BOZEMAN — The Montana State Bobcats are coming off of a not-so-pretty 45-14 loss against No. 3 South Dakota State in Week 2 — a loss that head coach Jeff Choate was not pleased with.
“Obviously that’s in our rearview mirror right now, but there’s stuff that I think are important to take away from that,” he said in a press conference on Wednesday.
“That was not a performance that we’re proud of, it’s not a performance indicative with what this team is about. We spent the appropriate amount of time addressing that on Sunday and the one thing about it is, you have to learn from those things,” Choate added.
The Bobcats certainly have a lot to learn from and apply before taking on Wagner College Saturday in Bobcat Stadium, starting with communication.
“There were just so many little things that we tried to pride ourselves on in terms of details that were not executed at the level they needed to, and certainly not at our standard,” Choate said.
“This week we’ve been working really hard on our communication skills and just talking and making sure everyone knows what they’re supposed to be doing,” said quarterback Tucker Rovig, who started in place of the injured Troy Andersen on Saturday in Brookings.
While communication ultimately starts at the quarterback position, there is still not a solidified starter. Both Andersen and Rovig have had their time under center, but there seems to be no frustration in the quarterback room.
“I wouldn’t say its frustrating at all,” Rovig said. “(Andersen) has a win under his belt and I don’t. But I’m just looking to get better every day in practice as a leader and football player.”
One aspect of the team that has a little consistency is the defense, but even that unit has some cleaning up to do.
“Every play, stick to our game plan, play our best, play how we played Week 1,” safety Jojo Henderson said. “Clean up some of the stuff, as well, we will have a good chance.”
The Bobcats will kick off at 1 p.m. against Wagner in Bobcat Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
