BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 65 Days Until Kickoff!
7/1/2021 2:10:00 PM | Football
A look at the No. 65 in Bobcat Football history...
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 2021 football season at Wyoming on September 4.
#65
Justus Perkins, OL: A legacy Bobcat, Justus Perkins missed a segment of spring practices with an injury but coupled a positive start with a strong finish to enter the fall in competition for playing time at center. At no point in his football career has Perkins wowed coaches with his physical stature, but his productivity has been eye-popping. He is expected to challenge for playing time this season.
Spotlight – John Close: Spokane has historically been strong recruiting territory for Montana State University – not just for athletic programs, but university-wide – but never was that more evident than in the 1970s. John Close was among the many talented players that left three football programs of a similar scope to become Bobcats, arriving from Lewi & Clark High School in the fall of 1975 and immediately impacting the program. A sprinter in high school, Close was a productive defensive end who moved into the starting lineup late in his freshman season and never really left. That he played on teams that finished as low as third in the Big Sky only once in his Bobcat career shouldn't have been surprising, as Close played on title-winning football and basketball teams as a prep star, but he was an important piece of the puzzle on MSU's 1976 National Championship team.
65 Yards: That was the length of Logan Jones' longest pass reception as a Bobcat, a touchdown from Chris Murray at Sacramento State in 2016. But if you're thinking that's the entire list of Jones' big plays in the Blue and Gold… you might want to grab a seat:
100-yard kickoff return at Portland State in 2015
87-yard touchdown run at Western Illinois in 2019
73-yard kickoff return at Montana in 2017
57-yard touchdown run at Northern Colorado in 2019
55-yard touchdown catch against Southeast Missouri in 2019
53-yard kickoff return against Eastern Washington in 2016
51-yard kickoff return against UAlbany in the 2019 FCS Playoffs
13-yard* touchdown run at Montana in 2017
*-This was not his longest run of 2017, but it was his most important because it was the winning score in the Miracle in Missoula
Chronology: Rex Workman (1957), Steve Sobonya (1959-61), Jerry Ross (1964), Wayne Purdom (1965-66), Frank Kalfoss (1967-69), Curt Brandon (1970), Greg Maurer (1971-74), John Close (1975-78), John Blackman (1979-82), Jeff Gorski (1983-84), Jamie Smith (1985), Bryan Ratzburg (1986-89), Jeff Brickert (1990), Cory Brye (1991-93), Mike McGrath (1994), Jon Eckberg (1995), Harold Powers (1998), Matt Horlacher (1999), Mataio Toilolo (2000-03), Adam Brockway (2004-05), Tim Garcia (2006-10), Christian Williams (2012-13), Doug Hanson (2014-15), Patrick Carroll (2016), Brody McKnight (2017-18), Justus Perkins (2019-).
Other #65 Notes: Hang around a college football program long enough and things start to run together a little bit. But some images remain forever. For some, the vision of an injured offensive lineman cranking his legs on the stationary bike at halftime of the school's first playoff game in nearly two decades will never fade. The first the thought was that Mataio Toilolo, who suffered an injury in the championship-clinching win in Missoula the week before, was just keeping warm. Except, it was noted, he had shoulder pads on. Sure enough, when the Bobcat offense entered the field in the second half, Toilolo was at center. Injuries and inexperience had thinned the ranks and MSU was without an effective pivot man. With Toilolo snapping in the second half MSU fought the good fight, but dropped a narrow 21-14 decision. Toilolo started for three excellent Bobcat offensive units, most at his natural guard position.
#65
Justus Perkins, OL: A legacy Bobcat, Justus Perkins missed a segment of spring practices with an injury but coupled a positive start with a strong finish to enter the fall in competition for playing time at center. At no point in his football career has Perkins wowed coaches with his physical stature, but his productivity has been eye-popping. He is expected to challenge for playing time this season.
Spotlight – John Close: Spokane has historically been strong recruiting territory for Montana State University – not just for athletic programs, but university-wide – but never was that more evident than in the 1970s. John Close was among the many talented players that left three football programs of a similar scope to become Bobcats, arriving from Lewi & Clark High School in the fall of 1975 and immediately impacting the program. A sprinter in high school, Close was a productive defensive end who moved into the starting lineup late in his freshman season and never really left. That he played on teams that finished as low as third in the Big Sky only once in his Bobcat career shouldn't have been surprising, as Close played on title-winning football and basketball teams as a prep star, but he was an important piece of the puzzle on MSU's 1976 National Championship team.
65 Yards: That was the length of Logan Jones' longest pass reception as a Bobcat, a touchdown from Chris Murray at Sacramento State in 2016. But if you're thinking that's the entire list of Jones' big plays in the Blue and Gold… you might want to grab a seat:
100-yard kickoff return at Portland State in 2015
87-yard touchdown run at Western Illinois in 2019
73-yard kickoff return at Montana in 2017
57-yard touchdown run at Northern Colorado in 2019
55-yard touchdown catch against Southeast Missouri in 2019
53-yard kickoff return against Eastern Washington in 2016
51-yard kickoff return against UAlbany in the 2019 FCS Playoffs
13-yard* touchdown run at Montana in 2017
*-This was not his longest run of 2017, but it was his most important because it was the winning score in the Miracle in Missoula
Chronology: Rex Workman (1957), Steve Sobonya (1959-61), Jerry Ross (1964), Wayne Purdom (1965-66), Frank Kalfoss (1967-69), Curt Brandon (1970), Greg Maurer (1971-74), John Close (1975-78), John Blackman (1979-82), Jeff Gorski (1983-84), Jamie Smith (1985), Bryan Ratzburg (1986-89), Jeff Brickert (1990), Cory Brye (1991-93), Mike McGrath (1994), Jon Eckberg (1995), Harold Powers (1998), Matt Horlacher (1999), Mataio Toilolo (2000-03), Adam Brockway (2004-05), Tim Garcia (2006-10), Christian Williams (2012-13), Doug Hanson (2014-15), Patrick Carroll (2016), Brody McKnight (2017-18), Justus Perkins (2019-).
Other #65 Notes: Hang around a college football program long enough and things start to run together a little bit. But some images remain forever. For some, the vision of an injured offensive lineman cranking his legs on the stationary bike at halftime of the school's first playoff game in nearly two decades will never fade. The first the thought was that Mataio Toilolo, who suffered an injury in the championship-clinching win in Missoula the week before, was just keeping warm. Except, it was noted, he had shoulder pads on. Sure enough, when the Bobcat offense entered the field in the second half, Toilolo was at center. Injuries and inexperience had thinned the ranks and MSU was without an effective pivot man. With Toilolo snapping in the second half MSU fought the good fight, but dropped a narrow 21-14 decision. Toilolo started for three excellent Bobcat offensive units, most at his natural guard position.
Players Mentioned
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