Fall Camp

[Colter_Nuanez]

[coloradocat]

[TomCat88]

The most shocking to me is Chance Wilson not being the QB2

Duchien had a great Fall camp. I am not surprised by this. Chance though, is not far behind. It was a close competition but Patrick had the edge.

I was a little surprised by this. I thought Wilson had turned the corner in the spring. I think Duchein is more Lamson-like in a number of ways. I really liked how he was lining everyone up and taking charge pre-snap in the spring game.

Aside from that I think MSU has much better QB depth this year.

[TomCat88]

Duchien wins the backup spot.

Wow, that seems like a solid two deep. With all the talk being about how good the Oline, Dline and RB's are I think the LB's and WR's are going to be amazing.

It's does seem that way. You'd think as young as MSU is that it would have some shaky spots. Still need to see the DBs in action. I'm pretty sure Dowler and Uluilakepa will be good. Tayden Gray looks good. The corners are so young; however, they have some good baseline traits. And there's a ton of them.

[grizzh8r]

Duchien wins the backup spot.

Wow, that seems like a solid two deep. With all the talk being about how good the Oline, Dline and RB's are I think the LB's and WR's are going to be amazing.

It's does seem that way. You'd think as young as MSU is that it would have some shaky spots. Still need to see the DBs in action. I'm pretty sure Dowler and Uluilakepa will be good. Tayden Gray looks good. The corners are so young; however, they have some good baseline traits. And there's a ton of them.

You mentioned how young this team is, which looking at the two-deep, I was surprised by how young it actually is! At the same time, really the only area that is super young is Cornerback. Most of the rest of the positions have guys that have solid game experience, or have been in and around the program for at least a full season, if not two.

This is where the value of making deep playoff runs every year and getting additional practice and game reps for all the young talent cannot be understated.

Really excited to see what this new look Bobcat team can do this season.

[TomCat88]

Duchien wins the backup spot.

Wow, that seems like a solid two deep. With all the talk being about how good the Oline, Dline and RB's are I think the LB's and WR's are going to be amazing.

It's does seem that way. You'd think as young as MSU is that it would have some shaky spots. Still need to see the DBs in action. I'm pretty sure Dowler and Uluilakepa will be good. Tayden Gray looks good. The corners are so young; however, they have some good baseline traits. And there's a ton of them.

You mentioned how young this team is, which looking at the two-deep, I was surprised by how young it actually is! At the same time, really the only area that is super young is Cornerback. Most of the rest of the positions have guys that have solid game experience, or have been in and around the program for at least a full season, if not two.

This is where the value of making deep playoff runs every year and getting additional practice and game reps for all the young talent cannot be understated.

Really excited to see what this new look Bobcat team can do this season.

What I’m saying is that MSU has good depth despite being young. There aren’t many shaky areas despite the youth. The only spot that I’m not sure about is DBs but I think there are three proven players there in Dowler, Uluilakepa and Gray. It’ll be interesting to see how the players that rotate in at those positions look. The corners are the youngest position especially now that Carr seems be no. 4 in the rotation.

Vigen talks about the corners quite a bit in yesterday’s interview. Sounds promising. He seems to like McMillan a lot. (I’m a surprised that Texas poster (BobcatBuiltTexan?) hasn’t weighed in on this). Vigen seems high on Williams and Johnson too but he says (paraphrasing) they need to have thick skin vs Oregon because they’re bound to make mistakes and give up some plays. So, it’s important to not read too much into the results of this game.

IMO, MSU needs to not give up big plays on special teams and offense (no pick6s or strip6s). If they can do that, I don’t think it’ll get out of hand. Generally, when you see big scores 50+ there’s a bunch of scores made or setup by STs and defense, which are typically sparked by bad plays by cover units and offensive turnovers.

[TomCat88]

Another fun thing to listen to in Vigen’s interview is what he says about Frokjer. He averaged 16 and 7 in hoops, took second in the javelin at the state meet, and is a scratch golfer. Played multiple positions on O/D for the football team.

[BelligerentBobcat]

Duchien wins the backup spot.

Wow, that seems like a solid two deep. With all the talk being about how good the Oline, Dline and RB's are I think the LB's and WR's are going to be amazing.

