The Bobcats Led the Big Sky in Rushing Offense for the First Time Since 1989, Gaining 175.2 Yards Per Game
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BOBCAT FOOTBALL • Rob Ash became MSU’s first first-year coach to post a 2007winning record since Sonny Lubick in 1978 2009 • MSU logged its sixth straight winning season in 2007, and its 4-4 league record extends the program’s string of TABLE OF CONTENTS consecutive seasons at or over .500 to seven Bobcat Football and MSU 1-6 The Bobcat defense scored six touchdowns in ‘07 • Season Outlook 7-20 • Demetrius Crawford became the 12th Bobcat to rush for 2009 Roster/Depth Chart 21-22 100 yards in a game at least three times in a season Bobcat Coaches 23-28 MSU’s offensive line allowed the fewest sacks in the Big Sky in 2008 (Arianne Perlinski photo) • Jack Rolovich finished his career with 3,911 career Bobcat Players 29-50 passing yards, fifth in Bobcat history 2009 Opponents 51-55 2008 MSU Stats/Records 59-84 • Demetrius Crawford became the 10th Bobcat to rush for Bobcat Tradition 85-95 100 yards in a game at2008 least six times in a season MSU Primary Media List 96 • The Bobcats led the Big Sky in rushing offense for the first time since 1989, gaining 175.2 yards per game • Montana State led the Big Sky Conference in total CREDITS defense for the fifth time in the past eight years Montana State’s 2009 Bobcat Football Media Guide was written by MSU Assistant • Three different Bobcats started at quarterback in 2008 AD/Media Relations Bill Lamberty, with for the first time since 1991 design and production by Jeremy Sandlin. Cover photo of Bobcat Stadium by Mark MacLeod, Highlander Photographics. MSU SID Tom Schulz and Assistant SID Chris Syme provided editing and additional writing, John Nicholson added research, and R. Dean Hendrickson, Daryn Bobby Daly entered (left) 2008 on The Sports Network’s Buchanan Watch List as one of the top defensive players in the while FCS, Dane Fletcher is on the same list in 2009 (Dean Hendrickson photo) Hendrickson, Mark MacLeod, Linda Best, Howard Skaggs, Arianne • MSU enters the season with a first team preseason • Rob Ash’s 13 wins in his first two seasons as Montana and All-America selection, OG Jeff Hansen, and a second State’s head coach is the second-highest total through Perlinski, Shirley Sedivy Jeremy 2009team choice in defensive end Dane Fletcher two campaigns in Bobcat history Sandlin contributed photography. • The Bobcats enter 2009 with a player on the Buchanan • Guard Jeff Hansen earned Honorable Mention Watch List for national FCS defensive player of the year All-America honors last fall, the third MSU offensive honors for the second straight year, as defensive end lineman to earn All-America honors in the past six Dane Fletcher joins linebacker Bobby Daly (2008) seasons PRACTICE SCHEDULE AUGUST SUN 9TH: --- Players Report SUN 16TH: --- Players Off FRI 21ST: #13 8:00am WED 26TH: #19 8:45am SEPTEMBER MON 10TH: #1 3:30pm MON 17TH: #8 8:00am #14 4:00pm #20 4:00pm TUE 1ST: #24 3:30pm TUE 11TH: #2 3:00pm #9 4:00pm SAT 22ND: #15 * 2:00pm THU 27TH: Media Day WED 2ND: #25 3:30pm WED 12TH: #3 3:00pm TUE 18TH: #10 3:00pm SUN 23RD: Players Off FRI 28TH: #21 9:30am THU 3RD: #26 3:30pm THU 13TH: #4 3:00pm WED 19TH: #11 8:45am MON 24TH: #16 8:00am #22 3:30pm FRI 4TH: #27 TBA Walk-thru FRI 14TH: #5 3:30pm #12 4:00pm #17 4:00pm SAT 29TH Stadium Walk-thru SAT 5TH: MSU at Mich St. SAT 15TH #6 9:00am THU 20TH --- Players Off TUE 25TH #18 3:00pm SUN 30TH Players Off #7 3:30pm MON 31ST: #23 3:30pm - helmets only - half pads - full pads a legacya legacy of of SUCCESSSUCCESS On the Field Montana State is the nation’s only football program to win National Championships at three different levels of competition (NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division I-AA) The Bobcats won national titles in 1956 (NAIA), 1976 (Division II), and 1984 (Division I-AA) The 2006 season brought Montana State its first NCAA playoff win since the 1984 national championship run The Bobcats own 34 Big Sky Conference wins since 2002, the second- most in the league over that span and one of only two league teams, with Montana, not to post a losing record in the past six seasons In the Classroom The 300-plus Bobcat student-athletes have maintained cumulative team grade point averages of better than 3.0 for 14 consecutive semesters Montana State’s all-time quarterback Travis Lulay, now with the BC Lions, was the 2005 Division I First Team Academic All-America quarterback (right) Jim Verlanic, MSU’s starting center in 2008, earned FCS All-Academic honors and was one of five finalists for the organization’s prestigious post-graduate scholarship 2 In the Community Members of Montana State’s football program compiled 775 volunteer hours in the Bozeman community last year