22017017 BBobcatobcat FFootballootball QQuickuick FFactsacts MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Name (Founded) ................Montana State University (1893) Location .......................................................... Bozeman, MT Enrollment ................................................................... 16,660 President ..................................................Dr. Waded Cruzado Athletic Director ..............................................Leon Costello ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS Assistant AD, Media Relations/FB Contact .......Bill Lamberty Offi ce/Cell Phone ....................406/994-5133, 406/580-6781 E-mail Address [email protected] Sports Information Director ................................Tom Schulz 2016 RESULTS Offi ce/Cell Phone ....................406/994-5130, 406/580-6786 Record Overall/Conference ................................ 5-6/3-5, 8th E-mail Address [email protected] # Weeks Ranked ...................................................................0 Asst. Director/Digital Comm. ....................Andrew Pedersen Final Ranking ..................................................................none Offi ce Phone .....................................................406/994-5349 FCS Playoffs ...................................................................none E-mail Address [email protected] Athletics Fax Number ......................................406/994-2278 Sept. 1 at Idaho L .......... 17-20 11,987 Web Site .............................................www.msubobcats.com Sept. 10 Bryant W .........27-24 18,867 Sept. 17 Western Oregon W ...........55-0 17,577 MEDIA INFORMATION Sept. 24 *North Dakota L .......... 15-17 19,507 Radio Network ......................................Bobcat Sports Network Oct. 1 *at Sacramento State L .......... 38-41 7,759 Radio Play-by-play ......................................... Jay Sanderson Oct. 8 *Northern Arizona L .......... 14-20 17,637 E-mail [email protected] Oct. 15 *at Weber State L .......... 27-45 7,148 Color Commentator .............................................Dan Davies Oct. 22 *Eastern Washington L .......... 17-41 18,087 Phone, e-mail ...... 406/994-2301, [email protected] Oct. 29 Open Beat Writer ..........................Jon Maletz, Bozeman Chronicle Nov. 5 *at Southern Utah L .......... 21-38 7,342 Contact, ............970/618-3629, [email protected] Nov. 12 *UC Davis W .........27-13 15,767 Beat Writer ......................Colter Nuanez, Skyline Sports MT Nov. 19 *at Montana W .........24-17 26,182 Contact .................406/531-9998, [email protected] Beat Writer .............................Greg Rachac, Billings Gazette 2017 SCHEDULE (Mountain time unless noted) Phone, e-mail ...406/670-2026, grachac@billingsgazettecom Sept. 2 at Washington State ..................... 8:30 pm MT FS1 Sept. 9 South Dakota State (Gold Rush) . 6 pm SWX COACHING AND SUPPORT STAFF Sept. 23 *at North Dakota ......................... 1:30 pm MT SWX Jeff Choate (UM Western, ‘93) ........................... HEAD COACH Sept. 30 *Weber State (Homecoming) ...... 1:30 pm SWX Overall Record: 4-7, 2nd ...................................at MSU: 4-7, 2nd Oct. 7 *Portland State (Parent/Family) .. 11 am ROOT Ty Gregorak (Colorado/’01) ............Defensive Coord./LBs (2nd) Oct. 14 *at Eastern Washington ............... 2 pm MT SWX Brian Armstrong (UM Western/’98) ........Offensive Coord. (2nd) Oct. 21 *at Northern Colorado .................12:30 pm ROOT BJ Robertson (UM Western/’98) .......ST Coord./TE/HS Relations (2nd) Oct. 28 *Idaho State (Cap on Cancer) ......1:30 pm ROOT Michael Pitre (UCLA/’08) .......................Recr. Coord./RBs (4th) Nov. 4 Kennesaw State (Military/Ag) .....12 noon SWX Joshua Taufalele (New Mexico/’10) .............Offensive Line (1st) Nov. 11 *at Northern Arizona ................... 5 pm MT SWX DeNarius McGhee (Montana State/’14) ..........Quarterbacks (1st) Nov. 18 *Montana .....................................12 noon ROOT Matt Miller (Boise State/’14) ...............................Receivers (2nd) Byron Hout (Boise State/’12) ..................... Defensive Line (2nd) Mark Orphey (Texas Southern/’11) ..................... Secondary (1st) Kyle Risinger (St. Cloud State/’14) ...........Secondary Asst. (2nd) Joe Dunning (Carroll/’13) ...................................Offensive Intern TABLE OF CONTENTS Kendrick Van Ackeren (Montana/’16) ................Defensive Intern Bobcat Football Overview .................................................................. 