“Can’t win it if you aren’t in it.”

Jeff Choate was my running backs coach when I played football at Boise State.

Coach Choate took over the head coaching job at Montana State in 2016.  Take a look at his record thus far:

Montana State’s record has improved every year along with its conference standing and playoff appearances.

They earned a spot in the playoffs last year and got to the second round before being defeated by the eventual national champions.

This year they enter the playoffs as the 5th seed with a team strong enough to make a run for the championship.

After a big win against Montana State’s rival, the University of Montana Griz, I texted Coach Choate:

Spoken, er texted, like a true coach.

What he’s saying is focus on the job at hand, focus on the task immediately in front of you, which for him is the practices leading up to the next game and the next game.

National Championship be damned until you have made it into the game and given yourself the chance to win.

You have to be on the field playing not in the stand watching and hoping.

Often we jump ahead to the end result and forego focus on the things that will give us a chance to play for the championship.

No matter what you want in life Coach Choate’s words ring true.

“Can’t win it if you aren’t in it.”

BONUS: More Jeff Choate wisdom on my interview with him before his first year as head coach at Montana State on my Shot in the Arm podcast here.

Brett “Get In The Game” Denton