Northern Arizona at Montana State University

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By COLTER NUANEZ
Chronicle Sports Writer
They will come from across the Trea-
sure State to Bobcat Stadium to honor
their young warrior, to watch his con-
tinuing transformation into a man.
They will sing a spirited centuries-
old song, the “warrior song,” intended
to give their young hero courage as he
takes the battlefield.
As he en-
gages in battle
with a fierce
opponent,
they will cheer,
their collective
hearts swell-
ing with pride
with each snap
of the football.
Today, like
each Saturday
for the past
four years, Leo
Davis will do
his best to “count coup.” And just as
they have each home Saturday at Bob-
cat Stadium, those who take pride in his
accomplishments will be there to see
the Montana State offensive lineman as
he carries the banner of his people.
But today is different. It’s family
weekend on the MSU campus. Look
around. You will see No. 50 jerseys in
hoards. The cheers coming from those
wearing Davis jerseys will be as loud
as ever. The young warrior will enter
his combat arena buoyed by a “warrior
song” sung by more than 150 family
members as his Bobcats take on North-
ern Arizona.
Davis and his four younger brothers,
sons of a Deborah, a Lower Brule La-
kota and Doug, a Blackfeet, are accus-
tomed to overwhelming family support.
Dozens of family members come to
Bobcat football games each Saturday to
cheer on Davis and his brother, Mat-
thew, a freshman walk-on this fall.
Davis’ relatives come here during win-
ter as well, as Leo’s brother, Steven, is a
6-foot-7 forward on the MSU basket-
ball team. The support given to these
modern-day warriors is deep-seated
in the family. But it’s also woven in the
fabric of the family’s Native American
heritage.
“Not only are we a close family, but it
comes from our culture, our traditions,”
said Leo’s aunt and Doug’s sister, Dar-
nell RidesAtTheDoore. “These are our
young warriors. This is a different type
of warrior situation. You compare it to
the parallels of the past when young
men went out and did great things,
counted coup. Then the family could
tell their coup stories with great pride.
Those who counted coup were the ones
people looked up to, the heroes, the
ones you wanted your young boys to be
like.
“These are young warriors out there
making history, but also writing their
own legend and the legend of our
people. Leo has done that tenfold. He
is a warrior we look up to, someone
who brings our people much pride. So
(today) before the game, we will sing
him out onto that battlefield.”
Generations ago, American Indian
men ascended the social ladder within
each tribe by acts of bravery, valor and
great courage. Since the turn of the 20th
century, Indian males have been robbed
of the traditional proving grounds used
to attain masculine status among their
people. Gone are war parties and buf-
falo jumps. No longer can you steal a
rival tribe’s horses.
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saturday, OCt. 15
vs. nO. arizOna
Game
Day
Full PaPer
InsIDe
InsIDe
BaCK aT HOme
Hawk football team
looks to fatten Braves
at Van Winkle Stadium
I spOrts
THe sTreaK
GOes On
For MSU, so says
Colter Nuanez I G6
TrenD
BreaKer?
Lumberjacks have
played well in Bozeman
of late I G2
nOrTHern arIZOna aT nO. 3 mOnTana sTaTe, BOBCaT sTaDIum, 1:05 P.m.
survIvOr: nau
Scott McKeever, now
cancer-free, fnally
lands in Bozeman I G2
Printed on recycled PaPer
MODERN-DAY
WARRIOR
Leo Davis takes ‘family weekend’ to whole new level
“People don’t
see me as a
Bobcat football
player, they also
see me as a
Native
American.”
— Leo Davis
SeaN Sperry/CHroNiCLe
When Montana State senior lineman Leo Davis (50) takes the field today, nearly 150 family
members from across the state are expected to be in attendance at Bobcat Stadium.
