MSU vs. EWU game preview

The Bobcats head into Saturday’s game against conference foe Eastern Washington. After just missing this week’s STATS FCS Top 25 Poll, MSU is hungry for a big win to catapult them to a top-25 ranking. Taking down, fifth in the country, Eastern Washington has the ability to do just that. With a three-and-one record on the season, the Cats are looking to turn around a six game losing streak against the Eagles. The annual Stripe the Stadium game will kickoff at 1 p.m.

Eastern Washington

Going into the 2018 season, the Eagles were voted number one in the Big Sky Conference in both the media and coaches’ poll. So far, Eastern looks worthy of the accolade. Lead by senior quarterback Gage Gubrud, the Eagles offense continues to be explosive. Last season, Gubrud led all of Division I football in passing yards, throwing for an impressive 5,160 yards and currently leads all of FCS in passing touchdowns. Gubrud’s talent makes him a possible NFL prospect in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Four weeks into the season, Eastern Washington has picked up wins against Central Washington, Northern Arizona, and Cal Poly, combining for a total of 159 points during the three contests. Their only loss came to Washington State, a strong FBS program. In years past, the Eagles have been known for their passing game, but this year their running game appears to be just as much of a force. Eastern Washington currently leads the conference in rushing yards, averaging an astounding 328 yards per game. As MSU Head Coach Jeff Choate puts it, “They are not one-dimensional.” Averaging nearly 700 yards per game, the Eagles offense will prove difficult to stop.

MSU

Coming into Saturday’s game the Bobcats are 3-1, their best start to a season since 2012 when MSU made a run into the playoffs. Although the Cats’ quarterback situation has remained largely unpredictable, it seems as though Choate has made up his mind to play sophomore Troy Andersen behind center for the remainder of the season. His thoughts during the weekly Monday press conference alluded to the fact that Andersen will stay put at quarterback, when Choate emphasized, “The quarterback having the ability to run the ball is a nightmare for defenses.” During his time as signal caller, Andersen has been able to do just that. Last week at Portland State he racked up 207 yards, an MSU single-game quarterback record. True freshman running back Isaiah Ifanse has made a tremendous impact, including 261 yards rushing, and has accounted for four Bobcat touchdowns in the last two weeks. He is expected to continue to be a big part of MSU’s offense coming into this weekend and the rest of the season.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Cats are going to have to be tough. One man who continues to stand out is junior defensive end Bryce Sterk. After being behind an All-American at University of Washington last season, Sterk transferred to MSU and has made himself known defensively. He is currently leading the Big Sky Conference in tackles for losses and sacks during the Cats’ 2018 campaign. Other defensive stars, including senior defensive linemen, Zach Wright, Tucker Yates and Tyrone Fa’ano, will have to make their presence known in an attempt to tame the Eagles.

Keys to Victory:

Montana State

• Minimize Eastern Washington third-down conversions
• Take advantage of red zone opportunities
• Control the turnover game
• Maintain tough red zone defense

Eastern Washington

• Contain Andersen and Ifanse
• Continue strong running game
• Tire out Montana State’s defense
• Give Gubrud time in the pocket to make plays

Tidbits:

• The Eagles are the ninth ranked opponent the Cats have played in their last 15 games
• The last time MSU beat EWU, DeNarius McGhee was the Bobcats, starting quarterback. He is now the running backs coach at MSU
• Last week, Ifanse became the first Bobcat freshman in history to rush for at least 100 yards in two of his first four games
• The Cats have scored over 40 points in consecutive games for the first time since opening 2015 with four straight such contests.
• The Bobcats have allowed 10 fourth-quarter points this season