BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: Only 17 Days to Wait!
8/14/2019 8:00:00 AM | Football
Today we look back at the 17 100-yard rushing games of Ryan Johnson
August 14: 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.
#17
Jaden Smith, WR: A lanky, athletic receiver who has impressed in preseason camp with his skill and athleticism, Jaden Smith played on three straight district championship teams at Kennedale (Texas) High School. Was a first team all-district choice as a junior and senior, and also starred in hoops.
Tadan Gilman, LB: As a redshirt freshman last fall Tadan Gilman flashed in scrimmage situations and emerged as a reliable special teams player. He is part of a crowded linebacker situation – he is a reserve Sam 'backer at the season's outset – but his savvy and physicality gives him an opportunity. The Bobcats have a great lineage of linebackers from Kalispell, and Gilman has a bird's eye view of the latest, Josh Hill. He is expected to be the next Flathead area playmaker in the middle of the MSU defense.
17 – Career 100-yard rushing games by Ryan Johnson
The most prolific running back in Montana State's modern football history (since the blocking rules changed in the late '70s), there are so many things to admire about Ryan Johnson. The MSU-record 3,646 career rushing yards, the program record 790 career carries, the Academic All-America of the Year selection in 2001. One of the underrated records Johnson snagged along the way was a school-best 17 career 100-yard rushing games. The Fort Collins, Colorado product saved his most impactful 100-yard game for the end, punctuating his career by battering the Grizzlies for 132 yards in the legendary 10-7 win in Washington-Grizzly Stadium in 2002. Mike Kramer said Johnson's relentless pounding of UM's defense took the opponents' will that day, and he may have been correct. A Bobcat Athletics Hall of Famer, Johnson's legacy will remain part of Montana State football lore forever.
Chronology: Earl Bartsch (1926), Fred Mills (1931), Garvin Jacobsen (1934), Jack Otten (1937), George Wallis (1941), Benjamin Auck (1946-47), Don Grabow (1948-50), Tom Hoff (1953-54), Harry Hyatt (1955), Jack Helmann (1956), Loren Sax (1957), Kevin Chandler (1982), Derrick Abell (1983-84), Randy Chatman (1985), Terry Duncan (1986), Jim Dowse (1987), Steve Fried (1988), Steve Markovich (1989-92), Mike Henneberg (1993-94), Louis Peters (1995-96), Errol Rice (1997-99), Ryan Wilcox (2000), Jesse Wegner (2001), Kellen Alley (2002), Jesse Wegner (2003), Shane Schantz (2004), Tramaine Murray (2005), Jordan Rasmussen (2006-07), Byron Campbell (2008), Cody Davies (2009), Sean Gords (2010-12), Kellen Kollmorgen (2013), Chad Newell (2013-16), Jacob Byrne (2017), Tadan Gilman (2017-), Jaden Smith (2019-)
Other #17 Notes: Through the years, when Loren Sax heard the old coaching meme that college football players didn't lose their jobs due to injuries, he probably shuddered. The starting quarterback on Montana State's brilliant 1956 National Championship football squad, Sax had the Cats clicking early on. Montana State won the three games he started, scoring at least 30 in the three tilts away from Bozeman. But he was injured in the third game, opening the door for Dave Alt and what would become a Hall of Fame Montana State career. Sax never regained the starting role full-time. A marvelous all-around athlete, he came to Montana State to play hoops after starring for Sidney's basketball powerhouse program. He was the Montana State's sixth man as a freshman in 1954-55 and averaged 4.2 points in a similar role the next season before transitioning to football. After graduating from Montana State in 1958 Sax entered the military, serving as a second lieutenant in the Army from 1958-60. He later worked in the oil industry before returning to his hometown as a business owner. Sax passed away in 1999… It wasn't exactly a coming out party. It wasn't exactly a statement game, and it certainly didn't end up as a happy afternoon in Bobcat Stadium. But as far as brilliant, gutty individual performances go, Chad Newell's battering-ram act on a frigid November afternoon in 2014 remains pretty amazing. Newell rushed for 111 yards on 24 carries, and matched a Bobcat record by scoring five touchdowns. That his performance was overshadowed by SDSU's Zach Zenner rambling for 252 yards and four scores, and that the Jackrabbits beat the Cats 47-40, don't dim the brilliance of Newell's day or his career. The former walk-on from Billings remains 10th in school history with 2,111 career rushing yards, and his 29 career touchdowns rushing stands tied for second with the great Iron Tumbleweed Don Hass. Newell slashed through opposing defenses for four seasons, relying on strength and determination more than speed. But he could make people miss, and ran away from more than a few people, and his ability to overcome a devastating high school injury and excel as a Division I student-athlete – he earned his engineering degree from MSU and works in that capacity in California currently – is certainly a hallmark of Bobcat Athletics.
