Field Pass - Fort Lewis

FIELD PASSDAILY CHRONICLE BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

ODD COUPLEOpposites JP Flynn, John Weidenaar form a united front PAGE 4

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

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

FIELD PASS 2015 BIG SKY PUBLISHING 2

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FREESTONE REHABILITATION Bozeman 406.587.0122 Belgrade 406.388.7229 Bozeman West End Coming Soon

SERIESBobcats lead 3-0

CROWDBobcat Stadium (17,777)

TELEVISIONCowles Media Montana (Chris Byers,

Mike Callaghan, Rob Jesselson)

RADIOBobcat Radio Network

(Jay Sanderson, Dan Davies, Riley Corcoran)

COACHES Rob Ash MSU, ninth year36th year overall65-32 at MSU, 241-131-5 overall

John L. SmithFort Lewis, third year21st year overall7-15 at FLC, 143-109 overall

SCHEDULESMontana StateSept. 3 Fort Lewis, 7:05 p.m.Sept. 19 @ Eastern Washington, 1 p.m. PTSept. 26 Cal Poly, 1:35 p.m.

Oct. 3 @ Northern Arizona, 4:05 p.m.Oct. 10 Sacramento State, 5:10 p.m.Oct. 17 @ Portland State, 12:35 p.m. PTOct. 24 East Tennessee State, 2:35 p.m.Oct. 31 @ North Dakota, 1 p.m. CTNov. 7 Southern Utah, 1:40 p.m.Nov. 14 @ Idaho State, 2:35 p.m.Nov. 21 Montana, 12:10 p.m.

Fort LewisSept. 3 @ Montana StateSept. 12 Oklahoma Panhandle StateSept. 19 Black Hills StateSept. 26 @ New Mexico HighlandsOct. 3 Western New MexicoOct. 10 @ Colorado State-PuebloOct. 17 @ Colorado School of MinesOct. 24 Colorado MesaOct. 31 @ Western StateNov. 7 Adams State Nov. 14 @ Chadron State

PLAYERS TO WATCHOffensen 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.

DEFENSEn 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 defen-sive lineman Sione Folaumoeloa led Fort Lewis with 12 ½ tackles for loss and 4 ½ sacks in 2014.

QUICK HITSn 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 renova-tion

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

S I D E L I N E B R I E F I N G

BIG SKY PUBLISHING FIELD PASS 2015 3


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 —

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

PHOTOS BY ADRIAN SANCHEZGONZALEZ/CHRONICLE

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

BY PARKER GABRIEL CHRONICLE SPORTS WRITER

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

also because he’s got presence to match. Since camp started Aug. 9, the boister-ous 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 profes-sional 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 fash-ion, 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

raised and how he’s lived his life,” Flynn said. “I just like to live a little differ-ently 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 full-backs 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 aver-aged 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 fin-ger 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

5BIG SKY PUBLISHING FIELD PASS 2015

John Weidenaar, center, has started 38 consecutive games at left tackle, 10 short of

Brent Swaggert’s school record.

There’s just that thing, that connection that John-o and 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


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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 instinctu-ally 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 champi-onship, but you want to win the national one. Montana State’s only proven to be a first-, second-, third-round contender in the play-offs. OK, that’s decent, but that’s not great.”

It’s a glimpse of the intensity that Weide-

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 him-self 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 weap-ons, 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 Wei-denaar are definitely in that cat-egory of that type of player.”

We’ve only been 15-10 the last two years and that’s average. We don’t want to be average.

“”

JOHN WEIDENAAR

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 Gram-bling 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 go-

ing to be much faster than what they’re used to practicing against, and conse-quently, 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 bank-ruptcy case. His tenure in Fayetteville lasted seven months.

After the season, Smith re-

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 man-aged 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 differ-ent 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 educa-

tion 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 advan-tages, too. They get to learn from one of the pioneers of the one-back 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 Confer-

ence 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 pres-ent 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.