on a wide range of projects Bobcat linebacker Tanner Ripley has served as a Big Brother in the Bozeman Big Brother/Big Sisters program Other Bobcat players volunteer to read in the public school system, participate in DARE assemblies, and help conduct youth football clinics Bobcat Football sponsored three blood drives during the 2008-09 school year, sponsored “A Big Day” with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and helped with a Breast Cancer Awareness Day. TE Elliott Barndart won MSU’s Torley Aasheim Community Service Award in 2008. Great Facilities… Montana State’s Bobcat Stadium was renovated in 1997 and ’98, a project which added 32 SkySuites and an indoor club area on the west side That renovation replaced the Stadium’s west side, adding chair-back and bench-back seats The Bobcat football team played at Gatton Field from 1930-71 and one season at Bozeman High School’s Van Winkle Stadium before moving into Reno H. Sales Stadium, which became Bobcat Stadium during the 1997 renovation MSU Football also calls home state-of-the-art office, equipment, and sports medicine facilities …and Getting Better MSU announced plans in 2009 to completely renovate the Bobcat Athletics physical plant, a process which began with the addition of FieldTurf to Bobcat Stadium Plans also exist to add new SkySuites to Bobcat Stadium’s east stands and to completely bowl in both the north and south end zones, a six- phase project which will be privately funded The new Bobcat Stadium in its final phase would seat over 20,000 fans and stand as one of the finest stadiums in Division I FCS 3 Outstanding SUPPORT outstanding SUPPORT In the Stands The Bobcats averaged 14,245 fans in 2007, 14th among NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision teams, after selling out all six home games Montana State finished ninth in the FCS in attendance per capacity, regularly surpassing seating capacity with standing room only crowds, in 2008 Furman head coach Bobby Lamb called Bobcat Stadium a “very difficult place to play,” citing a crowd that “was into the game, and we never really got them out of it.” In the Classroom Montana State’s recently-enlarged Academic Center houses study areas and computer stations for use of MSU student-athletes The Center’s staff includes three full-time student- athletes, including Director Kylie Perlinski, part of MSU’s only Big Sky Championship golf squad, and former Bobcat football standout John Taylor A wide range of resources are available through the MSU campus community, including assistance in writing, math, and tutoring In Bobcat Athletics Bobcat student-athletes are supported by an outstanding support staff and top-of-the-line facilities inside MSU Athletics. Athletic Trainer Rob Higgs leads a professional staff of four certified, full-time athletic trainers and two graduate assistants. MSU’s Sports Medicine staff has regular access to a wide range of medical specialists, and use of MSU’s Athletic Training Center and an auxiliary sports medicine area adjacent to the MSU Football Locker Room. Montana State’s athletic equipment staff is led by Scott Gifford, who has experience at several levels of professional football as well as in the Big 12 Conference. MSU’s athletic equipment staff maintains the program’s equipment, holding to the highest safety standards. 4 Bobcat football locker the room; MSU Sprit of the West marching band; tailgaters rally before the game The MSU Equipment Room is adjacent to the Bobcat Football Locker Room. Top to Bottom: to Top welcomewelcome to to MSUMSU Paleontologist Jack Horner with a cast of the B. rex skull found in eastern Montana; MSU punter Eric Fisher participates in the Bobcat Athletics Blood Drive ; Lou Saucedo lends a hand during MSU’s Habitat for Humanity build in Bozeman Montana State University it’s all academic • Montana State is a comprehensive land grant • Since 1982, ninety-percent of students in food university with undergraduate and graduate and nutrition have been accepted in national programs in liberal arts, basic sciences, profes- dietetic internships, and 100 percent of the sional areas, agriculture, arts and architecture, students have passed the exam for Registered business, nursing, education and engineering. Dieticians. MSU offers undergraduate degrees in 49 areas with more than 100 options. • MSU is among the top suppliers of engineering grads to Boeing, Micron and NAVSEA. • With almost $100 million in research expendi- tures, Montana State is ranked by the National • Rolling Stone magazine voted MSU professor Science Foundation as one of the top 100 re- Henrietta Mann, the first Native American Studies search universities in the country. Endowed Chair, as one of the top 10 professors in • MSU ranks among the top 11 schools in the coun- the country.