BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: Bobcat Fans Feel Lucky When Examining Jersey No. 13
8/18/2019 8:00:00 AM | Football
Dakota Prukop averaged just over 13 yards a carry in his first Bobcat home game
August 18: 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.
#13
Karl Tucker II, RB: It's easy to appreciate star football players, and it's fun to be around players who are characters, cut-ups, comedians. All types have their place in a successful college program. But over time one comes to really appreciate the quiet kids, intelligent, funny in their own way but mostly keeping their nose to the mill and working hard to get better, to help the team, to do the right things. Karl Tucker II keeps a foot in the first two areas by resides in the third, a veteran who has had a positive impact on Bobcat football throughout his career in many ways, not always on the field and not always in ways easily measured. But when his team has needed him he's been ready. Tucker, as usual, rose to the occasion last November in Missoula. Tucker rushed just once for 11 yards against the Grizzlies last year. He didn't catch a pass, and didn't make a tackle. But boy was his one moment a big one. With daylight waning and the third quarter winding down, the Bobcats continued to run uphill. Trailing 22-0 at one point, a Troy Andersen touchdown right before halftime got the Cats on the board, and neither team would score in the third quarter. But late in that period the Cats had it cooking. Troy Andersen completed a 23-yard pass to Logan Jones, then ran for 20 more yards on his own. On the last play of the third period, Tucker ran left, cut upfield, and gained 11 yards. That play pushed the Bobcats to the Grizzly five yard-line, and pushed the game into the fourth quarter. When the fourth quarter opened Isaiah Ifanse bulled his way to the one, and Andersen scored one play later. Many things had to go right for the Bobcats to capture that glorious, improbable win. Many players had to contribute. As certain as anything, Karl Tucker did. He enters his senior season among a talented pod of running backs, all of whom will play some role for the Bobcats in 2019.
Ty'Rese Gibson, CB: Ty'Rese Gibson enters 2019 as a redshirt freshman, playing in just one game last season. Like his brother Ty'Rhae he possesses good length for his position and a willingness to play the tough, physical football, that is not always common at cornerback. He could provide a positive impact in a deep secondary and on kick teams this season.
13(.5) – Yards per carry for Dakota Prukop vs. Black Hills State in 2014
Dakota Prukop set a school record in his first home game, traipsing up and down the field against outmatched Black Hills State in a 57-10 Bobcat win. The scintillating sophomore quarterback gained 176 yards on 13 carries, ushering in a dazzling two years. Combining with offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey, Prukop operated an amazing offensive machine for two years, setting all kinds of records for points and yards. It was really unlike anything Bobcat football has ever experienced, a high-octane quarterback-driven offense geared to use the quarterback run game to spur passing brilliance while taking advantage of Prukop's fleet feet. He parlayed those two years to an opportunity to play at Oregon in 2016, his senior season, which gave rise to an early opportunity for another speed signal caller, Chris Murray.
Chronology: Arthur Olson (1927), William Anderson (1930), Fred Mills (1930), Herbert Dowell (1931), Bob O'Brien (1934), Cliff Norris (1937), Kelly Sherwin (1983-87), Craig Vest (1988), Antonio Anderson (1989), Brandon Page (1990), Shannon Collins (1991), Mark Grimmer (1992), Jeff Alexander (1993-97), Arie Grey (1998-00), Junior Adams (2001-02), Kory Austin (2003-07), Darius Jones (2009-12), Mitch Griebel (2013-15), Karl Tucker II (2016-), Ty'Rese Gibson (2018-)
Other #13 Notes: It is hard to imagine a jersey number randomly generating a longer stretch of really good players than #13 has at Montana State. For a quarter-century, since Jeff Alexander first pulled that number over the shoulder pads the Cats have fielded an all-conference caliber player. He and Arie Grey were both all-league gype guys, Junior Adams was an All-America, Kory Austin was a terrific player, Darius Jones was all-conference and at the same time underrated, Mitch Griebel was all-league caliber, and Karl Tucker has that ability, and early returns on Ty'Rese Gibson are positive. That's a pretty impressive run of talented dudes… The story circulated, possibly apocryphal but probably not, that a young freshman was disinterested at the beginning of his redshirt season to the point of falling asleep in team meetings. The resolution was the promote Darius Jones to the active roster early in September, and Jones responded by breaking up four passes and recovering a fumble. He jumped into the starting lineup late that season and never left. He was Second Team All-Big Sky twice, and intercepted four passes his senior season. He picked off a pass that boosted MSU to the win over New Hampshire in 2011. He finished with five career picks, it's not a stretch to say he was one of Montana State's most talented corners in at least the last quarter-century, and he was a pleasure to have in the program.
