Field Pass - Fort Lewis

DAILY CHRONICLE

FIELD PASS BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

No. 11 Montana State vs. Fort Lewis, 7:05 p.m., Bobcat Stadium

ODD COUPLE Opposites JP Flynn, John Weidenaar form a united front

A S P E C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E B O Z E M A N D A I LY C H R O N I C L E

PAGE 4

SIDELINE BRIEFING SERIES Bobcats lead 3-0

Oct. 3 @ Northern Arizona, 4:05 p.m.

Oct. 10 Sacramento State, 5:10 p.m.

Oct. 17 @ Portland State, 12:35 p.m. PT Oct. 24 East Tennessee State, 2:35 p.m.

Oct. 31 @ North Dakota, 1 p.m. CT Nov. 7 Southern Utah, 1:40 p.m.

Nov. 14 @ Idaho State, 2:35 p.m.

Nov. 21 Montana, 12:10 p.m.

CROWD Bobcat Stadium (17,777) TELEVISION Cowles Media Montana (Chris Byers, Mike Callaghan, Rob Jesselson)

Fort Lewis Sept. 3 @ Montana State Sept. 12 Oklahoma Panhandle State Sept. 19 Black Hills State Sept. 26 @ New Mexico Highlands Oct. 3 Western New Mexico Oct. 10 @ Colorado State-Pueblo Oct. 17 @ Colorado School of Mines Oct. 24 Colorado Mesa Oct. 31 @ Western State Nov. 7 Adams State Nov. 14 @ Chadron State

RADIO Bobcat Radio Network (Jay Sanderson, Dan Davies, Riley Corcoran) COACHES Rob Ash MSU, ninth year 36th year overall 65-32 at MSU, 241-131-5 overall John L. Smith Fort Lewis, third year 21st year overall 7-15 at FLC, 143-109 overall SCHEDULES Montana State Sept. 3 Fort Lewis, 7:05 p.m.

Sept. 19 @ Eastern Washington, 1 p.m. PT Sept. 26 Cal Poly, 1:35 p.m.

PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense n Dakota Prukop, who rushed for 966 yards, threw for 2,559 more and accounted for 31 touchdowns last fall, will be looking to kick off his Walter Payton Award candidacy in style. He’ll likely have just one half to make that happen.

n Fort Lewis quarterback Jordan Doyle appeared in just eight games a season ago — his second as the starter — but still rushed for 428 yards and threw for 1,509 and 10 touchdowns. He logged a season-high 373 through the air against Oklahoma Panhandle State.

DEFENSE n Fletcher Collins rocketed up the depth chart in August, started playing weak side linebacker during the final days of camp and supplanted Blake Braun and touted Cincinnati transfer Marcus Tappan on the depth chart at a position brilliantly manned by Alex Singleton last season. He’s slated to start alongside Bozeman’s Grant Collins and Drummond’s Mac Bignell in the middle for the Bobcats, who are replacing three accomplished linebackers. n Preseason All-Conference defensive lineman Sione Folaumoeloa led Fort Lewis with 12 ½ tackles for loss and 4 ½ sacks in 2014.

QUICK HITS n Montana State’s 496 points and 38 points per game in 2014 were both school records

n The Bobcats’ 13 consecutive winning seasons is the longest streak in the Big Sky n MSU is 14-3 in home openers at Bobcat Stadium since 1998’s renovation n Mitch Griebel has logged two or more catches in 13 consecutive games n Thursday’s game marks the third time in the past five seasons that MSU squares off with a Rocky Mountain Conference foe in its home opener n Three Bobcats have eclipsed 300 yards passing in the past 23 games (Dakota Prukop, Jake Bleskin, DeNarius McGhee) n MSU averages 442.3 yards and 33.7 points per game on its 8-year-old turf n Fort Lewis head coach John L. Smith, who formerly led Idaho, has won four of six against the Bobcats n MSU has made the postseason in four of the past five seasons n The Bobcats are 58-45-5 in season openers, including a 33-8-1 mark at home n MSU is 21-12-3 against current Rocky Mountain Conference members

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PHOTOS BY ADRIAN SANCHEZGONZALEZ/CHRONICLE

Montana State’s JP Flynn, left, and John Weidenaar will be holding the line on offense for the 2015 season.

DIFFERENT BUT

DOMINANT P R E S E A S O N A L L  B I G S K Y S E L E C T I O N S A N C H O R M O N TA N A S TAT E O F F E N S E

John Weidenaar and JP Flynn both remember Sept. 28, 2013.

On that day, Montana State hung 42 points on North Dakota in the first half and coasted to a 69-20 win in Grand Forks.

After splitting time the week before, Flynn made his first career start at right guard, and the Bobcats rushed for 332 yards and six touchdowns.

Much has changed since then —

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Dakota Prukop starts at quarterback instead of the graduated DeNarius McGhee, and Flynn finds himself at left guard instead of right — but one thing hasn’t.

He and Weidenaar have started each of the ensuing 20 games.

“Those two are special. They’ve got experience, they’ve got talent, they’ve got size, they’ve got strength,” third-year offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey said.

“There’s nothing they don’t have.”

On the field, they form one of the most dominant front-line duos in the nation.

Off it, they couldn’t be more different.

Flynn, a junior, seems to fill up every room he walks into, not just because he stands 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, but

also because he’s got presence to match.

