BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 80 Days Before the 2019 Season Opens We Look at a Famous Punt Return
6/12/2019 2:00:00 PM | Football
Jim Tuss turned the 1965 Cat-Griz game on its head with an 80-yard punt return
June 12: 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.
#80
Treyton Pickering, TE: Anyone wondering about Treyton Pickering's toughness was quickly dissuaded of such notions last fall, when it was discovered that he had played his senior season at Sunburst High with a knee injury that would have ended most anyone's campaign. The athletic tight end is expected to enter the fall healthy and compete for playing time at a wide open position.
80 – Yards covered by Jim Tuss' punt return in the 1965 Cat-Griz game.
Not much went right for the Bobcats in 1965. The defending Big Sky Champions endured crippling a rash of injuries, and in spite of two season-opening wins dropped five straight heading into the Cat-Griz game, and seemed up against it even though UM was enduring a historic low point. Montana had not posted a winning record since 1949, and wouldn't until Jack Swarthout's first team posted a 7-3 mark in 1967. From Montana State's breakout 1954 season until 1980, the 1965 season was the only one in which both of the Treasure State's flagship football programs finished with a losing record, and in such seasons the Cat-Griz game takes on an added dimension. The 1965 showdown turned on two special teams plays. The first came less than two minutes into the game, when Jan Stenerud drilled what was then a national record 59-yard field goal. His east-to-west boot, aided by a tailwind, ended up in what is now the Shroyer parking lot. With the Bobcats leading 10-7 late in the third quarter, Montana's Dewey Allen boomed a 61-yard punt, fielded by Tuss at the Bobcat 20. Behind a great job by future Glendive mayor Jerry Jimison Tuss roared 80 yards for a touchdown that "really broke the Grizzlies' back" Bobcat offensive lineman and future head coach Cliff Hysell told brilliant historian Pat Kearney years later. The Cats added a touchdown to win 24-7. Tuss' return was the first punt return for a touchdown by a Bobcat against the Grizzlies since 1899.
Chronology: Brad Lowell (1956), Del Layman (1957), Bill Townsend (1959), Dan Greer (1960-61), Bob Haines (1962), Doug Boyd (1963-66), Robin Stiff (1967-68), Mike Begley (1969), Hans Pidino (1970), Steve Harris (1971), Ron McCullough (1974-77), Wade Abel )1978), Bill Walker (1979), Ron Torchia (1980), Paul Williamson (1983), Pat Bergman (1984-88), Mark Crews (1990-91), Chris Clark (1992), Clint Bryan (1993), Brent Ludwig (1996), Brian Lutz (1997), Brandon Brooks (1999-2000), Brandon Bassett (2001-02), Kellen Alley (2003-04), Derek Green (2005-08), Jordan Rorich (2009), Tiai Salanoa (2011-14), Curtis Amos (2015-18), Treyton Pickering (2019-)
Bonus Note for #80: Bill Cords caught an 80-yard touchdown pass in MSU's 21-20 win over Fresno State in 1962. It was one of the longest plays by an NCAA member school that season, but was only the third-longest play by the Bobcats – Bill Mulcahy ran a punt back 85 yards for a TD, and quarterback Ken Christison also teamed with Russ Powers for an 80-yard scoring strike… another star tight end, #80 Tiai Salanoa's career at Montana State was nothing short of brilliant. The team captain as a senior in 2014 earned First Team All-Big Sky honors that season after landing second team kudos as a junior. Now a coach at Ventura College in his native southern California, T, as he was known, caught 61 passes for nearly 600 yards during his career, excelling at all the skills his position demanded. But he will always be remembered at MSU for his quick smile, endearing swagger, and a piercing sense of humor… By the time the 1993 season rolled around, Clint Bryan – playing in jersey number 80 for the first time after three seasons in #25 - had been through plenty during his career as a Bobcat. Recruited to MSU in 1989 as a fleet-footed H-back in tailback in Earle Solomonson's veer offense, he quickly nailed down a starter's job at H-back in the hybrid spread approach Bart Andrus brought to Bozeman as Solomonson's offensive coordinator one year later, catching 34 passes. He caught 33 more passes as a junior in 1991, and by that point in his career had amassed 738 receiving yards. A knee injury shelved him in 1992, Cliff Hysell's first season at MSU, but Bryan returned as a receiver in '93. He caught a dozen passes for 265 yards and a TD as a senior during MSU's turnaround 7-4 campaign. Bryan eventually completed his chiropractic degree and returned to the Gallatin Valley, where he maintains a practice in Belgrade.