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


BY PARKER GABRIEL CHRONICLE SPOR TS WRITER

John L. Smith,Fort Lewis coach


OFFENSELT 55 John Weidenaar 62 Mitch BrottLG 75 JP Flynn 54 Monte FolsomC 70 Joel Horn 65 Doug HansonRG 63 Kyle Godecke 73 Caleb GillisRT 71 Alex Eekhoff 60 Dylan MahoneyTE 85 Beau Sandland 80 Curtis AmosQB 5 Dakota Prukop 2 Jake BleskinRB 17 Chad Newell 27 Gunnar BrekkeX 82 Mitch Herbert 87 Connor SullivanF/Y 13 Mitch Griebel 19 Jayshawn GatesZ 3 Justin Page 4 Brandon BrownPK 45 Luke Daly

DEFENSEBANDIT 16 Zach Hutchins 94 Devin JeffriesTACKLE 90 Taylor Sheridan 50 Nate BignellNOSE 97 Connor Thomas 92 Tucker YatesEND 98 Tyrone Fa’anono 2 Shiloh LaBoySAM 49 Mac Bignell 14 Toti MoeakiolaMIKE 41 Grant Collins 59 Fletcher CollinsWILL 59 Fletcher Collins 22 Marcus TappanCB 3 Bryson Keeton 26 Tre’von StrongROVER 6 Desman Carter 10 Bryson McCabeFS 1 DeMonte King 29 West WilsonCB 38 Trace Timmer 24 Bryce AlleyP 30 Trevor Bolton 2 Jake Bleskin

M O N T A N A S T A T E T W O D E E P MONTANA STATE BOBCATS

NUMERICAL ROSTER# NAME YR. POS. HT. WT. HOMETOWN1 DeMonte King Rf. DB 6-0 190 Bellflower, CA2 Jake Bleskin Sr. QB/P 6-1 200 Great Falls, MT2 Shiloh LaBoy Jr. DE 6-4 250 Honolulu, HI3 Bryson Keeton Sr. CB 6-2 190 Bakersfield, CA3 Justin Paige So. WR 5-11 175 Katy, TX4 Brandon Brown Jr. WR 6-0 180 Austin, TX5 Braelen Evans Rf. CB 5-11 190 Frisco, TX5 Dakota Prukop Jr. QB 6-2 200 Austin, TX6 Desman Carter Sr. DB 6-2 190 Pomona, CA7 Jordan Hoy Fr. QB 6-1 187 Rockwall, TX7 Will Krolick Jr. WR 6-1 190 Anchorage, AK8 Manny Kalfell Sr. WR 6-2 200 Bozeman9 Tavon Dodd Rf. RB 5-8 180 Houston, TX10 Bryson McCabe So. DB 6-0 205 Spirit Lake, IA11 Tanner Roderick Sr. WR 6-2 205 Bozeman12 Ben Folsom Fr. QB 6-2 198 Jackson 12 Khari Garcia So. DB 5-10 195 Pomona, CA13 Mitch Griebel Sr. WR 5-11 190 Littleton, CO14 Brady McChesney Fr. QB 5-11 170 Kalispell 14 Toti Moeakiola Rf. LB 6-0 215 Euless, TX15 Austin Barth Jr. TE 6-5 250 Columbia Falls16 Zach Hutchins Jr. DL 6-3 215 Las Vegas, NV16 Alex Tennant Fr. WR 6-3 180 Littleton, CO17 Chad Newell Jr. RB 6-1 225 Billings18 Wyatt Christensen Jr. LB 6-0 215 Fountain Valley, CA19 Jayshawn Gates So. WR 5-8 155 Palo Alto, CA22 Marcus Tappan So. LB 6-2 235 Pasadena, CA23 Nick LaSane So. RB 5-11 220 Dallas, TX24 Bryce Alley So. CB 5-11 175 Houston, TX25 Zach Stern Jr. LB 6-2 200 Tarzana, CA26 Tre’von Strong Fr. DB 6-1 190 Billings27 Gunnar Brekke Jr. RB 5-11 200 Helena28 Logan Jones Fr. RB 5-9 175 Kalispell29 West Wilson So. DB 5-11 200 Columbia, MO30 Trevor Bolton Sr. K/P 5-10 195 Great Falls31 Brayden Konkol Fr. S 6-1 201 Belgrade32 Sam Plucker Fr. LB 6-2 230 Appleton, WI33 Jessie Clark Jr. DE 6-3 245 Amite, LA34 Blake Braun Jr. LB 6-2 220 Riverside, CA35 Morris Gates Jr. CB 5-9 185 Palo Alto, CA36 Chris Harris Fr. DB 6-2 190 Lake Elsinore, CA37 Sidney Holmes Fr. DB 5-11 190 Silsbee, TX38 Trace Timmer Sr. DB 6-0 185 Great Falls39 Noah James Rf. RB 6-1 205 Kalispell 40 Blake Sylvester Rf. LB 6-0 200 Corvallis 41 Grant Collins Rf. LB 6-4 215 Bozeman42 Joey Michael Sr. LB 6-3 205 Cashmere, WA43 Walker Cozzie Fr. LB 6-1 220 Helena 44 Koni Dole Rf. LB 6-0 210 Huntley Project