Since camp started Aug. 9, the boisterous Bettendorf, Iowa, native had staffers play Carley Rae Jepsen songs during team stretches, oversaw photo shoots during media day, yucked it up with teammates between seemingly every drill, and even was thrown out of practice and suspended for a day because he punched a teammate during a live period.

If Flynn projects the aura of a professional wrestler, Weidenaar could pass as the world’s largest librarian.

The 6-8, 290-pound son of Manhattan potato farmers has started every game since finishing his redshirt year — 38 in a row entering this season — and goes about his business in a workmanlike fashion, rarely showing emotion and often simply leading the position group without so much as a word.

“It’s the old yin and yang,” former MSU offensive line coach Jason McEndoo said recently. “They are pretty different as far as personality types.” “(John) just comes from a great family, great background, and it’s just a really humble beginning and that’s how he’s

s just that thing, that connection that John-o and “There’ I have built over time. It’s not just a snap of the finger and, oh look; you have a connection that nobody else on the team has. We’ve worked for that, taken our time.

”

JP FLYNN

raised and how he’s lived his life,” Flynn said. “I just like to live a little differently than he does — that’s just how it is.

There’s nothing wrong with that and we don’t judge each other for it. We respect each other’s differences and we know each other’s differences and we don’t care about them at all.”

McEndoo, who now coaches fullbacks and tight ends at Oklahoma State, recruited both and brought them together here. Injuries eventually put them next to one another. When Kyle Godecke broke his foot before the 2014 season, Flynn slid to left guard and Quinn Catalano took his place on the right side.

“John was upset because he wasn’t

playing next to Kyle anymore and he had to play next to me, the new kid on the block,” Flynn joked.

The results have been anything but funny for Bobcats opponents. MSU averaged a school-record 38.2 points per game in 2014, rushed for more than 5 yards per carry and allowed just 19 sacks in 13 games.

“There’s just that thing, that connection that John-o and I have built over time,” Flynn said. “It’s not just a snap of the finger and, oh look; you have a connection that nobody else on the team has. We’ve worked for that, taken our time.

“When you think of O-line, you think of communication, you think of

John Weidenaar, center, has started 38 consecutive games at left tackle, 10 short of Brent Swaggert’s school record.

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guys pointing and screaming, yelling what number they’re going to. John-o and I can go up there, I take a look at him and give him a wink, and he knows exactly what’s going on.”

Added Weidenaar: “JP and I knew that if we were going to be good as a whole O-line, we needed to be together. We never had a conversation about it, but we both instinctually knew without having to say anything that we needed to be on the same page and get along.”

Now, in their second year anchoring the left side, they’re expected to dominate.

Even on a line with 111 combined starts — Godecke has the fewest at 13 — the two preseason All-Big Sky selections stand out.

“We’ve got a great right side as well, but man, that’s the strong side; the best duo in the nation,” Prukop said. “If you want to run a certain play, you know which way to run it.”

That’s all well and good, Weidenaar said, but gaudy stats won’t be enough to consider his final year a success.

“We’ve only been 15-10 the last two years and that’s average. We don’t want to be average,” he said. “My goal was to win a championship — not just a Big Sky championship, but you want to win the national one.

Montana State’s only proven to be a first-, second-, third-round contender in the playoffs. OK, that’s decent, but that’s not great.”

It’s a glimpse of the intensity that Weide-

“We’ve only been 15-10 the last two years and that’s average.

We don’t want to be average.”

JOHN WEIDENAAR naar usually keeps under wraps, at least in public. Cramsey said he takes the veteran’s counsel seriously and counts on him to keep people in line when necessary. When he talks, teammates listen. Plain and simple.

They heed his guidance not only because he’s normally quiet, but because he’s put together one of the most impressive streaks in school history. Weidenaar is 10 starts short of tying left tackle Brent Swaggert’s school record, set from 2000-03.

He wears braces on both knees, wraps his hands and ankles and wears wrist protectors.

The streak isn’t alive because he’s never been hurt. It’s because he refuses to let it end.

“The guy, he’ll run into a brick wall,” McEndoo said. “You’d have to drop a bomb on him to stop him. Guys like that just find a way to mentally overcome things here and there.”

The impending end of Weidenaar’s tenure

protecting blindsides in Bobcat Stadium may not be the end of his playing days. At least one NFL scout has traveled to see the man who showed up on campus as a 219-pound mess of arms and legs and has turned himself into a prototypical tackle.

That scout already had Flynn on his radar, too, even as a junior.

“I would expect those two both to get a chance,” Cramsey said. “And at that level, that’s all you can ask for is a chance and then you have to take care of it for yourself.”

On an offense full of high-flying weapons, Weidenaar and Flynn chart the course from the trenches. They maybe don’t see eye to eye on much outside of football, but when the distance between Flynn’s right foot and Weidenaar’s left is counted on as an impenetrable wall, their vision is unified.

“I feel like I’ve coached some of the best in Bobcat history as far as line,” McEndoo said. “JP Flynn and John Weidenaar are definitely in that category of that type of player.”

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Embracing the challenge Well-traveled Smith looking to build winner far from college football spotlight

BY PA R K E R G A B R I E L

John L. Smith has coached in this type of game before.

He’s been heavily favored many times — his Utah State team beat Cal State Northridge in 1996, Louisville hung 52 on Grambling State in 2000, and he led Michigan State to a 32-point win over Eastern Michigan in 2006.

He’s also been on the other end of the spectrum in each of his first two seasons at Fort Lewis in Durango, Colorado, having lost by a combined 101-17 against Southern Utah and UC Davis in 2013 and 2014.

