The Bobcats wrapped up the fourth week of spring football

Garrett Becker

Football
15/04/2023 14:02:00Bill Lambert

The offense and defense both shine in the second full battle of the spring

BOZEMAN, Montana With four of his team’s five spring football practices in the rearview mirror, Montana State head coach Brent Vigen remains pleased with his team’s progress and performance.

“I thought the guys competed well,” Vigen said after Saturday’s scrimmage, which spanned just over 90 games. “We’re at this stage of spring ball, four weeks, the hunger and the energy is still there. I think our guys fully understand that this spring is about improvement and development, and it’s top to bottom. They understand what a spring is. If you’re a three-year vet and you’re playing a fourth years, you’ve got time to heal, and if you’re a young guy, now’s the time to take those steps forward, fail and succeed and do it again.”

MSU’s passing game looked good on Saturday. Tommy Mellott completed seven of his 11 attempts for 75 yards and a backup, Jordan Reed, completed six of his 11 throws for 74 yards. He had the only touchdown pass and only interception of the day. Clevan Thoms Jr. caught four balls, Ty McCullouch three and Lonyatta Alexander Jr. and Derrick Snell two each.

“One area we’re going to bring guys in is the receiving corps,” Vigen said. “Junior Alexander and Ty McCullouch had a chance to make plays and did so. Clevan Thomas had more opportunities, I know he was with us last year, but we’re excited to have him back. This group will keep going.”

Bobcat running backs gained 151 yards on the ground, which Vigen said was a credit to the work of the offensive line. “It’s obvious going forward that we have more and more guys that are ready to play, and that’s without Jacob Kettels through spring ball without Titan Fleischman going through it. This progress, combined with working with a new coach over four weeks, has been very positive.”

The Bobcat defenders made several big plays. Safety Rylan Ortt intercepted a pass on the defensive end Kenneth Eiden IV had two sacks and another half tackle for a loss. “On the defensive side, we continue to build depth,” Vigen said. “Those opportunities are priceless. We don’t cover the whole bunch during the week, so we have to come out here and tackle the football. I thought we generally did better today. You talk about that core in the middle, the linebackers and especially the safeties, that’s the key factor.”

Montana State wraps up spring practice with two practices this week and the Sonny Holland Classic spring scrimmage on Saturday, April 22 at Bobcat Stadium. “That opportunity next Saturday to be here in a game environment is really important,” Vigen said.

ACCELERATION: Marquis Johnson 11-64-0, Elijah Elliott 11-59-0, Jared White 7-25-0, Chance Wilson 5-21-2, Garrett Coon 3-6-0.
PASSING: Tommy Mellott 7-11-0, 75, 0; Jordan Reed 6-11-1, 74, 1; Chance Wilson 2-7-0, 34, 0; Luke Abshire 1-8-0, 19, 0.
RECEPTION: Clevan Thomas Jr. 4-39-0, Ty McCullouch 3-54-0, Lonyatta Alexander Jr. 2-19-1, Derrick Snell 2-21-0, Taco Dowler 1-22-0, Jared White 1-1-0, Tayvian Williams 1-2-0, Zachary Dodson-Green 1-20-0.
FIELD GOALS: (made in parentheses) Casey Kautzman 52.35; Myles Sansted 25,38,(40b)
DEFENSE POINTS: Rylan Ortt 1 Int; Kenneth Eiden IV 2.5 TL, 2 sacks, 1 rush; Simeon Woodard 2 PB; McCade O’Reilly 0.5 TL; Jake Vigen 1 TEASPOON; Tyson Pottenger 1 blocked kick; Cole Bullock 1 QBH; Level price Jr. 1 PB; Nick Korom 1 sack; Zac Crews 1 sack, Brock Steel 1 TEASPOON.

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