BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: Man Alive, Bobcat Football is Just One Week Away!!!

football-100-x-62

MSU Bobcats Football News

August 23: Bobcat by the Numbers takes a look at current and past Bobcats whose jersey numbers correspond to the number of days remaining before Montana State opens the 2018 football season against Western Illinois in Bobcat Stadium’s annual Gold Rush game on August 30.

 

#7

JoJo Henderson, S: JoJo Henderson played well in the 2017 season’s first four games until an injury shelved him in the fourth game. He missed the next five, and returned on a limited basis for the season’s final two games. He is a rangy, athletic safety who adds a dynamic presence to the secondary. He was engaged throughout preseason camp in a position battle with newcomer Jahque Alleyne, which Jeff Choate cites as raising the performance level of both players.

Casey Bauman, QB: Casey Bauman brings a big arm, tremendous athleticism, and a world of potential to the Bobcat program. He will receive a look for possible playing time when fall camp begins.

 

Spotlight – Paul McLean: Some of the greatest stories from any athletic program are buried in the dust bins of history, and certainly Montana State has its share of those tales. One is that of Paul McLean, a star from Helena who played for the Cats in the early ’30s. Before Montana State’s stunning win over the Grizzlies in 1932, Bobcat captain McLean shook hands with his opposing captain, Chalmer Lyman of the Grizzlies. “These two players were once team mates at Helena high school where they played side by side in the line,” the October 25, 1932 Exponent tells us. “These men are the best of friends and both are stellar players for their two schools.” McLean was a brilliant player for the Cats, “beyond a doubt one of the most outstanding pivot men in the conference,” according to the 1932 Montanan. “‘Mac’ has committed one bad pass (center snap) in three years of collegiate football competition (entering his senior campaign). This year it was estimated that he made fifty per cent of the tackles.” A year down the road – in the fall of 1933 – he was named to Montana State’s All-Time Eleven comprised of the school’s best players at each position. McLean was named the top Bobcat center of its first 36 years of football, with the Exponent commenting: “Among the more recent men to make the mythical eleven is MacLean (sic – his name is spelled without the first ‘a’ in most places). (MSC coach Schubert) Dyche picks him as one of the best centers ever to play in Montana or any other state. MacLean had opportunities to go to larger schools but did not accept them because he wanted to play with the Bobcats. His stellar work placed him on the all state team twice but he was never able to crash in on the all conference team. His outstanding defense work against the Grizzly eleven played a predominating part in defeating the Grizzlies twice during his four years.” Any Bobcat that leaves Montana State with at least a break-even mark against the University is worth remembering, and you can bet that there were some pointed conversations with Chalmer Lyman in years to come.

 

Chronology: Ivar Twilde (1927), Paul McLean (1930), Ed Breeden (1930), Ambrose Shea (1931), Roy Hamm (1934), Albert Feldman (1937), Tweed Rhodes (1970-71), Paul Suek (1974),  Terry Bladow (1975-79), Terry Alberta (1980), Mark Alberta (1982), Bryan Roach (1983), Bentley Williams (1984), Mark Page (1985-87), Steve Lebsack (1988-91), Eric Hopkins (1992-95), Jeff Tuss (1996), Scott Aguglia (1997), Shon Flores (1998-99), Jay Hackett (2000-03), Michael Wright (2005), Bryant Matthews (2006-07), Jordan Craney (2008-10), John Laidet (2011), Preston Gale (2013), David Dash (2014), Will Krolick (2015-16), Jordan Hoy (2015), Naijiel Hale (2016), JoJo Henderson (2017-), Casey Bauman (2018-)

 

Other #7 Notes: Just a quick thought about Will Krolick, a #7 who may not have left a mark on the Montana State record lists but who was a pretty impressive Bobcat. Krolick was an engineering major from Alaska who played for the Cats as a walk-on. He worked his way up the depth chart and into playing time his last couple of seasons, and in his time at MSU finished his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. A quiet kid who kept to himself, Krolick is one of those Bobcats who nonetheless made an enormous impression on those of us at BBTN who always admired his dedication to academic excellence and to the Blue and Gold. And if you want to know something impressive, Krolick’s master’s theses was Characterization of Primary Instability of Atomizing Jets Using Dynamic Mode Decomposition. Will Krolick was a smart, tough kid and Bobcat fans should be as proud of him as anyone else who has passed through this program… let’s also give a nod to Jordan Craney, who wore #7 for three seasons. How many times have you bought something, got home to open or examine it, and realized you’ve been tricked by packaging? Craney faced that issue. Gifted with a pleasant demeanor, a wonderful personality, and a positive outlook on life can sometimes fool football people into thinking you don’t have the necessities for such a rough-and-tumble sport. There were those that felt that way about Jordan Craney, and boy oh boy were they wrong. He was pressed into action as a true freshman and performed well, and by the time the 2008 season was up and going he was able to pick off a pass in the closing seconds of a big-time win at NAU. Craney started all 11 games as a junior, forcing a fumble and picking off a pass, and during his senior season all he did was finish with 37 tackles, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery on his way to earning Honorable Mention All-Big Sky honors and capturing MSU’s Joe Tiller Award as the program’s coaches choice on defense. He developed into a physical, tough, hard-nosed player, and there was no one in the program more enjoyable to have around than Craney. Remembered by teammates as a leader and hard worker, he was an important part of Montana State’s 2010 Big Sky Championship.