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Greetings Aggies from a Bobcat

This has been a really good read. My thoughts on the game.

Davis is going to be the best team we have played all year, including FBS UNM.

Lan and Hasting are top FCS players at their position and you have a big stable of receivers to target. It is going to be difficult for the Cats Defense to stop you but I think we can slow you enough. Our front 7 is good at stopping the run and applying pressure forcing quick throws. Most of our injuries are on Defense but we have depth and have had game reps to get the next man up to speed.

Your defense I think is comparable to ours, very good but not quite elite. I think the strengths are in the secondary and fast LB play. This will likely give us some problems but I think we will still be able to move the chains. If your safeties have to move up to help in the run game we will run on the edge and throw the ball and the game will be in our hands. The strength of our offense is our OL and TE's. Add in a deep RB stable and some effective WR and it is difficult to stop. Don't forget Tommy can still pull the ball and take it to the house from anywhere on the field.

Anyway I expect a really good game that will be close in the end. I would feel a lot better if it was being played in Bozeman.

I think this is a fair assessment. It'll have to be a some tremendous defensive game-planning and execution, a turnover margin win, and some luck for Davis to get the win in my opinion. The depth from MSU is simply a massive advantage.

Another key is the great players who play better will turn the tide, if Lan is bottled up, Hastings has to play out of his mind. If Tommy TD or the stable is running wild, then the Bobcats win, simple. I think Montana State has Achilles in this example - Davis working with a few Hectors, but we'll see. Davis does have the home field - the confines will be familiar - but in no way does a Davis crowd steer this game one way or another...unless, the Aggies are ready to yell, I'd be pleasantly surprised!

"I think Montana State has Achilles in this example - Davis working with a few Hectors, but we'll see."

I guess I am not sure what that means.

2 things that concern me are 1. Turnovers, MSU has been pretty good in that department this year but certainly no exceptional. 2. How does MSU's defense handle your hurry up offense when you use it.

Welcome to our humble board. Montana State fans are always cool. My son's art teacher is a proud Bobcat alum. One of the supervisors from my first job also loves MSU.

We love it when visiting fans post here, well even the Slack State Hornets but you know how it is with rivals, just smile and nod right?

Turnovers are always huge. I think both teams take care of the football during the game. Davis turns the warp speed O off and on throughout the game - we'll see what Plough's game plan yields on offense. I guarantee he'll have some different things planned for this one.

Ha, yeah, in the great Trojan War somewhere between the 12th and 13th century B.C. the two sides had two legendary warriors, the Greeks had Achilles, the Trojans had Hector -- Achilles was the greatest warrior of the battle, managed to kill Hector, but ultimately fell himself by the end of the War.

Ah, OK, I know the story of Achilles but it's been to long to recall Hector.

I have watched several games this year and have seen them turn the hurry up O on and off, I think your players and staff are really good at managing it. That is why it concerns me. MSU will try to run clock and shorten the game from the first snap. This will be interesting to see how these strategies play out. I am sure if MSU gets a lead Davis will activate the hurry up and It will be interesting to see how our defense deals with it.

BTW, I have watched a few of your coaches pressers, he seems like a really good guy and a top level coach. I think Davis is going to be a team to contend with in the future.

First of all, welcome to our forum and thanks for taking the time for giving us your thoughts about the game.

It looks like there will a lot of Bobcat fans making the trip to Davis and, in all likelihood, they will be louder than us. We don't have the kind of fan support that the Montanas and the Dakotas have especially with our students but there's a lot of excitement about the our team currently so, hopefully, that will put more fans in the stands. Plough is really trying to build the fan base here and make our house a difficult place for visiting teams to win.

Cat fans will find a very welcoming environment here. There won't be the huge amount of tailgating that you are used to in Bozeman but Aggie fans would love for Cat fans to stop by and say hello. Hopefully, we'll have a good, exciting, injury free football game on a beautiful fall evening this coming Saturday.

Gold Davis helmets again, please!

Isn't it possible some of the blocked out sections on the east side are for UCD students?

What do the new premium seats look like? Concession lines any better?

Obviously keeping Mellott for running everywhere is an issue. But there are many other weapons to deal with. Its going to take a very prepared and disciplined defense for the Ags to win this one. Coombs (DC) has delivered every week this season- very impressive coaching job. I think at this point in the season, the Aggie defense is playing at an elite level.

I think Davis can score 40 (might be the best offense the Bobcats have faced, averaging 48 in the second half of the season), the question is whether the Ags can slow down the Bobcats and keep them under their average of 42.

Davis is much improved all-around in the second half of their season. Definitely playing their best ball on both sides.

This is going to be a helluva game and I'm looking forward to it.

I can't understand why UCD's fans, especially the students, are so quiet and don't pack the stadium. Anyone have any clues?

The sections 101, 102, 103, and 108 on the east side of the non-berm paid seating are sold to about 80% I think - that to me screams visiting fans. Still a lot of seats for sale in Section 109. I can think of a handful of times while being at UC Davis Health Stadium where it was actually packed enough that the MIB had to check my ticket number. I want that every home game!

