BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: It's Troy Andersen Days Until Kickoff!
8/15/2018 12:07:00 PM | Football
With 15 days before 2018 begins, we take a peek at a couple of great former players and a current standout
August 15: 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.
#15
Troy Andersen, RB: Montana State's 2018 football season is a tick more than two weeks away, and it's still tough to nail down Troy Andersen's role with the team. We know he'll be on offense, and that he'll be a key cog. But running back? Quarterback? His teammates call him an athletic freak, his coaches say the Cats need for the ball to be in his hands, but there are lots of different ideas of how his role could evolve. What we know for sure is this – he's a humble kid from a ranch family who grew up as a Bobcat. If you need to know more than that, he was Montana State's second straight Big Sky Freshman of the Year in 2017, when he rushed for 515 yards, third-most among freshmen in school history, and also aided the cause as a linebacker. He spent the spring focusing on defense, but a series of spring and summer events led to a phone call that he can't really recall when Jeff Choate sprung the idea of moving to quarterback on him. The move has gone well, but Travis Jonsen's presence as a dual-threat quarterback and impact athlete and Tucker Rovig's development, taken together, give Bobcat coaches the luxury of finding ways to use all the offensive weapons at their disposal. That means that regardless of what position is listed behind the comma after his name on the roster, or where his name is on the depth chart, much of Montana State's offense will run through its best playmakers. You can count on Troy Andersen falling into that category.
Spotlight – Jinx Anderson: There are names that wind through the fabric of Bobcat Athletics like a thread, weaving together different eras and different teams, great times and bad ones, and one of those is Jinx Anderson. Glen F. Anderson came to Bozeman from Lethbridge, Alberta, in the fall of 1939, and immediately impacted Montana State's small, close-knit campus community. During his time as a student Jinx Anderson was an SAE, contributed as a student senator, was Commissioner of Athletics and the student rep on the Athletics Council, belonged to the Septemvri honorary, was an M Club member, and played both varsity football and basketball. As a football player he walked among the Golden Ghosts, those that left Montana State never to return from service to their country in World War II, and in basketball he was part of the team that was invited to both the Denver AAU and NIBA (forerunner of NAIA) national tournaments but had to decline because of coach Brick Breeden's illness. Anderson was "a great longshot artist for the Bobcats as well as being an extremely clever dribbler and his graduation in 1943 was mourned by MSC fans," according to the 1951 basketball media guide. After graduating in industrial chemistry and a stint in the Marines during World War II, he began his coaching career in Manhattan and then Laurel. A return to Bozeman beckoned, and as the school's first-ever Bobkitten (freshman) coach in both football and basketball, he "helped young men cross the bridge from high school to college," according to the school's 1949 basketball prospectus. After Brick Breeden's retirement as head coach in 1953 Anderson seems to have departed Bobcat Athletics and his trail runs dry. But for a decade-and-a-half he was a major contributor to the Cats and to Montana State.
Chronology: Frank Coffin (1926), Francis Wilson (1927), Elmer Mencer (1930-31), Everett Best (1930), Glenn Hansen (1934), Bill Holloway (1937), Jinx Anderson (1941), Billy Odneal (1946-49), Bill Leary (1950), Del Lingle (1953-54), Corey Lamey (1983), Duffy Cox (1984), Anders Larsson (1985-88), Rich Brady (1989-90), Tim Klinger (1991-92), Tyson Tucker (1993-97), Kevin Flatow (1999-00), Tyler Thomas (2001-02), Cory Carpenter (2003-07), Jason Cunningham (2008-11), Cody Cleveland (2011-12), Austin Barth (2013-16), Troy Andersen (2017-)
Other #15 Notes: Jason Cunningham wore #15 as Montana State's kicker from 2008-11, and remains prominent on the school's all-time lists. His 357 points is a Bobcat record, he has two of the top four scoring seasons in school history, and he is one of only two players in school history to kick two 50-yard field goals in one game.