It's does seem that way. You'd think as young as MSU is that it would have some shaky spots. Still need to see the DBs in action. I'm pretty sure Dowler and Uluilakepa will be good. Tayden Gray looks good. The corners are so young; however, they have some good baseline traits. And there's a ton of them.

You mentioned how young this team is, which looking at the two-deep, I was surprised by how young it actually is! At the same time, really the only area that is super young is Cornerback. Most of the rest of the positions have guys that have solid game experience, or have been in and around the program for at least a full season, if not two.

This is where the value of making deep playoff runs every year and getting additional practice and game reps for all the young talent cannot be understated.

Really excited to see what this new look Bobcat team can do this season.

What I’m saying is that MSU has good depth despite being young. There aren’t many shaky areas despite the youth. The only spot that I’m not sure about is DBs but I think there are three proven players there in Dowler, Uluilakepa and Gray. It’ll be interesting to see how the players that rotate in at those positions look. The corners are the youngest position especially now that Carr seems be no. 4 in the rotation.

Vigen talks about the corners quite a bit in yesterday’s interview. Sounds promising. He seems to like McMillan a lot. (I’m a surprised that Texas poster (BobcatBuiltTexan?) hasn’t weighed in on this). Vigen seems high on Williams and Johnson too but he says (paraphrasing) they need to have thick skin vs Oregon because they’re bound to make mistakes and give up some plays. So, it’s important to not read too much into the results of this game.

IMO, MSU needs to not give up big plays on special teams and offense (no pick6s or strip6s). If they can do that, I don’t think it’ll get out of hand. Generally, when you see big scores 50+ there’s a bunch of scores made or setup by STs and defense, which are typically sparked by bad plays by cover units and offensive turnovers.

I think he figured out that posting on the message board for his kids team wasn’t the wisest decision.

[The MICKSTER]

Duchien wins the backup spot.

7 SR's on the 2 deep........
and one is a 6 year RB we can replace pretty comfortably.

Some observations........
*All 4 starters on DL are Seniors, all 4 back-ups are not.....likely a transfer or two next year
*OL; 3 Sophomores, & a JR starting....only 1 Senior on 2-deep
*WR; 2 out of top 6 are Seniors
*TE; all 3 are SO or FR
*QB; top 3 are not Seniors
*DB's & LB's; none are Seniors, 4 out of 14 are JR's, 10 are FR or SO.....when was the last time that happened?
*Us consistently winning the in-state recruiting battle is showing up bigtime

Looking forward to......
*Seeing how Jabez Woods does returning kickoffs
*What Mr. Lamson's completion % will be
*How back 7 defends the pass

Surprised to see........
* Tayden Gray @ 185lbs being Nickel, not Caden Dowler
* All underclassmen as our back 14 on defense

Looking forward to.......
* THIS YEAR AND THE YEARs TO COME.....GO CATS!!!

[RobertCats]

Duchien wins the backup spot.

Wow, that seems like a solid two deep. With all the talk being about how good the Oline, Dline and RB's are I think the LB's and WR's are going to be amazing.

It's does seem that way. You'd think as young as MSU is that it would have some shaky spots. Still need to see the DBs in action. I'm pretty sure Dowler and Uluilakepa will be good. Tayden Gray looks good. The corners are so young; however, they have some good baseline traits. And there's a ton of them.

You mentioned how young this team is, which looking at the two-deep, I was surprised by how young it actually is! At the same time, really the only area that is super young is Cornerback. Most of the rest of the positions have guys that have solid game experience, or have been in and around the program for at least a full season, if not two.

This is where the value of making deep playoff runs every year and getting additional practice and game reps for all the young talent cannot be understated.

Really excited to see what this new look Bobcat team can do this season.

What I’m saying is that MSU has good depth despite being young. There aren’t many shaky areas despite the youth. The only spot that I’m not sure about is DBs but I think there are three proven players there in Dowler, Uluilakepa and Gray. It’ll be interesting to see how the players that rotate in at those positions look. The corners are the youngest position especially now that Carr seems be no. 4 in the rotation.