Then again, Smith has coached in nearly every kind of game.

The 66-year-old has even faced Montana State in Bozeman three times, winning twice as a first-time head coach with Idaho from 1989-94.

Now, Smith, who compiled a 132-87 record with five Division I schools — he was also the head coach at Weber State, but never coached a game before leaving for Arkansas — is settling in for his third year with the Skyhawks.

They’ll start as a massive underdog.

“What they’re going to find out is it’s going to be much faster than what they’re used to practicing against, and consequently, the field is much smaller,” Smith said of his players. “So it’ll be kind of an eye-opener for us, but I think it’ll be a great learning experience.”

Smith has experience, as well as adventure, in spades. He left Weber State before the 2012 season started to take over as the interim head coach of the Razorbacks, who fired Bobby Petrino after he was injured in a motorcycle accident with his mistress.

It didn’t go well.

Arkansas was highly ranked before the season but finished 4-8, and Smith also found himself mired in a multi-million dollar bankruptcy case. His tenure in Fayetteville lasted seven months.

After the season, Smith reJohn L. Smith, Fort Lewis coach

C H R O N I C L E SP O R TS W R I T E R

ceived a phone call from Gary Hunter, the athletic director that hired him at Idaho who was now at Fort Lewis and needed a football coach.

Even after two seasons, the differences — in salary, resources, facilities and pretty much everything else — are striking.

“After the first year coming in, you come in from a Division I and you’re expecting and looking for and trying to do maybe more than you should, I guess,” Smith said. “Then you learn you don’t have this, you don’t have that, let’s concentrate on these few things and get those done and done right.”

Smith took a team that didn’t win a game in 2012 and managed to win four in his first season. Then, a backslide to three last year. Smith and his staff are now nearing the Division II limit of 36 scholarships — the FCS cap is 63, while the FBS allows 85 — and he thinks this is the deepest, most talented team he’s had so far.

“The thing you look at that’s a little bit different at the other levels is that kids are saying, ‘OK coach, when can you get me to the next level?’

When you’re in the SEC and some of those places that’s the first thing they’re saying,” Smith said. “You come here and the kids all have to pay for some of their education because there are no full rides, so they’re playing more for the love of the game, so that’s refreshing.”

Playing for Smith has its advantages, too. They get to learn from one of the pioneers of the oneback offense. And not many DII players get to play for a coach who’s been to seven bowl games and earned coach of the year honors in Conference USA (twice) and the Big Ten. “The guys at this level, they all have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, you might say. They all say, ‘I should have been Division I,’” Smith said. “What I present to them is, ‘You all say that, now go prove it. Let’s find out if you can play with the real guys.’”

While his players try to prove they can compete at a higher level, Smith is content trying to show he can build a winner with less.

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MONTANA STATE TWODEEP LT LG C RG RT TE QB RB X F/Y Z PK

55 62 75 54 70 65 63 73 71 60 85 80 5 2 17 27 82 87 13 19 3 4 45

BANDIT 16 94 TACKLE 90 50 NOSE 97 92 END 98 2 SAM 49 14 MIKE 41 59 WILL 59 22 CB 3 26 ROVER 6 10 FS 1 29 CB 38 24 P 30 2 8

MONTANA STATE BOBCATS NUMERICAL ROSTER

OFFENSE

John Weidenaar Mitch Brott JP Flynn Monte Folsom Joel Horn Doug Hanson Kyle Godecke Caleb Gillis Alex Eekhoff Dylan Mahoney Beau Sandland Curtis Amos Dakota Prukop Jake Bleskin Chad Newell Gunnar Brekke Mitch Herbert Connor Sullivan Mitch Griebel Jayshawn Gates Justin Page Brandon Brown Luke Daly

DEFENSE

Zach Hutchins Devin Jeffries Taylor Sheridan Nate Bignell Connor Thomas Tucker Yates Tyrone Fa’anono Shiloh LaBoy Mac Bignell Toti Moeakiola Grant Collins Fletcher Collins Fletcher Collins Marcus Tappan Bryson Keeton Tre’von Strong Desman Carter Bryson McCabe DeMonte King West Wilson Trace Timmer Bryce Alley Trevor Bolton Jake Bleskin

FIELD PASS 2015

# 1 2 2 3 3 4 5 5 6 7 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 13 14 14 15 16 16 17 18 19 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44

BIG SKY PUBLISHING

NAME DeMonte King Jake Bleskin Shiloh LaBoy Bryson Keeton Justin Paige Brandon Brown Braelen Evans Dakota Prukop Desman Carter Jordan Hoy Will Krolick Manny Kalfell Tavon Dodd Bryson McCabe Tanner Roderick Ben Folsom Khari Garcia Mitch Griebel Brady McChesney Toti Moeakiola Austin Barth Zach Hutchins Alex Tennant Chad Newell Wyatt Christensen Jayshawn Gates Marcus Tappan Nick LaSane Bryce Alley Zach Stern Tre’von Strong Gunnar Brekke Logan Jones West Wilson Trevor Bolton Brayden Konkol Sam Plucker Jessie Clark Blake Braun Morris Gates Chris Harris Sidney Holmes Trace Timmer Noah James Blake Sylvester Grant Collins Joey Michael Walker Cozzie Koni Dole

YR. Rf. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. Rf. Jr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Rf. So. Sr. Fr. So. Sr. Fr. Rf. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Jr. So. So. So. So. Jr. Fr. Jr. Fr. So. Sr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Rf. Rf. Rf. Sr. Fr. Rf.