#13
Karl Tucker II, RB: It's easy to appreciate star football players, and it's fun to be around players who are characters, cut-ups, comedians. All types have their place in a successful college program. But over time one comes to really appreciate the quiet kids, intelligent, funny in their own way but mostly keeping their nose to the mill and working hard to get better, to help the team, to do the right things. Karl Tucker II keeps a foot in the first two areas by resides in the third, a veteran who has had a positive impact on Bobcat football throughout his career in many ways, not always on the field and not always in ways easily measured. But when his team has needed him he's been ready. Tucker, as usual, rose to the occasion last November in Missoula. Tucker rushed just once for 11 yards against the Grizzlies last year. He didn't catch a pass, and didn't make a tackle. But boy was his one moment a big one. With daylight waning and the third quarter winding down, the Bobcats continued to run uphill. Trailing 22-0 at one point, a Troy Andersen touchdown right before halftime got the Cats on the board, and neither team would score in the third quarter. But late in that period the Cats had it cooking. Troy Andersen completed a 23-yard pass to Logan Jones, then ran for 20 more yards on his own. On the last play of the third period, Tucker ran left, cut upfield, and gained 11 yards. That play pushed the Bobcats to the Grizzly five yard-line, and pushed the game into the fourth quarter. When the fourth quarter opened Isaiah Ifanse bulled his way to the one, and Andersen scored one play later. Many things had to go right for the Bobcats to capture that glorious, improbable win. Many players had to contribute. As certain as anything, Karl Tucker did. He enters his senior season among a talented pod of running backs, all of whom will play some role for the Bobcats in 2019.
Ty'Rese Gibson, CB: Ty'Rese Gibson enters 2019 as a redshirt freshman, playing in just one game last season. Like his brother Ty'Rhae he possesses good length for his position and a willingness to play the tough, physical football, that is not always common at cornerback. He could provide a positive impact in a deep secondary and on kick teams this season.
13(.5) – Yards per carry for Dakota Prukop vs. Black Hills State in 2014
Dakota Prukop set a school record in his first home game, traipsing up and down the field against outmatched Black Hills State in a 57-10 Bobcat win. The scintillating sophomore quarterback gained 176 yards on 13 carries, ushering in a dazzling two years. Combining with offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey, Prukop operated an amazing offensive machine for two years, setting all kinds of records for points and yards. It was really unlike anything Bobcat football has ever experienced, a high-octane quarterback-driven offense geared to use the quarterback run game to spur passing brilliance while taking advantage of Prukop's fleet feet. He parlayed those two years to an opportunity to play at Oregon in 2016, his senior season, which gave rise to an early opportunity for another speed signal caller, Chris Murray.
Chronology: Arthur Olson (1927), William Anderson (1930), Fred Mills (1930), Herbert Dowell (1931), Bob O'Brien (1934), Cliff Norris (1937), Kelly Sherwin (1983-87), Craig Vest (1988), Antonio Anderson (1989), Brandon Page (1990), Shannon Collins (1991), Mark Grimmer (1992), Jeff Alexander (1993-97), Arie Grey (1998-00), Junior Adams (2001-02), Kory Austin (2003-07), Darius Jones (2009-12), Mitch Griebel (2013-15), Karl Tucker II (2016-), Ty'Rese Gibson (2018-)
Other #13 Notes: It is hard to imagine a jersey number randomly generating a longer stretch of really good players than #13 has at Montana State. For a quarter-century, since Jeff Alexander first pulled that number over the shoulder pads the Cats have fielded an all-conference caliber player. He and Arie Grey were both all-league gype guys, Junior Adams was an All-America, Kory Austin was a terrific player, Darius Jones was all-conference and at the same time underrated, Mitch Griebel was all-league caliber, and Karl Tucker has that ability, and early returns on Ty'Rese Gibson are positive. That's a pretty impressive run of talented dudes… The story circulated, possibly apocryphal but probably not, that a young freshman was disinterested at the beginning of his redshirt season to the point of falling asleep in team meetings. The resolution was the promote Darius Jones to the active roster early in September, and Jones responded by breaking up four passes and recovering a fumble. He jumped into the starting lineup late that season and never left. He was Second Team All-Big Sky twice, and intercepted four passes his senior season. He picked off a pass that boosted MSU to the win over New Hampshire in 2011. He finished with five career picks, it's not a stretch to say he was one of Montana State's most talented corners in at least the last quarter-century, and he was a pleasure to have in the program.
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