#15
Troy Andersen, RB: Montana State's 2018 football season is a tick more than two weeks away, and it's still tough to nail down Troy Andersen's role with the team. We know he'll be on offense, and that he'll be a key cog. But running back? Quarterback? His teammates call him an athletic freak, his coaches say the Cats need for the ball to be in his hands, but there are lots of different ideas of how his role could evolve. What we know for sure is this – he's a humble kid from a ranch family who grew up as a Bobcat. If you need to know more than that, he was Montana State's second straight Big Sky Freshman of the Year in 2017, when he rushed for 515 yards, third-most among freshmen in school history, and also aided the cause as a linebacker. He spent the spring focusing on defense, but a series of spring and summer events led to a phone call that he can't really recall when Jeff Choate sprung the idea of moving to quarterback on him. The move has gone well, but Travis Jonsen's presence as a dual-threat quarterback and impact athlete and Tucker Rovig's development, taken together, give Bobcat coaches the luxury of finding ways to use all the offensive weapons at their disposal. That means that regardless of what position is listed behind the comma after his name on the roster, or where his name is on the depth chart, much of Montana State's offense will run through its best playmakers. You can count on Troy Andersen falling into that category.
Spotlight – Jinx Anderson: There are names that wind through the fabric of Bobcat Athletics like a thread, weaving together different eras and different teams, great times and bad ones, and one of those is Jinx Anderson. Glen F. Anderson came to Bozeman from Lethbridge, Alberta, in the fall of 1939, and immediately impacted Montana State's small, close-knit campus community. During his time as a student Jinx Anderson was an SAE, contributed as a student senator, was Commissioner of Athletics and the student rep on the Athletics Council, belonged to the Septemvri honorary, was an M Club member, and played both varsity football and basketball. As a football player he walked among the Golden Ghosts, those that left Montana State never to return from service to their country in World War II, and in basketball he was part of the team that was invited to both the Denver AAU and NIBA (forerunner of NAIA) national tournaments but had to decline because of coach Brick Breeden's illness. Anderson was "a great longshot artist for the Bobcats as well as being an extremely clever dribbler and his graduation in 1943 was mourned by MSC fans," according to the 1951 basketball media guide. After graduating in industrial chemistry and a stint in the Marines during World War II, he began his coaching career in Manhattan and then Laurel. A return to Bozeman beckoned, and as the school's first-ever Bobkitten (freshman) coach in both football and basketball, he "helped young men cross the bridge from high school to college," according to the school's 1949 basketball prospectus. After Brick Breeden's retirement as head coach in 1953 Anderson seems to have departed Bobcat Athletics and his trail runs dry. But for a decade-and-a-half he was a major contributor to the Cats and to Montana State.
Chronology: Frank Coffin (1926), Francis Wilson (1927), Elmer Mencer (1930-31), Everett Best (1930), Glenn Hansen (1934), Bill Holloway (1937), Jinx Anderson (1941), Billy Odneal (1946-49), Bill Leary (1950), Del Lingle (1953-54), Corey Lamey (1983), Duffy Cox (1984), Anders Larsson (1985-88), Rich Brady (1989-90), Tim Klinger (1991-92), Tyson Tucker (1993-97), Kevin Flatow (1999-00), Tyler Thomas (2001-02), Cory Carpenter (2003-07), Jason Cunningham (2008-11), Cody Cleveland (2011-12), Austin Barth (2013-16), Troy Andersen (2017-)
Other #15 Notes: Jason Cunningham wore #15 as Montana State's kicker from 2008-11, and remains prominent on the school's all-time lists. His 357 points is a Bobcat record, he has two of the top four scoring seasons in school history, and he is one of only two players in school history to kick two 50-yard field goals in one game.
Players Mentioned
Thursday, July 31
Monday, May 19
Wednesday, May 03
Wednesday, May 03
