GDT: Montana State (09/09/23)

[tbcruiser]

You're right and this team will lose to Youngstown if they have the mindset they had tonight, they need to step it up. Disagree, I don't care.

Win and advance, that's all.that counts...we know the team has the talent. Im not worried

[goon]

I thinknus fans felt the sense of urgency so early since we had so few plays in the first half and msu just kept drives and the clock moving. The play calling in the 1st half wasnt greatz the execution wasnt great and lacked energy. It seemed after the fumble the whole team looked deflated. Thankfully msu offense isnt overly dynamic. We made better adjustments and play calls and energy in the 2nd half.

Last week we were sharp to start the game, but the 2nd and 3rd stringers were out of sorts to finish the game. This week we were out of sorts to start the game but got better as the game went on. The blocked punt shows they have enough to work on, but also held them to a field goal from 2 yards out.

[Bozemaniac]

Re-watching the not-touchdown by MSU...the quarterback was a good yard past the line of scrimmage when he let go of the ball.

I went back and watched this one and Chambers' back foot was just on the line of scrimmage (24 yard line) when he threw. Very close, but a good throw.

[jakejc795]

Win and advance, that's all.that counts...we know the team has the talent. Im not worried

I agree to an extent. I'd be more concerned if the team failed to adjust, but I think all but a couple posters on here would recognize that the team made adjustments at the half.

Speaking of wins, I'll take the "win" that the doom and gloomers are writing the Jacks off for the Hobo Day and Marker games and are at least waiting until Youngstown.

[73alum]

almost without fail every championship team has a close call along the way where they did not really have their best game but they battle through it and find a way and most of the time point to that as an important moment in the season that made them better

This is exactly what happens at times. Sure, we get emotional and think we want to tear up the team and coach on a verbal basis!!! This game worried me months ago. Montana St. has had an axe to grind with the Jack’s for a number of months and they brought it.

[salemjack]

I had an old coach say “there is nothing better than winning a game when you don’t play well”.

That’s how I feel about tonight.

Crowd was the best I have seen

DLINE has a lot of work to do

O line was hot and cold

Mark struggled, but found a way to win

Wilde is the next NFL WR we have

Davis is our best player by far. His attitude rubs off on the whole team. Needs to get more touches.

If Mellot stays healthy we lose.

MAU’s success with QB runs make me hope we see some Chase Mason packages for short yardage as the gear goes on.

It was nice to see a lot of new numbers out there making plays!

And what a game.

[filbert]

I went back and watched this one and Chambers' back foot was just on the line of scrimmage (24 yard line) when he threw. Very close, but a good throw.

Interestingly, before the illegal procedure penalty, the spot had the nose of the football just touching the 19 yard hash mark. After the penalty, they put the ball down with the nose of the ball around the mid-point of the 24 yard hash, so a 4 yard, 35 inch penalty was actually assessed. (Game Of Inches, yes?)

Regarding Chambers' back foot:
The spot was just at the back edge of the 24 yard hash mark--call it 24 yards and an inch to go for the TD. Chambers' back foot when he releases is vertical, toe to heel, and it appears to me that his trailing left foot is just fractionally ahead of the 24 yard line, maybe by just about the same margin as the receiver was on the end line. It's that close.

And how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, anyway?

[ringthebells]

I thought I heard on the radio on the way home that both Mellot and Chambers ran 20 times apiece. Could that be right? I know it was often, but if true, how do they expect them to be healthy for an entire year?

[Prairiehaas]

Wow! Super exciting evening at Dykhouse Stadium. The Jacks looked flat in the first half. It looked like MTSt came out with the better game plan. Then the Jacks came out strong in the 3rd qtr. If not for three special teams miscues the game would've been put away earlier in the 4th. Even earlier without the officiating mistakes. The crowd was large and loud, causing multiple false starts by the Bobcats. And the ending, with the crap penalty and the QB throwing beyond the LOS and the TD review, for us in the stands was very tense and exciting. Takeaway 1, when this team is clicking on both side of the ball no other FCS team will be able to stop them. Takeaway 2, these two teams will be meeting again very late this season. This team needs to jell and execute like the playoff team last season.

[jakejc795]

I thought I heard on the radio on the way home that both Mellot and Chambers ran 20 times apiece. Could that be right? I know it was often, but if true, how do they expect them to be healthy for an entire year?

Chambers ran for 20, and Mellott ran for 11

As for their health, I think Mellott's already going to miss time due to injury sustained this game.

