BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 93 Days Until Western Illinois Arrives!
5/29/2018 1:28:00 PM | Football
It took a while, but #93 Matt Brownlow had a major impact on a glorious afternoon in Missoula
May 29: Bobcat by the Numbers takes a look at current and past Bobcats whose jersey numbers correspond to the number of days remaining before Montana State opens the 2018 football season against Western Illinois in Bobcat Stadium's annual Gold Rush game on August 30.
#93
Kyle Rygg, DL: Kyle Rygg redshirted at Montana State last season as a true freshman defensive line prospect. He is expected to compete for playing time this season.
Spotlight: One of the great things about following teams closely, year in and year out, is the backstories. It's being able to trace great moments to their roots. Here is a great moment: it's 2016, the Bobcats haven't beaten the Grizzlies in four years, and with the third quarter winding down MSU holds an uncomfortable 24-7 lead that seems in imminent danger of shrinking. Montana faces a goal-to-go situation, pushes the ball to the MSU one with a couple of short gains, and it feels for all the world like regardless the lead the game is in the balance. With the idea that the Grizzlies will be capable of shoving the Bobcats far back into the end zone, UM coach Bob Stitt calls a quarterback sneak. Brady Gustafson is stuffed. A play like this never boils down to one player. It can't. It's the ultimate football play, with 11 men on either side needing to do their job for their team to prevail. But when the play is whistled down and possession reversed, as Washington-Grizzly Stadium spiraled into silence, #93 sprinted wildly to the visitors' sideline. Matt Brownlow wasn't credited with the tackle on that play, and there's no honest way of accurately crediting a tackle when a ball carrier plunges into a mass of humanity, but Brownlow certainly helped provide necessary leverage – and this is not a short joke – by getting below the charging offensive line and helping form the foundation of a stone wall. There would be tense moments as the game reached its climax, for sure, but Montana State's 24-17 win was sealed right there. Turning away that scoring opportunity tilted the math in MSU's favor, and the triumph was sweeter for no one more so than the walk-on nose tackle who played football without great distinction at two different high schools in Missoula before enrolling at Montana State with no idea of football glory. Brownlow was goaded into an open tryout, rose to what some called 'mascot' status by being a loveable, gregarious character, and took over a key role on the defensive line in his last few games due to injury. But when his number was called, he shined. Fate, in the form of a nasty knee injury, wouldn't even allow him to finish his final game. But no one in Missoula that day will forget the play that he helped trigger that vaulted the Bobcats to a stunning upset win against their ancient rivals.
Chronology: Jerry Tomal (1980), Steve Niksich (1982), Mark Baker (1983), Mark Gibson (1984), Matt Spain (1985-86), John Galland (1988-90), Chris Steinbeisser (1991-94), AJ Stoneburner (1997), Nick Gerhard (2000), Eric Axlund (2001), Jason Nicastro (2002), Mike Feist (2003), Andy Matakis (2004-05), Dan Ogden (2007-08), Lee Perkins (2010-14), Matt Brownlow (2015-16), Kyle Rygg (2017-)
Other 93 Notes: There's something about FBS transfers in the FCS that captures the imagination of fans like nothing else. Those matches sometimes work out famously, sometimes flame out, and usually are somewhere in between. Such is the case with Andy Matakis, possibly Montana State's only football transfer ever from Texas A&M. The Corpus Christi, Texas, native came to MSU in 2004 after playing linebacker as a highly-rated prep star and tight end in his one varsity season with the Aggies (he also redshirted). Longing for the great outdoors and an opportunity to get on the field, Matakis came to Montana State and felt at home immediately. The hunting, the fishing, and what he felt was an underrated brand of football fit him perfectly. Matakis logged 21 tackles, three for a loss, as a defensive tackle that fall, but a knee injury the next spring was essentially too much for him overcome. He missed 2005 and never again was credited for a tackle at MSU. Fans always hope transfers from big-time football programs can enormously impact a team like Montana State. In this instance it didn't, but the marriage of man and school certainly did. Matakis graduated from Montana State in animal science and remained in his adopted state, eventually becoming a warden in Montana's Department of Fish and Wildlife.
