Bobcats By the Numbers: 85
6/10/2015 11:05:00 PM | Football
Beau Sandland's impact could be immediate
Every day we look at players who donned the jersey number corresponding to the number of days until the Bobcats open the 2015 season on September 3 against Fort Lewis College. The list of MSU football players by the jersey number is based on preseason rosters. The set of available rosters is complete from 1946-81 and '83-present. Only the 1926-27, 1934, 1937 and 1941 rosters are available in the pre-WWII years. Corrections, additions, or rosters that fill out the set will be welcomed enthusiastically via e-mail at: blamberty@msubobcats.com. Complaints about featured players also welcome, but possibly with less enthusiasm.
#85
Beau Sandland, TE: While not an exact match in terms of jersey numbers, there are some interesting comps for Beau Sandland in MSU's past as one-year Bobcats. The most recent is Michael Jefferson, a transfer from Arizona who dominated as a receiver at MSU in 2006. On the other side of the ball, Ron East came to Bozeman in 1966 as a junior college transfer with one season of eligibility and was spectacular enough to eventually earn induction in the Wendy's Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame. Sandland comes to MSU after time at Pierce Junior College and the University of Miami, with one season of eligibility remaining. Sandland's presence in the Bobcat lineup is one of the most anticipated elements of the 2015 season. Bigger than some linemen and faster than some receivers, Sandland could be quite a weapon for offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey and quarterback Dakota Prukop this season. He's already had an impact on the Bobcat program with his work ethic and leadership last fall as a redshirt. Once he made the decision to transfer to MSU nearly a year ago the Bobcat Football office began receiving phone calls from NFL scouts, who had heard of the move. He enters his senior campaign as one of the top draft prospects in the Big Sky.
Spotlight Player: The bad news for senior end Jim Posewitz in 1956: he only caught three passes. The good news: two were for touchdowns. Posewitz was Montana State's starting left end for three seasons, and was lauded by the school's all-time PR man Ken Nicholson in the post-season media guide as "a dependable, consistent player" who made "numerous circus catches."
Notable #85s in the Bobcat Past: If you were to describing Bobcat linebacker-turned-tight end Blake Wolf to someone who needed to find him in the early 2000s, you could do a lot worse than, "He'll be the guy who's always smiling." As good a football player as Wolf was – he was a third team All-America in 2004 – he was even better-known for his spectacular disposition. Wolf came to MSU in the fall of 2000 as a linebacker from a tiny farm town in eastern Washington, and it even took his uncle – then-MSU coach Mike Kramer – a while to figure out his role in the program. But once he landed at tight end before the 2002 season, his career and the Bobcat offense each took off. Wolf finished with 64 career catches, 46 of them as a senior, and he piled up 137 yards against South Dakota State.
Scott Harry might be the most popular walk-on tight end in college football history, and there are many reasons for that: his last name offered his teammates and the MSU student body endless hours of amusement, the presence of an Alaskan was something of a novelty, and he was a very solid player. But two things about Scott Harry stand out above all others. First, he was a tremendous person, intense but positive, always with a nice comment and a terrific disposition, a very good engineering student. Second and most highly visible, when Bobcat basketball coach Mick Durham asked his players during a rough stretch of injuries in 1994-95 for the name of a football player most likely to provide an adequate practice body, the consensus was Harry. So there he was, added to the roster after football ended in the late fall of 1995, banging bodies in practice, adding depth and a physical presence, eating up minutes when the margin was comfortable, for a team that would win the Big Sky Championship. Over the next two seasons he remained a two-sport standout, and as a senior earned Honorable Mention All-Big Sky honors in both sports.
