GOKATS
April 26th, 2008, 07:07 PM
From MSU-
Bobcats, Weather Shine in Great Falls
MSU Bobcats Bobcat Football News : 2008-04-26 : Great Falls, MT
By Bill Lamberty
Sunshine and good football abounded at Memorial Stadium in Great Falls on Saturday...
Even with Montana State quarterbacks throwing for 280 yards without an interception and freshman defensive end Brad Smith playing like a one-man wrecking crew, the action on the field - at least at times - took a back seat to the weather.
"We had sunshine," Montana State coach Rob Ash said with a smile after presiding over his first Triangle Classic Spring Game in Great Falls High's Memorial Stadium. "It was a terrific day."
MSU's traditional spring finale, in front of a crowd around 3,000, punctuated a spring plagued by unpredictable weather and a choppy practice schedule. On Saturday, though, impressive performances were everywhere, as the offense topped the defense 47-27 using the Modified Ash-Beck One-Point Must System.
"Brad Smith had a great game," Ash said of the redshirt defensive end who compiled three sacks, two other tackles for loss, and a pair of tipped passes. "His entire year has been great. You have to give DeAndre Green for hanging in there after the adversity he faced last fall with the eligibility issues, he had a good day. Bobby (Daly) had a good day. There were a lot of good things today."
While none of the three main combatants for starting quarterback honors in the fall claimed the position, all three - junior college transfer Mark Iddins, sophomore Jordan Rasmussen, and converted receiver Mark Desin - played at a high enough level to leave Ash comfortable entering the fall. "We still have a battle," he said.
Ash did praise each of the three for their efforts on Saturday. "I think it's still even between Mark (Iddins) and Jordan. As the game went on in the second half the defense changed some things with their substitutions, so we have to take that into account in our evaluation. I think Jordan played well, and so did Iddins. The thing I'm most happy about is that there were no interceptions."
Iddins finished the day with 101 yards on 8-for-13 passing, while Rasmussen was 8-for-15 for 74 yards. Desin was 8-for-12 for 105 yards. Derek Green emerged as the busiest receiver, catching six passes for 57 yards, while DeAndre Green caught four balls for 27 yards.
After a first half dominated by the defense - a 39-yard field goal by Michael Sweeney and a 22-yarder by Eric Fisher gave the offense its only points scored other than by sustaining drives - MSU's offense pieced together a pair of long scoring drives in the second. Mark Iddins scored on a five-yard run on the third quarter's first drive, which covered 60 yards. Blayde Becksted scored on a two-yard run to cap a 67-yard drive engineered by Iddins on the third drive of the second half. The Bobcat defense forced only one three-and-out possession in the second half, after forcing four in the first.
Ash indicated he was pleased with his team's effort on Saturday, and with its focus throughout the spring in spite of challenging circumstances. "We had a good day today, and we got a lot done this spring. It wasn't always easy, but the coaches kept things moving forward and the kids made it a productive spring. This was a perfect ending."
RUSHING: Blayde Becksted 11-59-1, Anthony Tillemans 15-45-1, Mark Iddins 6-24-1 (not including sacks).
PASSING: Mark Iddins 18-13-0, 101, 0; Jordan Rasmussen 15-8-0, 74, 0; Mark Desin 12-8-0, 105, 0.
RECEIVING: Derek Green 6-57-0; DeAndre Green 4-27-0; Brandon Bostick 3-29-0; Jamelle Banks 3-22-0, Deon Tolliver 3-32-0; Mecklen Davis 2-43-0; Michael Chopp 2-20-0; Shane Robison 2-17-0; Kyle Begger 2-22-0; Tyler Bolton 1-11-0; Derek Erickson 1-5-0.
PUNTING: Eric Fisher 3-40.7, Tyler Bolton 3-33.3.
DEFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS: Brad Smith - 3 sacks, 5 tackles-for-loss, 2 pass breakups; Jeff Price - 1 sack, 1 pass breakup; Ryan Cerise - 1 sack; Dan Ogden - 1 sack; David Taylor - 1 pass breakup; Chris Kolone - 1 pass breakup; Isaiah Taito - 1 pass breakup; kevin Retoriano - 1 pass breakup; Matt Harris - 1 tackle-for-loss.