POS. DB QB/P DE CB WR WR CB QB DB QB WR WR RB DB WR QB DB WR QB LB TE DL WR RB LB WR LB RB CB LB DB RB RB DB K/P S LB DE LB CB DB DB DB RB LB LB LB LB LB

HT. 6-0 6-1 6-4 6-2 5-11 6-0 5-11 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-2 5-8 6-0 6-2 6-2 5-10 5-11 5-11 6-0 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-0 5-8 6-2 5-11 5-11 6-2 6-1 5-11 5-9 5-11 5-10 6-1 6-2 6-3 6-2 5-9 6-2 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-4 6-3 6-1 6-0

WT. 190 200 250 190 175 180 190 200 190 187 190 200 180 205 205 198 195 190 170 215 250 215 180 225 215 155 235 220 175 200 190 200 175 200 195 201 230 245 220 185 190 190 185 205 200 215 205 220 210

HOMETOWN Bellflower, CA Great Falls, MT Honolulu, HI Bakersfield, CA Katy, TX Austin, TX Frisco, TX Austin, TX Pomona, CA Rockwall, TX Anchorage, AK Bozeman Houston, TX Spirit Lake, IA Bozeman Jackson Pomona, CA Littleton, CO Kalispell Euless, TX Columbia Falls Las Vegas, NV Littleton, CO Billings Fountain Valley, CA Palo Alto, CA Pasadena, CA Dallas, TX Houston, TX Tarzana, CA Billings Helena Kalispell Columbia, MO Great Falls Belgrade Appleton, WI Amite, LA Riverside, CA Palo Alto, CA Lake Elsinore, CA Silsbee, TX Great Falls Kalispell Corvallis Bozeman Cashmere, WA Helena Huntley Project

45 46 47 48 49 50 51 53 54 55

Luke Daly Woody Brandom Keegan Bray Tanner Hoff Mac Bignell Nate Bignell B. J. Ojo Robert Walsh Monte Folsom John Weidenaar

So. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Sr. Fr. Sr. So. Sr.

K TE DL S LB DE LB LB OL OL

6-2 6-4 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-8

185 224 218 200 205 290 225 225 300 290

Billings Corona, CA Spokane, WA Hot Springs Drummond Drummond Marvel, TX Twin Bridges Dillon Manhattan

56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 65 66 67 68 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 79 80 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

Rocky Hogue Tyrone Fa’anono Josh Hill Fletcher Collins Dylan Mahoney Byron Rollins Mitch Brott Kyle Godecke Doug Hanson Bryan Wilkes Jake McFetridge Garrett Gregg Joel Horn Alex Eekhoff Colin Hammock Caleb Gillis Wade Webster JP Flynn Kash Perry Chris Robinson Curtis Amos Mitchell Herbert Hunter Mahlum Cameron Sutton Beau Sandland Keon Stephens Connor Sullivan John D’Agostino Wilson Brott Taylor Sheridan Robert Wilcox Tucker Yates Matt Brownlow Devin Jeffries Joe Naotala Zach Wright Connor Thomas Riley Griffiths Marcus Ferriter

So. So. Fr. Jr. So. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Fr. So. Rf. Jr. Fr. Fr. Rf. So. Rf. Fr. Sr. Fr. Rf. Rf. Rf. Sr. Jr. Rf. So. So. Jr. Rf. Jr. Fr. Fr.

LS DL LB LB OL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL DL TE WR WR WR TE WR WR WR TE DL DL DT DT DL DT DL DT DL DL

6-3 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-6 6-3 6-6 6-6 6-4 6-3 6-5 6-2 6-4 6-7 6-3 6-6 6-5 6-5 6-6 6-3 6-0 6-4 6-1 6-5 6-6 6-1 6-4 6-1 6-5 6-4 6-1 6-0 5-9 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-4

225 250 200 220 275 230 270 325 280 252 295 255 325 280 230 275 290 320 310 252 220 205 205 190 260 190 230 185 240 285 260 310 305 250 275 250 285 260 220

Merced, CA Oxnard, CA Kalispell Seattle, WA Great Falls Missoula Billings Dillon Trabuco Canyon, CA Great Falls Huntington Beach, CA Afton, WY Kalispell Reno, NV Missoula Glenn Bettendorf, IA Bettendorf, IA Utica Pasadena, CA Burleson,TX Eugene, OR Missoula Norco, CA Woodland Hills, CA R. Cucamunga, CA Ennis Bozeman Billings Littleton, CO Frisco, TX Colstrip Missoula Kalispell Carlsbad, CA New Braunfels, TX Kalispell Issaquah, WA Butte

FORT LEWIS TWODEEP LT

68 77 LG 74 69 C 61 57 RG 75 63 RT 66 73 Z-WR 18 86 X-IR 83 81 QB 10 15 RB 22 26 Y-IR 17 93 F-WR 6 88 PK 96 42

RUSH 99 43 NG 90 44 DT 58 41 DE 9 8 WLB 35 4 SLB 39 14 PANTH 23 25 HERO 20 22 CB 3 36 FS 21 30 CB 13 29 P 96 42

FORT LEWIS SKYHAWKS NUMERICAL ROSTER

OFFENSE

Tyler Jones Yatika Warrington Preston Geib Jacob Bigham Taylor Suta Andy Cannizzaro Matt Mahe Chris Carter Kenny Shinley Christian Ramos Jordan Gillen Tenaus Dunn Mason Hatton DJ Robinson Jordan Doyle Allen Thigpen PJ Hall Gabe Ogbonnaya Austin Shaw Jake Reader Juquelle Thompson Joshua Sandoval Kipp Castanha Joseph Cavale

