Momentum is building for Montana State, both on the field and off the field. Whether it’s facilities, an NIL collective, or a talented roster under head coach Brent Vigen, the Bobcats have emerged as a national contender.
Following a run to the national championship game in Vigen’s first season, MSU is ranked No. 4 in the Stats Perform Preseason Top 25 media poll. With a superb senior class gone, can the Bobcats keep building off of last year’s success? Let’s take a look at the team and discuss.
2022 FCS Preseason Preview Central
Last Season
The Bobcats finished 12-3 overall and 7-1 in the Big Sky conference. They received the No. 8 playoff seed, beating UT Martin 26-7 in the second round, No. 1 seed Sam Houston 42-19 in the quarterfinals, and South Dakota State 31-17 in the semifinals. MSU lost 38-10 against NDSU in the championship game.
MSU ranked No. 43 in FCS scoring offense (28.7 PPG) and No. 6 in scoring defense (15.1 PPG).
2022 Roster
While Vigen and his staff deserve a ton of credit for getting MSU to the national championship game in their first season, a huge nod also goes to the senior class. Now the 2022 squad is tasked with replacing those seniors and keeping the momentum going.
The Bobcats lose eight of their 13 All-Conference players, three All-Americans on defense, their go-to WR, and four main starting offensive linemen. Plus, First Team All-American RB Isaiah Ifanse is recovering from offseason surgery and will miss the start of the season.
But the roster is still full of talent. Former head coach Jeff Choate was a helluva recruiter. And Vigen rotated many players last year and also implemented the double-rep practice system to build depth, which basically means there is very little standing around during practice and the 2s and 3s get just as many reps as the 1s with an equal level of coaching.
The rise of Tommy Mellott taking over as the starter in the playoffs makes the 2022 offensive outlook brighter. Touchdown Tommy became a home-state legend in leading MSU to the championship, rushing for 411 yards and six TDs and throwing for 499 yards and four TDs in the three playoff wins. He suffered an ankle injury in the title game and was sidelined after the first drive, which required offseason surgery.
Ifanse is ranked HERO Sports’ No. 1 returning RB, but his workload will decrease even when he returns from injury after recording an FCS-high 280 rushes in 14 games for 1,623 yards (No. 2 in the FCS) and 10 TDs. Lane Sumner is a veteran RB. And MSU brought in San Diego State transfer Kaegun Williams for more depth. MSU needs to replace Lance McCutcheon’s 1,121 yards receiving. The No. 2 WR Willie Patterson (375 yards) is back this season. Two transfers look to make an impact at WR in Ravi Alston, who was a D3 All-American at St. John’s, and Kentucky’s Clevan Thomas.
The OL, a strength of MSU over the last few seasons, is a question mark. Justus Perkins (center) is the lone returner with significant starting experience. From left to right across the starting OL on the depth chart, MSU goes: sophomore (302 pounds), sophomore (280 pounds), sophomore (282 pounds), junior (290 pounds), and sophomore (290 pounds).
The defense should be a strength despite losing massive names like Chase Benson, Daniel Hardy, and Troy Andersen. Safety Ty Okada is a HERO Sports Second Team All-American and LB Callahan O’Reilly is on the Third Team. The secondary is talented and experienced with guys like Okada, safety Jeffrey Manning Jr., CB Simeon Woodard, and CB Tyrel Thomas. Replacing Andersen in the middle of the defense will be impossible, but O’Reilly is a multi-year starter. Nolan Askelson was also set to be a big contributor last season before missing most of the year due to injury. He’ll be a key player in 2022.
The DL loses multiple starters. But the rotation was strong last year, and guys appear ready to step into bigger roles. A prime example is DE Brody Grebe, who was named on the All-Big Sky Preseason First Team after not even starting last year, but playing many snaps and totaling six TFLs and five sacks.
On special teams, kicker Blake Glessner returns after an All-Big Sky Third Team selection. Punter Bryce Leighton and long snapper Tommy Sullivan were named on the 2022 All-Conference Preseason Team.
2022 Schedule
- vs. McNeese
- vs. Morehead State
- @ FBS Oregon State
- @ No. 13 Eastern Washington
- vs. No. 25 UC Davis
- vs. Idaho State
- @ Northern Colorado
- vs. No. 20 Weber State
- @ Northern Arizona
- @ Cal Poly
- vs. No. 3 Montana
Frankly, MSU shouldn’t need Ifanse until Game 4. McNeese and Morehead State will be big wins, especially at home. And Oregon State is a beatable FBS team, but a loss there isn’t going to hurt anything. A win is a big bonus in the seeding discussion and in recruiting, though. The Big Sky schedule, while it does feature four ranked teams, is a pretty good draw. MSU avoids last year’s champ Sac State. The Bobcats go to EWU, who is probably ranked too high. And they get the other three ranked opponents (UC Davis, Weber State, and Montana) at home.
Season Outlook
Only two teams not named NDSU have made back-to-back trips to the championship game in the Frisco era (since 2010). Sam Houston did it in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. James Madison did it in 2016 and 2017. There have been plenty of one-hit-wonders in the last decade, teams that haven’t challenged at a high level since making the title game (Towson, Illinois State, Jacksonville State, Youngstown State).
MSU does not appear to be a one-hit-wonder. The Bobcats are expected to be among the top tier of the FCS going forward, not just because of recent FCS-to-FBS program departures, but because they have so much momentum on the field and off the field (facilities, resources, NIL collective, etc.).
When it comes to the 2022 FCS season, no two players face more pressure than SDSU QB Mark Gronowski and Mellott. Both have talent around them and both play for programs/fan bases with ginormous expectations. Gronowski faces questions on if he can replicate his standout freshman season in the spring after missing all of last year with an ACL injury. Mellott faces questions on if he can replicate his standout freshman year where his play was straight-up magnificent in the playoffs.
To add to the similarities between Gronowski and Mellott, both were injured early in the FCS title game.
There’s a chance Mellott comes back down to earth, and teams figure out his strengths and exploit his weaknesses now that more film is on him. If that happens, MSU is still likely a playoff team with an early exit. There’s also a chance that Mellott continues to have that “it” factor about him and is the best offensive player in the Big Sky. If that happens, the Bobcats should be back in the semifinals with a shot to reach the national championship again.
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