More dAvis I g5
bozeman dai ly chroni cle G6 | Saturday, October 15, 2011
Depth charts
Montana State
Offense
LEFT TACKLE
68 Conrad Burbank 6-4/297 Sr
79 Quinn Catalano 6-5/276 Fr
LEFT GUARD
57 Casey Dennehy 6-1/280 Sr
62 Ben Tauanuu 6-4/300 Jr
CENTER
56 Shaun Sampson 6-0/277 Jr
61 Alex Terrien 6-4/283 Sr
RIGHT GUARD
61 Alex Terrien 6-4/283 Sr
75 Andrew Verlanic 6-4/279 Jr
RIGHT TACKLE
50 Leo Davis 6-4/300 Sr
75 Andrew Verlanic 6-4/279 Jr
QUARTERBACK
9 DeNarius McGhee 6-0/213 So
5 Grayson Galloway 6-4/207 Jr
RUNNING BACK
25 Cody Kirk 5-10/214 So
7 Tray Robinson 6-1/221 Jr
X RECEIVER
1 Elvis Akpla 6-1/190 Sr
4 John Ellis 5-10/180 So
Z RECEIVER
86 Tanner Bleskin 6-3/215 So
84 Brian Flotkoetter 6-2/205 Fr
W RECEIVER
14 Everett Gilbert 5-9/195 Jr
10 Kruiz Siewing 5-11/189 Jr
TIGHT END
89 Steven Foster 6-5/260 Jr
88 Shane Robison 6-5/260 Sr
KICKER
15 Jason Cunningham 6-1/180 Sr
Defense
END
11 John Laidet 6-5/255 Sr
41 Brad Daly 6-1/232 So
TACKLE
96 Zach Minter 6-1/285 Jr
99 Brian Bignell 6-2/255 Jr
NOSE TACKLE
98 Christian Keli’i 6-0/305 Jr
97 Zach Logan 6-4/295 Fr
BANDIT
49 Caleb Schreibeis 6-3/253 Jr
48 Connor Verlanic 6-4/231 Fr
SAM LINEBACKER
2 Na’a Moeakiola 5-11/220 Sr
44 Aleksei Grosulak 5-10/215 So
MIKE LINEBACKER
42 Clay Bignell 6-2/240 Sr
51 Michael Foster 6-1/232 Fr
WILL LINEBACKER
23 Jody Owens 6-1/221 Jr
43 Alex Singleton 6-2/210 Fr
BOUNDARY CORNER
13 Darius Jones 5-10/179 Jr
8 Zach Coleman 5-10/172 Jr
ROVER
5 Joel Fuller 6-0/200 Jr
31 Robert Marshall 6-0/202 Fr
FREE SAFETY
28 Steven Bethley 5-11/210 So
6 Heath Howard 5-10/190 Jr
FIELD CORNER
17 Sean Gords 5-10/188 So
37 Deonte Flowers 5-11/168 Fr
PUNTER
18 Rory Perez 6-3/179 So
No. Arizona
Defense
LEFT END
94 Jarrett Bilbrey 6-5/245 So
97 Alec Hutton 6-4/245 Sr
TACKLE
98 Dan Pela 6-3/275 Sr
90 Tim Wilkinson 5-11/290 So
NOSE TACKLE
95 Blayne Anderson 6-4/275 Sr
90 Tim Wilkinson 5-11/290 So
RIGHT END
96 Isaac Bond 6-4/260 Sr
93 Perry Jackson 6-2/245 Jr
SAM LINEBACKER
56 Brandon Phillips 5-10/215 Jr
44 Ryan Reardon 6-1/235 Jr
MIKE LINEBACKER
54 Craig Frum 6-3/225 Fr
51 Eric Storey 6-1/235 Jr
JACK LINEBACKER
46 Scott McKeever 6-1/230 Sr
33 Tevin Ray 6-1/190 Fr
RIGHT CORNERBACK
4 Randy Hale 5-10/175 So
21 Daivon Dumas 6-1/180 Sr
STRONG SAFETY
38 Taylor Malenfant 6-1/200 Jr
25 Mike Dosen 5-11/195 So
FREE SAFETY
47 Taylor Patton 6-1/200 Jr
3 Taylor Patton 6-0/190 Jr
LEFT CORNERBACK
24 Blake Bailey 5-8/170 Fr
19 Anders Battle 6-0/185 So
PUNTER
42 Drew Zamora 6-1/210 Sr
Offense
LEFT TACKLE
72 Trey Gilleo 6-6/300 Jr
79 Chris Pitts 6-5/250 Jr
LEFT GUARD
74 Kyle Walker 6-4/290 So
67 Roy Garcia 6-3/250 Fr
CENTER
78 Alex Mott 6-5/290 Sr
60 Shane Moniz 6-3/270 Fr
RIGHT GUARD
75 Dwight Boyd 6-5/325 Sr
55 Jake Abbott 6-3/275 Fr
RIGHT TACKLE
69 Matt Wilson 6-6/300 Jr
71 Joe Gurski 6-5/280 Fr
QUARTERBACK
5 Cary Grossart 6-1/180 Jr
15 Chase Cartwright 6-3/210 Fr
RUNNING BACK
34 Zach Bauman 5-10/200 So
22 Giovannie Dixon 5-10/175 Jr
RECEIVER
80 Ify Umodu 6-3/215 So
81 Jeremy Dang 6-3/210 So
RECEIVER
85 Dejzon Walker 6-3/225 Fr
82 Daniel Adler 5-9/180 Sr
RECEIVER
18 Khalil Paden 6-1/180 Sr
11 Mike Czyz 5-10/180 Sr
TIGHT END
86 Brian Riley 6-4/252 Sr
83 R.J. Rickert 6-3/230 Fr
KICKER
29 Matt Myers 6-0/200 Sr
THE EDGE
NortherN arizoNa at MoNtaNa state
Rushing: Northern Arizona
has long prided itself as one of
the toughest teams against the
run in the Big Sky Conference.