Vigen talks about the corners quite a bit in yesterday’s interview. Sounds promising. He seems to like McMillan a lot. (I’m a surprised that Texas poster (BobcatBuiltTexan?) hasn’t weighed in on this). Vigen seems high on Williams and Johnson too but he says (paraphrasing) they need to have thick skin vs Oregon because they’re bound to make mistakes and give up some plays. So, it’s important to not read too much into the results of this game.

IMO, MSU needs to not give up big plays on special teams and offense (no pick6s or strip6s). If they can do that, I don’t think it’ll get out of hand. Generally, when you see big scores 50+ there’s a bunch of scores made or setup by STs and defense, which are typically sparked by bad plays by cover units and offensive turnovers.

I am cautiously optimistic about the corners this year. I was worried at first, but then I remembered being super worried back in like 2016 or 2017 where we started two true freshmen at corner and a true sophomore at safety. We did have a stud senior safety in McCabe that helped out but the other three turned out to be dudes!!! They were Tyrel Thomas (FR), Jalen Cole (FR) and Brayden Konkol (SO).

[TomCat88]

Duchien wins the backup spot.

Wow, that seems like a solid two deep. With all the talk being about how good the Oline, Dline and RB's are I think the LB's and WR's are going to be amazing.

It's does seem that way. You'd think as young as MSU is that it would have some shaky spots. Still need to see the DBs in action. I'm pretty sure Dowler and Uluilakepa will be good. Tayden Gray looks good. The corners are so young; however, they have some good baseline traits. And there's a ton of them.

You mentioned how young this team is, which looking at the two-deep, I was surprised by how young it actually is! At the same time, really the only area that is super young is Cornerback. Most of the rest of the positions have guys that have solid game experience, or have been in and around the program for at least a full season, if not two.

This is where the value of making deep playoff runs every year and getting additional practice and game reps for all the young talent cannot be understated.

Really excited to see what this new look Bobcat team can do this season.

What I’m saying is that MSU has good depth despite being young. There aren’t many shaky areas despite the youth. The only spot that I’m not sure about is DBs but I think there are three proven players there in Dowler, Uluilakepa and Gray. It’ll be interesting to see how the players that rotate in at those positions look. The corners are the youngest position especially now that Carr seems be no. 4 in the rotation.

Vigen talks about the corners quite a bit in yesterday’s interview. Sounds promising. He seems to like McMillan a lot. (I’m a surprised that Texas poster (BobcatBuiltTexan?) hasn’t weighed in on this). Vigen seems high on Williams and Johnson too but he says (paraphrasing) they need to have thick skin vs Oregon because they’re bound to make mistakes and give up some plays. So, it’s important to not read too much into the results of this game.

IMO, MSU needs to not give up big plays on special teams and offense (no pick6s or strip6s). If they can do that, I don’t think it’ll get out of hand. Generally, when you see big scores 50+ there’s a bunch of scores made or setup by STs and defense, which are typically sparked by bad plays by cover units and offensive turnovers.

I am cautiously optimistic about the corners this year. I was worried at first, but then I remembered being super worried back in like 2016 or 2017 where we started two true freshmen at corner and a true sophomore at safety. We did have a stud senior safety in McCabe that helped out but the other three turned out to be dudes!!! They were Tyrel Thomas (FR), Jalen Cole (FR) and Brayden Konkol (SO).

Good memory you have. That was a very good crew of newcomers. This crew is much faster. I believe they have the football skills too. Vigen's comments on McMillan make it sound like he's more than just fast. Johnson and Williams are 11.0 100m guys. As are Dowler and Gray. McMillan is 10.4. Uluilakepa and Carr didn't run track that I can find. The LBs and DBs are collectively a lot faster than last year.

Football has gotten to be such a speed game. You just can't ignore that anymore. The players now are faster than just 5-10 years ago across the board. They're doing everything to get faster, including shredding pads. First it was hip pads, then thigh pads and now the pants don't go below the knees. Shoulder pads are tiny by comparison.

There are two DBs that I'm not even sure are 3rd string that run 10.6 100m. Don't misconstrue my spiel on speed as saying it's the only thing that matters. You've got to have football skills to go with it or it's meaningless.

