FCS TITLE GAME MATCHUPS – red-hot Bryce Lance vs. MSU secondary – Skyline Sports

On By Littum

Bryce Lance’s one-handed touchdown catch two weeks ago against South Dakota State was so good that at first no one was sure if he had caught it or not.

A one-handed grip…but incomplete, said an announcer.

Lance himself turned back to the camera and half raised his arms in a questioning touchdown signal.

It took the officiating crew several minutes to determine that, yes, Lance had caught the ball with one hand while tapping on his outside foot, confirming the touchdown that sent North Dakota State to another FCS title game.

The play instantly became, along with Tommy Mellott’s fumbling touchdown run for Montana State, one of two iconic highlights of a semifinal run that ended with the Bison and Bobcats paired in Frisco for the second time in four years.

And if MSU wants to flip the script from that Bison beatdown in 2021, they’ll surely have to stop the breakout receiver who has become so much more than “Trey Lance’s brother.”

“He’s extremely dangerous,” Montana State head coach Brent Vigen said. “He can run. He’s got great size (6-foot-3, 204). His body control, catch radius, all those things have continued to improve and develop. And I’d imagine along with that the confidence he has , the confidence that (quarterback) Cam (Miller) has in him, the confidence that (offensive coordinator) Jake Landry has called those plays — you just see that grow throughout the game.”

Lance has long been the top target for an offense that wins with depth far more than individual greatness.

Eleven players have at least 100 receiving yards for the Bison this season — but aside from Lance, no one else has more than 400.

Ten players have caught a touchdown from Miller – but aside from Lance, no one else has more than four scores.

The redshirt junior from Marshall, Minn., on the other hand, has 66 catches, 964 yards and 16 touchdowns — the latter of which is a new NDSU single-season record.

It’s been a big breakout for the athletic Lance, who had just one catch for seven yards a year ago — and he doesn’t appear to be slowing down as the season progresses.

In the biggest game of the year two weeks ago against South Dakota State, Lance finished with six catches for 125 yards and three of the four touchdowns the Bison managed in their 28-21 victory.

“I think this year he’s not Trey’s little brother anymore and I think he’s made a name for himself just the way he plays and the way he carries himself,” Miller said . “He’s been fantastic for us all season and I expect him to be fantastic on Monday.”

At 6-foot-3, Lance’s quickness, body control and ball skills made up for it him a nightmare cover for SDSU. He easily beat one-on-one coverage to the outside to open the scoring, sprinted right up the seam for a decisive score in the fourth quarter and then pulled off his one-handed miracle grab to put the Bison ahead late.

It was against one of the best secondaries in the nation – Jackrabbits safeties Tucker Large, Colby Huerter and Matthew Durrance and cornerbacks Dalys Beanum and Colby Humphrey all received MVFC all-conference recognition.

Now Montana State’s defensive backs get their chance to slow down Lance, who has caught at least one touchdown in six of NDSU’s last seven games.

While the Bobcats’ run defense gets plenty of praise, the secondary has also been a crucial part of MSU’s success this season. The Bobcats allowed just 190 passing yards per game. match, number 30 in the country.

Safety Rylan Ortt and corner Andrew Powdrell both received all-Big Sky recognition (Interestingly, Powdrell and Simeon Woodard, Montana State’s other top cornerback, return to their home state of Texas for this matchup).

And, most encouragingly, when faced with a problem like Lance, Montana State has generally shut down the star receivers it has gone against this year.

Idaho State’s Christian Fredericksen had just six catches for 60 yards against the Bobcats. Eastern Washington’s Efton Chism III, who led the country in receptions, had nine catches for 78 yards — a good day but well below his season average of 109 yards a game, which also tops the nation. In their regular season matchup, Idaho’s Jordan Dwyer had just two catches for 14 yards, while Montana’s Junior Bergen was six for 27.

“I think both of their safeties are very good,” Miller said. “They like to bring #26 (Ortt) into the run and he makes a lot of plays for them. And #2 (Dru Polidore) is good in coverage as well. And I think their DBs do a really good job in man cover.”

However, that trend has suffered in recent months. UC Davis’s Chaz Davis had four catches for 128 yards in a 30–28 loss in mid-November, making him the first player to go over 100 yards against Montana State all season.

UT-Martin’s Trevonte Rucker had 107 yards and two touchdowns in a second-round playoff loss, making him the first player to catch multiple scores against the Bobcats.

And in a quarterfinal rematch, Dwyer went on a rampage against the ‘Cats despite a 52-19 Vandals loss, finishing with 11 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns.

As Miller mentioned, Montana State likes to play a lot of man coverage, making this one of the highest risk/highest reward matchups for either team.

For Montana State, the shutdown of NDSU’s superstar receiver threatens to completely shut down the Bison passing attack.

But if the Bisons can get their top target going … well, he’s already proven he’s capable of leading NDSU to big playoff wins — and doing it, sometimes literally, single-handedly.

“He’s made a lot of plays for them,” Ortt said. “The first step is knowing where he is on every play. They try to hide it in a lot of different ways, get him in positions that they like and find matchups that they like. So if we’re just aware of where he is, what he’s trying to do, I’m sure our guys on the edge can match him and make plays.”