45 Luke Daly So. K 6-2 185 Billings

46 Woody Brandom Fr. TE 6-4 224 Corona, CA

47 Keegan Bray Fr. DL 6-2 218 Spokane, WA

48 Tanner Hoff Fr. S 6-1 200 Hot Springs

49 Mac Bignell So. LB 6-1 205 Drummond

50 Nate Bignell Sr. DE 6-2 290 Drummond

51 B. J. Ojo Fr. LB 6-2 225 Marvel, TX

53 Robert Walsh Sr. LB 5-11 225 Twin Bridges

54 Monte Folsom So. OL 6-2 300 Dillon

55 John Weidenaar Sr. OL 6-8 290 Manhattan

56 Rocky Hogue So. LS 6-3 225 Merced, CA

57 Tyrone Fa’anono So. DL 6-2 250 Oxnard, CA

58 Josh Hill Fr. LB 6-0 200 Kalispell

59 Fletcher Collins Jr. LB 6-2 220 Seattle, WA

60 Dylan Mahoney So. OL 6-6 275 Great Falls

61 Byron Rollins Fr. DL 6-3 230 Missoula

62 Mitch Brott Fr. OL 6-6 270 Billings

63 Kyle Godecke Sr. OL 6-6 325 Dillon

65 Doug Hanson Jr. OL 6-4 280 Trabuco Canyon, CA

66 Bryan Wilkes Fr. OL 6-3 252 Great Falls

67 Jake McFetridge Fr. OL 6-5 295 Huntington Beach, CA

68 Garrett Gregg Fr. OL 6-2 255 Afton, WY

70 Joel Horn Sr. OL 6-4 325 Kalispell

71 Alex Eekhoff Sr. OL 6-7 280 Reno, NV

72 Colin Hammock Fr. OL 6-3 230 Missoula

73 Caleb Gillis So. OL 6-6 275 Glenn

74 Wade Webster Rf. OL 6-5 290 Bettendorf, IA

75 JP Flynn Jr. OL 6-5 320 Bettendorf, IA

76 Kash Perry Fr. OL 6-6 310 Utica

79 Chris Robinson Fr. DL 6-3 252 Pasadena, CA

80 Curtis Amos Rf. TE 6-0 220 Burleson,TX

82 Mitchell Herbert So. WR 6-4 205 Eugene, OR

83 Hunter Mahlum Rf. WR 6-1 205 Missoula

84 Cameron Sutton Fr. WR 6-5 190 Norco, CA

85 Beau Sandland Sr. TE 6-6 260 Woodland Hills, CA

86 Keon Stephens Fr. WR 6-1 190 R. Cucamunga, CA

87 Connor Sullivan Rf. WR 6-4 230 Ennis

88 John D’Agostino Rf. WR 6-1 185 Bozeman

89 Wilson Brott Rf. TE 6-5 240 Billings

90 Taylor Sheridan Sr. DL 6-4 285 Littleton, CO

91 Robert Wilcox Jr. DL 6-1 260 Frisco, TX

92 Tucker Yates Rf. DT 6-0 310 Colstrip

93 Matt Brownlow So. DT 5-9 305 Missoula

94 Devin Jeffries So. DL 6-1 250 Kalispell

95 Joe Naotala Jr. DT 6-2 275 Carlsbad, CA

96 Zach Wright Rf. DL 6-2 250 New Braunfels, TX

97 Connor Thomas Jr. DT 6-3 285 Kalispell

98 Riley Griffiths Fr. DL 6-3 260 Issaquah, WA99 Marcus Ferriter Fr. DL 6-4 220 Butte


OFFENSELT 68 Tyler Jones 77 Yatika WarringtonLG 74 Preston Geib 69 Jacob BighamC 61 Taylor Suta 57 Andy CannizzaroRG 75 Matt Mahe 63 Chris CarterRT 66 Kenny Shinley 73 Christian RamosZ-WR 18 Jordan Gillen 86 Tenaus DunnX-IR 83 Mason Hatton 81 DJ RobinsonQB 10 Jordan Doyle 15 Allen ThigpenRB 22 PJ Hall 26 Gabe OgbonnayaY-IR 17 Austin Shaw 93 Jake ReaderF-WR 6 Juquelle Thompson 88 Joshua SandovalPK 96 Kipp Castanha 42 Joseph Cavale

DEFENSERUSH 99 Juan Hall 43 Cory SaxonNG 90 Kohlton Tegeler 44 D. Vaatete-ReyesDT 58 Dalten Lane 41 Maomao NikoDE 9 Sione Folaumoeloa 8 Antwon WhiteheadWLB 35 Ryan Ross 4 Austin NelsonSLB 39 Shane Nelson 14 Andrew IkePANTH 23 Kaimon Ontiveros 25 Jake FaustHERO 20 Joshua Roybal 22 Shane WetzelCB 3 Theo Chambers 36 Tyrell ThomasFS 21 Daniel Walker 30 Cory WittCB 13 Amery Duncan 29 Dre CortezP 96 Kipp Castanha 42 Joseph Cavale

