The Bobcats have lost three games by a total of eight points, and Choate has on more than one occasion lamented his team’s inability to stay out of its own way. Some of his players echoed that sentiment.

“We’ve all been there. We’ve all made mistakes. But you’ve got to grow up eventually,” Newell said Tuesday. “We have a lot of young guys but they’re half a season deep right now. They’re not freshmen anymore. We’ve got guys that need to perform under pressure. And if our veterans were a good-finishing group right now we’d be 5-0.”

“As tough as it is for those young kids, they’ve got to force themselves to step outside their comfort zone,” running back Gunnar Brekke added. “And more importantly, as seniors and as guys that have been here, we’ve really got to bring these guys with us and show them what it takes. It’s on everyone.”

Besides Murray and Washington, MSU is making use of several first-year players. Offensive tackle Mitch Brott, wide receiver Kevin Kassis, defensive ends Marcus Ferriter and Derek Marks, linebacker Josh Hill, safety Jacob Hadley and kickers Peppenger, Devon Tandberg and Jered Padmos are all learning on the fly.

That especially applies to Kassis, Marks, Hadley and the kicking trio. All fresh out of high school.