The Lumberjacks led the Big
Sky in rushing defense last year
(93.5 yards per game) and led
the Football Championship
Subdivision in 2008 (58.9 ypg). A season
ago, Northern Arizona bafed a Montana
State ofense that entered the 34-7 NAU
win averaging 516.2 yards per game. The
Lumberjacks limited MSU to 16 yards
rushing, a season-low.
Again this season, the Jacks have one of
the best front sevens in the league. NAU
currently leads the Big Sky allowing just
109 rushing yards per game.
But this Montana State squad has more
weapons than at maybe any time in school
history. Sophomore Cody Kirk and junior
Tray Robinson give MSU a one-
two punch at tailback amongst
the best in the league in leading
the ground game. MSU has
rushed for more than 200 yards
against four of the fve FCS teams
it’s defeated this season. Last
week against Portland State, the
Vikings sold out to stop Kirk and Robinson,
yet the Bobcats still fnished the 38-36 win
with 174 yards on the ground.
It’s doubtful MSU will be able to
pound the ball like it did against Eastern
Washington (255 yards), but the Bobcats’
dedication to achieving ofensive balance
is doubtful to waver this week. Look
for Kirk and Robinson to get plenty of
carries, opening up play-action fakes for
quarterback DeNarius McGhee and the
deep MSU receiving corps.
EDGE: Montana State
WHEN MONTANA STATE HAS THE BALL
EDGE
Rushing: NAU’s short passing
game is so prevalent that it opens
up the run game instead of the
commonplace reverse strategy
employed by most teams.
Sophomore Zach Bauman is
one of the league’s best running
backs. But don’t sleep on back-
up Giovannie Dixon. The junior
is a big play waiting to happen. Dixon has
rushed for 261 yards on just 26 carries
(10 yards per carry) and has scored three
touchdowns, including an 82-yard scor-
ing jaunt against Idaho State.
Bauman is also NAU’s third-leading pass
catcher with 14 grabs for 128 yards.
Montana State enters today with the
league’s top total defense (300 yards per
game). But the Bobcats will be tested
by the best and most balanced ofense
they’ve seen this season.
Passing: To put it simply, NAU quarter-
back Cary Grosshart is the most efcient
quarterback in the Big Sky. He has the
league-leading pass efciency rating
(160.4) to prove it.
But it’s not just about the efciency rat-
ing. Grosshart has completed 70 percent of
his passes for 255 yards per game
and has been intercepted just
three times. Grosshart’s mastery
of the short passing game is
what makes NAU’s ofense tick.
None of NAU’s top-fve pass
catchers average more than 15
yards per catch. But fve Lum-
berjacks have at least 10 grabs.
NAU uses crossing routes, drag patterns
and screens to spread the feld, which in
turn opens up lanes in the running game.
A weakness of the NAU passing attack
thus far has been the team’s ability — or
lack thereof — to protect Grosshart. The
junior has been sacked 12 times.
The short passing game opens up run-
ning lanes, but it also keeps the safeties
and linebackers honest. The last two
games, MSU junior safety Joel Fuller has
been tremendous in run support, but
he won’t be able to aford to creep up
to the line as much today. The Bobcat
defensive front and the pressure they can
apply will be the key to slowing down an
NAU ofense that averages a league-best
460 yards per game.
EDGE: Northern Arizona
WHEN NORTHERN ARIZONA HAS THE BALL
overall
McGhee continues to wow with his
dazzling play. The running game is multi-
faceted and tough. The defense seems to
thrive of each challenge presented each
week. NAU makes too many mistakes
at crucial moments and have proven to
be too inconsistent this season to derail
this Bobcat squad. It all adds up to a sixth
straight win for Montana State.
The Bobcats are currently riding
the second-longest winning
streak in the FCS at fve games.
MSU is averaging nearly 40
points and nearly 500 yards a
game in Bobcat Stadium and
Rob Ash’s teams are 21-0 when
scoring 30 points or more.
Couple the Bobcats’ hot streak
with a desire to exact revenge
after a loss last year in Flagstaf
that many Montana State players
described as humiliating, and the
Lumberjacks could be in for a long
day.
EDGE: Montana State
INTaNGIBleS
38 28
Analysis by COLTER NUANEZ of the Chronicle
EDGE
EDGE
Special teams breakdowns al-
most cost MSU the game against
Portland State. The Vikings
blocked two frst-quarter punts
leading to 10 points then blocked
a third quarter feld goal attempt
by MSU. PSU also recovered a
crucial onsides kick attempt to
give them one last shot at tying
the game after trailing by as much as 38-22.
On the fipside, NAU leads the nation
with a 30.7-yard kick return average cour-
tesy of fve players. The Jacks’ best
kickof return man is Jamaal
Perkins, who leads the team with
a 40.7-yard-per-return average on
seven returns, including a 99-yard
touchdown.
