Chase Young
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
BOBCAT SPOTLIGHT: One and Counting for Chase Young
11/2/2012 7:47:00 AM | Football
Senior receiver makes first catch as a Cat
There was a moment in the midst of Montana State's statistical avalanche last weekend against North Dakota that barely registered, a single play nearly unnoticed.
But for anyone who appreciates perseverence and dedication to team, it was a great moment.
Montana State took possession of the ball for the second time in the third quarter with just 4:32 remaining in the period. A North Dakota field goal moments earlier stemmed MSU's momentum and trimmed the lead to 35-10. Against UND's explosive offense, MSU's lead felt barely comfortable.
Orenzo Davis was stopped for a loss of two on first down, and MSU was whistled for a substitution infraction set up a second-and-17. But then, DeNarius McGhee fired a nine-yard pass to the flat that was caught by Chase Young for a nine-yard gain, and after another nine-yard pitch-and-catch to Jon Ellis the Bobcats extended what would end up as a five-minute scoring drive and the game was all but sealed.
Of the 93 plays MSU ran last Saturday, it was easy to lose track of a nine-yarder on second-and-long. But that play was Chase Young's first catch as a Bobcat. After hundreds of hours in practice, thousands in the weight room, countless plays on special teams and more than one could count on the scout team, the senior from August caught a pass.
“I was really happy for Chase,” MSU coach Rob Ash said after the game, and he reaffirmed that feeling several times during the days after the game. “In meetings last week we talked about Chase and how well he's been playing (in practice), and I'm glad we targeted him a couple of times and that he caught a ball.”
Make no mistake, Ash says, about Young's value to the Bobcat team. “Chase played the second-highest number of plays on the team (in 2011) on special teams,” Ash says. “He's a smart, tough player who has had an enormous impact on this program.”
Bobcat special teams coordinator Erik Link appreciates Young's work as a “Core” player on MSU's special teams. “He's a starter on three of the big four units and has consistently played at a high level each week,” Link said. “Every football team needs unselfish 'team' guys that not only contribute on special teams but take pride in it and help lead within the respective units. Chase fits that description.”
Links also lauds the agriculture business major whose family ranches near Augusta. “Chase is an exceptional young man off the field, both in the classroom and the community,” Link said. “He's one of the many great ambassadors we have in the Bobcat Football program.”
After a sensational career at Augusta High, where he was not only a three-sport all-state selection and team MVP as a senior but also Class President and National Honor Society member, Young played as a freshman at MSU-Northern. But he transferred to MSU, sat out a year, and has played as a special teams ace for the past three seasons.
In spite of his role on kick teams, MSU receivers coach Brian Von Bergen says Young is a capable receiver. “Chase is a high-quality person with talent,” he said. “He worked extremely hard this summer to gain the quarterbacks' trust and to prove he's more than a special teams player. He is playing the best football of his career right now. He plays with tenacity, but is a gentleman off the field.”
But for anyone who appreciates perseverence and dedication to team, it was a great moment.
Montana State took possession of the ball for the second time in the third quarter with just 4:32 remaining in the period. A North Dakota field goal moments earlier stemmed MSU's momentum and trimmed the lead to 35-10. Against UND's explosive offense, MSU's lead felt barely comfortable.
Orenzo Davis was stopped for a loss of two on first down, and MSU was whistled for a substitution infraction set up a second-and-17. But then, DeNarius McGhee fired a nine-yard pass to the flat that was caught by Chase Young for a nine-yard gain, and after another nine-yard pitch-and-catch to Jon Ellis the Bobcats extended what would end up as a five-minute scoring drive and the game was all but sealed.
Of the 93 plays MSU ran last Saturday, it was easy to lose track of a nine-yarder on second-and-long. But that play was Chase Young's first catch as a Bobcat. After hundreds of hours in practice, thousands in the weight room, countless plays on special teams and more than one could count on the scout team, the senior from August caught a pass.
“I was really happy for Chase,” MSU coach Rob Ash said after the game, and he reaffirmed that feeling several times during the days after the game. “In meetings last week we talked about Chase and how well he's been playing (in practice), and I'm glad we targeted him a couple of times and that he caught a ball.”
Make no mistake, Ash says, about Young's value to the Bobcat team. “Chase played the second-highest number of plays on the team (in 2011) on special teams,” Ash says. “He's a smart, tough player who has had an enormous impact on this program.”
Bobcat special teams coordinator Erik Link appreciates Young's work as a “Core” player on MSU's special teams. “He's a starter on three of the big four units and has consistently played at a high level each week,” Link said. “Every football team needs unselfish 'team' guys that not only contribute on special teams but take pride in it and help lead within the respective units. Chase fits that description.”
Links also lauds the agriculture business major whose family ranches near Augusta. “Chase is an exceptional young man off the field, both in the classroom and the community,” Link said. “He's one of the many great ambassadors we have in the Bobcat Football program.”
After a sensational career at Augusta High, where he was not only a three-sport all-state selection and team MVP as a senior but also Class President and National Honor Society member, Young played as a freshman at MSU-Northern. But he transferred to MSU, sat out a year, and has played as a special teams ace for the past three seasons.
In spite of his role on kick teams, MSU receivers coach Brian Von Bergen says Young is a capable receiver. “Chase is a high-quality person with talent,” he said. “He worked extremely hard this summer to gain the quarterbacks' trust and to prove he's more than a special teams player. He is playing the best football of his career right now. He plays with tenacity, but is a gentleman off the field.”
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