DEFENSE

Juan Hall Cory Saxon Kohlton Tegeler D. Vaatete-Reyes Dalten Lane Maomao Niko Sione Folaumoeloa Antwon Whitehead Ryan Ross Austin Nelson Shane Nelson Andrew Ike Kaimon Ontiveros Jake Faust Joshua Roybal Shane Wetzel Theo Chambers Tyrell Thomas Daniel Walker Cory Witt Amery Duncan Dre Cortez Kipp Castanha Joseph Cavale

#

NAME

YR. POS. HT. WT. HOMETOWN

38

Ben Hanks

R-Fr. DB

6-0 168 Litch. Farms, AZ

2

LyDell Williams

Jr. WR 6-1 175 Houston, TX

39

Shane Nelson

Jr. LB

6-0 196 Lakewood, CO

3

Theo Chambers

Sr. DB

5-11 150 Carson, CA

41

Maomao Niko

Fr. DL

6-3 241 Lakewood, CO

4

Austin Nelson

Jr. LB

6-0 200 Lakewood, CO

42

Joseph Cavale

So. P/K 6-0 191 Phoenix, AZ

5

Drake Griffin

Jr. RB

5-9 212 Los Angeles, CA

43

Cory Saxon

So. DL

5-11 217 Aztec, NM

6

Cam Thierry

Fr. CB

5-10 154 Pflugerville, TX

44

D. Vaatete-Reyes

Sr. DL

5-10 254 Los Angeles, CA

7

Juquelle Thompson Sr. WR 6-0 156 San Jose, CA

45

Tausolia Liufau

Fr. LB

6-1 217 Fort Collins, CO

8

Antwon Whitehead R-Sr. DL

6-6 236 Birmingham, AL

46

Scott Betzer

Fr. LB

6-1 207 Colo. Springs, CO

9

Sione Folaumoeloa Sr. DL

6-0 232 Salt Lake City, UT

47

Darrian Stickney

Fr. LB

6-2 195 Colo. Springs, CO

10

Kyle Cary

Fr. WR 5-9 155 Colo, Springs, CO

48

Seth Hyatt

Fr. TE

6-5 220 Lacey, WA

10

Jordan Doyle

Sr. QB

6-2 227 Cedar Falls, IA

49

OJ Thompson

So. DL

6-2 227 Parker, CO

11

Esley Simmons III So. WR 5-11 167 Elk Grove, CA

11

Griffen Stacy

R-Fr. QB

6-1 255 Puyallup, WA

50

Caleb Buchanan

R-Fr. OL

6-0 230 Aledo, TX

12

Bo Coleman

R-Fr. QB

6-0 177 Albuquerque, NM

52

Ouray Ocañas

R-Fr. LB

5-11 192 Fort Morgan, CO

13

Amery Duncan

Sr. DB

5-10 160 Fort Worth, TX

53

Cayden James

Fr. DE

6-3 251 Montrose, CO

14

Chase Heffley

Fr. QB

5-10 181 Arvada, CO

54

Samuel Brennan

Fr. DL

6-3 212 Denver, CO

14

Arealous Hughes

Fr. WR 5-10 176 Denver, CO

56

Dalton Wadkins

Fr. LB

5-8 196 Brighton, CO

14

Andrew Ike

Jr. WR 6-1 195 Frisco, CO

57

Andy Cannizzaro

Jr. OL

6-1 255 Arvada, CO

15

Allen Thigpen

Jr. QB

58

Dalten Lane

Sr. DL

6-2 260 Gilbert, AZ

16

Brandon Grant

So. WR 6-3 204 Carrollton, TX

60

Jared Adkins

So. OL

6-1 220 Brighton, CO

16

Latrell Kaye

Fr.