#93
Kyle Rygg, DL: Kyle Rygg redshirted at Montana State last season as a true freshman defensive line prospect. He is expected to compete for playing time this season.
Spotlight: One of the great things about following teams closely, year in and year out, is the backstories. It's being able to trace great moments to their roots. Here is a great moment: it's 2016, the Bobcats haven't beaten the Grizzlies in four years, and with the third quarter winding down MSU holds an uncomfortable 24-7 lead that seems in imminent danger of shrinking. Montana faces a goal-to-go situation, pushes the ball to the MSU one with a couple of short gains, and it feels for all the world like regardless the lead the game is in the balance. With the idea that the Grizzlies will be capable of shoving the Bobcats far back into the end zone, UM coach Bob Stitt calls a quarterback sneak. Brady Gustafson is stuffed. A play like this never boils down to one player. It can't. It's the ultimate football play, with 11 men on either side needing to do their job for their team to prevail. But when the play is whistled down and possession reversed, as Washington-Grizzly Stadium spiraled into silence, #93 sprinted wildly to the visitors' sideline. Matt Brownlow wasn't credited with the tackle on that play, and there's no honest way of accurately crediting a tackle when a ball carrier plunges into a mass of humanity, but Brownlow certainly helped provide necessary leverage – and this is not a short joke – by getting below the charging offensive line and helping form the foundation of a stone wall. There would be tense moments as the game reached its climax, for sure, but Montana State's 24-17 win was sealed right there. Turning away that scoring opportunity tilted the math in MSU's favor, and the triumph was sweeter for no one more so than the walk-on nose tackle who played football without great distinction at two different high schools in Missoula before enrolling at Montana State with no idea of football glory. Brownlow was goaded into an open tryout, rose to what some called 'mascot' status by being a loveable, gregarious character, and took over a key role on the defensive line in his last few games due to injury. But when his number was called, he shined. Fate, in the form of a nasty knee injury, wouldn't even allow him to finish his final game. But no one in Missoula that day will forget the play that he helped trigger that vaulted the Bobcats to a stunning upset win against their ancient rivals.
Chronology: Jerry Tomal (1980), Steve Niksich (1982), Mark Baker (1983), Mark Gibson (1984), Matt Spain (1985-86), John Galland (1988-90), Chris Steinbeisser (1991-94), AJ Stoneburner (1997), Nick Gerhard (2000), Eric Axlund (2001), Jason Nicastro (2002), Mike Feist (2003), Andy Matakis (2004-05), Dan Ogden (2007-08), Lee Perkins (2010-14), Matt Brownlow (2015-16), Kyle Rygg (2017-)
Other 93 Notes: There's something about FBS transfers in the FCS that captures the imagination of fans like nothing else. Those matches sometimes work out famously, sometimes flame out, and usually are somewhere in between. Such is the case with Andy Matakis, possibly Montana State's only football transfer ever from Texas A&M. The Corpus Christi, Texas, native came to MSU in 2004 after playing linebacker as a highly-rated prep star and tight end in his one varsity season with the Aggies (he also redshirted). Longing for the great outdoors and an opportunity to get on the field, Matakis came to Montana State and felt at home immediately. The hunting, the fishing, and what he felt was an underrated brand of football fit him perfectly. Matakis logged 21 tackles, three for a loss, as a defensive tackle that fall, but a knee injury the next spring was essentially too much for him overcome. He missed 2005 and never again was credited for a tackle at MSU. Fans always hope transfers from big-time football programs can enormously impact a team like Montana State. In this instance it didn't, but the marriage of man and school certainly did. Matakis graduated from Montana State in animal science and remained in his adopted state, eventually becoming a warden in Montana's Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Players Mentioned
DL
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