BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 86 Days Before Kickoff, a Look at Lance McCutcheon and Other Treasure State Standouts
6/6/2019 2:00:00 PM | Football
Led by a stingy defense the 1958 Bobcats produced a tremendous defense
June 6: 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.
#86
Lance McCutcheon, WR: Many factors have contributed to Montana State's rise as a football program in the last 18 years, but one of the more interesting might be a simultaneous uptick in the fortunes of the program right down 11th Street. Players have been matriculating up the hill the hill from Bozeman High and before that Gallatin High since the 19th century, but a quick count tells us that this year's Blue and Gold squad contains seven former Hawks. Lance McCutcheon enters the season as a second-year starter while the other six – LB Jory Choate, RB Joe Olson, LB Callahan O'Reilly, OL Justus Perkins, WR Logan Kleinhans, and TE Ryan Lonergan – are either beginning or early in their Bobcat careers. For a quick comparison, during Cliff Hysell's first six Bobcat rosters featured just 10 hometown players. TE Chad Mayer and LB Brian Pepper turned in all-conference careers, while Chris Ogle, Kasy Harte and Steve Salo also logged time as starters. Just last year, LBs Grant Collins and Balue Chapman and WR John D'Agostino each started at least once for their hometown Bobcats. For his part, McCutcheon has provided both stability and big-play ability to the MSU receiving corps. He caught three passes for 128 yards in 2017, including a 64-yard touchdown and a 59-yarder. Last fall he played in all 13 games, catching 15 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown. He enters his junior season as a presumptive starter. Among Bozeman High products, McCutcheon's 325 career receiving yards are second in Bobcat history, behind Chad Mayer's 374 and but ahead of Jay Groepper's 299.
86 – That was the point total the Cats surrendered in 1958. Bobcat Athletics, and the Montana State football team in particular, was in sort of a weird limbo between 1957 and 1962. The Cats played as an independent after leaving the Rocky Mountain Conference, waiting for a suitable league situation to present itself. That didn't greatly affect what happened on the ground, as teams continued to compete and players played and fans cheered. It was mostly business as usual. From a distance of a half-century or more, though, we can see both the benefit of being in a conference (MSU helped form the Big Sky in 1963) and the detriment of playing as an independent. That was Montana State's status from 1957-62. In any other year since 1917, a season such as 1958 may have ended in conference championship and commensurate individual honors. The only Bobcat loss in that 8-1 season was a 16-6 decision at Cal Poly in a late-season game. That loss could have cost the team another shot at a bowl game and possible national title. One week later the Cats rebounded to beat the Grizzlies 20-6. MSU surrendered more than 10 points in only two games other than Cal Poly, beating North Dakota State 33-20 and St. Ambrose 39-18. Montana State produced five All-Americas that season, including Bobcat Hall of Famers Sonny Holland and Charlie Jackson. Without the context of a conference and from the distance of more than 60 years it's a little harder to analyze that sensational season, but the 1958 Bobcats are certainly worthy of recognition.
Chronology: Bill Mack (1956), Brad Lowell (1957-59), Bert Emery (1960), Archie Warwick (1961-63), Dave Pawlowski (1965), Dennis Muhlbeier (1966-67), Gary Gustafson (1968-70), Randy Martinson (1971), Gary Fetveit (1972), Brad Daws (1973-75), Les Sherrill (1976), Tom Fox (1977-80), Joe Bignell (1981-84), Terry Duncan (1985), Okey Ezeonu (1986-87), Scott McFarland (1988-90), Pat Gulick (1991-95), Travis Hille (1996), Matt Neumann (1997), Scott Turnquist (2000-03), Nick Parker (2004-05), Joe Roberts (2006-07), DeSean Thomas (2008), Tanner Bleskin (2009-13), Keon Stephens (2015-16), Lance McCutcheon (2017-)
Other 86 Notes: A substantial amount of Treasure State star power has worn #86 in the Blue and Gold, beginning with Gary Gustafson. A legitimate star who moved across the mountains and up the valley from Ennis, Gustafson earned All-Big Sky honors twice and All-America plaudits as a senior. Bozeman's Brad Daws wore #86 as a Bobcat All-America in the early '70s (with his son Dusty wearing 96 while earning national honors a generation later). Joe Bignell (Deer Lodge) was an All-America that helped lead MSU to the 1984 National Championship, Pat Gulick (Whitefish) was a terrific player as a tight end in the early '90s, Scott Turnquist (Billings) was a sensational receiver on the 2002 and '03 Big Sky championship teams, and Tanner Bleskin (Great Falls) was one of the program's most productive receivers ever. Bozeman High grad Lance McCutcheon has certainly added to that luster.
