Cody Kirk is one of four Bobcats on the Preseason All-Big Sky team
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
McGhee Leads Bobcat Contingent on Preseason All-Big Sky Squad
7/15/2013 9:57:00 AM | Football
Bobcat QB looks to add third league MVP trophy to mantle
DeNarius McGhee can't help but laugh when asked if he feels pressure after being named 2013 Big Sky Conference Preseason MVP.
"Pressure is just a word," McGhee said Monday at the 2013 Big Sky Conference Kickoff in Park City, Utah. "It doesn't exist when you're prepared. Pressure is something that applies when you're not ready."
While admitting that he has entered a game "once or twice" in his Bobcat career feeling less than prepared, he says the idea of pressure doesn't apply to Montana State's 2013 squad because of the work the team is doing over the summer. "We have a very close team and we're working hard this summer. The great thing about summer workouts is that no one else can see what we're doing. And we're working hard."
McGhee, who already owns a pair of Big Sky MVP awards, enters 2013 viewed as the league's top offensive player and Preseason All-Big Sky quarterback, and he is not alone among Bobcat stars. Senior receiver Tanner Bleskin and senior running back Cody Kirk join McGhee on offense, while senior defensive end Brad Daly is MSU's lone choice on defense.
"We have a lot of guys who could be on this list," McGhee said. "We have a lot of great players that are working hard."
As for being tabbed as the loop's top offensive player entering his senior season, McGhee finds it positive but mostly meaningless. "It's an honor that people think I have talent," McGhee said, "but it's kind of irrelevant in that it's preseason and not post-season. This is based on the work that the team put in the year before, so it has no weight. We're really focused on getting prepared the right way."
McGhee, Bleskin and Kirk have combined for over 13,000 yards of offense in their careers. Each of the three has at least some chance at the top spot on MSU's records list in that category. And each of the three have seen considerable action, with McGhee returning as a fourth-year starter and Bleskin and Kirk serving as mainstays at their positions for three years.
Daly enters 2013 in a spot similar to Caleb Schreibeis a season ago. Recognized regionally but largely ignored nationally, Schreibeis finally clawed his way onto the final regular season Buck Buchanan Award List in November. From there, he became the first Bobcat to earn that award, and an avalanche of post-season honors followed.
Daly's profile is similar, after earning Second Team All-Big Sky honors last season, to Schreibeis'. "Brad has the chance to be a dominant, productive player," MSU coach Rob Ash said. "I don't see our play at defensive end dropping from last year with Caleb and Brad to this year with Brad and Preston (Gale)."
The preseason all-conference team generally reflects the preseason league standings, although in that context NAU is viewed as the league's most talented team. NAU has six preseason all-conference picks, followed by MSU with four, and Eastern Washington, Montana, Cal Poly and Southern Utah with three each.
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