[jakejc795]

Wow! Super exciting evening at Dykhouse Stadium. The Jacks looked flat in the first half. It looked like MTSt came out with the better game plan. Then the Jacks came out strong in the 3rd qtr. If not for three special teams miscues the game would've been put away earlier in the 4th. Even earlier without the officiating mistakes. The crowd was large and loud, causing multiple false starts by the Bobcats. And the ending, with the crap penalty and the QB throwing beyond the LOS and the TD review, for us in the stands was very tense and exciting. Takeaway 1, when this team is clicking on both side of the ball no other FCS team will be able to stop them. Takeaway 2, these two teams will be meeting again very late this season. This team needs to jell and execute like the playoff team last season.

I'll be curious to see how Mellott's prognosis may impact that prediction, although I agree that the team has a way to go before it's in playoff form.

Initially, I'd hoped the bye might be a week or so later, but now I think the timing might be great to get Bock back and start conference play afterward.

[ringthebells]

Chambers ran for 20, and Mellott ran for 11

As for their health, I think Mellott's already going to miss time due to injury sustained this game.

Just thinking back to their games with the XDSUs, Nat'l Championship, Mellot hurt. Last years semi-final-Chambers hurt, tonight-Mellot hurt. 31 runs is a going to take its toll.

[tbcruiser]

Just thinking back to their games with the XDSUs, Nat'l Championship, Mellot hurt. Last years semi-final-Chambers hurt, tonight-Mellot hurt. 31 runs is a going to take its toll.

Yep, live and die by having qbs run all the time.

[jbjack]

The fumble recovery gift played right into MSU's hands.. Our D forced a three and out, our offense was on the move. Suddenly MSU is confident and on the move. With the new clock rules, and MSU's style of play, the time peeled off the clock. MSU dominated TOP in the first half. While our D was getting gouged, give it credit. It could have been a lot worse. Credit an assist to the crowd, students in particular. MSU clearly felt the home field advantage.

Bobcat fan in the can line at halftime when I remarked that his team came to play: "Too bad they didn't show up in the semi's." This is a team that believed last season and believes tonight on the flight home that they are better than SDSU. He did hope (at that point) that our teams would meet in Frisco. I agreed that anyone besides NDSU would be great.

I don't know what Rogers said at halftime but we are overlooking a unsung hero - the bobcat who smoked Johnson on the last play of the half. I don't think there was anything illegal about the hit ( although a few inches higher and it's a shot to the head) but it looked cheap and dirty and his conduct afterward invited chippy responses and no doubt have our guys a shot of attitude. Our guys certainly woke up at half and toughened up. How awesome was Isaiah Davis' stiff arm of the Bobcat into and through the advertising board on the first drive of the second half?

For as successful as the cats were running their QBs, they only found the endzone once. Bend but don't break. And not much else seemed to work. I guess you use the weapons you have but who's third string QB? Their QBs were taking shots. Mellott was actually hurt on a fake handoff from Chalmers. He was absolutely buried. He stayed in for a few plays - maybe the end of the series - but you could see his discomfort on the sideline. #10 took his licks, too. MSU had luxury at QB assuming Mellott comes back soon. Those guys are gamers.

There seemed like plenty of Bozeangelans in the concourse before the game. They didn't make much noise during.

I hear we hired a full time special teams coordinator. Three big ST errors.

It's a shame that we couldn't open the season with a last something like FCS talent. I think W.O. did little to prepare this team for tonight at MSU. That's a tough game to try to find footing
. But at least it's a win. Through NDSU's long streak there were a couple of games every season where it seemed the Bison were going to stub their toes but always found a way to pull out the win in the end. The ugly ones didn't diminish the shine on any of the NC trophies and I doubt there were any tougher ugly wins for NDSU than this MSU squad.

[NCJack]

Agree with much of what’s been said. A good team finds ways to win and we did last night.

Montana St mostly outplayed us in my opinion. Their lines absolutely man handled us. Not having Sanders and Bok really shows up when the talent gap is that close.

refs lost control of the game and specials teams were dog $hit. Thought the team looked so flat in the first half, missed a few big plays in the first half and the fumble (which was not recovered in bounds) put in in the whole. I don’t believe we win with Mellott playing the whole game.

Penalties hurt us. Both the stupid ones like throwing a shoe and be ones like the guy standing over out guy and then flopping. Montana has a Very talented team with XDSU size, depth and strength in the trenches which is what they have lacked. They are still pretty young and have to be an early season favorite for next year. Can they get enough production out of their pass game to win the highest level games? Certainly last night they showed they are close.

Hope it was a bit of a wake up call for the jacks. The NDSU’s southern Illinois of the MVFC will be ready to take their shot at us.

Really respect the Bobcat program they have built. I wish then well and would love to see them in the playoffs. I’ll certainly be nervous for the rematch if it happens but these are the games that we all want to see.