I know it is much tougher for teams in more populous locations, we are extremely lucky in Montana, everyone is either a Cat or a gris and FCS football is the highest level of any sport played in the state.
I have heard of quite a few fans that are planning on going to the game plus we have a lot of alumni that live in CA and OR so usually we have a good turnout.
Just wondering if tickets are still available, my son may be in the Bay Area for work at the end of the week and has been thinking of extending his stay to attend the game.

There are chunks of tickets still available, absolutely. Just head here to 'Buy Tickets' - you can look around the stadium at what is available: Link

Just wondering if tickets are still available, my son may be in the Bay Area for work at the end of the week and has been thinking of extending his stay to attend the game. — Cats2506

There are seats still available. Most of the Cat fans will be in sections 101, 102 and 103 and there are still seats in those sections. That's on the east side of the stadium. The west side has some seats available as well but that will predominately Aggie fans.

Here's where you can get tickets:

https://ucdavisaggies.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventInfo?ticketCode=GS:UCD:FB2425:FB1116:&linkID=twucd&dataAccId=779&locale=en_US&siteId=ev_twucd

Should've been in sales BGA. I don't know, maybe you are, ha ha, I sure am not.

Ha ha...nope...I'm actually a retired shrink so I've got the gift of gab! I've been told by folks before that I would have been a great salesman because I like to talk with folks and exchange stories...my wife just rolls her eyes at times...

My Dad is like that, he's been telling a lot of the same stories for 30 years, my sister and I have a about 3 or 4 dozen running jokes on his 'isms'. I still get a kick out of them, given all the travel he gets into in his retirement years, I always tease him he should have plenty of new stories by now!

For everybody's information, you can find the Montana State Forum here:
https://www.bobcatnation.com/bobcatbb/

Bobcat Nation baby - they are active

Mellott has only been running 6-10 times a game, a couple in each game are just scrambles, the rest a pulls from a zone read or RPO. I think I have only seen 1 or 2 designed QB runs all year.

Our MO is to run the back right at you and force the safeties up and get their eyes in the box. then move to various short passes mixed with the run. Once your secondary is fully stressed, Tommy will pull it and take the yards himself. He still has that ability but they will put you to sleep thinking that we are not going to run the QB, then he will take off on a big run.

Chambers is on the staff as an offensive analysist and is usually the one Tommy talks with as they look over the plays on the Ipad.

Couldn't help but notice when RFr. Griz QB Ah Yat finally pulled it in the 2nd half he had a gasher of a gain on the Aggies. Mellott, thankfully is a senior - so it's now or never for him, and for Hastings. That always makes for a good game.

Weather on Saturday still looking to be fantastic for this time of year. Likely in the low 50's, and no precipitation. Sun will be out for the little bit it can. Looks like dusk runs at kickoff, from about 4:54 pm to 5:22 pm. Then it's nothing but the Saturday night lights!

Mellott, Hastings and Chachere all pretty good Sr QB's this year.
Seems like I am forgetting another BSC Sr QB.
Add in Gronowski and Miller top Sr QB's in the FCS

Next year its going to be interesting who rebuilds. Cats will lose a lot off of Defense, but Offense will be about the same but without Mellott.

2008 Causeway Classic was a sellout. I think that was the first Causeway at Aggie Stadium (what I will always call it). My pastor, a former Aggie Pack yell leader and I, stood on the trash can boxes on the South fence. The ones just outside the stadium to watch the first half of that game as it was completely sold out, even for students. We then were given tickets by a couple who left at half. Not a great game but still a fun memory.

They have sold out other games, but that was one that I remember.

Davis is very senior heavy this season, including QB. They have a lot of young talent at key positions, but they definitely will feel different next season.

Key Seniors for Davis graduating after the 2024 season:
QB Miles Hastings
RB Lan Larison
WR/KR C.J. Hutton
WR Chaz Davis
WR/ATH Trent Tompkins
RB/PR/KR Matteo Perez (though I've heard he has another year)
OLB Jackson Cloyd
CB Kavir Baines
TE Winston Williams
DT/NT Princeton Toki
RT Ernesto Nava
TE Josh Gale
DE/DT Evan Bearden
DE Zach Kennedy

Listing this because it's Senior Day on Saturday for Davis.

Can't even imagine how good Davis would be right now if LB Teddye Buchanan and DT Chubba Ma'ae had both stayed for this season. For anybody interested Chubba has a grand total of 5 tackles for Arizona this season - I'm sure he's playing his role as best he can. Teddye, however, is a star in Berkeley this year with 83 total tackles, 5 QBH, 4 PBU, 4 Sacks.

Wow, Plough is basically going to have to rebuild the entire pass game next year around Gbatu, Dobbins, Williams, and Simpson

Actually feel better about the run game even without LL because Fisher is so explosive

Can they retroactively declare a redshirt year? Perez had what looks to be a single touch in 2021 which normally would be a sign that a freshman was redshirting -- I don't know if they would have had to make that determination during the season though

He's listed as a Senior - take that as you will.

...and all but Nava, our RT, is coming back for the offensive line.

Davis roster makes no attempt to list eligibility, just academic class level. Look at every recruit from 2023 they are all listed as sophomores. Red shirt years are not declared. I do think they rely on accurate participation records, not something in evidence at Davis.