MSU kicker Jason Cunningham
is the best in the Big Sky, but the
Bobcat special teams around him
have been too sporadic as of late to give
MSU the edge here.
EDGE: Northern Arizona
SpecIal TeamS
EDGE
BOBCAT GAME DAY
Northern Arizona at Montana State
1:05 p.m. Bobcat Stadium
Late this summer McKeever was back in the hospital. No
operating table was needed, however.
A trip to Phoenix Children’s Hospital to visit sick young-
sters was organized by NAU kicker Matt Myers.
“I immediately volunteered,” McKeever said.
Not only was he returning to the city of his birth, he was
the example of what positive thinking can lead to. He was the
survivor.
“Being down there did more for us than it did for them,”
McKeever said. “I’d do it again if I had the opportunity.”
Even if he’s unsure how many days he has left, McKeever
still looks to the future. He is taking graduate school courses
and aspires to run his own business. He’ll continue his out-
door passions: riding dirt bikes and hunting.
And some day he can look back on his long-awaited ap-
pearance in Bozeman to see how far he has come.
“This is a special trip,” he said. “There’s a lot of people
going through the same thing that I did. Not only do I try to
play for them, I try to play for a greater cause.”
Tim Dumas can be reached at [email protected]
and 582-2651.
Dumas/from B1
“In our ways, you
become a man by count-
ing coup,” Leo says. “That
meant making your first
hunt or stealing a horse.
Today, you can’t do that.
I can’t go out and steal
somebody’s car. So sports
have become a right of
passage. It’s that modern-
day warrior that we seek
to become. I take it as a
challenge because every
week we go into somebody
else’s territory or try to
protect our own. If you
can go into an opponent’s
house and make a victory,
that’s counting coup. Last
year, beating the Grizzlies
in Missoula, to me and
my people, that’s my most
impressive coup.”
Born on the Crow
Reservation, Davis spent
the majority of his youth
growing up in Billings.
His family’s support
in sports started long
before Davis was bashing
heads as MSU’s 6-foot-4,
305-pound starting right
tackle. Doug and Deborah
would spend many week-
ends driving to Browning
to watch RidesAtThe-
Doore’s son, Robert, play
for his father, Smokey, at
Browning High School.
To this day, Davis spends
most of his free time on
the Northern Cheyenne
Reservation in Lame Deer
with his paternal grandfa-
ther Larry Thompson or
on the Blackfeet Reserva-
tion in Browning.
Although he didn’t grow
up on the reservation, Davis
has immersed himself in his
family’s culture and tradi-
tions. He sweats and medi-
tates in sweat lodges with
local Native Americans
during the offseason. He
attends pow wows. It was at
the annual MSU pow wow
where he met his fiancé,
Gabriela Whitethorne.
Davis’ gridiron prowess
impressed Whitethorne,
but it’s his dedication to
his heritage and his desire
to make his people proud
that she admires most.
“I’m proud of Leo inside
and out,” said Whitehorne,
a Navajo and an NAU
alumna. “His athletic ac-
complishments are only an
inch of his lifetime’s suc-
cess. Leo is strongly con-
nected to his self identity,
native life and to nature.”
In the Blackfeet Nation,
Davis has been transferred
certain rights within the
society from his aunt and
uncle. Darnell and Smokey
are the keepers of the
tribe’s Thunder Medicine
Pipe.
In Blackfeet tradition,
those endowed with the
responsibility of watching
over the Thunder Medi-
cine Pipe are given the
responsibility of keeping
their people alive. The
Thunder Medicine Pipe
is not simply part of a
religion; it’s a fundament
part of Blackfeet existence.
The Blackfeet believe in
maintaining a perfect bal-
ance of happiness, health
and strength physically,
mentally, spiritually and
emotionally. The Thun-
der Medicine Pipe is the
fundamental center of this
circle of balance.
“Leo is a part of that, he
is our holy son,” RidesAt-
TheDoore said. “It would
be comparable to if you
baptized someone in the
Catholic Church. We have
more of less taken him as
our son. Doug, his dad,
was taken by the elders of
his day as their holy son.
Our family has kept alive
that tradition for hundreds
of years, generation to gen-
eration to generation.”
Despite his immer-
sion in Native American
cultural practices, Davis
said the resentment he’s
faced from fellow Indians
has been challenging and
frustrating.
“People used to say, ‘he
ain’t Indian because he
don’t play rez ball,’ or ‘he
ain’t Indian because he
didn’t come up on the rez.’
But my true friends, the
ones who know me, know
I spend most of my free
time (on the reservations)
with my people,” said the
22-year-old.
As a fifth-year senior
starter for the No. 3 team
in the nation, Davis has
risen to prominence
amongst Native Americans
throughout Montana.