[BelligerentBobcat]

Duchien wins the backup spot.

Wow, that seems like a solid two deep. With all the talk being about how good the Oline, Dline and RB's are I think the LB's and WR's are going to be amazing.

It's does seem that way. You'd think as young as MSU is that it would have some shaky spots. Still need to see the DBs in action. I'm pretty sure Dowler and Uluilakepa will be good. Tayden Gray looks good. The corners are so young; however, they have some good baseline traits. And there's a ton of them.

You mentioned how young this team is, which looking at the two-deep, I was surprised by how young it actually is! At the same time, really the only area that is super young is Cornerback. Most of the rest of the positions have guys that have solid game experience, or have been in and around the program for at least a full season, if not two.

This is where the value of making deep playoff runs every year and getting additional practice and game reps for all the young talent cannot be understated.

Really excited to see what this new look Bobcat team can do this season.

What I’m saying is that MSU has good depth despite being young. There aren’t many shaky areas despite the youth. The only spot that I’m not sure about is DBs but I think there are three proven players there in Dowler, Uluilakepa and Gray. It’ll be interesting to see how the players that rotate in at those positions look. The corners are the youngest position especially now that Carr seems be no. 4 in the rotation.

Vigen talks about the corners quite a bit in yesterday’s interview. Sounds promising. He seems to like McMillan a lot. (I’m a surprised that Texas poster (BobcatBuiltTexan?) hasn’t weighed in on this). Vigen seems high on Williams and Johnson too but he says (paraphrasing) they need to have thick skin vs Oregon because they’re bound to make mistakes and give up some plays. So, it’s important to not read too much into the results of this game.

IMO, MSU needs to not give up big plays on special teams and offense (no pick6s or strip6s). If they can do that, I don’t think it’ll get out of hand. Generally, when you see big scores 50+ there’s a bunch of scores made or setup by STs and defense, which are typically sparked by bad plays by cover units and offensive turnovers.

I am cautiously optimistic about the corners this year. I was worried at first, but then I remembered being super worried back in like 2016 or 2017 where we started two true freshmen at corner and a true sophomore at safety. We did have a stud senior safety in McCabe that helped out but the other three turned out to be dudes!!! They were Tyrel Thomas (FR), Jalen Cole (FR) and Brayden Konkol (SO).

Good memory you have. That was a very good crew of newcomers. This crew is much faster. I believe they have the football skills too. Vigen's comments on McMillan make it sound like he's more than just fast. Johnson and Williams are 11.0 100m guys. As are Dowler and Gray. McMillan is 10.4. Uluilakepa and Carr didn't run track that I can find. The LBs and DBs are collectively a lot faster than last year.

Football has gotten to be such a speed game. You just can't ignore that anymore. The players now are faster than just 5-10 years ago across the board. They're doing everything to get faster, including shredding pads. First it was hip pads, then thigh pads and now the pants don't go below the knees. Shoulder pads are tiny by comparison.

There are two DBs that I'm not even sure are 3rd string that run 10.6 100m. Don't misconstrue my spiel on speed as saying it's the only thing that matters. You've got to have football skills to go with it or it's meaningless.

McMillan is fast, instinctive, and smart. Like Vigen said, his approach is very mature.

Honestly, if he had come out of HS a couple inches taller and 20-30 lbs heavier, he’s going P4. He’s going to be a stud for us. From what I heard, was pushing the rotation last year as a true freshmen.

[BobcatBuiltTexan]

Duchien wins the backup spot.

Wow, that seems like a solid two deep. With all the talk being about how good the Oline, Dline and RB's are I think the LB's and WR's are going to be amazing.

It's does seem that way. You'd think as young as MSU is that it would have some shaky spots. Still need to see the DBs in action. I'm pretty sure Dowler and Uluilakepa will be good. Tayden Gray looks good. The corners are so young; however, they have some good baseline traits. And there's a ton of them.

You mentioned how young this team is, which looking at the two-deep, I was surprised by how young it actually is! At the same time, really the only area that is super young is Cornerback. Most of the rest of the positions have guys that have solid game experience, or have been in and around the program for at least a full season, if not two.

This is where the value of making deep playoff runs every year and getting additional practice and game reps for all the young talent cannot be understated.