Through the years: Jim Posewitz (1956), Harvey Warren (1957-58), Bill Heyser (1959), Gordie Schlabs (1960-61), Mike Smith (1964-65), Bruce Hogan (1966-67), Gary Evje (1968), Roger Martin (1971-72), Jack Blake (1973), Marty Plumb (1974), Rick Kelsic (1975), Mike McLeod (1976), Dan Meade (1977-79), Bruce Bull (1980-82), Dave Schuessler (1983), Matt Micklewright (1984-88), Shane Maharg (1990-92), Nick Broyles (1993), Scott Harry (1994-97), Brent Swaggert (1999), Brandon Bassett (2000), EC Fults (2001), Blake Wolf (2002-04), Alex Lourdeaux (2005), Michael Chopp (2007-09), Matt Thibault (2010-11), Brandon Neville (2012), Will Krolick (2013-14), Beau Sandland (2015)
#85
Beau Sandland, TE: While not an exact match in terms of jersey numbers, there are some interesting comps for Beau Sandland in MSU's past as one-year Bobcats. The most recent is Michael Jefferson, a transfer from Arizona who dominated as a receiver at MSU in 2006. On the other side of the ball, Ron East came to Bozeman in 1966 as a junior college transfer with one season of eligibility and was spectacular enough to eventually earn induction in the Wendy's Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame. Sandland comes to MSU after time at Pierce Junior College and the University of Miami, with one season of eligibility remaining. Sandland's presence in the Bobcat lineup is one of the most anticipated elements of the 2015 season. Bigger than some linemen and faster than some receivers, Sandland could be quite a weapon for offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey and quarterback Dakota Prukop this season. He's already had an impact on the Bobcat program with his work ethic and leadership last fall as a redshirt. Once he made the decision to transfer to MSU nearly a year ago the Bobcat Football office began receiving phone calls from NFL scouts, who had heard of the move. He enters his senior campaign as one of the top draft prospects in the Big Sky.
Spotlight Player: The bad news for senior end Jim Posewitz in 1956: he only caught three passes. The good news: two were for touchdowns. Posewitz was Montana State's starting left end for three seasons, and was lauded by the school's all-time PR man Ken Nicholson in the post-season media guide as "a dependable, consistent player" who made "numerous circus catches."
Notable #85s in the Bobcat Past: If you were to describing Bobcat linebacker-turned-tight end Blake Wolf to someone who needed to find him in the early 2000s, you could do a lot worse than, "He'll be the guy who's always smiling." As good a football player as Wolf was – he was a third team All-America in 2004 – he was even better-known for his spectacular disposition. Wolf came to MSU in the fall of 2000 as a linebacker from a tiny farm town in eastern Washington, and it even took his uncle – then-MSU coach Mike Kramer – a while to figure out his role in the program. But once he landed at tight end before the 2002 season, his career and the Bobcat offense each took off. Wolf finished with 64 career catches, 46 of them as a senior, and he piled up 137 yards against South Dakota State.
Scott Harry might be the most popular walk-on tight end in college football history, and there are many reasons for that: his last name offered his teammates and the MSU student body endless hours of amusement, the presence of an Alaskan was something of a novelty, and he was a very solid player. But two things about Scott Harry stand out above all others. First, he was a tremendous person, intense but positive, always with a nice comment and a terrific disposition, a very good engineering student. Second and most highly visible, when Bobcat basketball coach Mick Durham asked his players during a rough stretch of injuries in 1994-95 for the name of a football player most likely to provide an adequate practice body, the consensus was Harry. So there he was, added to the roster after football ended in the late fall of 1995, banging bodies in practice, adding depth and a physical presence, eating up minutes when the margin was comfortable, for a team that would win the Big Sky Championship. Over the next two seasons he remained a two-sport standout, and as a senior earned Honorable Mention All-Big Sky honors in both sports.
Through the years: Jim Posewitz (1956), Harvey Warren (1957-58), Bill Heyser (1959), Gordie Schlabs (1960-61), Mike Smith (1964-65), Bruce Hogan (1966-67), Gary Evje (1968), Roger Martin (1971-72), Jack Blake (1973), Marty Plumb (1974), Rick Kelsic (1975), Mike McLeod (1976), Dan Meade (1977-79), Bruce Bull (1980-82), Dave Schuessler (1983), Matt Micklewright (1984-88), Shane Maharg (1990-92), Nick Broyles (1993), Scott Harry (1994-97), Brent Swaggert (1999), Brandon Bassett (2000), EC Fults (2001), Blake Wolf (2002-04), Alex Lourdeaux (2005), Michael Chopp (2007-09), Matt Thibault (2010-11), Brandon Neville (2012), Will Krolick (2013-14), Beau Sandland (2015)
Players Mentioned
Thursday, July 31
Monday, May 19
Wednesday, May 03
Wednesday, May 03