“Leo is a star in Indian
country,” said Darnell’s
son, Robert RidesAtThe-
Doore, who lives in Bill-
ings but returns to Brown-
ing often. “Somebody like
Leo is special. He is quick
to move forward and teach
younger kids the right way,
the correct way. He is out
there representing not only
our family, but also native
people in general. He’s
stayed focused and not
gotten washed away by all
the negativity out there.”
The pressures of becom-
ing a man under such a
microscope have been try-
ing. With more than 400
family members of some
sort of relation spread
across the state, Davis feels
the weight of many he
wants to make proud.
And it doesn’t help that
history is against him. The
NCAA student-athlete race
and ethnicity report re-
leased after the 2009 school
year estimated that less than
0.2 percent of Division I
football rosters, or less than
90 athletes spread across
242 rosters, were Native
American. On the football
field, just a handful of Mon-
tana Native Americans —
Tuff Harris at the University
of Montana comes to mind
— have played four years of
college football and earned
a degree.
The rising popularity of
sports, particularly basket-
ball, on Montana’s seven
reservations has been tre-
mendous during the past
six decades. Larry Pretty
Weasel, Elvis Old Bull,
Jonathan Takes Enemy - all
became basketball legends,
leaders of their respective
tribes. But breathtaking
athlete after breathtaking
athlete, generation after
generation, Takes Enemy’s
brother James’ famous say-
ing seemed to always hold
true: “Every Indian who
leaves the reservation has
a rubber band attached to
his back.”
Davis spent time on
reservations on both sides
of the state, but the pull is
nonexistent. Davis has a
clear vision of his desired
future and he refuses to
let it become muddled by
the demons of alcohol and
loneliness that derailed
those who went before him.
“People don’t just see me
as a Bobcat football player,
they also see me as a Na-
tive American,” Davis said.
“If I make a slip-up, they
say ‘OK he is just a Native.’
But they see me doing
good, they see me as a Na-
tive American defying the
stereotype. I just try to be
a role model by example,
a leader by example. I’m
very conscious of my
standing.”
Upon graduation from
Billings Skyview High
School, Davis committed
to Colorado State to play
defensive end. In 2007,
told the Bozeman Daily
Chronicle: “I want to prove
to the country that Native
Americans, yes, we have
athletes that can make it
past high school and into
college.”
Davis never dealt with
the pull of the reserva-
tion, but the pull of the
Treasure State was real
and so were the linger-
ing questions inside his
head. And the questions
wouldn’t stay quiet. Was
the human wealth he’d
acquired during his life not
worth anything? Would
playing in the Mountain
West Conference be the
same as playing in front
of countless aunts, uncles,
grandparents and cousins?
Without the witness of
those who loved him most,
who would tell Davis’ coup
stories?
Shortly after giving
his commitment to CSU,
Davis rescinded his verbal
promise and instead
elected to attend Montana
State, his parents’ alma
mater. The allure of be-
ing able to morph into a
man in front of his people
proved more important
than playing in college
football’s highest level.
At MSU, Davis has
flourished on the field, in
the classroom and within
the campus community.
Like the elders in his fam-
ily, Davis has learned to be
engaging and accepting of
people from all walks of
life. Many young Native
Americans have come
to predominantly white
campuses such as MSU
and folded, choosing isola-
tion instead of acclimation.
Davis and his brothers
have instead immersed
themselves in Montana
State campus life.
“The Davis boys, led by
Leo, have broken down
barriers,” Robert RidesAt-
TheDoore said. “They
don’t care if you are black,
Samoan, white, Indian,
they just approach every-
body. That’s what we’ve
been taught, to value the
core of the individual.”
When Davis was
a young boy, Robert
RidesAtTheDoore would
babysit him, all the while
listening to the child
scream and beg for graham
crackers and milk. Robert
jokes that
his refusal
to succumb
to Davis’
snacking
whims
is what
made Leo
so strong-
willed. Da-
vis credits
a strong
upbringing
and a rich
athletic
lineage.
Both
Davis’
grandfa-
thers were
standout
athletes.
Darnell and Doug’s
father, for whom Leo is
named after, was an elite
rodeo cowboy, one of the
youngest and toughest of
his day. He never turned
pro, but rode in Madison
Square Garden and was
well known throughout
Montana before his death
in 1970.
Following the elder Leo’s
death, Darnell and Doug’s
mother Cynthia Davis-
Kipp was left to raise nine
children alone. Today,
all nine of those children
master’s degrees or more
and 39 of her grandchil-
dren are spread through-
out Montana and the West.
Deborah’s father, Larry
Thompson, was a star run-
ning back, boxer and track
star at the University of
South Dakota in the 1950s.
Following his service in
the Army, Thompson
received a letter from Don
Shula asking him to join
the Baltimore Colts for
the 1958 season. He wasn’t
granted a release from the
service.