Bobcats, Weather Shine in Great Falls
MSU Bobcats Bobcat Football News : 2008-04-26 : Great Falls, MT
By Bill Lamberty
Sunshine and good football abounded at Memorial Stadium in Great Falls on Saturday...
Even with Montana State quarterbacks throwing for 280 yards without an interception and freshman defensive end Brad Smith playing like a one-man wrecking crew, the action on the field - at least at times - took a back seat to the weather.
"We had sunshine," Montana State coach Rob Ash said with a smile after presiding over his first Triangle Classic Spring Game in Great Falls High's Memorial Stadium. "It was a terrific day."
MSU's traditional spring finale, in front of a crowd around 3,000, punctuated a spring plagued by unpredictable weather and a choppy practice schedule. On Saturday, though, impressive performances were everywhere, as the offense topped the defense 47-27 using the Modified Ash-Beck One-Point Must System.
"Brad Smith had a great game," Ash said of the redshirt defensive end who compiled three sacks, two other tackles for loss, and a pair of tipped passes. "His entire year has been great. You have to give DeAndre Green for hanging in there after the adversity he faced last fall with the eligibility issues, he had a good day. Bobby (Daly) had a good day. There were a lot of good things today."
While none of the three main combatants for starting quarterback honors in the fall claimed the position, all three - junior college transfer Mark Iddins, sophomore Jordan Rasmussen, and converted receiver Mark Desin - played at a high enough level to leave Ash comfortable entering the fall. "We still have a battle," he said.
Ash did praise each of the three for their efforts on Saturday. "I think it's still even between Mark (Iddins) and Jordan. As the game went on in the second half the defense changed some things with their substitutions, so we have to take that into account in our evaluation. I think Jordan played well, and so did Iddins. The thing I'm most happy about is that there were no interceptions."
Iddins finished the day with 101 yards on 8-for-13 passing, while Rasmussen was 8-for-15 for 74 yards. Desin was 8-for-12 for 105 yards. Derek Green emerged as the busiest receiver, catching six passes for 57 yards, while DeAndre Green caught four balls for 27 yards.
After a first half dominated by the defense - a 39-yard field goal by Michael Sweeney and a 22-yarder by Eric Fisher gave the offense its only points scored other than by sustaining drives - MSU's offense pieced together a pair of long scoring drives in the second. Mark Iddins scored on a five-yard run on the third quarter's first drive, which covered 60 yards. Blayde Becksted scored on a two-yard run to cap a 67-yard drive engineered by Iddins on the third drive of the second half. The Bobcat defense forced only one three-and-out possession in the second half, after forcing four in the first.
Ash indicated he was pleased with his team's effort on Saturday, and with its focus throughout the spring in spite of challenging circumstances. "We had a good day today, and we got a lot done this spring. It wasn't always easy, but the coaches kept things moving forward and the kids made it a productive spring. This was a perfect ending."
RUSHING: Blayde Becksted 11-59-1, Anthony Tillemans 15-45-1, Mark Iddins 6-24-1 (not including sacks).
PASSING: Mark Iddins 18-13-0, 101, 0; Jordan Rasmussen 15-8-0, 74, 0; Mark Desin 12-8-0, 105, 0.
RECEIVING: Derek Green 6-57-0; DeAndre Green 4-27-0; Brandon Bostick 3-29-0; Jamelle Banks 3-22-0, Deon Tolliver 3-32-0; Mecklen Davis 2-43-0; Michael Chopp 2-20-0; Shane Robison 2-17-0; Kyle Begger 2-22-0; Tyler Bolton 1-11-0; Derek Erickson 1-5-0.
PUNTING: Eric Fisher 3-40.7, Tyler Bolton 3-33.3.
DEFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS: Brad Smith - 3 sacks, 5 tackles-for-loss, 2 pass breakups; Jeff Price - 1 sack, 1 pass breakup; Ryan Cerise - 1 sack; Dan Ogden - 1 sack; David Taylor - 1 pass breakup; Chris Kolone - 1 pass breakup; Isaiah Taito - 1 pass breakup; kevin Retoriano - 1 pass breakup; Matt Harris - 1 tackle-for-loss.