Chronicle

wbtfg · Post by **wbtfg** » Sun Nov 28, 2004 11:49 am

Here is yet another article that says Figs is not coming back.

Back in blue: MSU football looks to atone in '05

By TIM DUMAS Chronicle Sports Writer

The pulse of the season read like an irregular heartbeat.

The blips beeped rapidly during those cardiac moments mid-season, then slowed to a near lifeless halt at the end.

There were more twists and turns than the I-90 ride over the Continental Divide.

Yet in a matter of eight days came the climb to the tallest peak followed by a free fall.

Montana State was the lone unbeaten Big Sky Conference team after scoring 60 points in its most thorough outing of the season Oct. 30 at Northern Arizona. The following Saturday, the Bobcats were sent crashing back to earth in a disheartening loss to Sacramento State, which won just two other games.

"Nobody would have expected that to happen," quarterback Travis Lulay said Tuesday. "We were in the spot we wanted to be and things went sour in Sacramento."

MSU responded by taking a 21-point lead in its home finale against Eastern Washington, but was outscored 79-35 from there and ended the season on a three-game losing streak.

"I think I speak for the whole team; we're disappointed because we had set the bar so high for ourselves," added Lulay, who is 2,883 yards short of becoming MSU's first 10,000-yard passer.

"That's a huge motivating factor for us this offseason."

Another will be to get healthy in the face of a difficult non-conference schedule next year.

For 2004, head coach Mike Kramer pointed to a single aspect which led to his team's unimpressive finish.

"Injuries," he said. "They decapitated and decimated a very solid football team."

Not only was the secondary left reeling, but the kick return unit as well. With Brandon Roosevelt and Michael Williams missing much of the season, MSU, which took back 10 kicks/punts for touchdowns last year, had none this season and ended up in a tie for last place in kickoff return yardage in the Big Sky.

That led to poor field position. And with the defense struggling over the last third of the season, "the onus fell only to the offense," Kramer said. "We were always looking at a long, long field."

The offense did remain in good health and provided three straight weeks of final-drive victories. There were school-record performances on several occasions, but that alone did not lead to victories.

Defensively, MSU's patchwork lineup allowed the Bobcats to stay in games during the early portion of the conference schedule. Without that aspect, the numerous come-from-behind wins would not have been possible.

"What the defense was able to accomplish through the end of October was phenomenal," Kramer said.

Imagine what kind of season it would have been if all the fourth-quarter resurrections were taken away.

"We really did come a long way as a team," said Lulay, who was recently added to the Walter Payton Award list, the honor that goes to Division I-AA's most outstanding offensive player. "We started out with all kinds of question marks. We started out slow, but looking back, we did a lot of good things."

The next the time Bobcats play, it will be in Stillwater, Okla., on Sept. 3 of next year against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are currently ranked 23rd in Division I-A.

After playing OSU for the first time, Montana State hosts Stephen F. Austin, which like the Bobcats is coming off a 6-5 season. SFA fired head coach Mike Santiago last Sunday after a six-year tenure.

MSU then travels to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and hosts North Dakota State, teams which combined for a 17-5 record this year, before heading into Big Sky play.

"It's a pretty big pie," Kramer said. "We'll take it one slice at a time."

Kramer is counting on the healthy returns of cornerbacks Eddie Smith and Kahiam Hunter, linebackers Marudas and Clayton Curley and return men Roosevelt and Williams, both just sophomores, for next year.

There's also a number of freshmen, who were held out this year to allow them an extra year of eligibilty.

Louis Saucedo, a 6-foot-4, 290-pound lineman, will help fill the void left by Lawrence Figueroa. Evin Groves, a 1,600-yard rusher from Sweetwater (Calif.) High who "played in one of the toughest leagues in the country," joins the tailback corps.

The Bobcats lose only Eddie Sullivan from a talented receiver group, but should gain Michael Brown, who was the offensive scout team's player of the year.

Tailback Terrence King and cornerback Ryan Kelly are expected to contribute next season as well.

"If we stay healthy, we're going to be a darn good football team next year," Kramer said. "The league is going to be extremely tough. There's a lot of top players coming back, but I consider us the best team in the Big Sky going into preseason camp."

BozoneCat · Post by **BozoneCat** » Sun Nov 28, 2004 12:46 pm

I have seen a depth chart for next season from the coaches themselves that says Figs is coming back. It does make things somewhat confusing, though.

PDXKat · Post by **PDXKat** » Sun Nov 28, 2004 12:48 pm

Here's the deal. Fig was listed as a senior but has a medical redshirt year due to last years season ending injury that can only be granted after his senior year. He was given it and will be back next year. I like Kramers outlook. It is painful to watch us on the sidelines right now. As decimated as our defense was, we were only a couple plays (ie Sac State and Eastern) from stll being in this.

MSU01 · Post by **MSU01** » Sun Nov 28, 2004 12:56 pm

Figueroa was not introduced with the other seniors on Senior Day...this leads me to believe that he's definitely coming back. He was listed as a senior on the roster though, so that would certainly cause confusion about it.

canyoncat · Post by **canyoncat** » Sun Nov 28, 2004 11:25 pm

It will be great to have Figs back again. The line will be extremely deep if he does and it sounds like he will

What is the deal with Terrence King? I remember him being listed with last years recruits, but he was never on any roster this year. Was he a gray shirt due to grades? Terrence and Evin could make a great 1, 2 punch down the road!

Also, I read on this board quite a while ago about a CMR player commiting to the Cats during the summer. I think he was a linebacker or DL. Does anybody remember this, and who is he?

GO CATS!!

BozoneCat · Post by **BozoneCat** » Mon Nov 29, 2004 12:04 am

I don't know their names yet, but I know we have commits from an OL/DL kid from CMR, and an OL from Dillon. Hopefully, we'll hear more about these kids soon.

Regardless, we are going to get killed in Montana recruiting this year, unless Kramer can somehow offer every kid a new Range Rover. The kids who come to Bozeman now will not regret it, though, and will be a part of something very special while they are in school - I can just feel it!

velochat · Post by **velochat** » Mon Nov 29, 2004 8:35 am

There was a pretty exhaustive look at the players and outlook for next season in the Sunday Chronicle. Most of it's not in the on-line edition.

Bcat · Post by **Bcat** » Mon Nov 29, 2004 7:37 pm

I believe you will hear something about the kid from CMR this week. Yes a very good HS linebacker, but he has the potential as a safety, and possibly special team’s speadster/returner. If you watched the championship game on Omega you could not miss this kid. Not trying to be evasive, just not sure if there is a firm commitment yet, don’t like to be the source of posting names until there is reasonable cause to do so. Would be a good versatile add.

wbtfg · Post by **wbtfg** » Mon Nov 29, 2004 9:11 pm

I haven't seen a single HS football game this year, but I've heard great things about Austin Mullins (sp?) from CMR. Is this the athlete that you all are referring to?

Bcat · Post by **Bcat** » Mon Nov 29, 2004 10:46 pm

I had not heard of Mullins, just the other LB. I hope both are interested in being Cats.