Since Leo was in eighth
grade, Thompson has
called him every Thursday
evening to give him an
inspirational talk. Davis
said he hears his grandfa-
ther’s words each time he
runs onto his modern-day
battlefield.
“He is my rock,” Leo
Davis said. “If Billy Mills
and Jim Thorpe didn’t do it
before him, he would have
done it first.”
Thompson attended
all of Davis’ football and
basketball games in high
school and makes the trip
to Bozeman from Lame
Deer when he can. He feels
a strong sense of pride
watching his grandson
become a man.
“I think Leo has done a
tremendous job represent-
ing our family and our
people,” Thompson said.
“I’ve always tried to teach
the right way to represent
yourself, and it’s something
that Leo doesn’t put on.
It’s just like you and me
breathing. It just comes
second nature to him. That
doesn’t happen with very
many people.”
MSU teammates and
coaches alike talk of Davis’
loyalty and passion. MSU
sophomore quarterback
DeNarius McGhee calls
Davis “the
inspirational
one.” Tat-
tooed upon
Davis’ arm is
a saying that
he channels
onto the
football field
and into his
everyday
life. The
inscription
reads: “My
Brother’s
Keeper”.
“As a
brother,
you have to
know your
role,” Davis
said. “Me
being the oldest of five
(Steven, Matthew, Ryan
and Daniel), I had to know
how to be a leader. When
I came to the Bobcat foot-
ball family, I was a younger
brother and I’d never been
a younger brother before.
I felt immersed by people
looking out for me and
now that I’m a senior, I’m
trying to return that favor.”
Following the football
season, Davis will graduate
with a degree in American
History of the West. For
the past few years, he has
volunteered working at
pre-release centers with
troubled juveniles in Boze-
man. He someday hopes
to work with troubled kids
in an effort to stop poor
behavioral trends before
they begin.
As a Bobcat, he said he is
living a dream come true.
Davis has always strived to
live up to the example set
first by his grandfathers,
then by parents, uncles and
cousins. Now, as a three-
year starter for a top-tier
FCS football program, he
seems to have taken it one
step farther.
So today, more rela-
tives than ever before will
converge upon Bobcat
Stadium to watch Leo con-
tinue to write their fam-
ily’s legacy and sing their
warrior into battle. Davis
missed last week’s game
against Portland State with
a knee injury, but should
play today. As the eldest
Davis brother’s time in the
MSU blue and gold begins
to wind down, he inches
closer to achieving what
he said he desired to do
when he first committed to
Colorado State.
“I’m not doing it to reap
the benefits, I’m doing it to
show our people that yes
we can, where there is a
will, there is a way,” Davis
said. “I see my role on this
team as a senior and as a
leader and I’ve brought
my people along. I have a
strong backing and when I
play, I play for them.”
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bozeman dai ly chroni cle Saturday, October 15, 2011 | G5
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BOBCAT GAME DAY
Northern Arizona at Montana State
1:05 p.m. Bobcat Stadium
SEAN SPERRY/CHRONICLE
Leo Davis does his best to spend time on reservations across the state.
“In our ways, you
become a man by
counting coup. That
meant making your
first hunt or stealing
a horse. Today, you
can’t do that ... So
sports have become
a right of passage.
It’s that modern-day
warrior that we seek
to become.”
Leo Davis
bozeman dai ly chroni cle G4 | Saturday, October 15, 2011
bozeman dai ly chroni cle Saturday, October 15, 2011 | G3
#15 // Kicker
Jason Cunningham
2011 MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
Photo by Sean Sperry
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bozeman dai ly chroni cle G2 | Saturday, October 15, 2011
I
t was a four-day
transition. On
Wednesday
you’re a college
football player. By
Saturday a cancer
survivor.
Scott McKeever’s
life changed that
fast. Yet his ordeal
slowed it down just the same.
The Northern Arizona University starting out-
side linebacker doesn’t worry about tomorrow. He
doesn’t complain. There are no more “problems.”
“Focus on the solution,” has become his mantra.
Two years ago this week, the solution was
surgery.
McKeever was at practice in Flagstaff, Ariz.,
on Oct. 8, 2009, just like he always was on fall
Wednesdays. The Lumberjacks were preparing
for their game at Montana State. McKeever, then a
junior, was expected to be a starter.
But the following morning, he woke up with a
sharp pain in his abdomen. Bozeman would have
to wait. His football career, too. Same with his life.
Diagnosis: testicular cancer. Surgery was
scheduled for that weekend. McKeever was given
no guarantees.
“There’s a chance you might not play football;
there’s a chance you might not make it,” he re-
members being told.
School and football were out. Family, friends,
teammates and his faith in God were in.