F O R T L E W I S T W O D E E P FORT LEWIS SKYHAWKS

NUMERICAL ROSTER# NAME YR. POS. HT. WT. HOMETOWN

2 LyDell Williams Jr. WR 6-1 175 Houston, TX

3 Theo Chambers Sr. DB 5-11 150 Carson, CA

4 Austin Nelson Jr. LB 6-0 200 Lakewood, CO

5 Drake Griffin Jr. RB 5-9 212 Los Angeles, CA

6 Cam Thierry Fr. CB 5-10 154 Pflugerville, TX

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

8 Antwon Whitehead R-Sr. DL 6-6 236 Birmingham, AL

9 Sione Folaumoeloa Sr. DL 6-0 232 Salt Lake City, UT

10 Kyle Cary Fr. WR 5-9 155 Colo, Springs, CO

10 Jordan Doyle Sr. QB 6-2 227 Cedar Falls, IA

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

11 Griffen Stacy R-Fr. QB 6-1 255 Puyallup, WA

12 Bo Coleman R-Fr. QB 6-0 177 Albuquerque, NM

13 Amery Duncan Sr. DB 5-10 160 Fort Worth, TX

14 Chase Heffley Fr. QB 5-10 181 Arvada, CO

14 Arealous Hughes Fr. WR 5-10 176 Denver, CO

14 Andrew Ike Jr. WR 6-1 195 Frisco, CO

15 Allen Thigpen Jr. QB 6-4 216 Dayton, OH

16 Brandon Grant So. WR 6-3 204 Carrollton, TX

16 Latrell Kaye Fr. 5-10 194 Window Rock, AZ

17 Austin Shaw So. TE 6-2 219 Parker, CO

18 Jordan Gillen Jr. WR 5-10 165 Durango, CO

18 Nick McNamee R-Fr. QB 6-1 186 Littleton , CO

20 Joshua Roybal Sr. DB 5-10 173 Santa Fe, NM

20 Timothy Valdez Fr. WR 5-6 153 Colo, Springs, CO

21 Daniel Walker So. DB 6-4 207 Fort Worth, TX

22 PJ Hall So. RB 5-6 181 Aurora, CO

22 Shane Wetzel Fr. LB 6-1 168 Lafayette, CO

23 Kaimon Ontiveros So. DB 6-0 176 Brownwood, TX

23 Kobe Toadlena R-Fr. WR 6-0 204 Sawmill, AZ

24 Elijah Huff Fr. WR 5-10 160 Denver, CO

24 R, Lewis-Adams So. DB 5-11 172 Shiprock , NM

25 Jake Faust Sr. DB 6-0 203 Phoenix, AZ

26 Gabe Ogbonnaya Jr. RB 5-10 181 Campo Verde,TX

27 Michael Benabides R-Sr. DB 5-8 163 Salinas, CA

28 Ariel Arguello Sr. DB 5-11 186 Bellflower, CA

29 Dre Cortez Fr. DB 5-11 163 Dallas, TX

29 Dexter Webb Jr. Fr. RB 5-10 190 Denver, CO

30 Cory Witt Jr. DB 6-0 191 Arvada, CO

31 Justin Reed Fr. DB 5-9 180 Richmond, TX

32 Payton Baird Fr. DB 5-9 165 Celina, TX

32 Zai Harris Fr. RB 5-8 200 Dallas, TX

33 Malcolm Wright Fr. DB 5-8 145 Denver, CO

34 Isiah Mayberry R-Fr. LB 6-0 194 Durango CO

35 Ryan Ross Sr. LB 5-11 231 Colo, Springs, CO

36 Tyrell Thomas So. DB 5-9 147 Waco, TX

37 Cole Myers Fr. RB 5-8 180 Austin, TX

38 Ben Hanks R-Fr. DB 6-0 168 Litch. Farms, AZ

39 Shane Nelson Jr. LB 6-0 196 Lakewood, CO

41 Maomao Niko Fr. DL 6-3 241 Lakewood, CO

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

43 Cory Saxon So. DL 5-11 217 Aztec, NM

44 D. Vaatete-Reyes Sr. DL 5-10 254 Los Angeles, CA

45 Tausolia Liufau Fr. LB 6-1 217 Fort Collins, CO

46 Scott Betzer Fr. LB 6-1 207 Colo. Springs, CO

47 Darrian Stickney Fr. LB 6-2 195 Colo. Springs, CO

48 Seth Hyatt Fr. TE 6-5 220 Lacey, WA

49 OJ Thompson So. DL 6-2 227 Parker, CO

50 Caleb Buchanan R-Fr. OL 6-0 230 Aledo, TX

