BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 91 Days Before Kickoff, and No. 91 has been the Home of Some Bobcat Stars
6/6/2020 3:00:00 PM | Football
Michael Jobman reaches his senior season in 2020 as an underrated star for the Cats
June 6: 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 2020 football season against Long Island in Bobcat Stadium's annual Gold Rush game on September 5.
#91
Michael Jobman, LB: A member of Jeff Choate's first full recruiting class, Michael Jobman was a working prototype of Jeff Choate's kind of defensive player. He possesses good length, has some savvy, and demonstrates what Choate calls 'positional versatility.' Jobman has benefited from more than his share of on-the-job-training as a Bobcat, playing on the edge as a Buck end early in his career before moving to inside linebacker. He's played a lot of football, in the coaching vernacular. He enters 2020 in competition for starting honors in the middle of the Bobcat defense, but his best attribute is also one Choate values the most – he's a tough guy who goes about his business quietly and thoughtfully, with intensity and focus. Whatever role Jobman finds himself in this season, he will be a cornerstone of the Montana State defense.
91 – Combined points by Portland State (56) and Montana State (35), the most in Bobcat history to that point in which each team scored (Utah beat the Bobcats 97-0 in 1911) and the final game of Sonny Holland's head coaching career. Future NFL star Neil Lomax threw for 469 yards and six touchdowns that day to lead the Vikings, with no one catching more than one TD pass. Butch Damberger's two touchdown catches helped the Cats build a 27-12 lead before PSU scored 44 straight points, which included an interception returned for a touchdown. That high-scoring game full of passes and other pyrotechnics marked the most points allowed in Sonny Holland's brilliant career as Montana State's head coach.
Chronology: Tex Sikora (1982-85), Kevin Wolf (1986-88), Mark Sims (1989-93), Aaron Nava (1996), Nathan Schmidt (1999), Roger Cooper (2000-04), Joe Schreibeis (2005-09), Odin Coe (2011-12), Robert Wilcox (2013-15), Michael Jobman (2016-)
Other 91 Notes: For a jersey number that only 10 Bobcats have worn, the list of players that have worn 91 in the Blue and Gold is impressive. Tex Sikora (in 1982) became the first Bobcat regular on record to don #91, and he held it down capably during the team's run to the 1984 National Championship. Since then Mark Sims spanned the Solomonson and Hysell eras as a solid defensive end, Roger Cooper (above) wore it as well as any Bobcat has worn any number, and Joe Schreibeis was a team captain and productive tight end, although Odin Coe hadn't yet blossomed into an outstanding defensive end before transitioning to number 11. Roger Cooper didn't just chase ball carriers. The Port Orchard, Washington, product didn't just sack opposing quarterbacks. He hunted them. He stalked them. Cooper pursued opponents the way a lion preys on wildebeest on the plains of the Serengeti. His spectacular, All-America career featured 46 tackles-for-loss, still the seventh-most in Bobcat history, and 13 sacks. He caused three fumbles, recovered four, and intercepted three passes. Cooper was a three-time All-Big Sky performer, and earned league defensive MVP honors as a senior. Presently an assistant coach at Idaho State, Cooper was inducted into the Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame three years ago.
#91
Michael Jobman, LB: A member of Jeff Choate's first full recruiting class, Michael Jobman was a working prototype of Jeff Choate's kind of defensive player. He possesses good length, has some savvy, and demonstrates what Choate calls 'positional versatility.' Jobman has benefited from more than his share of on-the-job-training as a Bobcat, playing on the edge as a Buck end early in his career before moving to inside linebacker. He's played a lot of football, in the coaching vernacular. He enters 2020 in competition for starting honors in the middle of the Bobcat defense, but his best attribute is also one Choate values the most – he's a tough guy who goes about his business quietly and thoughtfully, with intensity and focus. Whatever role Jobman finds himself in this season, he will be a cornerstone of the Montana State defense.
91 – Combined points by Portland State (56) and Montana State (35), the most in Bobcat history to that point in which each team scored (Utah beat the Bobcats 97-0 in 1911) and the final game of Sonny Holland's head coaching career. Future NFL star Neil Lomax threw for 469 yards and six touchdowns that day to lead the Vikings, with no one catching more than one TD pass. Butch Damberger's two touchdown catches helped the Cats build a 27-12 lead before PSU scored 44 straight points, which included an interception returned for a touchdown. That high-scoring game full of passes and other pyrotechnics marked the most points allowed in Sonny Holland's brilliant career as Montana State's head coach.
Chronology: Tex Sikora (1982-85), Kevin Wolf (1986-88), Mark Sims (1989-93), Aaron Nava (1996), Nathan Schmidt (1999), Roger Cooper (2000-04), Joe Schreibeis (2005-09), Odin Coe (2011-12), Robert Wilcox (2013-15), Michael Jobman (2016-)
Other 91 Notes: For a jersey number that only 10 Bobcats have worn, the list of players that have worn 91 in the Blue and Gold is impressive. Tex Sikora (in 1982) became the first Bobcat regular on record to don #91, and he held it down capably during the team's run to the 1984 National Championship. Since then Mark Sims spanned the Solomonson and Hysell eras as a solid defensive end, Roger Cooper (above) wore it as well as any Bobcat has worn any number, and Joe Schreibeis was a team captain and productive tight end, although Odin Coe hadn't yet blossomed into an outstanding defensive end before transitioning to number 11. Roger Cooper didn't just chase ball carriers. The Port Orchard, Washington, product didn't just sack opposing quarterbacks. He hunted them. He stalked them. Cooper pursued opponents the way a lion preys on wildebeest on the plains of the Serengeti. His spectacular, All-America career featured 46 tackles-for-loss, still the seventh-most in Bobcat history, and 13 sacks. He caused three fumbles, recovered four, and intercepted three passes. Cooper was a three-time All-Big Sky performer, and earned league defensive MVP honors as a senior. Presently an assistant coach at Idaho State, Cooper was inducted into the Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame three years ago.
Players Mentioned
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