BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 62 Days Until the 2018 Football Season Begins!
6/29/2018 1:31:00 PM | Football
Logan McDonald has one of the most thankless jobs on the MSU roster
June 29: Bobcats 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.
#62
Logan MacDonald, LS: There are a lot of thankless jobs in sports, but there may be none more so than long snapper. If you're job – especially if you're only job, as is the case with Logan MacDonald and before him Rocky Hogue – is to snap on punts and kick placements, you can feel awfully lonely. Other than 'feats of strength' snaps to amuse yourself, your role in practice generally boils down to being ready when kickers and punters are called upon. In games, everyone pulling for your team wants half your job – snapping on punts – eliminated. Your name will never appear in stats, no one will know who you are unless something goes wrong, but your job is crucial at important times of each game. MacDonald came to MSU last season and redshirted, but impressed during spring drills and enters the fall with the opportunity to nail down long snapper duties.
Spotlight – Nic Stevenson: Montana State followed a trend throughout the 2000s of riding with an undersized, under-recruited Montana high school product at center. That began with Nic Stevenson in 2002. A Baker product, Stevenson came from a proud Bobcat family – in fact, his aunt Melanie Stocks runs the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. Stevenson anchored the Bobcat line through the 2002 Big Sky Championship run, a great group of guys that in many ways gave Travis Lulay the luxury of transitioning into the starting quarterback role mid-season with very little pressure. Stevenson joined a line with Bobcat Hall of Famer Brent Swaggert and Brian Choi at tackle, and Mataio Toilolo and the inimitable Mike Quast at guard. Stevenson played in all 11 games in 2001 and started the first 12 of 2002, but a shoulder injury abruptly and prematurely ended his career. Stevenson was Second Team All-Big Sky in 2002. Other players that followed in Stevenson's lineage: Zach Wolf (out-of-state, but an excellent, uncer-recruited player) 2003-04, Jim Verlanic 2007-08, Shaun Sampson 2010-12.
Chronology: Bob Grine (1956), Bob Hyatt (1957), John Munk (1958), Jim Berg (1959-61), Milt Horton (1963), Clark Smith (1964-66), Gene Weyer (1967), Bob Beeker (1968), Leon Preston (1969-70, Wayne Norton 1971), Lonny Sanders (1974), Dan Ueland (1973, '75-77), Don Samuelson (1978-80), Don Leake (1981-82), Doug Richards (1983-84), Mike Vasquez (1985), Rob Fulton (1986-88), Joe Gradney (1989-92), Mike Nye (1993-95), Aaron Wilkins (1996), Brent Ludwig (1997-99), Nic Stevenson (2000-02), Troy Watson (2004), Neil Boyce (2005-07), Ben Tauanuu (2008-11), Brad Mathis (2012-13), Mitch Brott (2015), Kyle Murack (2016), Logan McDonald (2017-)
More #62 Notes: The Bobcats have had good luck moving tight ends a couple of steps inward over the years, and two terrific end-turned-tackle stories landed at #62 consecutively. Aaron Wilkins volunteered to move to tackle in 1996 and started all 11 games. A season later Brent Ludwig moved to tackle from tight end, where he'd played at a true freshman, and became a terrific player. He would eventually become an All-Big Sky center.
#62
Logan MacDonald, LS: There are a lot of thankless jobs in sports, but there may be none more so than long snapper. If you're job – especially if you're only job, as is the case with Logan MacDonald and before him Rocky Hogue – is to snap on punts and kick placements, you can feel awfully lonely. Other than 'feats of strength' snaps to amuse yourself, your role in practice generally boils down to being ready when kickers and punters are called upon. In games, everyone pulling for your team wants half your job – snapping on punts – eliminated. Your name will never appear in stats, no one will know who you are unless something goes wrong, but your job is crucial at important times of each game. MacDonald came to MSU last season and redshirted, but impressed during spring drills and enters the fall with the opportunity to nail down long snapper duties.
Spotlight – Nic Stevenson: Montana State followed a trend throughout the 2000s of riding with an undersized, under-recruited Montana high school product at center. That began with Nic Stevenson in 2002. A Baker product, Stevenson came from a proud Bobcat family – in fact, his aunt Melanie Stocks runs the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. Stevenson anchored the Bobcat line through the 2002 Big Sky Championship run, a great group of guys that in many ways gave Travis Lulay the luxury of transitioning into the starting quarterback role mid-season with very little pressure. Stevenson joined a line with Bobcat Hall of Famer Brent Swaggert and Brian Choi at tackle, and Mataio Toilolo and the inimitable Mike Quast at guard. Stevenson played in all 11 games in 2001 and started the first 12 of 2002, but a shoulder injury abruptly and prematurely ended his career. Stevenson was Second Team All-Big Sky in 2002. Other players that followed in Stevenson's lineage: Zach Wolf (out-of-state, but an excellent, uncer-recruited player) 2003-04, Jim Verlanic 2007-08, Shaun Sampson 2010-12.
Chronology: Bob Grine (1956), Bob Hyatt (1957), John Munk (1958), Jim Berg (1959-61), Milt Horton (1963), Clark Smith (1964-66), Gene Weyer (1967), Bob Beeker (1968), Leon Preston (1969-70, Wayne Norton 1971), Lonny Sanders (1974), Dan Ueland (1973, '75-77), Don Samuelson (1978-80), Don Leake (1981-82), Doug Richards (1983-84), Mike Vasquez (1985), Rob Fulton (1986-88), Joe Gradney (1989-92), Mike Nye (1993-95), Aaron Wilkins (1996), Brent Ludwig (1997-99), Nic Stevenson (2000-02), Troy Watson (2004), Neil Boyce (2005-07), Ben Tauanuu (2008-11), Brad Mathis (2012-13), Mitch Brott (2015), Kyle Murack (2016), Logan McDonald (2017-)
More #62 Notes: The Bobcats have had good luck moving tight ends a couple of steps inward over the years, and two terrific end-turned-tackle stories landed at #62 consecutively. Aaron Wilkins volunteered to move to tackle in 1996 and started all 11 games. A season later Brent Ludwig moved to tackle from tight end, where he'd played at a true freshman, and became a terrific player. He would eventually become an All-Big Sky center.
Players Mentioned
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