BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 55 Days til Kickoff, and That's How Many Passes Kevin Kassis Caught in 2018
7/7/2019 3:00:00 PM | Football
Tua Areta arrives as a young defensive lineman who hopes to contribute in 2019
July 7: 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.
#55
Faleatua Areta, DL: Tua Areta arrives this fall as a big, strong defensive tackle in a Bobcat program which has played true freshmen at that position through the years. Areta brings not only great size (6-3 and well over 300 lbs), but also agility and athleticism. The Bobcats welcome experience and athleticism to the D-lines interior this season, but no one present possesses the gap-plugging size of Areta. He will get a long look during fall camp.
55 – Catches for Kevin Kassis in 2018
On its surface, Kevin Kassis' receptions total is not jaw-dropping. He accomplished that in 13 games, and his 4.2 catches-per-game was 0.3 from the league's top 10. But viewed through another lens it was a very strong season for the junior leader of Montana State's pass-catching corps. It was the highest total by a Bobcat since Tanner Bleskin's 64 catches in 2013. More impressively, it was the highest total by a Bobcat not catching passes from DeNarius McGhee since Michael Jefferson's 66 catches in 2006. It also accounted for a tick more than one-third of all catches made by a Bobcat in 2018 (33.7%), and his three touchdown catches stand out in a season in which the Cats threw only eight touchdown passes.
Chronology: Ed Ritt (1954-55), Bob Allen (1960), Dick Vollmer (1961), Dave Kenworthy (1963-64), Dan Duff (1965-67), Jerry McCormick (1968), Walt Kelly (1969-71), Joe Johnson (1972-74), Bill Hansen (1975-77), Larry Rubens (1978), John Janosko (1979), Brent Mackie (1980), Robb Fellows (1981-84), Rick Hilder (1985-86), Andy Holmlund (1987), Jon Skelton (1988-90), Tim Hanson (1991-93), Brawn Lausen (1994-95), Quinn Taylor (1996), Max Seppi (1997), Charles Joe (1999), Bo Espinoza (2000-01), Travis Nellermoe (2003-04), Michael Rogers (2005), Josh Peterson (2006-07), Andrew Verlanic (2008), Shonquille Dorsey (2009-10), John Weidenaar (2012-15), Dylan Mahoney (2016-17), Bryce Barker (2018), Tua Areta (2019-)
Bonus for #55: John Weidenaar didn't travel far to become a Bobcat, coming to MSU from his family's potato farm in the Amsterdam-Manhattan area, but he traveled light years once arriving at MSU. Weidenaar set a Bobcat record by starting all 49 games in his career, earning All-America honors as a senior.
#55
Faleatua Areta, DL: Tua Areta arrives this fall as a big, strong defensive tackle in a Bobcat program which has played true freshmen at that position through the years. Areta brings not only great size (6-3 and well over 300 lbs), but also agility and athleticism. The Bobcats welcome experience and athleticism to the D-lines interior this season, but no one present possesses the gap-plugging size of Areta. He will get a long look during fall camp.
55 – Catches for Kevin Kassis in 2018
On its surface, Kevin Kassis' receptions total is not jaw-dropping. He accomplished that in 13 games, and his 4.2 catches-per-game was 0.3 from the league's top 10. But viewed through another lens it was a very strong season for the junior leader of Montana State's pass-catching corps. It was the highest total by a Bobcat since Tanner Bleskin's 64 catches in 2013. More impressively, it was the highest total by a Bobcat not catching passes from DeNarius McGhee since Michael Jefferson's 66 catches in 2006. It also accounted for a tick more than one-third of all catches made by a Bobcat in 2018 (33.7%), and his three touchdown catches stand out in a season in which the Cats threw only eight touchdown passes.
Chronology: Ed Ritt (1954-55), Bob Allen (1960), Dick Vollmer (1961), Dave Kenworthy (1963-64), Dan Duff (1965-67), Jerry McCormick (1968), Walt Kelly (1969-71), Joe Johnson (1972-74), Bill Hansen (1975-77), Larry Rubens (1978), John Janosko (1979), Brent Mackie (1980), Robb Fellows (1981-84), Rick Hilder (1985-86), Andy Holmlund (1987), Jon Skelton (1988-90), Tim Hanson (1991-93), Brawn Lausen (1994-95), Quinn Taylor (1996), Max Seppi (1997), Charles Joe (1999), Bo Espinoza (2000-01), Travis Nellermoe (2003-04), Michael Rogers (2005), Josh Peterson (2006-07), Andrew Verlanic (2008), Shonquille Dorsey (2009-10), John Weidenaar (2012-15), Dylan Mahoney (2016-17), Bryce Barker (2018), Tua Areta (2019-)
Bonus for #55: John Weidenaar didn't travel far to become a Bobcat, coming to MSU from his family's potato farm in the Amsterdam-Manhattan area, but he traveled light years once arriving at MSU. Weidenaar set a Bobcat record by starting all 49 games in his career, earning All-America honors as a senior.
Players Mentioned
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