DeNarius McGhee's stats were good Sunday, but his value is so much more
Photo by: Daryn Hendrickson
DeNarius McGhee: Much More than Numbers
10/28/2013 6:51:00 AM | Football
Regardless of what his stat line says, Bobcat senior is proven winner
It might be possible for followers of the Montana State football team to get used to watching their quarterback, senior DeNarius McGhee, wield his craft. Not likely, but possible.
If that was the case McGhee, and others, generally give the Bobcat faithful a reminder every time they play. Saturday's 34-17 win – McGhee's 35th as the program's starting quarterback – over UC Davis was no exception, and it didn't take long for that reminder to come.
McGhee hit running back Shawn Johnson with a perfect pass for a 47-yard touchdown on the game's fifth play. McGhee would go on to pass for 230 yards and two touchdowns on 15 of 20 passing with no interceptions. His quarterback rating was a gaudy 204.6 for the game and now stands at 154.8 on the season, including a 161.7 mark in conference-only games. Both marks sit at third best in the Big Sky. His career-best for a season is 153.8.
While McGhee's overall yardage numbers (his passing yards per game is just ninth at 181 yards) aren't among the top in the Big Sky Conference due to missing a pair of games and having his workload scaled back while recovering, his play isn't going unnoticed. At least not by UC Davis head coach Ron Gould.
"I told him after the game that he's a winner," Gould said. "He made three or four plays in there that were unbelievable. He'll definitely get my vote for offensive player of the year. As good as he is on the field, he's 10 times that as a person."
While the MOP nod may be a bit of hyperbole, and it's definitely a little early for Gould to mailing in his All-Big Sky ballot, there's still some rationale for his statement.
As most fans have noticed McGhee's mere presence behind center makes the Bobcats considerably more dangerous. Players on both sides of the ball seemingly play the game with more confidence as evidenced by MSU's current four-game winning streak, which coincides with the return of McGhee to the lineup against North Dakota.
MSU has averaged 470 yards per game since McGhee's return up from 409 per game for the two games he missed. The yards per play improvement was even greater as it went from 5.4 to 6.7 – a 25 percent increase.
Despite losing 16 yards from three sacks, he still managed to run for 51 yards on 10 carries. Take out the sacks, which are actually pass plays, and McGhee had 67 yards on seven rushes.
McGhee has given UC Davis senior defensive end Nick King fits for the past two years. "There was one play where his back was turned to me, I was running full speed and he wasn't even looking. Somehow, he got out of it. It shocks me. You can't say enough about him. He's hard to stop," King, who finally did sack McGhee once Saturday, said.
Next up for the Bobcat are the Bears of Northern Colorado in Greeley. McGhee has been stellar for his career against UNC. He's connected on 71 of 100 passes for 975 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. The Bobcats, however, have struggled in games in Greeley and McGhee is no exception. He was just 16-23 for 188 yards and two interceptions in his lone game there a hard-fought 31-21.
The Bears have had a week off to prepare for MSU and the Bobcats will most likely need to win to keep pace with Eastern Washington, which is tied with MSU at 4-0 in league play. The Eagles play Idaho State this week.
If that was the case McGhee, and others, generally give the Bobcat faithful a reminder every time they play. Saturday's 34-17 win – McGhee's 35th as the program's starting quarterback – over UC Davis was no exception, and it didn't take long for that reminder to come.
McGhee hit running back Shawn Johnson with a perfect pass for a 47-yard touchdown on the game's fifth play. McGhee would go on to pass for 230 yards and two touchdowns on 15 of 20 passing with no interceptions. His quarterback rating was a gaudy 204.6 for the game and now stands at 154.8 on the season, including a 161.7 mark in conference-only games. Both marks sit at third best in the Big Sky. His career-best for a season is 153.8.
While McGhee's overall yardage numbers (his passing yards per game is just ninth at 181 yards) aren't among the top in the Big Sky Conference due to missing a pair of games and having his workload scaled back while recovering, his play isn't going unnoticed. At least not by UC Davis head coach Ron Gould.
"I told him after the game that he's a winner," Gould said. "He made three or four plays in there that were unbelievable. He'll definitely get my vote for offensive player of the year. As good as he is on the field, he's 10 times that as a person."
While the MOP nod may be a bit of hyperbole, and it's definitely a little early for Gould to mailing in his All-Big Sky ballot, there's still some rationale for his statement.
As most fans have noticed McGhee's mere presence behind center makes the Bobcats considerably more dangerous. Players on both sides of the ball seemingly play the game with more confidence as evidenced by MSU's current four-game winning streak, which coincides with the return of McGhee to the lineup against North Dakota.
MSU has averaged 470 yards per game since McGhee's return up from 409 per game for the two games he missed. The yards per play improvement was even greater as it went from 5.4 to 6.7 – a 25 percent increase.
Despite losing 16 yards from three sacks, he still managed to run for 51 yards on 10 carries. Take out the sacks, which are actually pass plays, and McGhee had 67 yards on seven rushes.
McGhee has given UC Davis senior defensive end Nick King fits for the past two years. "There was one play where his back was turned to me, I was running full speed and he wasn't even looking. Somehow, he got out of it. It shocks me. You can't say enough about him. He's hard to stop," King, who finally did sack McGhee once Saturday, said.
Next up for the Bobcat are the Bears of Northern Colorado in Greeley. McGhee has been stellar for his career against UNC. He's connected on 71 of 100 passes for 975 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. The Bobcats, however, have struggled in games in Greeley and McGhee is no exception. He was just 16-23 for 188 yards and two interceptions in his lone game there a hard-fought 31-21.
The Bears have had a week off to prepare for MSU and the Bobcats will most likely need to win to keep pace with Eastern Washington, which is tied with MSU at 4-0 in league play. The Eagles play Idaho State this week.
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