2-5 Ryan Saparto (Washington State/’14) ..........Special Teams Intern Preseason Info and Outlook ...............................................................5-9 Football Operation Dir. .......... Brittney Johnson (Boise State/’11) Position Capsules ................................................................................10-18 Video Coordinator ..................................................Garrett Becker Roster ........................................................................................................... 19 Athletic Trainer ............................................................ Rob Higgs Depth Chart ................................................................................................20 Equipment Manager .................................................Scott Gifford Opponent Capsules ...........................................................................21-22 Bobcat Coach Jeff Choate ...............................................................23-26 Assistants ...............................................................................................27-32 Player Bios .............................................................................................33-68 Honors, Stats and Records .............................................................69-78 22017017 BBOBCATOBCAT FFOOTBALLOOTBALL - OOverviewverview BBobcatsobcats BBoostedoosted bbyy SStrongtrong FFinishinish In Jeff Choate, Montana State found a coach whose football roots lie in the Treasure State, Personnel Breakdown with a style and philosophy that fi ts the program’s history of hard-nosed play. In Montana TEAM INFORMATION State, second-year head coach Jeff Choate found what he believes is the perfect fi t. Affi liation/Conf ............ NCAA DI FCS/Big Sky “A lot of things came together” during the hiring Nickname...........................................Bobcats process that culminated with Choate’s arrival at Montana State. Colors .............................................Blue, gold It could also apply to his fi rst season as the top Cat, during which Stadium .................................Bobcat Stadium his team battled injuries in both lines and to its most productive Seating Capacity .................................17,777 off ensive players, but ended with stirring back-to-back wins. Th e Turf ...................................................FieldTurf latter among those victories was an exhilerating 24-17 triumph in Primary Offense/Defense ............ Multiple/3-4 Missoula on November 19 that served as a coming out party for the program. 2017 RETURNER SUMMARY In-season losing streaks Starters Returning: Offensive/Defensive/ST ..........7/8/3 Jeff Choate’s introduc- can bring frustration, but that Offensive Lettermen Returning/Lost .....................18/10 tory press conference. never seeped into Montana State’s Defensive Lettermen Returning/Lost ....................19/10 (Dean Hendrickson) 2016 campaign. Instead, the process Specialist Lettermen Returning/Lost .........................4/1 of establishing the foundation and building the culture necesssary for the Bobcat program to re- OFFENSIVE STARTERS RETURNING kindle its winning tradition took hold. A coaching staff melding Mitch Brott, OT 6-6/295/So ......11 starts, Frosh A-A experience and youthful passion guided a young team through Mitchell Herbert, WR 6-4/210/Sr ...70 career rec., 12 TDs rocky stretches, but the season-ending wins boost the program Kevin Kassis, WR 6-0/180/So 9 rec., 152 yds as frosh into 2017. Dylan Mahoney, OT 6-6/285/Sr .................6 starts in ‘16 As much as Choate liked what he saw from his team late Chris Murray, QB 6-2/180/So ...Big Sky Frosh of Year last season, he was more impressed with the commitment that Alex Neale, C 6-3/290/Jr ............... 11 starts in ‘16 rolled into the winter, spring and summer months. “Every team Justin Paige, WR 5-11/175/Sr ...40 career rec., 9 TDs improves during standard practice windows,” Choate said, “but Jeff Choate presided over his there is real opportunity for players and teams to improve during fi rst spring practice seession DEFENSIVE STARTERS RETURNING at MSU (Dean Hendrickson) Bryce Alley, CB 5-11/175/Sr ........22 tackles in ‘16 the winter and summer Mac Bignell, LB 6-1/218/Sr .35.5 career TFL, 8 FF Grant Collins, BUCK 6-4/240/Jr .11-game starter in ‘16 Tyrone Fa’anono, DE 6-2/270/Jr ............... Starter in ‘15 Khari Garcia, FS 5-10/195/Sr ....120 career tackles Josh Hill, LB 5-11/210/So .54 TT, 2 int as frosh BBOBCATOBCAT GGAMEAME DDAYAY Braydon Konkol, S 6-2/215/Sr ......20 TT, 2 TFL in ‘16 Bryson McCabe, S 6-0/205/Sr .2nd Tm All-BSC in ‘16 MMSU’sSU’s HomeHome FieldField OffersOffers TThrillinghrilling EnvironmentEnvironment Derek Marks, DE 6-1/245/So .20 TT, 2 TFL as frosh Tucker Yates, DT 6-0/300/Jr ............ 9 games in ‘16 Visit Bobcat Stadium on any