BOZEMAN -- The Montana State Bobcats officially began their 2019 football season on Friday afternoon as they held their first practice of fall camp on the grass fields outside of the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
The Bobcats have caught national attention after they made it to the second round of the FCS Playoffs last season, ultimately losing to eventual champion North Dakota State. That successful 2018 campaign has led MSU to be ranked in preseason polls: HERO Sports has MSU ranked 14th in the country, while Athlon Sports has the Cats ranked as high as eighth in their top 25 poll.
But Montana State head coach Jeff Choate isn't thinking about the outside noise to start his season. He's just excited to get his team out on the field.
"I think the guys were excited to be out there. You know, it’s funny, like I told them, I didn’t have any problems sleeping last night. I’ve been doing this a long time," said Choate.
"But then when you walk out and the kids' energy is there, music’s playing, the field is set up, it's like, 'OK,' the hair on your neck starts to stand up," Choate added. "I think our guys were really excited to be out there. Certainly the execution was not as crisp as we’d like it to be, but the effort and intensity were there, and I think a lot of positive things to build on."
Montana State is back at camp again Saturday at 11 a.m.
