Bozeman, Mont.- Five weeks of practices for Montana State all culminated to the Sonny Holland Classic. The spring game for the Bobcats signals the end of spring football but is the opportunity for young players to shine.
Bobcat Nation got their first look at Paul Brott's newest honor, rocking the legacy No. 41 jersey. The honor is given to a Montana native, honoring Montana's 41st admittance into the union, and an honor towards the 1941 team.
Bobcats head coach Brent Vigen spoke on the honor, "Paul embodies what you're looking for. A guy that loves being here, loves representing Montana State, representing Billings." Vigen Said. "I hope he can become more than a really good player this year, a from a leadership perspective that gets it, if you would've told that Paul Brott would've been a potential captain when he was a true freshman, I would've said we'll see. He's absolutely become that."
Adam Jones has not participated in practice all spring as he recovers from injury, and Julius Davis continues to rehab as well, bringing opportunities for Jared White and Colson Coon. Both had great afternoons, considering they had to carry the load on the offensive side of the football. No official stats were sent out, but Coon finished with two touchdowns and a couple of nice runs. While White added a touchdown himself on a slant route thrown by Patrick Duchien.
A lot of talk during spring ball was about the new offense of Pete Sterbick and how the wide receivers were going to be implemented. Early on, the quarterbacks were getting the ball out quickly and running play actions out of a shotgun formation to get them involved.
Javonte King showed off his size and quickness, catching a slant route early and taking it to the house. Jacob Tremble had the catch of the day. Chance Wilson launched back and aired one out to Tremble, who had his defender beat, the ball was underthrown but somehow Tremble came up with it. Tremble had a breakout season in his freshman year and could be a strong point for the Bobcats this season. Taco Dowler also got his hands on a few short catches on the afternoon, making defenders miss and showing off his quickness and speed.
The offense wasn't the only side of the ball that made plays Saturday. Defensively, the Bobcats forced three interceptions from the secondary. A unit that is surrounded with youth and continuing to develop each practice. Bryant Meredith came up with an interception off a tip, and Carson Williams made two great pays to come up with interceptions himself.
The defensive line is where Montana State will shine in 2025. It's a position where Montana State returns the most depth and experience. The Bobcats were without Alec Eckert and Paul Brott, two interior defensive lineman starters, and it didn't seem to matter. Hunter Parsons, Zac Crews, Seth Brock, and Talon Marsh made plays all game long. Kenny Eiden was in the backfield a lot, recording two sacks on the afternoon. Montana State's Head Coach Brent Vigen was pleased with that group's performance. "When we can start on defense with an experienced, talented, strong D-Line, we can go someplace."
The Bobcats wrap up spring ball with a successful Sonny Holland Classic and received the greatest news of all in the locker room. Former Montana State quarterback and Walter Payton winner Tommy Mellott was selected as the 213th pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in the 6th round of the #NFL draft. Celebration ensued and we may be seeing a lot of silver and black jerseys around Bozeman here shortly. The Bobcats will begin fall camp in July.
