen or Mellott and Chambers, the passing game really hasn't matter much at MSU for quite some time now. Sure, the Cats will still hit a big play here and there, but the bottom line is, MSU is going to run the ball at you, with running backs and H-backs and RPOs and quarterback keepers.

And the Cats are going to dare anyone to force them to do something different.

That's right. At this point, the secret's out - Montana State is a run-first, run-heavy team that basically puts all their offensive cards on the table. And they're going to challenge Big Sky Conference opponents to stop it.

So far, though, no one has. No one has shut MSU down no matter how much defenses are prepared to do it. And, if you look at Montana State's schedule coming up, including a nationally televised game on ESPNU Saturday night, it's hard to see anyone really stopping MSU's rushing attack. Maybe Weber State? If not the Wildcats, then that just leaves the Grizzlies, who have the best run defense in the Big Sky Conference, and a Top 5 defense in all of the FCS. Maybe the Griz will?

Right now, though, nobody has found the formula for stopping the Bobcats. And on the other side of the coin, Montana State hasn't seen any reason to change what they're doing. Why? Because it works, and right now, the run game is working at MSU.

So there's no need for Vigen or the Cats to reinvent the wheel. That's because no one has stepped up and forced them to do it.

Note: The Bobcats host UC Davis Saturday night at Bobcat Stadium. The game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU. The Montana Grizzlies travel to Idaho State Saturday, with kickoff at 1 p.m. That game will be televised on all MTN affiliates.