BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: Just Five Days Left! Let's Look at Two Newcomers Who Could Impact the Cats Right Away
8/25/2018 11:22:00 AM | Football
Dakote Prukop had an illustrious and prolific two seasons on the Bobcat varsity
August 25: 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!
#5
Mekhi Metcalf, WR: You want football bloodlines? Mekhi (pronounced muh-KY) brings some bloodlines to MSU football. His grandfather Terry starred at Long Beach State (1971-73, narrowly missing a 49ers trip to Great Falls to play the Cats in 1971, when he was likely redshirting) and with the St. Louis football Cardinals (1973-77), and his father Eric played at Texas and with seven NFL teams in a 14-year professional career. While Eric and Terry (5-10) were both known for elusiveness, Mekhi comes to MSU as a lanky 6-4 receiver who caught 78 passes for 1,038 yards at Seattle Garfield High for former Bobcat star Joey Thomas. Sometimes the key to getting your chance is just showing up every day, and Mekhi Metcalf did that in August. He will likely get his shot on Thursday night.
Jahque Alleyne, S: First things first – it's pronounced zhaw-KWAY, and like Allen. That will be important, because there's a pretty good chance you'll be saying it a lot this year. He has followed an amazing path to the Bobcat football program. The Virginia Beach, Virginia, product left Virginia Tech after two seasons after the 2016 season and after an initial flirtation with South Carolina he was soon linked to Montana State. A Brooklyn native, Alleyne confesses that he knew nothing of the state of Montana, and just a little about MSU football, when he decided this was his path. He spent a year dealing with transfer and eligibility issues, working his way through the required credits at Gallatin College before enrolling at Montana State and joining the Bobcats this summer. He brings range and athleticism to the team's secondary, and fits in well in a group of defensive backs that includes players from California, Utah and Montana. Montana State's exceptional play-by-play man Jay Sanderson calls Alleyne confident and humble, noting the rare combination, and as usual he nails it. Even after just a couple months in the program talk about his leadership and work ethic, and he's set to bring his long journey to a close in Bobcat Stadium on Thursday night.
Spotlight – Joel Fuller: One of the most highly-decorated prep players in Montana in the first decade of the 21st century, Joel Fuller made an impact early enough at MSU that he forced his way into the lineup as a true freshman. He joined the starting lineup in 2010, and helped lead the Bobcats to a Big Sky title. He became a full-time starter in 2011, tying for a team-high eight pass breakups, and a season later he reeled in First Team All-Big Sky honors. His first career interception came against Sacramento State as a senior, and on the Hornets' final drive it helped MSU seal the victory. Fuller had a tremendous four seasons with the Bobcats, and was a key member of Bobcat defenses that won three straight Big Sky titles.
Chronology: Ray Ball (1927), Gilbert McFarland (1930), Herbert Dowell (1930), Robert Long (1931), George Misevic (1934), Troy Domier (1982), Brian Wilson (1983), Tony Moore (1984-86), Brett Davis (1987), Jay Judy (1988-89), Dereck Didrikson (1990), Ernie Boyd (1991-92), Danny Jefferson (1993-94), Mike Colston (1995-96), Marc Lubick (1997-99), James Farley (2000), Lawrence Letuli (2001-02), Eddie Sullivan (2003-04), Marcosus LeBlanc (2005-06), DeAndre Green (2007-08), Kruiz Siewing (2009), Joel Fuller (2009-12), Dakota Prukop (2012-15), Rob Marshall (2013-14), Braelen Evans (2015-17), Edward Vander (2017), Mekhi Metcalf (2018-)
Other #5 Notes: It's easy to overlook Dakota Prukop when discussing Montana State's recent of run of quarterback brilliance. He started a year later than his contemporaries and left a year earlier, but the lists below attest to his greatness. When your company is Travis Lulay, DeNarius McGhee, Kelly Bradley and Rob Compson… that's Bobcat royalty right there.
