BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 61 Days Until Kickoff, and a 61-yard Rushing Effort from 1932
7/1/2019 3:00:00 PM | Football
Ray Buzzetti helped push the Bobcats past UM in 1932
July 1: In addition to a quick look at players wearing the jersey number corresponding to the number of days remaining until Montana State's season opener at Texas Tech on August 31, Bobcats by the Numbers brings you another tidbit or two aligning with that number.
#61
Jake Sessions, OL: A raw-boned young offensive lineman, Jake Sessions was able to contribute last fall when opportunity presented itself. He played in four games, and acquitted himself well. He is 6-5, 280, and while he projects as an interior lineman he brings the versatility to move outside, as well. The Colstrip product enters this fall as a junior.
61 – Rushing yards by Ray Buzzetti in Montana State's 1932 win over the Grizzlies.
The 1932 football season began with the normal amount of optimism at Montana State, but the undersized Bobcats lost three of their first four games and tied Idaho State at home. The Exponent (October 18, 1932) headline after the team's loss at Wyoming summarized the 0-3-1 start, and the team's physical makeup: "FLEET BOBCATS OUTPLAY GIANT WYOMING GRIDDERS, Outweighed 10 Pounds to a Man, Midget Montana Staters Lose Game 7-13 But Keep Cowboy's (sic) Homecoming Crowd of 5,000 Worried." That same edition proclaimed of the Grizzlies, "Ancient Rival of M.S.C. Has Best Team in Years." So the Cats faced tall odds in the fall of 1932, looking for their second win against the University since 1908. Right out of the gates the Grizzlies scored on a 93-yard interception return, the longest scoring play to that point in series history. Halfback Juel Edwards speared Montana State's first scoring drive with runs of 22 and 10 yards, and Ray Buzzetti plunged one yard for the score. George Parke's kick tied the game at 7-7. The Bobcats turned away a UM drive with a stand inside the 10-yard line to open the second half, and after an exchange of punts did so again at the MSC 20. A UM fumble on a Bobcat punt set the Cats up at the Grizzly 36-yard line. Buzzzetti ran for 20 yards, and Edwards finished the drive with a one-yard scoring run to give Montana State a 13-7 lead. Again in the fourth quarter Montana drove deep into Bobcat territory, and again the Cats held, this time at the Bobcat 17. Buzzetti's 20-yard touchdown run finished the scoring and iced the Bobcat win. That victory, and later wins over Montana Tech and Carroll, gave MSC the mythical State Championship, which was still a big deal in the 1930s.
Chronology: Cal Lorah (1956), Cecil Kent (1957), Arjay Godston (1958-59), Bill Townsend (1960-61), Joe Sutey (1963-64), Buddy Lee (1965), Jay Kosik (1966-67), Rod Purdom (1968), Phil O'Meara (1969), Allen Bone (1970), Brent Spomer (1971), Rod Anardi (1972-73), Jon Kienberger (1974), Mark Allison (1975), Dan Ueland (1976), Derek Wunsch (1977), Scott Sax (1978-80), Brad Garrett (1982), Bob Culliton (1983-85), Fred Roybal (1986), Matt Christensen (1987), Mark Woodcock (1988-91), Ryan Springer (1992), Brian Nell (1993), Blake Reiger (1994-95), Chet Teske (1996), Bill Wilson (1997-98), Cody Van Horn (1999), Jason Richardson (2000-01), Patrick Farraf (2003), Jim Verlanic (2004-08), Alex Terrien (2009-11), Steven Foster (2012), Richard Hageman (2013), Byron Rollins (2015), Jake Sessions (2016-)
#61 Notes: Every great college football program relies on bloodlines. Bloodlines bring generations of families to games, and that can be witnessed in the Bobcat Stadium parking lot before every MSU home game. Bloodlines bring different branches of families together, and you can experience that many times during the year, including on booster-related trips through the state in the spring and summer. And once in a great while, bloodlines lead sons to follow in their fathers' footsteps, to wear the same uniform only with different logos and different shades of colors. Bloodlines brought Jim Verlanic – and his sister Jacqueline, a former standout thrower on the Bobcat track and field team a couple of years later – to Montana State. And like his father Ken before him (and his uncle Mike Tocher), a dogged work ethic led Jim first into the offensive line rotation, then into the starting lineup, and eventually to the point where he was elected captain by his teammates. Jim Verlanic started twice as a redshirt freshman during MSU's Big Sky title season of 2005, started four games as a sophomore, including MSU's first home playoff win since 1984, and was the team's center for all 11 games as a junior in 2007. An injury shelved him for four games as a senior, but he started the other eight, and finished his career as one of the shining examples of a football player rising to the level of scholar-athlete. Jim Verlanic was MSU's Dr. Hayden Ferguson Award winner for academic excellence, was a CoSIDA Academic All-Region VII selection, was an FCS/ADA All-Scholar selection, and was inducted into the National Football Foundation's Hampshire Honor Society. And for all that, Bobcat fans remain drawn to Jim Verlanic and players like him because of bloodlines. Because like the Verlanics and so many other Bobcat families – and like MSU President Waded Cruzado likes to say – Blue and Gold runs through their veins.