5-10 194 Window Rock, AZ

61

Taylor Suta

Sr. OL

6-1 266 Littleton, CO

17

Austin Shaw

So. TE

6-2 219 Parker, CO

62

Jacob Crosby

R-Fr. OL

5-11 244 Grand Junction, CO

18

Jordan Gillen

Jr. WR 5-10 165 Durango, CO

63

Chris Carter

Sr. OL

6-2 305 San Mateo, CA

18

Nick McNamee

R-Fr. QB

6-1 186 Littleton , CO

65

J, Moreford-Fouche Fr. OL

6-3 288 Colo. Springs, CO

20

Joshua Roybal

Sr. DB

5-10 173 Santa Fe, NM

66

Kenny Shinley

Jr. OL

6-3 265 Arvada, CO

20

Timothy Valdez

Fr. WR 5-6 153 Colo, Springs, CO

68

Tyler Jones

Sr. OL

6-3 280 Albuquerque, NM

21

Daniel Walker

So. DB

6-4 207 Fort Worth, TX

69

Jacob Bigham

Jr. OL

6-2 275 Kamloops, BC

22

PJ Hall

So. RB

5-6 181 Aurora, CO

70

Dan Schultz

Jr. DL

6-1 220 Fountain, CO

22

Shane Wetzel

Fr. LB

6-1 168 Lafayette, CO

73

Christian Ramos

So. OL

6-5 294 Austin, TX

23

Kaimon Ontiveros So. DB

74

Preston Geib

Jr. OL

6-3 262 Arvada, CO

23

Kobe Toadlena

R-Fr. WR 6-0 204 Sawmill, AZ

75

Matt Mahe

Jr. OL

6-3 295 Tracy, CA

24

Elijah Huff

Fr. WR 5-10 160 Denver, CO

77

Yatika Warrington Fr. OL

6-3 320 Norman, OK

24

R, Lewis-Adams

So. DB

5-11 172 Shiprock , NM

79

Sam Hardy

Fr. OL

6-6 306 Windsor, CO

Emilio Podrecca

Fr. WR 5-10 160 Kansas City, MO

6-4 216 Dayton, OH

6-0 176 Brownwood, TX

25

Jake Faust

6-0 203 Phoenix, AZ

80

26

Gabe Ogbonnaya Jr. RB

5-10 181 Campo Verde,TX

83

Mason Hatton

R-Fr. WR 5-10 172 Phoenix, AZ

27

Michael Benabides R-Sr. DB

5-8 163 Salinas, CA

84

Jack Parsons

Fr. WR 6-1 157 Grand Junction, CO

28

Ariel Arguello

Sr. DB

5-11 186 Bellflower, CA

85

Parker Strahler

Fr. WR 5-11 156 Castle Rock, CO

29

Dre Cortez

Fr. DB

5-11 163 Dallas, TX

86

Tenaus Dunn

Jr. WR 5-11 165 Beaverton, OR

29

Dexter Webb Jr.

Fr. RB

5-10 190 Denver, CO

87

Gerald Jones

Sr. WR 5-10 181 Pawnee, OK

30

Cory Witt

Jr. DB

6-0 191 Arvada, CO

88

Joshua Sandoval

Fr. TE

6-5 202 Brighton, CO

5-9 180 Richmond, TX

90

Kohlton Tegeler

Jr. DL

6-1 279 Victoria, TX

5-9 165 Celina, TX

92

Trevor Gillen

Fr. DL

5-10 290 Durango, CO

Jake Reader

R-Fr. TE

6-2 223 Kimball, NE

31 32

Justin Reed Payton Baird

Sr. DB

Fr. DB Fr. DB

32

Zai Harris

Fr. RB

5-8 200 Dallas, TX

93

33

Malcolm Wright

Fr. DB

5-8 145 Denver, CO

95

Jaelon Wright

Fr. DL

6-1 192 Aurora, CO

34

Isiah Mayberry

R-Fr. LB

6-0 194 Durango CO

96

Kipp Castanha

Sr. PK

6-3 200 Rye, CO

35

Ryan Ross

Sr. LB

5-11 231 Colo, Springs, CO

97

Jeremiah Webb

R-Fr. DL

6-2 200 Fairbanks, AL

36

Tyrell Thomas

So. DB

5-9 147 Waco, TX

98

David Nesting

Jr. DL

5-8 211 Honoka’a, HI

37

Cole Myers

Fr. RB

5-8 180 Austin, TX

99

Juan Hull

Sr. DL

6-2 284 DeSoto, TX

BIG SKY PUBLISHING

FIELD PASS 2015

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BY JON MALETZ

CHRONICLE SPORTS EDITOR

MSU tailback Dodd’s present influenced by tumultuous past

FROM THE

CONCRETE T

hey knew his name, if not his face or those piercing brown eyes.

Most never saw him suit up at John H. Reagan High, but were regaled with his exploits.

Long before he sauntered into the school weight room in May to share a squat rack and a sweat with them, the latest crop of aspiring Bulldogs football players were acquainted with Tavon Dodd’s story.

He is the strong-willed youngster raised far from Reagan’s palm-lined walkway and historic brick facade, some 30 miles away on the concrete of Houston’s infamous Third Ward.

He is the diminutive but determined tailback who overcame the longest of odds to blossom into a district MVP and a college prospect.

He is the devoted son, brother and confidant who invested in hard work and his future, instead of submitting to the negative influences and unrelenting pull of life on the streets.

He is thriving at a school up North, a place so far away and so foreign that many in Space City cannot even comprehend.

Though he has yet to participate in a snap at Montana State, Tavon Dodd is a success.

He made it out.

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Tavon Dodd’, MSU running back

MSU recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach Bo Beck says of Dodd, “He doesn’t want to disappoint people. He’s got a big heart like that.”

“He’s a big inspiration to a lot of people down here,” veteran Bulldogs head coach Stephen Dixon Sr. says. “He’s been through a lot, unfortunately seen a lot, but knowing Tavon, with football in his life, he’s going to be able to work through anything.”

“I know there are people from where I’m from that look up to me and see that I’m doing something possible,” Dodd adds. “I know people who would trade their environment for mine any day. That’s why I never take where I am for granted.”

T

he staff asked him to stay.

To spend the summer in the company of teammates. To prepare for the season, one in which much will be expected of him, in comfortable and secure Bozeman.

Bo Beck knew the odds were long given Dodd’s allegiance to his mother, who raised him and four siblings largely on her own. Their bond was strengthened in the wake of his grandfather’s passing, and son longed to return and help any way he could.

Beck, the Bobcats’ defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, knew what his redshirt freshman would be confronting. He routinely visited East St. Louis during a previous coaching stop and has experienced inner city blight both firsthand and splashed across television screens in his current territory.

“It’s tough to watch the news in Houston because it starts with such tragedies,” he says.

He also visited Dodd’s neighborhood — even when most coaches would not.

