22016016 MontanaMontana StateState BobcatsBobcats Montana State vs. Bryant September 10 • Bobcat Stadium • Bozeman, MT Bryant Bulldogs Montana State Bobcats THIS WEEK’S GAME 1-0 .......................................................2016 Record .....................................................0-1 KICKOFF: 2:05 pm 0-0/Northeast Conference .............Record/Conference ................................. 0-0/Big Sky SITE: Bozeman, MT 1-0/0-0 ..................................................Home/Road ............................................... 0-0/0-1 STADIUM: Bobcat Stadium 1-0/0-0 ...................................................Grass/Turf ................................................ 0-0/0-1 RADIO: Bobcat Radio Network (Jay Sand- 1-0/0-0 ................................................... Day/Night ................................................ 0-0/0-1 erson, Dan Davies, Jason Alvine) Marty Fine............................................ Head Coach ....................................... Jeff Choate TELEVISION: SWX (Chris Byers, Mike Cal- Western New Mexico/’85 ..................Alma Mater/Year .....................Montana Western/’94 laghan, Kyle Sherman) 98-62/16th ................................... Overall Record/Years .......................................0-1/1st WEB STREAMING: msubobcats.com 76-55/13th .................................At Current School/Years .....................................0-1/1st 2016 MSU SCHEDULE Bryant University ......................................School .......................Montana State University Sept. 1 at Idaho L 17-20 Black, gold, white......................................Colors ........................................Blue and Gold Sept. 10 Bryant 2:05 pm Smithfi eld, RI ..........................................Location ...................................... Bozeman, MT Sept. 17 Western Oregon 2:05 pm 3,347..................................................... Enrollment ................................................15,818 Sept. 24 *North Daktoa 2:05 pm Bulldog Stadium ..................................... Stadium ................................... Bobcat Stadium Oct. 1 *at Sacramento St 7:05 pm MT Oct. 8 *Northern Arizona 5:10 pm Oct. 15 *at Weber State 1:40 pm Oct. 22 *Eastern Wash. 12:10 pm THE STORYLINE Nov. 5 *at Southern Utah 12:05 pm Montana State opens the home segment of its 113th football season when Bryant visits Nov. 12 *UC Davis 1:40 pm for an intersectional Gold Rush clash. The Cats face a team that fi nished the 2015 season Nov. 19 *at Montana 12:10 pm 5-6, but opened 2016 with a 41-20 home win over Division II Merrimack. Dalton Easton, the NEC’s top passer a season ago, returns as the starter. He produced four of Bryant’s HIGHLIGHTS top 10 passing games and two of the school’s top four passing seasons. MSU played well • Jeff Choate is the fourth Bobcat coach in a 20-17 loss at Idaho last week in Jeff Choate’s fi rst game as Bobcat head coach. in the last 30 years to debut in the Blue & Gold with a road loss, and the previous MSU vs. BU SERIES RECORD AND NOTES three won the next week at home Series Record (Home/Road) ......................................................................... fi rst meeting • While Bryant starts eight seniors on Jeff Choate vs. Bryant (Home/Road) ...........................................................0-0 (0-0/0-0) offense and seven on defense, MSU lists Jeff Choate vs. Marty Fine (Home/Road) .....................................................0-0 (0-0/0-0) only fi ve senior starters total (three on of- Marty Fine vs. MSU (Home/Road) ................................................................0-0 (0-0/0-0) fense, two on defense) SERIES NOTES: Montana State has never before faced a current member of the North- • The last time MSU played in front of east Conference... the Bobcats’ only game against a team from Rhode Island was the a home crowd smaller than the 11,987 1984 NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs win over Rhode Island, 32-20 on December 8, 1984 in present in the Kibbie Dome Thursday was Reno H. Sales Stadium, which sent MSU to the Championship Game Nov. 14, 2009 (10,697 for a 27-17 win over Sacramento State) ON THE RECORD • Nearly half of MSU’s game one start- • Chad Newell’s 25 career touchdowns is more than halfway to the school record of 48, ers (10 - six on offense, four on defense) held by his former teammate Cody Kirk made their starting debut for the Cats at UI STADIUM STUFF STREAKS • The Cats average 447.6 yards and 34.6 points a game on their eight-year old turf fi eld • JP Flynn has started 33 straight games • MSU is 25-9 in Bobcat Stadium’s current confi guration (since 2011) • The Cats have won nine straight home openers, last losing their fi rst home game BIG SKY BULLET POINTS of a season to Chadron State in 2006 • After holding Idaho to 128 passing yards, the second-best total by a Big Sky defense during opening weekend, MSU leads the Big Sky with 76.1 pass effi ciency defense MILESTONES • The 20 points allowed by MSU was the third-fewest among Big Sky schools • The last time MSU won a head coach’s debut was Sonny Lubick’s 21-13 win at BY THE NUMBERS THE CATS THIS WEEK North Dakota in 1978 Mon .... 