In the month of September the Cats had some up and downs. Lets start with the ups. The Cats beat the University of Monmouth 48-24. That was a good way to start off the season. In that game the defense was outstanding. Craig Ashworth got a 57 yard pic-6 in the second quarter. Everyone on defense played good. They all got to the ball, made good plays, got lots of tackles and made the plays that needed to be made. I have to give Monmouth some credit; they could have played a little better in the 1st half. They played a lot better in the second half. For a Division 2 school they gave the Cats a run for their money. They completed more passes, got more yards, and made some big plays.

Next up was the Texas twister; is what I like to call it, the Southern Methodist University game. With an 11 hour fight delay and the Cats not getting to their hotel rooms until 3:00 in the morning   we played amazing against such a great and talented team. We also had some troubles and some valuable losses. Lets start with the game. McGhee got off to a fast start, made a lot of good passes and scrambled when he needed to. The wide receivers looked focused, caught a lot of great throws, and made a lot of big plays to get the game going. Cody Kirk ran the ball good, and made the plays coach Ash wanted him to make. I talked to coach Ash last season and he said all they want to keep moving the drive is a 6 yard pass and a 4 yard run. Now getting to SMU they played a shaky first half, they had trouble throwing the ball, their quarterback Garret Gilbert made good passes that the wide receivers could not take advantage of. Then comes the second half the Cats have the big lead coming in and bang – Garret Gilbert made the passes he needed to and scrambled when he had open room. That turned from a blowout to one of the best games I’ve ever seen. That game ended in a 31-30 win for Southern Methodist University. The Cats led until the last 12 seconds. They played good against a Division 1 powerhouse school.

Then comes the injury report; Denarius McGhee out for 3-7 weeks with a separated shoulder to his throwing arm. I asked coach Ash for the best case scenario: if rehab goes well, shoulder heals well when will we see McGhee’s return to the field? He said “McGhee will miss 6 weeks most, under 5 would be a gift”. Also on the injured report is Tanner Roderick with a broken hand; out for 4-6 weeks. That’s a big loss, he keeps the offense together and is a great receiver.

So the big question is who will fill McGhee’s spot? That man is #2 Jake Bleskin. Bleskin’s first start as a red shirt Sophomore he played in the Colorado Mesa game. Man did he have a great start, he threw 305 yards with 2 TD’s. Ran for 18 yards and was sacked only 2 times, and 96 of his passing yards were to Tanner Bleskin his brother. I really liked the announcer saying “pass from Bleskin to Bleskin”, it had a nice ring to it. Jake played outstanding. One of the best college football starts in NCAA history I think.

Jake and Jack

The defense helped out a lot against Colorado Mesa with an interception by Cole Moore and a pic-6 by Alex Singleton in the first quarter. The Bobcats led after the 1st quarter 11-0 after a field goal and a touchdown with a 2pt conversion. Then a 1 TD quarter in the 2nd had half time 19-0 with a Montana State lead. On that drive they also went for a 2pt conversion. This season the Cats have been running some trick plays on 2pt conversions, punts and field goals. The Cats ended up winning the game vs Colorado Mesa 26-0. Not a bad way to start for backup QB Jake Bleskin.

The next big question is will Jake be ready for a bigger challenge vs Stephen F. Austin? Also an away game, I think he will. SFA is a very good college football team. It will be a different challenge in this game. I will call the score 31-17 Montana State. I predict that it will be close in the first half, then with some second half adjustment, I call the Cats run away with it. It should be a great game, I can’t wait to see if Jake Bleskin can make a run this season until McGhee’s return. [Final score SFA 52 MSU 38]

D Narius

After SFA we will start Big Sky Conference play. We will play North Dakota on the road to start a Big Sky run. The Cats beat ND last year 55-10. That game they didn’t play top shape. [After print and before the start of this game, seeing that McGhee was suited up Jack predicted an MSU win,35-31] This game I think they will, I’m going to call a North Dakota win with the score 35-31 North Dakota. I call North Dakota doing what they have to do; complete passes, run the ball when they need to, and make some good plays. Jake will play good, complete passes get those 5-6 yard scrambles and make great plays with his offense. If the Cats play an outstanding defensive day they can turn my prediction around. I hope they do, but right now I call North Dakota 35 Montana State 31, in a good game all the way through. [Final score MSU 63 UND 20]

Up next Homecoming vs Northern Arizona. Now that’s going to be a tough tough match. They had one of the best seasons last year in the Big Sky Conference. It ended their season with a loss to make the playoffs and cost them the Big Sky Conference title. With starting quarterback Chase Cartwright, man is he GOOD! When he’s on the field you don’t know what’s going to happen. He can throw the ball where the ball needs to go. The receivers are always focused. Their defense always tries to get the ball and put their offense back on the field as soon as possible. Jake Bleskin taking over for McGhee, man he showed us he meant business in the Colorado Mesa game on September 14. He is a great quarterback and very talented, I will call him bringing the Cats to a win vs Northern Arizona 28-26. Yep, a close game all the way through. It may even come down to the last play of the game. I can’t wait for homecoming, the Cats next home game. That one kicks off on October 5th at 2:05pm. Everybody route on the Cats, get ready for another successful season for the Montana State Bobcats.

Jack Thorsen is a 12 year old 7th grader at Sacajawea Middle School. Find him at every home Bobcat game, on the field or in the press box.