Defense
DE:
Derek Marks, Cole Rosling, and Chaffin Ross went up against some hogs on the North Dakota offensive line but all three showed why they were three of the best defensive ends in the state last year. Chaffin Ross was the lightest of the group but also the quickest. He had a few good pressures throughout the game. I thought Cole and Derek had similar games. Both are about the same size and both have about the same skill set. Cole is patient and uses his long limbs to stand up offensive lineman before making a play. Derek is a little more explosive but he doesn't use his long arms like Cole does. If I had to compare the two to NFL pass rushers, Cole is a Jared Allen type (long and strong) and Derek is a Clay Matthews (athletic and explosive) type. Both get to the quarterback in different ways. They had tough matchups the entire game but overall I thought the three did their job well throughout. Also, seemed like Chaffin Ross is hard to block in every game he plays in, even though he is undersized for a defensive end.
DT:
Trace Bradshaw and Joel Beck. Two gritty, tough Montana kids had the task off going up against some beef on the interior of North Dakota's offensive line...and they didn't miss a step. These two made room for the linebackers all night. However, I had one takeaway: I thought Joel looked better than Trace as an interior defensive lineman. The eye test just wasn't met with Trace this game (and I've seen him play multiple times). I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm surprised Joel Beck isn't going to get a shot to suit up for one of the two in-state FCS schools. I thought he dominated in the Class B all-star game and I thought he bullied some lineman in this game. He has the strength and the feet to hold his own on the interior. He is a kid I missed on in the process last year. Should have ranked him much higher. I was saying that I thought Trace could still make a good 3-tech in college but now I'm pretty much sold that his best position at the next level will be as a defensive end (which is where the Griz will start him out). Overall, the defensive line must have done their job well because the linebackers absolutely feasted all night.
LB:
When the roster was announced, I said this group would be fun to watch and would likely steal the show. They didn't disappoint. Obviously, Michael Jobman had an outstanding all-around game. Some of his major stats happened in part because of his teammates but other stats he created solely by himself. He was listed at OLB but he basically played DE the whole game, rushing the passer. I was skeptical when I found out the Bobcats wanted to start him out at DE. I'm not skeptical anymore. His rangy athleticism showed up big all game. Jace Lewis was exceptional at OLB. He is the type of player who can be both patient and aggressive at the same time, which is rare for a player coming out of high school. Jace had well-timed blitzes and his sack forced one of the turnovers that ended up in Jobman's hands. The Griz got a gem in Jace Lewis. He will be earning scholarship money sooner than later. Payton O'Reilly was one of the starting MLBers and he was as advertised. Blocked yet another punt and scooped it up for a touchdown. He kind of has a knack for blocking kicks, scooping them up, and taking them for touchdowns. A trait that college coaches should drool over because most young linebackers start on special teams. I'm pretty sure Payton is going to attend Miami of Ohio and play football so I will definitely be following his progress. Trase LeTexier had another solid game from his inside linebacker position. He showed off what he is good at (stuffing the run and engaging blockers). Still think he belongs on the defensive line. I hope the Griz come around on my opinion
. Riley Lamb basically backed up Jace Lewis and I thought he also had a nice game when he was in there. I really liked his high school tape because he was a little undersized at OLB but it didn't seem to matter on his film. He is pretty decent in coverage and he should have a good career at Montana-Western. Kyle Schulte was the last linebacker on the roster and he rushed the QB like Jobman. Didn't have a big stat game but still showed off why he was the Co-Defensive MVP of the Southwestern A conference with Kyle Finch. A good, natural pass rusher.
DB:
Brian FauntLeRoy was really good against the run and my evaluation of him being the best safety prospect out of Montana last year held true in my opinion. He is just a good football player who tackles well. Will Martel was the other starting safety and he had a pretty good game himself. He has a lot of work ahead of him in Bozeman but he did snag an easy interception and played a good centerfield the whole game. Both him and FauntLeRoy are solid run defenders from their safety spots and both need work on their pass coverage skills. However, in this game, they dominated. Jered Padmos also played a little defensive back and safety and like I was saying in his breakdown, the kid is a very sound athlete for being a future kicker/punter. He is not afraid to tackle and he has a long frame that can translate into a decent safety at the FCS level. Not a bad thing to have a punter or kicker as a weapon to run or throw. Jacob Hadley played corner and had a decent game. He had some highs (blitz that led to a turnover) and lows (gave up a long catch in coverage). I still think Jacob is a future receiver because his all-around game shows up the best at that position. Will be interesting to see where Choate puts him when fall camp starts. I could see what TomCat88 was saying about putting him at FS. The thing that catches people off guard is that he is a decent tackler at his size from the cornerback position. Alec Steele and Caleb Jones were the other two cornerbacks. Both are shorter players who actually look the part of a cornerback. I thought both had good games (the entire defense had a good game) and both were good in run support. Alec will be walking on in the fall for the Cats.
K/P:
Jered had a good game except for one PAT that was blocked. Had a 60 yard punt and converted a FG so he kind of did it all. He was an asset for the Montana squad because he could fill-in just fine in the secondary. Jered was a very valuable player for his team. Excited to see what he does at MSU next year because as of right now, the Bobcats do not have a punter.
Sidenote: Five of the best players in Montana (Andrew Grinde, Chase Benson, Jed Nagler, Balue Chapman, and Kyle Finch) did not play in this game and the team still dominated. Imagine what the score would have been if those five were out there.
Badland Bowl MVP on defense: Michael Jobman
My MVP on defense: Jace Lewis/Michael Jobman (I would've done Co-MVPs because both of these kids dominated at their OLB positions; it was fun to watch)
Biggest surprise: Joel Beck (very good interior defensive lineman who I thought played better than Trace Bradshaw; underrated player)
Biggest letdown: The boys let North Dakota score!
"There's two times of year for me: Football season, and waiting for football season."
Good Job as usual. Thanks for all the work. I agree Joel is an animal. Tech stole a good one there.