Cats name starting QB; Game times set

Speculation about several things involving the Montana State Bobcats and Montana Grizzlies' upcoming football season ended Monday.

In Bozeman, MSU head coach Jeff Choate named his starting quarterback for the season, handing the reins over to red-shirt freshman Casey Bauman. An imposing figure, with a strong arm, Bauman seems to have pulled ahead of sophomore Tucker Roving, who started several games for the Cats last season before an ankle injury ended his run in 2018.

“It’s not any one thing in particular, it’s a lot of little things,” Choate said. “And I think one of the little things that really became evident to me was I felt like (Bauman) was starting to kind of take command of the huddle more frequently."

Bauman, a native of the state of Washington, who stands 6-foot-7, and is known to have a rocket for an arm, will be the fourth different opening-day starter in Choate's four years at the helm in Bozeman. And, after MSU has gone with more running-style QBs in Chris Murray and Troy Andersen the last three years, Bauman may give the Cats a much-more potent passing attack.

“I just have not seen a lot of guys, really anywhere, that can throw the ball with the velocity that he does,” Choate said. “Now, at times he’s got to become more accurate, and that’s going to be the thing that you really hang your hat on, but he can make some throws that we haven’t been able to make."

The announcement that the Cats will start Bauman Aug. 31 at FBS Texas Tech wasn't the only news to come out of the Cat-Griz rivalry Monday.

Root Sports finally announced the finalization of its broadcast schedule for Montana and MSU games, including the Brawl of the Wild. This year's showdown between the Griz and Cats is set for Nov. 23 in Bozeman, and Monday, Root announced a traditional noon kickoff for the game.

The Griz, which had the day off from fall camp Monday, after the Cats took Sunday off, also have Root TV home games against Idaho State Oct. 5 (1 p.m.), Eastern Washington, Oct. 26 (noon), Idaho, Nov. 9 (1 p.m.) and Weber State, Nov. 16 (1 p.m.). MSU has two Root home games, including Nov. 2 against Southern Utah (1 p.m.) and the Brawl.