#86
Lance McCutcheon, WR: Many factors have contributed to Montana State's rise as a football program in the last 18 years, but one of the more interesting might be a simultaneous uptick in the fortunes of the program right down 11th Street. Players have been matriculating up the hill the hill from Bozeman High and before that Gallatin High since the 19th century, but a quick count tells us that this year's Blue and Gold squad contains seven former Hawks. Lance McCutcheon enters the season as a second-year starter while the other six – LB Jory Choate, RB Joe Olson, LB Callahan O'Reilly, OL Justus Perkins, WR Logan Kleinhans, and TE Ryan Lonergan – are either beginning or early in their Bobcat careers. For a quick comparison, during Cliff Hysell's first six Bobcat rosters featured just 10 hometown players. TE Chad Mayer and LB Brian Pepper turned in all-conference careers, while Chris Ogle, Kasy Harte and Steve Salo also logged time as starters. Just last year, LBs Grant Collins and Balue Chapman and WR John D'Agostino each started at least once for their hometown Bobcats. For his part, McCutcheon has provided both stability and big-play ability to the MSU receiving corps. He caught three passes for 128 yards in 2017, including a 64-yard touchdown and a 59-yarder. Last fall he played in all 13 games, catching 15 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown. He enters his junior season as a presumptive starter. Among Bozeman High products, McCutcheon's 325 career receiving yards are second in Bobcat history, behind Chad Mayer's 374 and but ahead of Jay Groepper's 299.
86 – That was the point total the Cats surrendered in 1958. Bobcat Athletics, and the Montana State football team in particular, was in sort of a weird limbo between 1957 and 1962. The Cats played as an independent after leaving the Rocky Mountain Conference, waiting for a suitable league situation to present itself. That didn't greatly affect what happened on the ground, as teams continued to compete and players played and fans cheered. It was mostly business as usual. From a distance of a half-century or more, though, we can see both the benefit of being in a conference (MSU helped form the Big Sky in 1963) and the detriment of playing as an independent. That was Montana State's status from 1957-62. In any other year since 1917, a season such as 1958 may have ended in conference championship and commensurate individual honors. The only Bobcat loss in that 8-1 season was a 16-6 decision at Cal Poly in a late-season game. That loss could have cost the team another shot at a bowl game and possible national title. One week later the Cats rebounded to beat the Grizzlies 20-6. MSU surrendered more than 10 points in only two games other than Cal Poly, beating North Dakota State 33-20 and St. Ambrose 39-18. Montana State produced five All-Americas that season, including Bobcat Hall of Famers Sonny Holland and Charlie Jackson. Without the context of a conference and from the distance of more than 60 years it's a little harder to analyze that sensational season, but the 1958 Bobcats are certainly worthy of recognition.
Chronology: Bill Mack (1956), Brad Lowell (1957-59), Bert Emery (1960), Archie Warwick (1961-63), Dave Pawlowski (1965), Dennis Muhlbeier (1966-67), Gary Gustafson (1968-70), Randy Martinson (1971), Gary Fetveit (1972), Brad Daws (1973-75), Les Sherrill (1976), Tom Fox (1977-80), Joe Bignell (1981-84), Terry Duncan (1985), Okey Ezeonu (1986-87), Scott McFarland (1988-90), Pat Gulick (1991-95), Travis Hille (1996), Matt Neumann (1997), Scott Turnquist (2000-03), Nick Parker (2004-05), Joe Roberts (2006-07), DeSean Thomas (2008), Tanner Bleskin (2009-13), Keon Stephens (2015-16), Lance McCutcheon (2017-)
Other 86 Notes: A substantial amount of Treasure State star power has worn #86 in the Blue and Gold, beginning with Gary Gustafson. A legitimate star who moved across the mountains and up the valley from Ennis, Gustafson earned All-Big Sky honors twice and All-America plaudits as a senior. Bozeman's Brad Daws wore #86 as a Bobcat All-America in the early '70s (with his son Dusty wearing 96 while earning national honors a generation later). Joe Bignell (Deer Lodge) was an All-America that helped lead MSU to the 1984 National Championship, Pat Gulick (Whitefish) was a terrific player as a tight end in the early '90s, Scott Turnquist (Billings) was a sensational receiver on the 2002 and '03 Big Sky championship teams, and Tanner Bleskin (Great Falls) was one of the program's most productive receivers ever. Bozeman High grad Lance McCutcheon has certainly added to that luster.
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