Bobcats, Choate know to keep their guard up in Big Sky Conference

While Idaho's football team was being torn apart by Idaho State in Pocatello last weekend, Montana State got in a rest to assess what Bobcats third-year coach Jeff Choate called "an interesting weekend in the Big Sky Conference."

He referenced some curious results - MSU's bitter rival, Montana, lost to lowly Portland State and battered Northern Arizona bested ranked Weber State - including the bout between Gem State schools.

All this, he formed into a lesson - "If you're prepared, and you bring your edge competitively, you can beat anybody," Choate told his team, which lost 34-17 to Eastern Washington the week prior. "(The Vandals) did not have their competitive edge in Pocatello."

But Choate said he sees his opponent as a "dangerous outfit," and expects it to "come in here with a lot of motivation," when Big Sky charter schools UI (2-3, 1-2) and MSU meet up at Bozeman on Homecoming at 1 p.m. PDT Saturday.

Choate also acknowledged that "(UI) coach (Paul) Petrino and his staff are a veteran group of guys, (they've) coached a lot of football and will have their guys ready," and he pointed out UI's "elite" personnel.

Despite the past, he knows nothing's definite in the Big Sky, given last week.

The Bobcats (3-2, 1-1) have gathered that feeling of uncertainty probably much more than they'd like; they lost their starting quarterback, Chris Murray, to academic issues before the season. Subsequently, MSU's been forced to move the 6-3, 215-pound Troy Andersen into the starting QB role.

At least that's been somewhat of an unexpected godsend.

Andersen, who Petrino tabbed as "a stud ... a big, physical kid," was originally enlisted as a linebacker, but also played running back before flipping to field general.

His physical temperament has translated into a Bobcat bias to book it - MSU's No. 12 offense stays grounded about 61 percent of the time, and Andersen, despite having been limited in two games with a left-hand injury, is the leading rusher and sixth in conference with 517 yards (over 100 per game) and seven touchdowns.

However, the ISU duo of James Madison and Ty Flanagan was a key concern for UI a week ago, but all the Vandals got was shredded through the air. So if Andersen and MSU were to bank on the diverse receiving trio of lengthy Kevin Kassis and Travis Jonsen, as well as speedy Willie Patterson in the slot, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

"Predominantly, they're a running team, but they will pass it, and as corners we need to be ready," said junior Lloyd Hightower. "They're hitting a lot of stuff. ... They've thrown basically everything around the field."

Consequently, it's tricky to gauge the schemes MSU will put forth, but Choate does have a suspicion that this could be the rekindling of a rivalry long-lost.

UI's coaching staff is teeming with Montana products - Petrino is a Helena native - and MSU employs a few Idaho guys. In fact, Choate graduated from St. Maries High and assisted at Boise State from 2006-11, back when the Vandals-Broncos rivalry was still in gridiron practice.

"There's a huge group of guys that get, even though there isn't a lot of recent history with this rivalry, that there is a rivalry there," Choate said. "It's a matchup that I think has a lot of intrigue."

The first MSU-UI bout in Bozeman since '95: intriguing. Somewhat of a competition for regional recruiting, according to Choate: also intriguing. Better yet, forecast to be a snow game: even more intriguing.

And there is a little bit of recent history; in 2016, UI got MSU at home to open its eventual bowl-winning campaign. The Vandals snuck by 20-17, piggybacked by their rushing attack.

Choate said he played 13 true freshmen then, and nearly all those guys are back, two seasons the savvier. To UI offensive coordinator Kris Cinkovich, senior defensive linemen Zach Wright and Tucker Yates are two holdovers who've stood out in MSU's three-front, buck defense, similar to UI's - they also have a junior by the name of Bryce Sterk who is No. 2 in the conference in tackles for loss (eight and a half) and ninth nationally in sacks (five).

"They have some big, active guys up front," Cinkovich said. "It looks like they've all grown into that defense and it's evolved since."

Those defensive tendencies were implemented by third-year coordinator Ty Gregorak, who previously had a four-season stint as Montana's DC, taking over in 2012 after now-UI DC Mike Breske departed.

MSU might "play a little bit more multiple coverages than some people," Petrino said, but the defense is all together "pretty similar to ours."

But regardless of Choate's vision of the Vandals as possible disrupters of the conference hierarchy in future years, he welcomes their presence, back in frosty Montana for the first time in Petrino's tenure.

"I think, over time, it'll level out and coach Petrino and his staff will do a really good job there," Choate said. "I'm excited that they're back in the league. I'd love to play Idaho every year."

Colton Clark may be reached at cclark@lmtribune.com, on Twitter @coltonclark95 or by phone at (208) 848-2260.