BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 33 Days Until Kickoff!
8/2/2021 2:00:00 PM | Football
A look at the no. 33 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.
#33
Blake Hehl, DL: On his way to Bozeman from his hometown of Huntington Beach, California, defensive lineman Blake Hehl managed to see most of the country. The Orange Lutheran product – more on that later – began his college career at Fullerton College, transferred to Old Dominion in Virginia, and then to Tarleton State in Texas. He arrives in Bozeman as a welcome presence, both in terms of size (6-3, 280) and physicality, in the Bobcat defensive front. Orange Lutheran, by the way, is the prep program that produced a couple of Bobcat stars in the early years of this decade. Justin Domineck rushed for 736 yards and nine touchdowns in 2004, adding 174 yards and a pair of scores in 2005. His former high school teammate Chaz Guinn caught 51 passes for 591 yards and two touchdowns in 2004, with 44 catches, 528 yards and four scores one season later.
Spotlight – Tyler Sharp: When Cliff Hysell became Montana State's head football coach in December, 1991, the program desperately needed an infusion of confidence and, frankly, of pride. Not the kind that results in boasting, but the kind that only a man who had helped build the Cats into a national power as a player (1964-65) and assistant coach (the 1970s). Montana State's defense was on fairly solid footing when Hysell arrived – he inherited four future All-Americas on that side of the ball – but was in need of one element. The Bobcats needed a man in the middle, and Hysell found that in a quiet, rangy junior college linebacker from rural California named Tyler Sharp. At 6-3, 220, Sharp added a physical presence in the middle of MSU's defense, but there wasn't much else about him that popped in terms of physical tools. He moved well without being spectacularly fast, he had a nose for the ball without being a flashy pad-popping tackler, he was just a good, solid football player. And his stats reflect that – he logged 186 tackles in his two seasons, with 12 tackles-for-loss and six sacks. He intercepted four passes and broke up eight others, while causing one fumble and recovering three. Immediately, Montana State's defense took a jump forward, allowing 19.3 points and 233.7 yards a game in 1992. While those numbers jumped to 26.6 points and 405.5 yards a game in 1993, most of that is attributable to MSU's offense scoring more points, quicker, giving opposing offenses the ball more often and and with more urgency. The most recognition Sharp received at MSU was Second Team All-Big Sky honors as a senior, but he was part and parcel in the sea change that resulted in Hysell's ability to lead MSU to four winning seasons in a six-year span.
Spotlight – Shawn Johnson: Shawn Johnson had two of the most dazzling all-purpose seasons in Bobcat history, with the distinction of wearing a different number in each. He exploded for 1,757 combined yards as a junior wearing number 33, and a year later, number 4, piled up 1,478 total yards. In that time he earned some flavor of Big Sky Player of the Week, All-Big Sky and All-America honors as a return specialist and as a running back, and without question had to be accounted for during every snap he was on the field. His electrifying presence on the field belied a shy kid, quiet and earnest, who had overcome incredible adversity during his formative years, in part thanks to the family of USC quarterback Cody Kessler and in large part due to his own ability to persevere. He grew and matured into a confident kid who took the right things seriously during his time at MSU, is currently working toward the process of becoming a law enforcement office in Montana, and this summer welcomed his brother Maleek Barkley to the Bobcat program.
Chronology: Francis Cashmore (1927), Ray Buzzetti (1930), Kenneth Freese (1931), Hugh Paris (1937), Jim Montforten (1940), Wm. Musselman (1941), Dick Ball (1946-48), Bill Leary (1949), Bob Graham (1950), Tom Parac (1953), Ed Conaughton (1954), Glenn Flatt (1955), Jim Landon (1956), Rocco Perciavalle (1958-59), Mark Dasinger (1960-61), Bob Senden (1964-66), Gary Hughes (1968-69), Monte Boston (1970-72), Len Kelly (1973-76), Jeff Muri (1977-79), Mike Shill (1980), Toby Petty (1981-82), David Pandt (1983-85), Pat Dringman (1986), Greg Liebelt (1987-88), Brad Kimball (1990-91), Tyler Sharp (1992-93), Albert Smith (1994), Jarrod Beekley (1996), Travis Hille (1997), Kyle Ecker (1998-2001), Mac Mollohan (2002-05), Brandon Grimsley (2006), Blayde Beckstead (2007-2010), Shawn Johnson (2011-13), Matt Stewart (2014), Jessie Clark (2015-16), Coy Steel (2017-18), Blake Flovin (2019-20), Blake Hehl (2021-)
#33
Blake Hehl, DL: On his way to Bozeman from his hometown of Huntington Beach, California, defensive lineman Blake Hehl managed to see most of the country. The Orange Lutheran product – more on that later – began his college career at Fullerton College, transferred to Old Dominion in Virginia, and then to Tarleton State in Texas. He arrives in Bozeman as a welcome presence, both in terms of size (6-3, 280) and physicality, in the Bobcat defensive front. Orange Lutheran, by the way, is the prep program that produced a couple of Bobcat stars in the early years of this decade. Justin Domineck rushed for 736 yards and nine touchdowns in 2004, adding 174 yards and a pair of scores in 2005. His former high school teammate Chaz Guinn caught 51 passes for 591 yards and two touchdowns in 2004, with 44 catches, 528 yards and four scores one season later.
