BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 53 Days Until Kickoff, and a Look at a Rising Star
7/9/2019 5:01:00 PM | Football
Kyle Finch looks to build on a strong sophomore season
July 9: 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.
#53
Kyle Finch, DL: In the football coaching parlance, Kyle Finch is coming. The strapping 6-4, 240 lb junior from Dillon flashed (more coach-speak) during an impressive sophomore season in 2018, when he played in all 13 games and logged six tackles, 0.5 behind the line of scrimmage. Finch recovered a fumble, and showed a knack for being around the ball. He took a step forward in the spring, and enters this fall as the backup at the Buck linebacker position.
53 – Number of regular season wins as a nationally-ranked team from 2007-15 under head coach Rob Ash
Montana State was nationally-ranked for a huge portion of Rob Ash's nine seasons as the school's head football coach, and won 53 times. Here are the total of wins as a ranked team for Bobcat head coaches since the school joined the ranks of Division I: Sonny Lubick – 7, Dave Arnold – 2, Cliff Hysell – 8, Mike Kramer – 17, Rob Ash – 53, Jeff Choate – 1.
Chronology: Brick Breeden (1926), Jason Preston (1927), Joseph Gaab (1937), Robert Yasger (1953), Bill Salonen (1954), Willie Milliron (1955), Glenn Flatt (1956), Leon Potkay (1971-73), Dan Sebold (1974), Mark DeVore (1975-78), Dale Fink (1979-82), Greg Bennett (1984-85), Shawn Bohannen (1986-87), Chris Duffey (1988), Larry Love (1989), Kerry Pribnow (1990), Dino Sparaco (1992), Jason Sawicki (1993-96), Kyle Ecker (1997), Mike Quast (1999-2002), Peder Jensen (2003-07), Matt Bernard (2008-09), Seth Walton (2010), Matt Davis (2011), Rob Walsh (2012-15), Kyle Finch (2016-)
Bonus Note for #53: The sudden turnaround of Montana State's football program a decade ago may have seemed to many to come from nowhere. In retrospect, it was the simple matter of a talented core of players – assembled in large part by Cliff Hysell, forged by Mike Kramer – growing up together and receiving the exact infusion of talent needed to push it to the top. And Mike Quast was at the heart of that core of talent. Or at least it seemed he was, because he was always the one that seemed to be having the most fun. Quast never earned All-America honors at MSU, but settled into a role as starting guard, with the rest of a talented offensive front coalescing around him in the winless fall of 2000. He and Brent Swaggert led the way, and when Travis Lulay joined the mix in 2002 the Bobcat program jumped to the top of the standings. A powerful player who was nimble and quick for his size, he performed well in all phases of offensive line play, and helped pave the way for running back Ryan Johnson's record-setting career… Bobcat legend Brick Breeden was assigned jersey #53 during the 1926 season, although what game photos that exist from the era don't show obvious signs of including numbers. Known more for his exploits on the hardwood, first as an All-America for the famed Golden Bobcats and later as a long-time MSU basketball coach and administrator, Breeden was a tackle from 1926-28, one of the most successful three-year runs in Montana State's pre-World War II existence. In 1926, Montana State beat Colorado, Wyoming and BYU, and in the first two of those three seasons finished without a loss in the powerful Rocky Mountain Conference. Montana State's 4-0 record wasn't enough to best 5-0 Utah, as the Utes claimed the league title by virtue of having played more games… Jason Preston ran in some pretty fast circles on the Montana State campus in the late 1920s. He was a star football player – the starting center on possibly the school's best pre-World War II team in 1929 – and as a Sigma Chi rubbed elbows with some of the greatest Bobcats ever. His brothers in that fraternity included Frank Ward and his brother Orland, Ashworth Thompson (better known as Cat), and several other commonly known names of the era. As a sturdy member of the football team's front line, Preston helped the Bobcats beat the hated Grizzlies that autumn, the first victory for the Blue and Gold in 25 years. College athletics was nothing then like the proposition it has become. While apparently having no formal connection to Montana State, the physical education major would become the football team's athletic trainer in years to come. Just at the end of the 1947 season, Preston – "a true sportsman" – was killed in a hunting accident. The Montanan called him "a friend and inspiratin to the many athletes who frequented the locker rooms here at State… Montana State lost a fine trainer and the boys in Blue and Gold a solid influence."