Really excited to see what this new look Bobcat team can do this season.

What I’m saying is that MSU has good depth despite being young. There aren’t many shaky areas despite the youth. The only spot that I’m not sure about is DBs but I think there are three proven players there in Dowler, Uluilakepa and Gray. It’ll be interesting to see how the players that rotate in at those positions look. The corners are the youngest position especially now that Carr seems be no. 4 in the rotation.

Vigen talks about the corners quite a bit in yesterday’s interview. Sounds promising. He seems to like McMillan a lot. (I’m a surprised that Texas poster (BobcatBuiltTexan?) hasn’t weighed in on this). Vigen seems high on Williams and Johnson too but he says (paraphrasing) they need to have thick skin vs Oregon because they’re bound to make mistakes and give up some plays. So, it’s important to not read too much into the results of this game.

IMO, MSU needs to not give up big plays on special teams and offense (no pick6s or strip6s). If they can do that, I don’t think it’ll get out of hand. Generally, when you see big scores 50+ there’s a bunch of scores made or setup by STs and defense, which are typically sparked by bad plays by cover units and offensive turnovers.

I am cautiously optimistic about the corners this year. I was worried at first, but then I remembered being super worried back in like 2016 or 2017 where we started two true freshmen at corner and a true sophomore at safety. We did have a stud senior safety in McCabe that helped out but the other three turned out to be dudes!!! They were Tyrel Thomas (FR), Jalen Cole (FR) and Brayden Konkol (SO).

Good memory you have. That was a very good crew of newcomers. This crew is much faster. I believe they have the football skills too. Vigen's comments on McMillan make it sound like he's more than just fast. Johnson and Williams are 11.0 100m guys. As are Dowler and Gray. McMillan is 10.4. Uluilakepa and Carr didn't run track that I can find. The LBs and DBs are collectively a lot faster than last year.

Football has gotten to be such a speed game. You just can't ignore that anymore. The players now are faster than just 5-10 years ago across the board. They're doing everything to get faster, including shredding pads. First it was hip pads, then thigh pads and now the pants don't go below the knees. Shoulder pads are tiny by comparison.

There are two DBs that I'm not even sure are 3rd string that run 10.6 100m. Don't misconstrue my spiel on speed as saying it's the only thing that matters. You've got to have football skills to go with it or it's meaningless.

McMillan is fast, instinctive, and smart. Like Vigen said, his approach is very mature.

Honestly, if he had come out of HS a couple inches taller and 20-30 lbs heavier, he’s going P4. He’s going to be a stud for us. From what I heard, was pushing the rotation last year as a true freshmen.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I am NOT that young man's father. He went to school in my area and I watched his brother kill it then he came along and did the same. I like following players I believe are good people from good families which he is and he comes from.

I haven't posted because being in Texas unless it's something I can see I don't really comment on it. I'm not going to call his dad out of season to bug him about stuff. Also he was aware of the things said about his son regarding him only looking for money, obviously he was not very happy about it which is why he won't get on this board. I told him don't worry about that stuff there's a lot if good info that would keep him tied to what's going on up there, he refused and said he'll just talk to his son and that's it.

I did run into jhase and Williams(on separate occaisions). Jhase has put on weight and he isn't 5'9" his dad was listed at 6' when he was playing in college and jhase is just as tall at this time. Carson has put on weight also but doesn't look as heavy as jhase but he's as tall as jhase.

I asked both how was the transition to college and spring ball. Both said college wasn't a big jump for them. They stared they covered p4 guys every week in high school so what they saw, speed wise, wasn't the same. They did say they played slow because they were learning responsibilities but through last season and spring they know their job so its just getting better at doing it. When I talked to jhases dad he said the coaches are very excited about all the young corners and feel that one them could be an fcs frosh AA. He and his wife continue to say glowing things about the staff, their communication throughout the year with their son being so far away and they rave about the fans and their hospitality when they have gone to bozeman. Yall keep treating them as great as they say, jhase won't go anywhere cause he loves it up there also.

[Cataholic]

Duchien wins the backup spot.

