BOZEMAN — Every coach, player, and fan in the Big Sky Conference knows that Montana State quarterback Chris Murray can run the football, but the junior got his first chance as an upperclassman to show everybody his improved throwing ability during the team’s first scrimmage on Saturday.
In addition to 28 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground, Murray threw for another 115 yards and touchdowns on back-to-back possessions. While he did miss the mark on a couple of throws, head coach Jeff Choate was pleased with his quarterback’s performance.
“You could see Chris is a pretty good player,” he said. “He’s able to make some things happen with the ball in his hands, but I also thought he pushed the ball downfield vertically. (The receivers) had a couple of drops at times, but the balls were in good spots — very pleased with what he did.”
Choate stuck with the positives following the scrimmage, but Murray also realized there were still improvements to be made.
“(The performance) was average. I probably missed a couple of reads, a couple of throws, that were easy,” he said. “I just have to go back and correct it.”
The Inglewood, Calif. native improved his turnover margin in his sophomore season, his first full season starting under center for the Bobcats, but completed just 51.5 percent of his passes. All eyes will be on his arm as the team tries to make a jump in 2018.