#53
Kyle Finch, DL: In the football coaching parlance, Kyle Finch is coming. The strapping 6-4, 240 lb junior from Dillon flashed (more coach-speak) during an impressive sophomore season in 2018, when he played in all 13 games and logged six tackles, 0.5 behind the line of scrimmage. Finch recovered a fumble, and showed a knack for being around the ball. He took a step forward in the spring, and enters this fall as the backup at the Buck linebacker position.
53 – Number of regular season wins as a nationally-ranked team from 2007-15 under head coach Rob Ash
Montana State was nationally-ranked for a huge portion of Rob Ash's nine seasons as the school's head football coach, and won 53 times. Here are the total of wins as a ranked team for Bobcat head coaches since the school joined the ranks of Division I: Sonny Lubick – 7, Dave Arnold – 2, Cliff Hysell – 8, Mike Kramer – 17, Rob Ash – 53, Jeff Choate – 1.
Chronology: Brick Breeden (1926), Jason Preston (1927), Joseph Gaab (1937), Robert Yasger (1953), Bill Salonen (1954), Willie Milliron (1955), Glenn Flatt (1956), Leon Potkay (1971-73), Dan Sebold (1974), Mark DeVore (1975-78), Dale Fink (1979-82), Greg Bennett (1984-85), Shawn Bohannen (1986-87), Chris Duffey (1988), Larry Love (1989), Kerry Pribnow (1990), Dino Sparaco (1992), Jason Sawicki (1993-96), Kyle Ecker (1997), Mike Quast (1999-2002), Peder Jensen (2003-07), Matt Bernard (2008-09), Seth Walton (2010), Matt Davis (2011), Rob Walsh (2012-15), Kyle Finch (2016-)
Bonus Note for #53: The sudden turnaround of Montana State's football program a decade ago may have seemed to many to come from nowhere. In retrospect, it was the simple matter of a talented core of players – assembled in large part by Cliff Hysell, forged by Mike Kramer – growing up together and receiving the exact infusion of talent needed to push it to the top. And Mike Quast was at the heart of that core of talent. Or at least it seemed he was, because he was always the one that seemed to be having the most fun. Quast never earned All-America honors at MSU, but settled into a role as starting guard, with the rest of a talented offensive front coalescing around him in the winless fall of 2000. He and Brent Swaggert led the way, and when Travis Lulay joined the mix in 2002 the Bobcat program jumped to the top of the standings. A powerful player who was nimble and quick for his size, he performed well in all phases of offensive line play, and helped pave the way for running back Ryan Johnson's record-setting career… Bobcat legend Brick Breeden was assigned jersey #53 during the 1926 season, although what game photos that exist from the era don't show obvious signs of including numbers. Known more for his exploits on the hardwood, first as an All-America for the famed Golden Bobcats and later as a long-time MSU basketball coach and administrator, Breeden was a tackle from 1926-28, one of the most successful three-year runs in Montana State's pre-World War II existence. In 1926, Montana State beat Colorado, Wyoming and BYU, and in the first two of those three seasons finished without a loss in the powerful Rocky Mountain Conference. Montana State's 4-0 record wasn't enough to best 5-0 Utah, as the Utes claimed the league title by virtue of having played more games… Jason Preston ran in some pretty fast circles on the Montana State campus in the late 1920s. He was a star football player – the starting center on possibly the school's best pre-World War II team in 1929 – and as a Sigma Chi rubbed elbows with some of the greatest Bobcats ever. His brothers in that fraternity included Frank Ward and his brother Orland, Ashworth Thompson (better known as Cat), and several other commonly known names of the era. As a sturdy member of the football team's front line, Preston helped the Bobcats beat the hated Grizzlies that autumn, the first victory for the Blue and Gold in 25 years. College athletics was nothing then like the proposition it has become. While apparently having no formal connection to Montana State, the physical education major would become the football team's athletic trainer in years to come. Just at the end of the 1947 season, Preston – "a true sportsman" – was killed in a hunting accident. The Montanan called him "a friend and inspiratin to the many athletes who frequented the locker rooms here at State… Montana State lost a fine trainer and the boys in Blue and Gold a solid influence."
Players Mentioned
DL
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