Wow, that seems like a solid two deep. With all the talk being about how good the Oline, Dline and RB's are I think the LB's and WR's are going to be amazing.

It's does seem that way. You'd think as young as MSU is that it would have some shaky spots. Still need to see the DBs in action. I'm pretty sure Dowler and Uluilakepa will be good. Tayden Gray looks good. The corners are so young; however, they have some good baseline traits. And there's a ton of them.

You mentioned how young this team is, which looking at the two-deep, I was surprised by how young it actually is! At the same time, really the only area that is super young is Cornerback. Most of the rest of the positions have guys that have solid game experience, or have been in and around the program for at least a full season, if not two.

This is where the value of making deep playoff runs every year and getting additional practice and game reps for all the young talent cannot be understated.

Really excited to see what this new look Bobcat team can do this season.

What I’m saying is that MSU has good depth despite being young. There aren’t many shaky areas despite the youth. The only spot that I’m not sure about is DBs but I think there are three proven players there in Dowler, Uluilakepa and Gray. It’ll be interesting to see how the players that rotate in at those positions look. The corners are the youngest position especially now that Carr seems be no. 4 in the rotation.

Vigen talks about the corners quite a bit in yesterday’s interview. Sounds promising. He seems to like McMillan a lot. (I’m a surprised that Texas poster (BobcatBuiltTexan?) hasn’t weighed in on this). Vigen seems high on Williams and Johnson too but he says (paraphrasing) they need to have thick skin vs Oregon because they’re bound to make mistakes and give up some plays. So, it’s important to not read too much into the results of this game.

IMO, MSU needs to not give up big plays on special teams and offense (no pick6s or strip6s). If they can do that, I don’t think it’ll get out of hand. Generally, when you see big scores 50+ there’s a bunch of scores made or setup by STs and defense, which are typically sparked by bad plays by cover units and offensive turnovers.

I am cautiously optimistic about the corners this year. I was worried at first, but then I remembered being super worried back in like 2016 or 2017 where we started two true freshmen at corner and a true sophomore at safety. We did have a stud senior safety in McCabe that helped out but the other three turned out to be dudes!!! They were Tyrel Thomas (FR), Jalen Cole (FR) and Brayden Konkol (SO).

Good memory you have. That was a very good crew of newcomers. This crew is much faster. I believe they have the football skills too. Vigen's comments on McMillan make it sound like he's more than just fast. Johnson and Williams are 11.0 100m guys. As are Dowler and Gray. McMillan is 10.4. Uluilakepa and Carr didn't run track that I can find. The LBs and DBs are collectively a lot faster than last year.

Football has gotten to be such a speed game. You just can't ignore that anymore. The players now are faster than just 5-10 years ago across the board. They're doing everything to get faster, including shredding pads. First it was hip pads, then thigh pads and now the pants don't go below the knees. Shoulder pads are tiny by comparison.

There are two DBs that I'm not even sure are 3rd string that run 10.6 100m. Don't misconstrue my spiel on speed as saying it's the only thing that matters. You've got to have football skills to go with it or it's meaningless.

McMillan is fast, instinctive, and smart. Like Vigen said, his approach is very mature.

Honestly, if he had come out of HS a couple inches taller and 20-30 lbs heavier, he’s going P4. He’s going to be a stud for us. From what I heard, was pushing the rotation last year as a true freshmen.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I am NOT that young man's father. He went to school in my area and I watched his brother kill it then he came along and did the same. I like following players I believe are good people from good families which he is and he comes from.

I haven't posted because being in Texas unless it's something I can see I don't really comment on it. I'm not going to call his dad out of season to bug him about stuff. Also he was aware of the things said about his son regarding him only looking for money, obviously he was not very happy about it which is why he won't get on this board. I told him don't worry about that stuff there's a lot if good info that would keep him tied to what's going on up there, he refused and said he'll just talk to his son and that's it.

I did run into jhase and Williams(on separate occaisions). Jhase has put on weight and he isn't 5'9" his dad was listed at 6' when he was playing in college and jhase is just as tall at this time. Carson has put on weight also but doesn't look as heavy as jhase but he's as tall as jhase.