PASSING EFFICIENCY
1. 164.77 Dakota Prukop, 2014
2. 157.70 Dakota Prukop, 2015
3. 153.75 DeNarius McGhee, 2010
4. 147.53 DeNarius McGhee, 2011
5. 147.30 Rob Compson, 1998
PASSING YARDS PER GAME, SEASON
1. 319.8 Kelly Bradley, 1984 (includes playoffs)
2. 316.8 Travis Lulay, 2004
3. 300.2 Kelly Bradley, 1985
4. 275.0 Dakota Prukop, 2015
5. 263.6 DeNarius McGhee, 2010
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, SEASON
1. .660 DeNarius McGhee, 2012
1. .660 DeNarius McGhee, 2013
3. .650 Dakota Prukop, 2014
4. .628 Dakota Prukop, 2015
5. .627 DeNarius McGhee, 2010
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS PER GAME, SEASON
1. 350.5 Travis Lulay, 2004
2. 347.5 Dakota Prukop, 2015
3. 314.1 Kelly Bradley, 1984 (11 regular season games)
4. 320.5 Dakota Prukop, 2014
5. 294.5 Travis Lulay, 2005
All Bruce, All the Time: Those who know the BBTN staff knows its affinity for Bruce Springsteen and the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, hard-rockin', booty-shaking, , earth-quaking, love-making, Viagara-taking, justifying, death-defying, legendary E Street Band. So in honor of the 43rd anniversary of the release of Born to Run, which is today…
THUNDER ROAD: Montana State's road season starts in a thunderous way this season, with a trip to South Dakota State's Dana J. Dyksterhouse Stadium. The Jackrabbits are 13-2 there since it opened. The Bobcats finish in Washington-Grizzly Stadium, where the Grizzlies own a 199-30 mark. Here is Montana State's record in each of the road venues it visits this season: Dyksterhouse Stadium in Brookings – 0-0, Hillsboro Stadium near Portland – 0-0, Stewart Stadium in Ogden – 15-12, Holt Arena in Pocatello – 13-9, Washington-Grizzly Stadium – 4-13. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE OUT: This is the important part: On E Street we love the Big Man, and great football teams love what Mike Kramer called Big Man Month (November). In Montana State's six conference championship seasons of the 21st century, the Cats are 14-3 in regular season games played in November. In the other 10 seasons, the team is 14-18. NIGHT: Montana State's entire season's worth of night games will happen in the season's first nine days. The Cats open with the Gold Rush game against Western Illinois at 7 pm in Bobcat Stadium, and next MSU travels to South Dakota State for a 6 pm CT/5 pm MT kickoff. Every other Bobcat game kicks off in the afternoon. BACKSTREETS: Remember, Kagy Boulevard is closed on game day in Bozeman. If you're coming from the east, you'll have to take – wait for it – the backstreets. Grant Street through campus works the best. BORN TO RUN: Montana State led the Big Sky in rushing last year. Cal Poly, who is generally at the top of the league's rushing rankings, visits Bobcat Stadium on November 3. It could be a quick game. SHE'S THE ONE: When you said what you want to say, and you know the way you want to play, yeah, you'll be so high you'll be flying. MEETING ACROSS THE RIVER: Montana State makes its trip across the Clark Fork River on November 17 when the Bobcats face the Grizzlies for the 118th time. Bucking history in a serious way, MSU has won three of its last four games there after losing its first eight. And all we gotta do is hold up our end… JUNGLELAND: The Bobcats' visit Holt Arena for the second time in three years on October 27,a rare occurrence in the modern Big Sky Conference, and ride a five-game winning streak in that venerable venue. The Cats look to make their stand down in Jungleland.
Happy Birthday Born to Run!
#5
Mekhi Metcalf, WR: You want football bloodlines? Mekhi (pronounced muh-KY) brings some bloodlines to MSU football. His grandfather Terry starred at Long Beach State (1971-73, narrowly missing a 49ers trip to Great Falls to play the Cats in 1971, when he was likely redshirting) and with the St. Louis football Cardinals (1973-77), and his father Eric played at Texas and with seven NFL teams in a 14-year professional career. While Eric and Terry (5-10) were both known for elusiveness, Mekhi comes to MSU as a lanky 6-4 receiver who caught 78 passes for 1,038 yards at Seattle Garfield High for former Bobcat star Joey Thomas. Sometimes the key to getting your chance is just showing up every day, and Mekhi Metcalf did that in August. He will likely get his shot on Thursday night.
Jahque Alleyne, S: First things first – it's pronounced zhaw-KWAY, and like Allen. That will be important, because there's a pretty good chance you'll be saying it a lot this year. He has followed an amazing path to the Bobcat football program. The Virginia Beach, Virginia, product left Virginia Tech after two seasons after the 2016 season and after an initial flirtation with South Carolina he was soon linked to Montana State. A Brooklyn native, Alleyne confesses that he knew nothing of the state of Montana, and just a little about MSU football, when he decided this was his path. He spent a year dealing with transfer and eligibility issues, working his way through the required credits at Gallatin College before enrolling at Montana State and joining the Bobcats this summer. He brings range and athleticism to the team's secondary, and fits in well in a group of defensive backs that includes players from California, Utah and Montana. Montana State's exceptional play-by-play man Jay Sanderson calls Alleyne confident and humble, noting the rare combination, and as usual he nails it. Even after just a couple months in the program talk about his leadership and work ethic, and he's set to bring his long journey to a close in Bobcat Stadium on Thursday night.
Spotlight – Joel Fuller: One of the most highly-decorated prep players in Montana in the first decade of the 21st century, Joel Fuller made an impact early enough at MSU that he forced his way into the lineup as a true freshman. He joined the starting lineup in 2010, and helped lead the Bobcats to a Big Sky title. He became a full-time starter in 2011, tying for a team-high eight pass breakups, and a season later he reeled in First Team All-Big Sky honors. His first career interception came against Sacramento State as a senior, and on the Hornets' final drive it helped MSU seal the victory. Fuller had a tremendous four seasons with the Bobcats, and was a key member of Bobcat defenses that won three straight Big Sky titles.
