BOZEMAN -- The Montana State football team hits the road Saturday to take on Cal Poly, a team that doesn't have many secrets on offense.
The Mustangs rely heavily on the triple option. Through four games Cal Poly has rushed the ball 217 times while only recording 43 pass attempts. Montana State head coach Jeff Choate knows the obvious: Cal Poly is going to run often, but who is getting the ball is where the game plan becomes specific.
“It’s not going to be a mystery. We just have to stay disciplined and stop it. And it doesn’t really matter how well you defend it, at some point in time they’re going to create plays, that’s what they do. And so you just have to limit those and that’s going to be a critical part of our success,” Choate said.
Those plays the Mustangs create usually turn into huge scores. This season the Mustangs have five touchdowns of 45 yards or more. Montana State has the same mindset, averaging more than 250 yards on the ground per game. But the Bobcats could very well be without their top back, Isaiah Ifanse, for another week.
“Bottom line is, nobody cares about your problems and most people are happy that you have them. I’m sure Cal Poly hopes Isaiah is not on the plane. That’s fine, we have other guys,” said Choate.
The Bobcats have been a second-half team during Choate's tenure, but that won’t fly on the road, and the fourth-year coach is looking to switch things up so MSU comes out swinging this Saturday.
“On the road, you don’t want to fall asleep. You have to come out with your motor running. We’ve talked about everything from changing up our pregame, not being in the locker room as long," he said. "But we got to do a better job of starting faster.”
Choate said the 21-point cushion the Bobcats gave Northern Arizona last week won't fly against the better teams they will face later in the season and certainly not on the road against Cal Poly. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. (MDT).