52 Ouray Oca√±as R-Fr. LB 5-11 192 Fort Morgan, CO

53 Cayden James Fr. DE 6-3 251 Montrose, CO

54 Samuel Brennan Fr. DL 6-3 212 Denver, CO

56 Dalton Wadkins Fr. LB 5-8 196 Brighton, CO

57 Andy Cannizzaro Jr. OL 6-1 255 Arvada, CO

58 Dalten Lane Sr. DL 6-2 260 Gilbert, AZ

60 Jared Adkins So. OL 6-1 220 Brighton, CO

61 Taylor Suta Sr. OL 6-1 266 Littleton, CO

62 Jacob Crosby R-Fr. OL 5-11 244 Grand Junction, CO

63 Chris Carter Sr. OL 6-2 305 San Mateo, CA

65 J, Moreford-Fouche Fr. OL 6-3 288 Colo. Springs, CO

66 Kenny Shinley Jr. OL 6-3 265 Arvada, CO

68 Tyler Jones Sr. OL 6-3 280 Albuquerque, NM

69 Jacob Bigham Jr. OL 6-2 275 Kamloops, BC

70 Dan Schultz Jr. DL 6-1 220 Fountain, CO

73 Christian Ramos So. OL 6-5 294 Austin, TX

74 Preston Geib Jr. OL 6-3 262 Arvada, CO

75 Matt Mahe Jr. OL 6-3 295 Tracy, CA

77 Yatika Warrington Fr. OL 6-3 320 Norman, OK

79 Sam Hardy Fr. OL 6-6 306 Windsor, CO

80 Emilio Podrecca Fr. WR 5-10 160 Kansas City, MO

83 Mason Hatton R-Fr. WR 5-10 172 Phoenix, AZ

84 Jack Parsons Fr. WR 6-1 157 Grand Junction, CO

85 Parker Strahler Fr. WR 5-11 156 Castle Rock, CO

86 Tenaus Dunn Jr. WR 5-11 165 Beaverton, OR

87 Gerald Jones Sr. WR 5-10 181 Pawnee, OK

88 Joshua Sandoval Fr. TE 6-5 202 Brighton, CO

90 Kohlton Tegeler Jr. DL 6-1 279 Victoria, TX

92 Trevor Gillen Fr. DL 5-10 290 Durango, CO

93 Jake Reader R-Fr. TE 6-2 223 Kimball, NE

95 Jaelon Wright Fr. DL 6-1 192 Aurora, CO

96 Kipp Castanha Sr. PK 6-3 200 Rye, CO

97 Jeremiah Webb R-Fr. DL 6-2 200 Fairbanks, AL

98 David Nesting Jr. DL 5-8 211 Honoka’a, HI

99 Juan Hull Sr. DL 6-2 284 DeSoto, TX


They 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 submit-ting 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.

FROM THE CONCRETE

B Y J O N M A L E T Z C H R O N I C L E S P O R T S E D I T O R

MSU tailback Dodd’s present influenced by tumultuous past

Tavon Dodd’, MSU running back


“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.”

The staff asked him to stay.To spend the summer in the company of team-

mates. To prepare for the season, one in which much will be expected of him, in comfortable and secure Boze-man.

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 run-ning backs coach Michael Pitre’s head once cryptic mes-sages began flooding his pupil’s social media pages in the early morning hours of May 17.

Something bad had transpired.Something terrible.

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.”


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.

“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 child-hood 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 gath-ering, 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 po-

sition where we can completely take advantage of it.”

13BIG SKY PUBLISHING FIELD PASS 2015