11:45 am - Jeff Choate Press Conference ........................................................players day off SHINING 0 Trips further west than Satur- Tue ....3:40-5:45 pm - Practice (closed after 4:10) • WR Mitchell Herbert has 12 career day’s game in Bryant football history ........................Post-practice interviews - offense touchdowns, among MSU’s top 10 career Wed ..3:40-5:45 pm - Practice (closed after 4:10) marks, and he is 37 yards from reaching .......................Post-practice interviews - defense the 1,000-yard mark for his career th Rank of Tyler Bruggman among 9 ...............6:30 pm - Cat Chat, Club Tavern & Grill • RB Chad Newell rushed for 104 Bobcat quarterbacks in starting debut Thu .................... 3:40-5:45 pm- Practice (closed) yards at Idaho, and his 1,512 career rush- passing yards in the last three-and-a-half Fri ........ 10:30 am - Coaches Corner, Holiday Inn # ing yards stands 19th in MSU history decades ..................................4 pm walk-through (closed) A Quick Look MSU vs. Bryant Bryant Quick Facts Coaches Corner School .......................................................................Bryant University Jeff Choate ....................................................................................0-1/1st, same Location ..........................................................................Smithfi eld, RI Choate vs. BU ................................................................................ 0-0 (0-0/0-0) Enrollment .....................................................................................3,347 Marty Fine ......................................................................98-62/16th,76-55/13th Nickname ................................................................................ Bulldogs Fine vs. MSU ................................................................................0-0 (0-0/0-0) Spirit Colors ................................................................ Black, gold, white Choate vs. Fine .............................................................................. 0-0 (0-0/0-0) Stadium ........................................................................Bulldog Stadium Nat’l Affi liation ............................................................... NCAA DI/FCS Football Conference ...............................................................Northeast The Series Director of Athletics ..............................................................Bill Smith Saturday’s game marks the fi rst-ever meeting between the Bobcats and Head Coach ..........................................................................Marty Fine Bryant, the fi rst meeting between MSU and a current member of the Alma Mater .................................................. Western New Mexico/’85 Northeast Conference, and the fi rst meeting between Bryant and a Big Career Record ......................................................................98-62/16th Sky school. The Cats have played one other school from Rhode Island, Record at School ..................................................................76-55/13th the University of Rhode Island, in 1984. That NCAA Division I Playoff Record vs. MSU ................................................................0-0 (0-0/0-0) game went the Bobcats’ way, a 32-20 semifi nal win in Reno H. Sales Record vs. Jeff Choate ......................................................0-0 (0-0/0-0) Stadium that boosted MSU to the national title game, and an eventual Series Summary championship. Series Record .................................................................... fi rst meeting at Bozeman ....................................................................................... 0-0 Westward Ho! at Smithfi eld ..................................................................................... 0-0 Not only is Saturday’s game Bryant’s fi rst against the Bobcats and at Neutral ......................................................................................... 0-0 against a Big Sky school, it is also the program’s furthest trip west. Pre- viously, Bryant’s westward-most visit was to Pittsburgh. The Tale of the Tape Avg Ht Avg Wt Avg Ht Avg Wt More Westward Ho! MSU O-Line 6-5 291 BU O-Line 6-3 309 Bryant becomes the second Bobcat home opening opponent in the last BU D-Line 6-2 287 MSU D-Line