#17
Jaden Smith, WR: A lanky, athletic receiver who has impressed in preseason camp with his skill and athleticism, Jaden Smith played on three straight district championship teams at Kennedale (Texas) High School. Was a first team all-district choice as a junior and senior, and also starred in hoops.
Tadan Gilman, LB: As a redshirt freshman last fall Tadan Gilman flashed in scrimmage situations and emerged as a reliable special teams player. He is part of a crowded linebacker situation – he is a reserve Sam 'backer at the season's outset – but his savvy and physicality gives him an opportunity. The Bobcats have a great lineage of linebackers from Kalispell, and Gilman has a bird's eye view of the latest, Josh Hill. He is expected to be the next Flathead area playmaker in the middle of the MSU defense.
17 – Career 100-yard rushing games by Ryan Johnson
The most prolific running back in Montana State's modern football history (since the blocking rules changed in the late '70s), there are so many things to admire about Ryan Johnson. The MSU-record 3,646 career rushing yards, the program record 790 career carries, the Academic All-America of the Year selection in 2001. One of the underrated records Johnson snagged along the way was a school-best 17 career 100-yard rushing games. The Fort Collins, Colorado product saved his most impactful 100-yard game for the end, punctuating his career by battering the Grizzlies for 132 yards in the legendary 10-7 win in Washington-Grizzly Stadium in 2002. Mike Kramer said Johnson's relentless pounding of UM's defense took the opponents' will that day, and he may have been correct. A Bobcat Athletics Hall of Famer, Johnson's legacy will remain part of Montana State football lore forever.
Chronology: Earl Bartsch (1926), Fred Mills (1931), Garvin Jacobsen (1934), Jack Otten (1937), George Wallis (1941), Benjamin Auck (1946-47), Don Grabow (1948-50), Tom Hoff (1953-54), Harry Hyatt (1955), Jack Helmann (1956), Loren Sax (1957), Kevin Chandler (1982), Derrick Abell (1983-84), Randy Chatman (1985), Terry Duncan (1986), Jim Dowse (1987), Steve Fried (1988), Steve Markovich (1989-92), Mike Henneberg (1993-94), Louis Peters (1995-96), Errol Rice (1997-99), Ryan Wilcox (2000), Jesse Wegner (2001), Kellen Alley (2002), Jesse Wegner (2003), Shane Schantz (2004), Tramaine Murray (2005), Jordan Rasmussen (2006-07), Byron Campbell (2008), Cody Davies (2009), Sean Gords (2010-12), Kellen Kollmorgen (2013), Chad Newell (2013-16), Jacob Byrne (2017), Tadan Gilman (2017-), Jaden Smith (2019-)
Other #17 Notes: Through the years, when Loren Sax heard the old coaching meme that college football players didn't lose their jobs due to injuries, he probably shuddered. The starting quarterback on Montana State's brilliant 1956 National Championship football squad, Sax had the Cats clicking early on. Montana State won the three games he started, scoring at least 30 in the three tilts away from Bozeman. But he was injured in the third game, opening the door for Dave Alt and what would become a Hall of Fame Montana State career. Sax never regained the starting role full-time. A marvelous all-around athlete, he came to Montana State to play hoops after starring for Sidney's basketball powerhouse program. He was the Montana State's sixth man as a freshman in 1954-55 and averaged 4.2 points in a similar role the next season before transitioning to football. After graduating from Montana State in 1958 Sax entered the military, serving as a second lieutenant in the Army from 1958-60. He later worked in the oil industry before returning to his hometown as a business owner. Sax passed away in 1999… It wasn't exactly a coming out party. It wasn't exactly a statement game, and it certainly didn't end up as a happy afternoon in Bobcat Stadium. But as far as brilliant, gutty individual performances go, Chad Newell's battering-ram act on a frigid November afternoon in 2014 remains pretty amazing. Newell rushed for 111 yards on 24 carries, and matched a Bobcat record by scoring five touchdowns. That his performance was overshadowed by SDSU's Zach Zenner rambling for 252 yards and four scores, and that the Jackrabbits beat the Cats 47-40, don't dim the brilliance of Newell's day or his career. The former walk-on from Billings remains 10th in school history with 2,111 career rushing yards, and his 29 career touchdowns rushing stands tied for second with the great Iron Tumbleweed Don Hass. Newell slashed through opposing defenses for four seasons, relying on strength and determination more than speed. But he could make people miss, and ran away from more than a few people, and his ability to overcome a devastating high school injury and excel as a Division I student-athlete – he earned his engineering degree from MSU and works in that capacity in California currently – is certainly a hallmark of Bobcat Athletics.
Players Mentioned
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