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

Perhaps it stems from not seeing his recently re-leased 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 prac-tice, 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 sur-rogate 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, com-mitted to coursework and was a weight-room and practice-field 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 three-way standout. He rushed for 1,008 yards and 18 touchdowns

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.”


as a senior, numbers that could have soared had it not been for a high-ankle 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 fam-ily 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 tele-vised playoff game. He was impressed with the fervent fan support.

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 in-ner city to Big Sky country will be too drastic for some.

This situation was different, how-ever, 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.

He returned to Bozeman earlier than planned this summer.

He was eager to reunite with his football family and recon-nect 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 can-cer 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


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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 deter-mine 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 bond-ing experi-ence — you’re in it together.”

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 Ag-gies’ Ron Gould was 7-16 in his first two seasons. Last meeting: Nevada 36, UC Davis 7 (2013).

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)

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 first-year Beavers head coach Gary Andersen while Andersen was Utah’s defensive coordinator from 2005-08. The teams will be playing for the first time.

AROUND THE

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

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

UND led the Big Sky in total defense last sea-son, 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 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).

CAL POLY AT MONTANA, 7:05 P.M., MISSOULA

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).

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 meet-ing: Stephen F. Austin 24, Northern Arizona 17 (2004).

EASTERN OREGON AT SACRAMENTO STATE, 6:05 P.M., SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

Sacramento State’s seven wins in 2014 were the third-highest tally in program history. This will be the first meeting between the programs.

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 consecu-tive bowl games and are entering their third season in the Mountain West. Last

meeting: Utah State 34, SUU 3 (2012).

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