Zach Minter leads the Bobcats against Eastern Washington
Bobcats Glad to Be Back Home
10/13/2012 9:41:00 AM | Football
MSU hosts monumental matchup in Bobcat Stadium Today
If Zach Minter had the opportunity, he'd share a simple message with his fellow Montana State University students and everyone else who packs into Bobcat Stadium on Saturday afternoons in the fall.
Thank you.
“I can't show our fans enough appreciation,” the gregarious Minter said in the days leading up to No. 2 Montana State's monumental showdown with sixth-ranked Eastern Washington today. “Really. I (wish) I could give them each an individual high five or something.”
After back-to-back road games, each of which the Bobcats escaped with a defensive stand on the last possession of a seven-point game, Minter and his mates are thrilled to be back in the friendly – and noisy – environs of Bobcat Stadium. The effect of the home crowd, especially the Minter's fellow students in the Sonny Holland Zone (north end zone), isn't lost on MSU's players.
“When it's loud and it's third down and they're backed up in our end zone, you can see what the effect is. You can see offsides, you can see penalties because (the opposition) can't communicate, they can't get calls off.”
Today's game is, if not unprecedented at MSU, certainly a rarity. Two teams ranked in the top six have not met in Bobcat Stadium since the Bobcats upended Boise State 31-29 in 1978. That stat chooses its end-points rather carefully. Last fall's one-versus-seven Cat-Griz game also matched teams with profiles similar to those taking the field today, and MSU has played nine ranked opponents in Bobcat Stadium during Rob Ash's six seasons at the helm, with a 4-5 in those games.
While the MSU-EWU game doesn't quite capture the imagination of the football-loving public in the Treasure State, Bobcat players know when that contest is coming. “Oh, yeah, it's circled on our calendar,” confirms senior linebacker Jody Owens.
And there's no question that Bobcat players are thrilled to be playing this game at home. “I haven't played in front of our crowd for a while now,” Minter says, “so I'm excited to get back out there. I know that our team thrives on our fans because it is one of the biggest fan bases in the FCS.
“When you come to Bobcat Stadium it's loud,” Minter says with a smile. “And it's tough.”
Thank you.
“I can't show our fans enough appreciation,” the gregarious Minter said in the days leading up to No. 2 Montana State's monumental showdown with sixth-ranked Eastern Washington today. “Really. I (wish) I could give them each an individual high five or something.”
After back-to-back road games, each of which the Bobcats escaped with a defensive stand on the last possession of a seven-point game, Minter and his mates are thrilled to be back in the friendly – and noisy – environs of Bobcat Stadium. The effect of the home crowd, especially the Minter's fellow students in the Sonny Holland Zone (north end zone), isn't lost on MSU's players.
“When it's loud and it's third down and they're backed up in our end zone, you can see what the effect is. You can see offsides, you can see penalties because (the opposition) can't communicate, they can't get calls off.”
Today's game is, if not unprecedented at MSU, certainly a rarity. Two teams ranked in the top six have not met in Bobcat Stadium since the Bobcats upended Boise State 31-29 in 1978. That stat chooses its end-points rather carefully. Last fall's one-versus-seven Cat-Griz game also matched teams with profiles similar to those taking the field today, and MSU has played nine ranked opponents in Bobcat Stadium during Rob Ash's six seasons at the helm, with a 4-5 in those games.
While the MSU-EWU game doesn't quite capture the imagination of the football-loving public in the Treasure State, Bobcat players know when that contest is coming. “Oh, yeah, it's circled on our calendar,” confirms senior linebacker Jody Owens.
And there's no question that Bobcat players are thrilled to be playing this game at home. “I haven't played in front of our crowd for a while now,” Minter says, “so I'm excited to get back out there. I know that our team thrives on our fans because it is one of the biggest fan bases in the FCS.
“When you come to Bobcat Stadium it's loud,” Minter says with a smile. “And it's tough.”
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