“I didn’t think twice about it at the time, but I couldn’t find it at first,” Beck remembers. “You start circling those places twice and people start coming to the curbs. I had a similar situation in St. Louis once. I thought, ‘Tavon, where are you?’”

The same thoughts no doubt raced through MSU running backs coach Michael Pitre’s head once cryptic messages began flooding his pupil’s social media pages in the early morning hours of May 17.

Something bad had transpired.

Something terrible.

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“I try not to let it tear me down too much, but that was heartbreaking.

I just saw him that night. It’s still a hole that just hurts.”

A dispute at a Chancellors Family Center pool party had escalated into a fistfight that spilled onto Dumfries Drive. Ernest Moore, a man caught in the middle of a fracas involving rival gang members, tried to leave but was followed.

Amid the chaos, multiple shots cut through the thick darkness.

Moore, affectionately known to childhood friend Dodd as Emoe, collapsed on the concrete, gunned down nine days shy of his 21st birthday.

Reality hit hard, and hit home.

“I try not to let it tear me down

too much, but that was heartbreaking. I just saw him that night,” Dodd says, his words trailing off. “It’s still a hole that just hurts. … The worst is just knowing you can’t escape it; you have to watch your back, and you don’t know if you’ll live to see another day. The reality of growing up there is those streets can bring you down so fast.”

Dodd was supposed to be at the gathering, but he couldn’t find parking.

“I don’t know if he really shares that part of the story with anyone,” Pitre says. “It’s at that point where you’re like, ‘You’re a young man and you’ve got to make your own decisions, but we need to get you here as soon as possible.’

“I think he realized after those things happened that he needed to rush back. He wasn’t turning his back on his people; he has earned this opportunity. Let’s put ourselves in a position where we can completely take advantage of it.”

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Dodd, a three-way standout at John H. Reagan High School in Houston, rushed for 1,008 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior.

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Dodd, seen here wearing an old Bulldogs shirt, says of Houston, “I love it there, and I never shy away from it. It made me who I am.”

T

he street does not suit him. Dodd came to that conclusion long ago.

Perhaps it stems from not seeing his recently released brother, Larry, for the past four years. Perhaps it was experiencing the degradation of one of the country’s most dangerous neighborhoods.

So many have disappeared, either behind cell doors or permanently. Dodd could have been one of them.

He was an impressionable youngster then. He once made the Reagan staff frantic when he never showed up to practice, admittedly was running with the wrong crowd and had his own run-in with law enforcement.

“It must’ve been before my sophomore year. It was a charge of affiliation,” Dodd recalls without offering more.

He was arrested for riding in a stolen car, his mentor confirms, a development that led to a tense conversation between the two.

“I made it clear he didn’t need to be hanging around that,” Dixon Sr. says. “I told him it was a turning point, a time to start doing the right things and head in the right direction.”

“He told me I had a chance to play at the next level and not to blow that,” Dodd adds. “I realized that life wasn’t for

me. I traded in the streets for the field. I put all my marbles into this.”

Dodd put his faith in God and his trust in Coach, a surrogate father of sorts for a teenager who lost his own when he was 2 or 3.

Dodd made the long journey to campus each day, committed to coursework and was a weight-room and practicefield fixture.

When his family couldn’t afford public transportation, Dodd stayed with Bulldogs staff members. They were happy to feed and keep an eye on him.

Dodd was happy for the escape — not from his mother, Theresa, whom he glowingly describes as his gem, but from untenable circumstances.

“He didn’t want to go home sometimes, and I didn’t blame him,” Dixon Sr. says. “There were days when I’d go pick him up where prostitutes or drug dealers were walking up to my vehicle. It was just bad.”

“Growing up in a tough environment just makes you a better person,” Dodd adds.

On the field, he flourished, becoming a leader and a threeway standout. He rushed for 1,008 yards and 18 touchdowns

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as a senior, numbers that could have soared had it not been for a highankle sprain that cost Dodd two games, or the handful of blowouts in which he spent the second half on the sideline.

“He is electrifying, and he won’t back down from anybody,” says Dixon Sr., voice swollen with pride. “He’s very shifty, very hard to bring down, strong at the point of attack and able to break into the open field. And he’s always going to feel like he’s the best running back on the field.”

Dodd garnered Houston player of the week honors once and was District 21-4A’s MVP. Sam Houston State, Lamar, Prairie View, Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian, among others, took notice.

The opportunity to play close to family was appealing, sure, but Dodd also sought out Montana State, Beck says.

Dodd had seen the Bobcats take on the Bearkats in 2012’s nationally televised playoff game. He was impressed with the fervent fan support.

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He was intrigued by a potential change of scenery.

“Coach Beck told me, ‘All you have to do is come up here. Just come up here,’” Dodd says. “He was right.”

Beck’s recruiting trips typically bypass downtown Houston. The sheer size of the area and number of schools can be overwhelming. There are also concerns that a transition from the inner city to Big Sky country will be too drastic for some.

This situation was different, however, and he did not hesitate.

“I usually stay in the pockets outside — like Katy or Marvel, which is kind of in the sticks — but if there’s a kid who has interest, I’m not afraid to go down in there,” Beck says. “He always struck me as a polite young man, a confident young man, and he wants to be successful. … He put himself in a position to come and be a good player here. He did the work, and I just had to go get him.”