#80
Treyton Pickering, TE: Anyone wondering about Treyton Pickering's toughness was quickly dissuaded of such notions last fall, when it was discovered that he had played his senior season at Sunburst High with a knee injury that would have ended most anyone's campaign. The athletic tight end is expected to enter the fall healthy and compete for playing time at a wide open position.
80 – Yards covered by Jim Tuss' punt return in the 1965 Cat-Griz game.
Not much went right for the Bobcats in 1965. The defending Big Sky Champions endured crippling a rash of injuries, and in spite of two season-opening wins dropped five straight heading into the Cat-Griz game, and seemed up against it even though UM was enduring a historic low point. Montana had not posted a winning record since 1949, and wouldn't until Jack Swarthout's first team posted a 7-3 mark in 1967. From Montana State's breakout 1954 season until 1980, the 1965 season was the only one in which both of the Treasure State's flagship football programs finished with a losing record, and in such seasons the Cat-Griz game takes on an added dimension. The 1965 showdown turned on two special teams plays. The first came less than two minutes into the game, when Jan Stenerud drilled what was then a national record 59-yard field goal. His east-to-west boot, aided by a tailwind, ended up in what is now the Shroyer parking lot. With the Bobcats leading 10-7 late in the third quarter, Montana's Dewey Allen boomed a 61-yard punt, fielded by Tuss at the Bobcat 20. Behind a great job by future Glendive mayor Jerry Jimison Tuss roared 80 yards for a touchdown that "really broke the Grizzlies' back" Bobcat offensive lineman and future head coach Cliff Hysell told brilliant historian Pat Kearney years later. The Cats added a touchdown to win 24-7. Tuss' return was the first punt return for a touchdown by a Bobcat against the Grizzlies since 1899.
Chronology: Brad Lowell (1956), Del Layman (1957), Bill Townsend (1959), Dan Greer (1960-61), Bob Haines (1962), Doug Boyd (1963-66), Robin Stiff (1967-68), Mike Begley (1969), Hans Pidino (1970), Steve Harris (1971), Ron McCullough (1974-77), Wade Abel )1978), Bill Walker (1979), Ron Torchia (1980), Paul Williamson (1983), Pat Bergman (1984-88), Mark Crews (1990-91), Chris Clark (1992), Clint Bryan (1993), Brent Ludwig (1996), Brian Lutz (1997), Brandon Brooks (1999-2000), Brandon Bassett (2001-02), Kellen Alley (2003-04), Derek Green (2005-08), Jordan Rorich (2009), Tiai Salanoa (2011-14), Curtis Amos (2015-18), Treyton Pickering (2019-)
Bonus Note for #80: Bill Cords caught an 80-yard touchdown pass in MSU's 21-20 win over Fresno State in 1962. It was one of the longest plays by an NCAA member school that season, but was only the third-longest play by the Bobcats – Bill Mulcahy ran a punt back 85 yards for a TD, and quarterback Ken Christison also teamed with Russ Powers for an 80-yard scoring strike… another star tight end, #80 Tiai Salanoa's career at Montana State was nothing short of brilliant. The team captain as a senior in 2014 earned First Team All-Big Sky honors that season after landing second team kudos as a junior. Now a coach at Ventura College in his native southern California, T, as he was known, caught 61 passes for nearly 600 yards during his career, excelling at all the skills his position demanded. But he will always be remembered at MSU for his quick smile, endearing swagger, and a piercing sense of humor… By the time the 1993 season rolled around, Clint Bryan – playing in jersey number 80 for the first time after three seasons in #25 - had been through plenty during his career as a Bobcat. Recruited to MSU in 1989 as a fleet-footed H-back in tailback in Earle Solomonson's veer offense, he quickly nailed down a starter's job at H-back in the hybrid spread approach Bart Andrus brought to Bozeman as Solomonson's offensive coordinator one year later, catching 34 passes. He caught 33 more passes as a junior in 1991, and by that point in his career had amassed 738 receiving yards. A knee injury shelved him in 1992, Cliff Hysell's first season at MSU, but Bryan returned as a receiver in '93. He caught a dozen passes for 265 yards and a TD as a senior during MSU's turnaround 7-4 campaign. Bryan eventually completed his chiropractic degree and returned to the Gallatin Valley, where he maintains a practice in Belgrade.
Players Mentioned
TE
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