Takeaways from the 55-0 Bobcat win
Greetings folks! Hot Take Nate has been crying non-stop about shouldering the Bobcat load these first few weeks of the season, so I volunteered to recap this week’s battle in Bozeman.
My initial take-away this week is we saw a much-improved product in all three facets of the game. Of course, it comes against a D-II squad in Western Oregon, but as Coach Choate has often said, “All that matters is the scoreboard.”
Here are my other takeaways…
Offense
Do we have ourselves a bit of a QB controversy? Coach Choate will likely say no, but how can one deny that Chris Murray makes this offense click? Sure, Bruggman had a better game (17/29, 211, 3 TD), but it’s clear that Murray gives the Cats more of the Lulay-McGhee-Prukop look we all know and love. If I were a betting man – wait, I am; I’d say we continue to see the timeshare, but make no mistake Bobcat Nation: Chris Murray is our ticket back to the playoffs. And, the dude’s 17 years old!
We have a solid stable of running backs and we can lean on almost all of them. Clearly, Chad Newell and Gunnar Brekke are the top dogs and should provide a very nice change of pace in the ground game this year. However, with both missing time early on, we’ve seen guys like Nick LaSane, Anthony Pegues and Noah James fill in admirably. I do think a guy like Pegues should redshirt, but then again I’m just a gym teacher. (Big ups to the hogs up front. We don’t do shit without them. They protect our passers and they open up holes. They don’t get their names in the paper often enough, but make no mistake; that unit is the engine that makes us go).
We’ve played a TON of true and redshirt freshman in these first three games. Personally, I hope it’s the last we see of the true freshman this year, but only time will tell.
Defense
We’ve given up 41 points in three games this far this season…last year it was 97. We pitched a shutout against WOU and that means something regardless of the opponent. We took the ball away six times against Bryant and stole it five more times this Saturday. We’ll see what happens when we enter Big Sky play, but for now it seems like this unit has taken major strides.
We’re much more sure in the tackling department this season. Plus our defensive line is doing a better job getting at least SOME pressure on the passer. That is an important aspect of this defense because we have a few liabilities in the secondary (outside of McCabe and Walker).
Closing Thoughts
Tandberg and Peppenger didn’t miss and seem to be finding some confidence, while Padmos boomed some beauties and had a long of 76.
We desperately need Chad Newell back in the lineup; he’s a tremendous leader, he brings a toughness to the squad and I hope my son grows up to be just like him; beard, ponytail and all.
DeNarius McGhee is the first result when searching DeNarius in Google. Big ups, DeNarius, you’ve arrived.
Well, that’ll do it for this week’s Bobcat Football recap. We saw a complete performance in all three phases of the game and a decisive 55-0 victory for the Blue and Gold. The Cats now welcome the North Dakota Fighting Hawks to Bobcat Stadium next Saturday when Big Sky play officially begins. Until then Bobcat fans, GO CATS GO!
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About the Author
Minty Coach A proud native of Great Falls, Coach now resides in Missoula, however he's a Bobcat to the core.
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