BOBCAT GAME DAY NOTEBOOK #10: Gillis, Vander Return for Cat-Griz Game

Photo by: Kelly Gorham

BOBCAT GAME DAY NOTEBOOK #10: Gillis, Vander Return for Cat-Griz Game

11/18/2017 11:00:00 AM | Football

Two Bobcats who have battled injuries in recent weeks could pay today

By: Bill Lamberty

Montana State's 2017 Senior Day will certainly be special for one Bobcat. Caleb Gillis, a senior from Glen who was injured at Eastern Washington, is slated to suit up for his final football game today. It was thought Gillis might be lost for the season, but his rehab progressed to the point where he's available today. A former walk-on, Gillis captured a starting spot this fall as a fifth-year senior.

* * * * *
Last season's Cat-Griz game, a 24-17 Bobcat victory in Missoula, was a game of contrasts and imbalance. Montana State ran the ball on 62 of its 72 plays, while the Grizzlies threw on 31 of their 59 offensive snaps. This year's game stands to be more balanced on both sides. This season the Bobcats have rushed the ball on two-thirds of its plays, while Montana has passed on just 47% of its scrimmage plays.

"I would think so," Jeff Choate answered throughout the week when asked if he expects a more balanced offensive approach from his team today. "But we'll take what they give us. If we're running the ball (well), I don't care if we complete a pass or not. We just want to win."

* * * * *

Because every senior deserves a little extra recognition…

#3 – Receiver Justin Paige from Katy, Texas: His speed catches your eye on the football field, but it's his work ethic that defines him.
#12 – Safety Khari Garcia from Pomona, California: One of the fun things about college athletics is watching kids grow up, and no one has done more than that than Khari Garcia, an excellent safety with a bright future.
#23 – Running back Nick LaSane from Dallas, Texas: A suspension cost him more than one-third of his senior season, but he averages 91 yards in the full games he's played in, and is playing the best football of his life.
#24 – Cornerback Bryce Alley from Houston, Texas: A tough, smart kid who has been a solid starting cornerback destined to become an excellent engineer.
#29 – Safety West Wilson from Columbia, Missouri: His gear game has always been strong off the field, featuring a wide array of jerseys and hats, but his game as a special teams is equally on the field.
#56 – Defensive tackle Brandon Hayashi from Hacienda Heights, California: Some on the Bobcat coaching staff call Brandon Hayashi the Den Mother because of his caring nature and friendly demeanor.
#56 – Long snapper Rocky Hogue from Merced, California: Go ahead, think hard. Try to remember a bad snap in four years by Rocky Hogue. Good luck with that one.
#64 – Lineman Fou Polataivao from Medford, Oregon: A gentle and friendly giant who selflessly switched positions in the middle of this season.
#73 – Offensive guard Caleb Gillis from Glen, Montana: A former walk-on, a tough ranch kid, who turned the opportunity to walk on at Montana State into an outstanding career.
#74 – Offensive guard Wade Webster from Bettendorf, Iowa: Known in the program as a team-first player who will graduate in four years.

TEAM CAPTAINS
#10 – Safety Bryson McCabe from Spirit Lake, Iowa: Some tackles look different than others, and when Bryson McCabe makes a hit, the ball carrier goes down quick and hard.
#55 – Offensive tackle Dylan Mahoney from Great Falls, Montana: A hard-working left tackle who has enjoyed an excellent senior season as a linchpin to the Bobcat O-line.
#82 – Receiver Mitch Herbert from Eugene, Oregon: His father may have played for today's visiting team at Bobcat Stadium for a short while, but Mitche Herbert is all Bobcat – a contributor from the early days of his freshman season and an excellent student who has been active in service projects in the Bozeman and MSU communities.
#49 – Linebacker Mac Bignell from Drummond, Montana: It's one thing to come from Bobcat football royalty, but it's quite another to leave the program your father, brothers and cousins played in as a distinctly unique figure who will always be remembered for brilliant play and an unwavering, defining competitiveness. That is what Mac Bignell has done.