“It was a very hard time,” McKeever said via
phone after Tuesday’s practice in Flagstaff. “I can’t
even describe it. I just remember thinking, ‘what
am I going to do?’ It brings you back to reality.”
His reality wasn’t so bad after surgery. McKeever’s
recovery required no chemotherapy, no radiation.
He lost 15 pounds, but gained so much more.
Perspective topped the list.
“It taught me to want to be a better person; to
be the best man that I can be,” he said. “You don’t
know how long you’re going to be on this earth.
You don’t know if you’re going to live until tomor-
row or until you’re 100.
“I was a 20-year-old kid. I hadn’t even grown up
completely yet.”
The former four-year starter at Wickenburg
(Ariz.) High, where he also set school shot put
and discus records, soon began to rediscover his
athleticism and a desire to return to NAU.
After being granted a medical redshirt season,
McKeever returned last fall to continue the junior
football season that was so suddenly halted. There
was no easing in: McKeever led team in solo tack-
les and was tied for the team lead in sacks. Last
spring he graduated with a marketing degree.
By COLTER NUANEZ
Chronicle Sports Writer
Something’s got to give today
at Bobcat Stadium.
Northern Arizona comes to
Bozeman with the top-ranked
offense in the Big Sky. The
Lumberjacks are racking up
450 yards of total offense per
game led by sophomore running
back Zach Bauman (119 yards
per game, 6 TDs) and junior
quarterback Cary Grossart (255
yards per game, 160.2 passer
efficiency rating).
No. 3 Montana State has the
league’s top total defense (300.2
ypg) and passing defense (168.3
ypg). MSU is allowing a league-
low 21 points per contest.
“I think it’s pretty intriguing
to have the No. 1 offense against
the No. 1 defense,” said MSU
head coach Rob Ash, whose
team enters the game riding a
five-game winning streak. “Both
sides will make some plays and
when the dust settles, we will see
who has the upper hand.”
Although Jerome Souers’ team
comes in with a high-powered,
balanced offense, his squad is
just 1-2 in Big Sky Conference
play. The Lumberjacks have a
20-3 win over Idaho State, but
lost heartbreakers 31-29 to Port-
land State and 36-28 to Eastern
Washington. The PSU loss came
via a blocked last-second field
goal.
Souers said he is aware of the
Bobcats’ defensive prowess, but
he doesn’t need a stat sheet to
see it.
“I don’t pay much attention to
the statistics as I do the person-
nel and the way they run things,”
said the 14
th
-year head coach.
“Montana State’s defense, as
usual, is very well coached and
they are executing what they
run well. There’s nothing easy to
attack it.”
With the exception of a few
plays, the Lumberjacks could be
right alongside the Bobcats atop
the league, Ash said. Regardless
of record, NAU has always been
a thorn in MSU’s side. The Lum-
berjacks handed Montana State
its lone Big Sky Conference loss
last season with 34-7 drubbing
of the Bobcats in Flagstaff, Ariz.
“It’s definitely in the back of
our minds,” said MSU senior
middle linebacker Clay Bignell.
“We did go down there and get
embarrassed. That ruined our
perfection in the league last year.
Every year is different. This is a
new team, new challenges, but
we definitely remember that and
we will have a little extra motiva-
tion going into this game.”
NAU has defeated the Bobcats
three out of four times, includ-
ing two straight wins in Boze-
man. Souers refuses to believe
there is some sort of magic to his
success against MSU.
“I don’t put much into that; all
those years are different years
just like this year is a different
year,” Souers said. “Any success
you had in the past, it was that
given day. I’m sure they are very
motivated to play. They are lead-
ing the conference, they have a
lot of momentum and I’m sure
they are anxious to get after us.”
A week ago, MSU limited
Portland State’s league-leading
pistol rushing attack to 100
yards less than its season aver-
age. Bauman’s 119 yards per
game are second in the league,
but the Lumberjacks’ scheme is
much different than PSU’s. To-
day, expect power off-tackle and
zone runs spliced with what Ash
describes as a “dink and dunk”
short passing game that opens
up lanes in both avenues of the
offense for Bauman.
“(Bauman) is quick, he keeps
his feet, he is hard to hit,” Bignell
said. “On tape, it seems like no
one ever gets a clean shot on
him and he is always making
extra yards.”
Grossart is the most efficient
passer in the Big Sky. He is com-
pleting 70 percent of his passes
and has thrown just three inter-
ceptions in 138 pass attempts.
His 255 pass yards per game are
third in the league.
The Lumberjacks’ defense is
led by a stellar defensive line.
NAU currently leads the Big Sky
in rushing yards against (109.2
per game) and is third in total
defense (352.4 yards per game).
Isaac Bond and Jarrett Bilbrey
lead a pass rush that has 16
sacks.
Bond has a league-high five
sacks and Bilbrey is right behind
him with 4.5 sacks.
