CATS IN CAMP #1: Four Seniors Announced as Team Captains

Dylan Mahoney (right) was named Bobcat team captain Thursday

Photo by: Andrew Pedersen

CATS IN CAMP #1: Four Seniors Announced as Team Captains

8/3/2017 5:36:00 PM | Football

Mac Bignell and Bryson McCabe return to the role for the second straight year

By: Bill Lamberty

If Jeff Choate were to produce a checklist of traits he looks for in a group of team captains, the four Bobcats he announced at the end of Wednesday's practice would fill in all the boxes.

Choate introduced linebacker Mac Bignell from Drummond, receiver Mitch Herbert from Eugene, Oregon, offensive tackle Dylan Mahoney from Great Falls and safety Bryson McCabe from Spirit Lake, Iowa, as MSU's captains for 2017. "I think those four individuals really exemplify the core values of our program," Choate said.

For the first time since 2014, MSU won't be represented by an underclassman captain. "Those four guys are all seniors, and I think that speaks to something," Choate said after opening his second preseason training camp as Montana State's head coach. "This means a tremendous amount to them. You have a junior college transfer (McCabe) who's all about riding for the brand, you've got two Montana kids (Bignell and Mahoney) who this means more to than probably anything you can imagine, and you've got one of the highest character young men than you could find anywhere in the United States, or the world for that matter."

Choate said the example set by MSU's 2017 team captains speaks louder than any words could. "When our players say, 'What does it mean to ride for the brand?' they can watch how Bryson McCabe prepares and how Mac Bignell gives his heart and soul to this program. When they ask, 'What does it mean to be an empathetic leader?' they can look at (how) Dylan Mahoney can put his arm around guys and say, 'I know you're new here, but here's how we do things.' And when you talk about a lead-by-example guy, who're you going to find better than Mitch Herbert? I think those four individuals really exemplify the core values of our program."

QUARTERBACKS QUERY: Jeff Choate has made clear that one of the key issues of Montana State's 2017 preseason is clarifying the quarterback hierarchy behind sophomore Chris Murray. "Somebody's got to emerge there," he said. Among the options are new freshmen Callahan O'Reilly and Tucker Rovig, and transfer Luke May. But Choate begins the conversation with "the old seven iron, (Brady) McChesney. There's a lot of things he can do really well." The sophomore has operated MSU's scout offense the past two seasons, but is in competition to be the backup this year. Between Rovig and O'Reilly, Choate said, "I think those two will have a really tight battle." The plan, Choate said, is to identify the serious contenders and "give them opportunities early so we can identify the direction we've got to go."

FINDING ROLES AT LINEBACKER: While discussing interesting position battles, Choate mentioned one not generally on the radar. "In a different way linebacker is interesting," he said. "I know who the guys are, but it's more about how they end up stacking together." Senior Mac Bignell and sophomore Josh Hill both return as 11-game starters, but with other veterans in the mix – such as Jakob McCarthy and Lukas McCarthy – "Where we line guys up is something we have to evaluate."

BULKING UP UP FRONT: It didn't take Choate long to notice a difference in the defensive front. "It's easy to see we have a lot better size up there," he said. Senior linebacker Mac Bignell concurred, saying that the ability of the front four to occupy blockers eases pressure on the linebackers. "They get double-teams, and it leaves linebackers unblocked and that means we get free tackles left and right," Bignell said. "That means we get all the glory and they have to fight through the pain."

FRIDAY: The Cats take the field at approximately 10:45 am for a flex period Friday. Practice is expected to run until about 1:30 pm.