I asked both how was the transition to college and spring ball. Both said college wasn't a big jump for them. They stared they covered p4 guys every week in high school so what they saw, speed wise, wasn't the same. They did say they played slow because they were learning responsibilities but through last season and spring they know their job so its just getting better at doing it. When I talked to jhases dad he said the coaches are very excited about all the young corners and feel that one them could be an fcs frosh AA. He and his wife continue to say glowing things about the staff, their communication throughout the year with their son being so far away and they rave about the fans and their hospitality when they have gone to bozeman. Yall keep treating them as great as they say, jhase won't go anywhere cause he loves it up there also.

Appreciate your insight and comments. They are always welcome. Please ignore Belligerent. He is a know it all poster (just ask him - he is not afraid to let you know) who regularly shouts down others.

[coloradocat]

Duchien wins the backup spot.

Wow, that seems like a solid two deep. With all the talk being about how good the Oline, Dline and RB's are I think the LB's and WR's are going to be amazing.

It's does seem that way. You'd think as young as MSU is that it would have some shaky spots. Still need to see the DBs in action. I'm pretty sure Dowler and Uluilakepa will be good. Tayden Gray looks good. The corners are so young; however, they have some good baseline traits. And there's a ton of them.

You mentioned how young this team is, which looking at the two-deep, I was surprised by how young it actually is! At the same time, really the only area that is super young is Cornerback. Most of the rest of the positions have guys that have solid game experience, or have been in and around the program for at least a full season, if not two.

This is where the value of making deep playoff runs every year and getting additional practice and game reps for all the young talent cannot be understated.

Really excited to see what this new look Bobcat team can do this season.

What I’m saying is that MSU has good depth despite being young. There aren’t many shaky areas despite the youth. The only spot that I’m not sure about is DBs but I think there are three proven players there in Dowler, Uluilakepa and Gray. It’ll be interesting to see how the players that rotate in at those positions look. The corners are the youngest position especially now that Carr seems be no. 4 in the rotation.

Vigen talks about the corners quite a bit in yesterday’s interview. Sounds promising. He seems to like McMillan a lot. (I’m a surprised that Texas poster (BobcatBuiltTexan?) hasn’t weighed in on this). Vigen seems high on Williams and Johnson too but he says (paraphrasing) they need to have thick skin vs Oregon because they’re bound to make mistakes and give up some plays. So, it’s important to not read too much into the results of this game.

IMO, MSU needs to not give up big plays on special teams and offense (no pick6s or strip6s). If they can do that, I don’t think it’ll get out of hand. Generally, when you see big scores 50+ there’s a bunch of scores made or setup by STs and defense, which are typically sparked by bad plays by cover units and offensive turnovers.

I am cautiously optimistic about the corners this year. I was worried at first, but then I remembered being super worried back in like 2016 or 2017 where we started two true freshmen at corner and a true sophomore at safety. We did have a stud senior safety in McCabe that helped out but the other three turned out to be dudes!!! They were Tyrel Thomas (FR), Jalen Cole (FR) and Brayden Konkol (SO).

Good memory you have. That was a very good crew of newcomers. This crew is much faster. I believe they have the football skills too. Vigen's comments on McMillan make it sound like he's more than just fast. Johnson and Williams are 11.0 100m guys. As are Dowler and Gray. McMillan is 10.4. Uluilakepa and Carr didn't run track that I can find. The LBs and DBs are collectively a lot faster than last year.

Football has gotten to be such a speed game. You just can't ignore that anymore. The players now are faster than just 5-10 years ago across the board. They're doing everything to get faster, including shredding pads. First it was hip pads, then thigh pads and now the pants don't go below the knees. Shoulder pads are tiny by comparison.

There are two DBs that I'm not even sure are 3rd string that run 10.6 100m. Don't misconstrue my spiel on speed as saying it's the only thing that matters. You've got to have football skills to go with it or it's meaningless.

McMillan is fast, instinctive, and smart. Like Vigen said, his approach is very mature.

Honestly, if he had come out of HS a couple inches taller and 20-30 lbs heavier, he’s going P4. He’s going to be a stud for us. From what I heard, was pushing the rotation last year as a true freshmen.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I am NOT that young man's father. He went to school in my area and I watched his brother kill it then he came along and did the same. I like following players I believe are good people from good families which he is and he comes from.