Chronology: Ray Ball (1927), Gilbert McFarland (1930), Herbert Dowell (1930), Robert Long (1931), George Misevic (1934), Troy Domier (1982), Brian Wilson (1983), Tony Moore (1984-86), Brett Davis (1987), Jay Judy (1988-89), Dereck Didrikson (1990), Ernie Boyd (1991-92), Danny Jefferson (1993-94), Mike Colston (1995-96), Marc Lubick (1997-99), James Farley (2000), Lawrence Letuli (2001-02), Eddie Sullivan (2003-04), Marcosus LeBlanc (2005-06), DeAndre Green (2007-08), Kruiz Siewing (2009), Joel Fuller (2009-12), Dakota Prukop (2012-15), Rob Marshall (2013-14), Braelen Evans (2015-17), Edward Vander (2017), Mekhi Metcalf (2018-)
Other #5 Notes: It's easy to overlook Dakota Prukop when discussing Montana State's recent of run of quarterback brilliance. He started a year later than his contemporaries and left a year earlier, but the lists below attest to his greatness. When your company is Travis Lulay, DeNarius McGhee, Kelly Bradley and Rob Compson… that's Bobcat royalty right there.
PASSING EFFICIENCY
1. 164.77 Dakota Prukop, 2014
2. 157.70 Dakota Prukop, 2015
3. 153.75 DeNarius McGhee, 2010
4. 147.53 DeNarius McGhee, 2011
5. 147.30 Rob Compson, 1998
PASSING YARDS PER GAME, SEASON
1. 319.8 Kelly Bradley, 1984 (includes playoffs)
2. 316.8 Travis Lulay, 2004
3. 300.2 Kelly Bradley, 1985
4. 275.0 Dakota Prukop, 2015
5. 263.6 DeNarius McGhee, 2010
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, SEASON
1. .660 DeNarius McGhee, 2012
1. .660 DeNarius McGhee, 2013
3. .650 Dakota Prukop, 2014
4. .628 Dakota Prukop, 2015
5. .627 DeNarius McGhee, 2010
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS PER GAME, SEASON
1. 350.5 Travis Lulay, 2004
2. 347.5 Dakota Prukop, 2015
3. 314.1 Kelly Bradley, 1984 (11 regular season games)
4. 320.5 Dakota Prukop, 2014
5. 294.5 Travis Lulay, 2005
All Bruce, All the Time: Those who know the BBTN staff knows its affinity for Bruce Springsteen and the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, hard-rockin', booty-shaking, , earth-quaking, love-making, Viagara-taking, justifying, death-defying, legendary E Street Band. So in honor of the 43rd anniversary of the release of Born to Run, which is today…
THUNDER ROAD: Montana State's road season starts in a thunderous way this season, with a trip to South Dakota State's Dana J. Dyksterhouse Stadium. The Jackrabbits are 13-2 there since it opened. The Bobcats finish in Washington-Grizzly Stadium, where the Grizzlies own a 199-30 mark. Here is Montana State's record in each of the road venues it visits this season: Dyksterhouse Stadium in Brookings – 0-0, Hillsboro Stadium near Portland – 0-0, Stewart Stadium in Ogden – 15-12, Holt Arena in Pocatello – 13-9, Washington-Grizzly Stadium – 4-13. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE OUT: This is the important part: On E Street we love the Big Man, and great football teams love what Mike Kramer called Big Man Month (November). In Montana State's six conference championship seasons of the 21st century, the Cats are 14-3 in regular season games played in November. In the other 10 seasons, the team is 14-18. NIGHT: Montana State's entire season's worth of night games will happen in the season's first nine days. The Cats open with the Gold Rush game against Western Illinois at 7 pm in Bobcat Stadium, and next MSU travels to South Dakota State for a 6 pm CT/5 pm MT kickoff. Every other Bobcat game kicks off in the afternoon. BACKSTREETS: Remember, Kagy Boulevard is closed on game day in Bozeman. If you're coming from the east, you'll have to take – wait for it – the backstreets. Grant Street through campus works the best. BORN TO RUN: Montana State led the Big Sky in rushing last year. Cal Poly, who is generally at the top of the league's rushing rankings, visits Bobcat Stadium on November 3. It could be a quick game. SHE'S THE ONE: When you said what you want to say, and you know the way you want to play, yeah, you'll be so high you'll be flying. MEETING ACROSS THE RIVER: Montana State makes its trip across the Clark Fork River on November 17 when the Bobcats face the Grizzlies for the 118th time. Bucking history in a serious way, MSU has won three of its last four games there after losing its first eight. And all we gotta do is hold up our end… JUNGLELAND: The Bobcats' visit Holt Arena for the second time in three years on October 27,a rare occurrence in the modern Big Sky Conference, and ride a five-game winning streak in that venerable venue. The Cats look to make their stand down in Jungleland.
Happy Birthday Born to Run!
Players Mentioned
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