“Most people probably went down there, saw what was going on and

said, ‘We’ll see you at school, Tavon,’” Dixon Sr. adds. “Coach Beck having the guts to go and sit on his couch really showed Tavon a lot. He told me that.”

Dodd committed on January 2013’s official visit.

H

e returned to Bozeman earlier than planned this summer.

He was eager to reunite with his football family and reconnect with Pitre, with whom Dodd has developed a strong connection forged through misfortune.

Pitre, a former UCLA fullback, was raised under difficult circumstances in Fontana, California. He lost his mother to an aggressive form of cancer as a high school senior; she passed away a little more than one week after he signed his National Letter of Intent.

“He’s lost friends in his life, and unfortunately I’ve had to go through loss and tragedy, too,” Pitre says. “I always remind him, ‘Hey, I might not

be exactly where you’re from, but I’ve been there and I want to help you through it.’”

The scars are still visible. One can see it welling in Dodd’s eyes or read it on his Twitter and Facebook pages. “I don’t talk about it much … but I’m trying to make his name live forever,” he says of Emoe.

Dodd has proven resilient, however. He’s always been tough to bring down.

He’s determined to learn from his experiences, not be defined by them. And he does not want to disappoint those closest to him — his gem, his grandfather, his best friend, Coach and the others who never will have the chance to fulfill their promise.

That group now includes pal LaKeytric Quinn, who earlier this month succumbed to injuries suffered when an argument erupted in gunfire outside of an apartment complex at Texas Southern University.

“We talk about not letting your environment determine where you’re going,” Pitre says. “More importantly, your friends are looking down on you, just like my mom. Let’s be positive on a daily basis, and let’s make an impact in people’s lives.”

Dodd will not rest. There is work to do.

“I know they’re watching from the best seats in the house,” he says with a smile, his syrupy southern drawl still distinct.

“I’m in a position to do better, and that’s all they ever wanted for me. I don’t need more motivation than that.”

Dodd says of football, “The thing I love most is that you have a bigger family that just really genuinely cares about you. They want to see you do good, they want to see you be something.

It’s such a good bonding experience — you’re in it together.”

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FORT LEWIS AT MONTANA STATE, 7:05 P.M., BOZEMAN The Skyhawks have played a Big Sky team in every season since 2010. They have been outscored 287-40 in those five contests, including a 52-17 loss at UC Davis last fall. Last meeting: Montana State 59, Fort Lewis 20 (2010)

WESTERN STATE AT NORTHERN COLORADO, 1:35 P.M., GREELEY, COLORADO

WEBER STATE AT OREGON STATE, 5:05 P.M., CORVALLIS, OREGON Wildcats head coach Jay Hill, who was 2-10 in his first season in Ogden, worked for firstyear Beavers head coach Gary Andersen while Andersen was Utah’s defensive coordinator from 2005-08. The teams will be playing for the first time.

The Bears, who had five losses decided by one score or fewer in 2014, return nine starters. Last meeting: Northern Colorado 44, Western State 3 (2003).

NORTH DAKOTA AT WYOMING, 2:05 P.M., LARAMIE, WYOMING

U ARO

UC DAVIS AT NEVADA, 7:05 P.M., RENO, NEVADA The Wolfpack are picked to finish third in the Mountain West’s western division. The Aggies’ Ron Gould was 7-16 in his first two seasons.

Last meeting: Nevada 36, UC Davis 7 (2013).

E H T ND

UND led the Big Sky in total defense last season, allowing 354 yards per game. The Cowboys narrowly edged Montana last fall, former North Dakota State head coach Craig Bohl’s first in Laramie. This will be the programs’ first meeting.

EASTERN OREGON AT SACRAMENTO STATE, 6:05 P.M., SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA Sacramento State’s seven wins in 2014 were the thirdhighest tally in program history. This will be the first meeting between the programs.

NORTHERN ARIZONA AT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN, 6:05 P.M., NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS SFA beat the Big Sky’s Weber State, 35-20, last season in addition to upsetting then-No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana and No. 6 McNeese State. NAU has posted three consecutive winning seasons. Last meeting: Stephen F. Austin 24, Northern Arizona 17 (2004).

CAL POLY AT MONTANA, 7:05 P.M., MISSOULA EASTERN WASHINGTON AT OREGON, 5:05 P.M., EUGENE, OREGON Vernon Adams won the starting job after just two weeks with the Ducks. His first assignment: square off with his former team, one he took to great heights in Cheney, in the first meeting between the two schools.

PORTLAND STATE AT WASHINGTON STATE, 11:05 A.M., PULLMAN, WASHINGTON The Cougars have played a Big Sky opponent for five consecutive seasons. Last meeting: Washington State 59, Portland State 21 (2014).

The Mustangs registered a single-season school record with 4,221 rushing yards, 1,265 from returning quarterback Chris Brown.

The Grizzlies are riding high after last week’s upset win over four-time defending national champion North Dakota State. Last meeting: Cal Poly 41, Montana 21 (2014).

BLACK HILLS STATE AT IDAHO STATE, 4:05 P.M., POCATELLO, IDAHO The Bengals return Xavier Finney, who rushed for 1,495 yards and 14 scores in 2014, and seven other offensive starters. They were 6-0 at Holt Arena last fall. Last meeting: Idaho State 38, Black Hills State 5 (2012).

SOUTHERN UTAH AT UTAH STATE, 7 P.M., LOGAN, UTAH The Aggies have won three consecutive bowl games and are entering their third season in the Mountain West. Last meeting: Utah State 34, SUU 3 (2012).