“We have a veteran group with
four senior defensive linemen
and we know how to play our
assignments, keep our run gaps
and pressure the quarterback,”
Bond said.
NAU’s pass rush will be key
today as will its ability to slow
the run against a Montana State
offense that continues to show
its balance and versatility. MSU
is averaging 200 yards per game
on the ground and 229.3 yards
per game in the air.
“Versatility is the key,” Souers
said. “They are doing very well a
lot of the things we are attempt-
ing to do. They don’t make
mistakes. They don’t turn it over.
They run when you are playing
the conservative posture. If you
are too aggressive, their receivers
get down the field.”
“It definitely starts with their
quarterback (sophomore DeN-
arius McGhee),” Bond added.
“He is one of the most important
parts of the team because he
can take the ball, run it, throw it
down the field, all that. We want
to stop the run and get them
into predictable situations.”
Portland State held MSU
under 200 yards rushing for
just the second time all season.
The result was an MSU offense
led by McGhee that burned the
Vikings all afternoon with play-
action plays. McGhee ended the
day with 255 passing yards and
four touchdowns en route to Big
Sky Conference Player of the
Week honors.
Souers said McGhee has im-
pressed him since assuming the
starting duties at the beginning
of last season.
“He is as good as we’ve had
in this conference,” Souers said.
“It seems like he gets smarter all
the time. Every game, he makes
better decisions. His accuracy
has improved. He extends the
play if you have it defended. He
is able to create opportunities for
his offense with his feet. He had
great intelligence and leadership.
He is what everyone wants in a
football player.”

Sideline
Briefing
Records
Montana State 5-1 , 3-0 Big Sky
Northern Arizona 2-3, 1-2
Series
46th meeting, NAU leads 24-21
Weather forecast
Showers, high 53
Crowd
19,000 expected
TV
ABC (Chris Byers, Mike Callaghan,
AJ Donatoni)
Radio
KXLB-FM (100.7), Jef Lasky, Dan
Davies, Tyler Wiltgen
Coaches

Schedules
Northern Arizona
10 @ Arizona 41
58 Fort Lewis 13
29 @Portland St. 31
20 Idaho St. 3
36 E. Washington 28
Today @ Montana State 1:05 p.m.
10/22 Montana 3:05 p.m.
10/29 @ Sacramento St. 7:05 p.m.
11/5 No. Colorado 3:05 p.m.
11/12 @ Weber St. 1:30 p.m.
11/19 So. Utah 3:05 p.m.
Montana State
10 at Utah 27
38 UC Davis 14
43 Minot St. 7
36 @ Eastern Washington 21
31 Sacramento St. 21
38 @Portland St. 36
Today Northern Arizona 1:05 p.m.
10/22 @ Northern Colorado 1:35 p.m.
10/29 Idaho St. 12:05 p.m.
11/5 @ Weber St. 1:35 p.m.
11/19 Montana 12:05 p.m.
Players to watch
NORTHERN ARIZONA: RB Zach
Bauman can run and catch the ball.
MONTANA STATE: QB DeNarius
McGhee. Can the sophomore
come up big once again against a
tough defense?
Injury report
MONTANA STATE
OUT: DE Preston Gale (knee);
WR Kerry Sloan (knee); LB Roger
Trammell (knee). DOUBTFUL: LB
Cole Moore (shoulder), WR Kruiz
Siewing (hip), DB Rob Marshall
(ankle). QUESTIONABLE: oL
Leo Davis (knee), RB C.J. Palmer
(migraines).

Game notes
n Montana State possessed
the ball for 20:41 of a possible
30 minutes in the last two fourth
quarters (11:05 vs. Sac State, 9:36
vs. Portland State).
n WR Elvis Akpla has caught a
pass in each of his 28 games at
MSU and a touchdown pass in the
last fve; Akpla is now 8th in MSU
history in receiving yards (1,607).
n Rob Ash’s Bobcats are 33-4
when scoring at least 20 points,
21-0 when scoring 30-plus.
n MSU averages 37.3 points
and 489.1 yards in its three home
games this season
n Second-year NAU running
backs coach Jimmy Beal played
for the Bobcats from 2002-04,
fnishing up at Rocky Mountain
College.

NAU looks to continue winning ways in Bozeman
CoURTESY oF NoRTHERN ARIZoNA UNIVERSITY
Zach Bauman has run for 597 yards and six touchdowns this season.
ROB
ASH
MSU, 5th year
32nd year overall
34-18 at MSU
210-117-5 overall
jEROME
SOUERS
NAU, 14th year
14th year overall
74-78 at NAU
74-78 overall
TIM
DUMAS
Chronicle
Sports Editor
BOBCAT GAME DAY
Northern Arizona at Montana State
1:05 p.m. Bobcat Stadium
Cancer kept NAU’s
McKeever from
last Bozeman trip
More DUMAS I G6

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