ST. GEORGE, UTAH — Even though it's just Week 1 in college football, Montana State already has a 1-0 record. The Bobcats are coming off a comeback 35-31 win at New Mexico in Week 0 and have now flipped the page to focus on their opponent this week in Utah Tech.
The Bobcats hope to bring the same amount of poise into the rest of this season as seen in the two-minute drill, led by quarterback Tommy Mellott, that won them the game at New Mexico.
"I think it’s extremely critical to execute in those tightest moments," Montana State coach Brent Vigen said. "Whether you believe it or not, to be a guy that outwardly is displaying that, that’s who Tommy is anyways, so I’m certain that our guys had a real sense of confidence going down the stretch because of who is steering the ship."
To rally from a deficit in both halves speaks to the work put in by the team in the offseason.
"We were facing challenges all offseason, back against the wall," Montana State cornerback Simeon Woodard said. "You know, coach Sean (Herrin), our strength coach, didn’t make it easy on us by any means, so I think we just came together and figured out a way to beat adversity and get the job done."
Last season, Montana State faced Utah Tech in their season opening Gold Rush game, which they won 63-20.
But this year, Utah Tech provides a similar challenge as New Mexico did, as it too has a new coaching staff and a handful of new faces on the roster.
"You've certainly got to look at what coach (Lance) Anderson ran at Stanford," Vigen said. "You know, he was a longtime defensive coordinator there and they were really good through that stretch. A lot of big bodies, a little bit different than maybe what they looked like last year. But definitely some guys that were on that field last year that did some good things against us."
"Moving into this week, we do feel a little bit more comfortable, but they do also have new coaches, so we know their personnel, it’s maybe not their game plan a little bit," Montana State wide receiver Ty McCullouch explained. "We’re going to be scouting them out this week. We started during fall camp actually."
Offensively, the Trailblazers have two quarterbacks listed with "or" on the depth chart — Iowa transfer Deacon Hill and Syracuse transfer Luke MacPhail.
"They brought in a couple transfer quarterbacks, so I think offensively, like last week, I think you got to see maybe that’s where things start, you know, as far as how they want to build their offense," Vigen explained.
It’s two straight weeks of hot temps for the Bobcats, as St. George will have a high of 101 degrees on Saturday. It’s a late kickoff, slated for 8 p.m. for that reason, so it should be cooled off slightly by then.
"That’s a late game, but we’re going to be ready for anything, honestly," McCullouch said. "We’re going to get hydrated, get rested up. It’s going to be hot there again. We felt that last week, but I feel like we’re prepared for anything. We’re a good, old team and we’re strong, so I think we’re going to be ready no matter what."
The game at Greater Zion Stadium will also be streamed on ESPN+ at 8 p.m.