I haven't posted because being in Texas unless it's something I can see I don't really comment on it. I'm not going to call his dad out of season to bug him about stuff. Also he was aware of the things said about his son regarding him only looking for money, obviously he was not very happy about it which is why he won't get on this board. I told him don't worry about that stuff there's a lot if good info that would keep him tied to what's going on up there, he refused and said he'll just talk to his son and that's it.

I did run into jhase and Williams(on separate occaisions). Jhase has put on weight and he isn't 5'9" his dad was listed at 6' when he was playing in college and jhase is just as tall at this time. Carson has put on weight also but doesn't look as heavy as jhase but he's as tall as jhase.

I asked both how was the transition to college and spring ball. Both said college wasn't a big jump for them. They stared they covered p4 guys every week in high school so what they saw, speed wise, wasn't the same. They did say they played slow because they were learning responsibilities but through last season and spring they know their job so its just getting better at doing it. When I talked to jhases dad he said the coaches are very excited about all the young corners and feel that one them could be an fcs frosh AA. He and his wife continue to say glowing things about the staff, their communication throughout the year with their son being so far away and they rave about the fans and their hospitality when they have gone to bozeman. Yall keep treating them as great as they say, jhase won't go anywhere cause he loves it up there also.

Good to have you back. Looking forward to your commentary this season.

[tetoncat]

Another fun thing to listen to in Vigen’s interview is what he says about Frokjer. He averaged 16 and 7 in hoops, took second in the javelin at the state meet, and is a scratch golfer. Played multiple positions on O/D for the football team.

He essentially said without saying the words that kickers can get into their own heads. But Frokjer has done so many sports and pressure situations he can shrug off mistakes.

[grizzh8r]

Another fun thing to listen to in Vigen’s interview is what he says about Frokjer. He averaged 16 and 7 in hoops, took second in the javelin at the state meet, and is a scratch golfer. Played multiple positions on O/D for the football team.

He essentially said without saying the words that kickers can get into their own heads. But Frokjer has done so many sports and pressure situations he can shrug off mistakes.

Yep, one needs to look no further than the 2023 Bobcat season as evidence that place kicking for FG's and PAT's is as much or maybe more a mental game than it is physical/mechanical. Gotta be able to flush a mistake and don't let it affect future performance. Not everyone can, which makes the kickers that can very special and valuable.

[TomCat88]

There have only been two players that I’ve been more intrigued by and anticipated their first game as much as McMillan. McGhee and Andersen.

[TomCat88]

I did run into jhase and Williams(on separate occaisions). Jhase has put on weight and he isn't 5'9" his dad was listed at 6' when he was playing in college and jhase is just as tall at this time. Carson has put on weight also but doesn't look as heavy as jhase but he's as tall as jhase.

That's a big development, no pun intended. If he's 5' 11"-6' 0" and, say, 170-80 lbs., he's going to be that much more effective, IMO. It's going to be interesting to watch the entire defense perform on Saturday. Should be a great experience for the entire team.

Aside from tackling, one thing I'll be watching for is how well they can track down the ball after they make a misstep or are out of position. If they're able to recover against a team with the speed I think Oregon has, that will be a good sign.

[Travelingcat]

I did run into jhase and Williams(on separate occaisions). Jhase has put on weight and he isn't 5'9" his dad was listed at 6' when he was playing in college and jhase is just as tall at this time. Carson has put on weight also but doesn't look as heavy as jhase but he's as tall as jhase.

That's a big development, no pun intended. If he's 5' 11"-6' 0" and, say, 170-80 lbs., he's going to be that much more effective, IMO. It's going to be interesting to watch the entire defense perform on Saturday. Should be a great experience for the entire team.

Aside from tackling, one thing I'll be watching for is how well they can track down the ball after they make a misstep or are out of position. If they're able to recover against a team with the speed I think Oregon has, that will be a good sign.

McMillan played in every playoff game last year as a true freshman competing against a loaded secondary. He's going to be very very good.

Obviously can't judge Johnson based on game performance, but the fact that he beat out a veteran in Carr makes me very optimistic there as well.