Spotlight – Tyler Sharp: When Cliff Hysell became Montana State's head football coach in December, 1991, the program desperately needed an infusion of confidence and, frankly, of pride. Not the kind that results in boasting, but the kind that only a man who had helped build the Cats into a national power as a player (1964-65) and assistant coach (the 1970s). Montana State's defense was on fairly solid footing when Hysell arrived – he inherited four future All-Americas on that side of the ball – but was in need of one element. The Bobcats needed a man in the middle, and Hysell found that in a quiet, rangy junior college linebacker from rural California named Tyler Sharp. At 6-3, 220, Sharp added a physical presence in the middle of MSU's defense, but there wasn't much else about him that popped in terms of physical tools. He moved well without being spectacularly fast, he had a nose for the ball without being a flashy pad-popping tackler, he was just a good, solid football player. And his stats reflect that – he logged 186 tackles in his two seasons, with 12 tackles-for-loss and six sacks. He intercepted four passes and broke up eight others, while causing one fumble and recovering three. Immediately, Montana State's defense took a jump forward, allowing 19.3 points and 233.7 yards a game in 1992. While those numbers jumped to 26.6 points and 405.5 yards a game in 1993, most of that is attributable to MSU's offense scoring more points, quicker, giving opposing offenses the ball more often and and with more urgency. The most recognition Sharp received at MSU was Second Team All-Big Sky honors as a senior, but he was part and parcel in the sea change that resulted in Hysell's ability to lead MSU to four winning seasons in a six-year span.
Spotlight – Shawn Johnson: Shawn Johnson had two of the most dazzling all-purpose seasons in Bobcat history, with the distinction of wearing a different number in each. He exploded for 1,757 combined yards as a junior wearing number 33, and a year later, number 4, piled up 1,478 total yards. In that time he earned some flavor of Big Sky Player of the Week, All-Big Sky and All-America honors as a return specialist and as a running back, and without question had to be accounted for during every snap he was on the field. His electrifying presence on the field belied a shy kid, quiet and earnest, who had overcome incredible adversity during his formative years, in part thanks to the family of USC quarterback Cody Kessler and in large part due to his own ability to persevere. He grew and matured into a confident kid who took the right things seriously during his time at MSU, is currently working toward the process of becoming a law enforcement office in Montana, and this summer welcomed his brother Maleek Barkley to the Bobcat program.
Chronology: Francis Cashmore (1927), Ray Buzzetti (1930), Kenneth Freese (1931), Hugh Paris (1937), Jim Montforten (1940), Wm. Musselman (1941), Dick Ball (1946-48), Bill Leary (1949), Bob Graham (1950), Tom Parac (1953), Ed Conaughton (1954), Glenn Flatt (1955), Jim Landon (1956), Rocco Perciavalle (1958-59), Mark Dasinger (1960-61), Bob Senden (1964-66), Gary Hughes (1968-69), Monte Boston (1970-72), Len Kelly (1973-76), Jeff Muri (1977-79), Mike Shill (1980), Toby Petty (1981-82), David Pandt (1983-85), Pat Dringman (1986), Greg Liebelt (1987-88), Brad Kimball (1990-91), Tyler Sharp (1992-93), Albert Smith (1994), Jarrod Beekley (1996), Travis Hille (1997), Kyle Ecker (1998-2001), Mac Mollohan (2002-05), Brandon Grimsley (2006), Blayde Beckstead (2007-2010), Shawn Johnson (2011-13), Matt Stewart (2014), Jessie Clark (2015-16), Coy Steel (2017-18), Blake Flovin (2019-20), Blake Hehl (2021-)
Players Mentioned
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