#61
Jake Sessions, OL: A raw-boned young offensive lineman, Jake Sessions was able to contribute last fall when opportunity presented itself. He played in four games, and acquitted himself well. He is 6-5, 280, and while he projects as an interior lineman he brings the versatility to move outside, as well. The Colstrip product enters this fall as a junior.
61 – Rushing yards by Ray Buzzetti in Montana State's 1932 win over the Grizzlies.
The 1932 football season began with the normal amount of optimism at Montana State, but the undersized Bobcats lost three of their first four games and tied Idaho State at home. The Exponent (October 18, 1932) headline after the team's loss at Wyoming summarized the 0-3-1 start, and the team's physical makeup: "FLEET BOBCATS OUTPLAY GIANT WYOMING GRIDDERS, Outweighed 10 Pounds to a Man, Midget Montana Staters Lose Game 7-13 But Keep Cowboy's (sic) Homecoming Crowd of 5,000 Worried." That same edition proclaimed of the Grizzlies, "Ancient Rival of M.S.C. Has Best Team in Years." So the Cats faced tall odds in the fall of 1932, looking for their second win against the University since 1908. Right out of the gates the Grizzlies scored on a 93-yard interception return, the longest scoring play to that point in series history. Halfback Juel Edwards speared Montana State's first scoring drive with runs of 22 and 10 yards, and Ray Buzzetti plunged one yard for the score. George Parke's kick tied the game at 7-7. The Bobcats turned away a UM drive with a stand inside the 10-yard line to open the second half, and after an exchange of punts did so again at the MSC 20. A UM fumble on a Bobcat punt set the Cats up at the Grizzly 36-yard line. Buzzzetti ran for 20 yards, and Edwards finished the drive with a one-yard scoring run to give Montana State a 13-7 lead. Again in the fourth quarter Montana drove deep into Bobcat territory, and again the Cats held, this time at the Bobcat 17. Buzzetti's 20-yard touchdown run finished the scoring and iced the Bobcat win. That victory, and later wins over Montana Tech and Carroll, gave MSC the mythical State Championship, which was still a big deal in the 1930s.
Chronology: Cal Lorah (1956), Cecil Kent (1957), Arjay Godston (1958-59), Bill Townsend (1960-61), Joe Sutey (1963-64), Buddy Lee (1965), Jay Kosik (1966-67), Rod Purdom (1968), Phil O'Meara (1969), Allen Bone (1970), Brent Spomer (1971), Rod Anardi (1972-73), Jon Kienberger (1974), Mark Allison (1975), Dan Ueland (1976), Derek Wunsch (1977), Scott Sax (1978-80), Brad Garrett (1982), Bob Culliton (1983-85), Fred Roybal (1986), Matt Christensen (1987), Mark Woodcock (1988-91), Ryan Springer (1992), Brian Nell (1993), Blake Reiger (1994-95), Chet Teske (1996), Bill Wilson (1997-98), Cody Van Horn (1999), Jason Richardson (2000-01), Patrick Farraf (2003), Jim Verlanic (2004-08), Alex Terrien (2009-11), Steven Foster (2012), Richard Hageman (2013), Byron Rollins (2015), Jake Sessions (2016-)
#61 Notes: Every great college football program relies on bloodlines. Bloodlines bring generations of families to games, and that can be witnessed in the Bobcat Stadium parking lot before every MSU home game. Bloodlines bring different branches of families together, and you can experience that many times during the year, including on booster-related trips through the state in the spring and summer. And once in a great while, bloodlines lead sons to follow in their fathers' footsteps, to wear the same uniform only with different logos and different shades of colors. Bloodlines brought Jim Verlanic – and his sister Jacqueline, a former standout thrower on the Bobcat track and field team a couple of years later – to Montana State. And like his father Ken before him (and his uncle Mike Tocher), a dogged work ethic led Jim first into the offensive line rotation, then into the starting lineup, and eventually to the point where he was elected captain by his teammates. Jim Verlanic started twice as a redshirt freshman during MSU's Big Sky title season of 2005, started four games as a sophomore, including MSU's first home playoff win since 1984, and was the team's center for all 11 games as a junior in 2007. An injury shelved him for four games as a senior, but he started the other eight, and finished his career as one of the shining examples of a football player rising to the level of scholar-athlete. Jim Verlanic was MSU's Dr. Hayden Ferguson Award winner for academic excellence, was a CoSIDA Academic All-Region VII selection, was an FCS/ADA All-Scholar selection, and was inducted into the National Football Foundation's Hampshire Honor Society. And for all that, Bobcat fans remain drawn to Jim Verlanic and players like him because of bloodlines. Because like the Verlanics and so many other Bobcat families – and like MSU President Waded Cruzado likes to say – Blue and Gold runs through their veins.
Players Mentioned
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