Jack Thorsen: Well first of all congratulations on you’re win over Weber State and becoming a member of the 10,000 yard club.

Denarius McGhee: Thank you, I appreciate that.

JT: How does that rank on your list of achievements at Montana State?

DM: You know; as many people know I really don’t focus on records or anything like that because I know if you win then those things will take care of itself. But I mean it’s an honor to be in that Club I guess, but we have a lot of games to win, we have a lot ahead of us this year.

JT: Going back to the second game of the season you suffered a near season ending shoulder injury how did that effect you emotionally?

DM: You know it wasn’t a good situation because I thought I had put in a lot of hard work over the summer, but sometimes you don’t have control, well you don’t have control over injuries at all. It was on a freak play at the end of the game, went down, separated my shoulder, my AC joint, but I was able to come back after two games so that was a blessing.

JT: What was it like to be on the sideline for those two games?

DM: You know the first game it wasn’t too bad because we were winning and we were doing very well, but the second game was kind of tough when we went down a little bit and I couldn’t get out on the field and help. Whenever you get injured you have to support the team and do whatever you can to support the guy that’s playing.

JT: What do you contribute to your speedy recovery?

DM: Oohh, a lot of rehab and there’s these oils that I use in order to come back as well as a lot of icing and working with Rob.

JT: You got the unexpected start against North Dakota, reports said you were expected to be out 3-7 weeks, was it too early to return to the game?

DM: No, I don’t think it was too early at all. We were able to get up 42-7 and I was able to sit for the rest of that game. Therefore I think I came back at the perfect time and I was ready to play. If you are able to play then I think you should always play and not just hold it back because you think you may get injured.

JT: Starting that game at North Dakota were you nervous that you might get hurt and be out the rest of your Senior year?

DM: No, not at all. I knew going in; I talked to my dad, I discussed it with my dad a lot, as well as my uncle and I talked to the coaches about it. I knew if I could throw the Dallas ball, the deep over the top ball, the three ball, then I could play and I was able to do that without any pain, therefore we decided to go.

JT: Who was your biggest influence growing up?

DM: My dad for sure.

JT: This being your senior year at MSU did you have any different goals than you had in the past?

DM: No, the goals have stayed the same. Of course it is to first of all win, win one week at a time, but eventually to win the Big Sky Conference outright and to win the National Championship, so those goals never change.

JT: What have you learned from your fellow teammates at your time at MSU?

DM: How to adjust your leadership, your ways to lead guys. Because every one is different and there’s certain situations that you have to handle differently with certain individuals. So that’s the most important thing that I’ve learned over these years.

JT: Rate Coach Ash. What kind of Coach is he?

DM: Oh, Coach Ash is a great coach, one of the greatest coaches I’ve ever had. He does a great job of keeping us focused on the task at hand and making sure that the fundamentals of the game and the mental part of our game is set and we’re ready to go, because if your ready mentally and you know all your assignments then your better off and you have a better chanceof winning.

JT: What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from Coach Ash?

DM: To stay the coarse, stay the coarse of the game, never let anything get to you no matter what happened on the play before whether there was an interception or their was a touchdown it’s irrelevant and to move onto the next play and perfect that.

JT: Have you prepared any different for this season than the last few, being your Senior year?

DM: Yes of course, over the years you are able to go back and look at the film of the year before and make some tweaks in your game. And therefore out of all of the years I’ve been able to make tweaks from my freshman to my sophomore year, my sophomore year to my junior year, and junior to senior year it was mostly foot work and sticking in the pocket and being able to throw that deep ball accurately and leading the guys the right way so that we can accomplish the biggest goal.

JT: How has it been starting your senior year with a new offensive coordinator? Has it been a challenge?

DM: I would say yes I guess it’s been a challenge, but I embrace that challenge. He brings a lot of things to the table and he also calls plays according to the strengths of his players, and according to my strengths as well so I really like that. He’s a great coach point blank.

JT: Your half way through your senior season how would you rate your progress so far?

DM: I think I’m doing pretty good after the injury, came off the injury, I was a little shaky there for a little bit, but then as time has gone by I’ve felt better and better and more confident with my shoulder, and we’ve been playing well. But it’s not all about me, it’s not about me at all, it’s about what we can do as a team and if we get the win.

JT: Looking ahead at a possible Conference championship and a possible National Championship what is next for Denarius McGhee? What do you plan to get a degree in, and will you use it?

DM: You know what my degree is in marketing and management and what I would like to do is I would like to coach in the NFL. If there is any way I can get into coaching in the NFL, any connection or anything I am going to try to take that and make the most out of it. I mean I’ll start from the bottom, of course, I don’t care what I’m doin’ as long as I can get in and prove that I’m a hard worker, prove that I can coach this game, and see what happens from there.

JT: Do you have dreams of playing in the NFL or any other football league after MSU?

DM: Oh no doubt about that, that’s goin’ to be my first option. If I play well enough for the rest of the season and I’m able to, I guess, impress some of the scouts then I’ll have the opportunity, but I’ll have to capitalize on that whenever I get into camp.

JT: What is the biggest thing you will take away with you when you leave MSU?

DM: Leadership abilities, the relationships that I’ve had, and Bobcat Nation in general, it’s treated me well. It’s treated all of us, the entire football program well, and it’s been a joy to play for the MSU Bobcats.

JT: Now we have a few fun questions, and then we’re gonna let you go. Alright #1: What kind of music is playing on your iPod recently?

DM: You know a lot of Need to Breathe, and that’s a Christian band. I listen to a lot of Need to Breathe, a lot of Mumford and Sons, that’s been about all as of lately to tell you the truth, but I don’t listen to music before the games at all. I listen to music while I’m studying or when I’m walking to class at times, but I don’t actually like to do that because I like to conversate and get to know people while I’m walking to class and speak.

JT: What is your favorite food or meal?

DM: Steak and Shrimp. Ask Jordan Crane all the old guys that’ve been through the program, they know I’ve been sayin’ Steak and Shrimp since I was a freshman. Therefore yes of course, yes filet mignon and shrimp.

JT: Do you have a favorite NFL team?

DM: Yes, It’s the 49ers, but I like the Seattle Seahawks too, they’ve grown on me throughout the years.

JT: Who do you think the best quarterback in the NFL is?

DM: You gonna ask me that question? You know what, there’s a lot of great quarterbacks in the NFL but of course the guy that I like is Russell Wilson because he’s paving a way for quarterbacks like me, of my stature and I guess similar talents, but of course he’s better. He’s a great quarterback, he’s doin’ it at that level, he’s leadin’ his team in a great way.

JT: Who’s your favorite super hero?

DM: Super, super hero? You know what I did not watch cartoons when I was younger, I just watched Sports Center. That explains why I love football, and why I guess I’m a football guru, but if I had to go with someone I would say…Superman.

JT: What’s your favorite thing to do in the Bozeman area?

DM: Ooooh, I like to do a lot of things. There are so many things that you can do in this area, but I like to go up to Big Sky, I’ve golfed there. I like to golf here, at Bridger [Creek] I also like to hike the M and some of those things and at the Ross Pass. I went up there during our bye week to kind of get away and it was awesome.

JT: Alright, thanks Denarius it’s been a real pleasure watching you play football for the past few years.

DM: Thanks man,thanks.