Evan Morris and crew
10/24/2026 12:10:00 PM | Football
Bobcats welcome injured starters back today
BOZEMAN, Mont. (Oct. 24, 2026) – Parent and Family Weekend takes an added dimension for one Bobcat today. Duane Morris, MSU Associate Vice President who for years headed the school's auxiliary services, welcomes his son Evan home today.
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But it's not just any homecoming.
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Lt. Evan Morris will fly an EA 18 G airplane during today's flyover. A graduate of Bozeman High and the US Naval Academy, Evan's father has worked at Montana State for more than a quarter century, and his mother Angie is a long-time and highly popular – now retired – teacher in Bozeman.
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Lt. Morris will pilot the second F-18 in today's two-jet formation. His wife, Lt. Audrey Morris, is also a naval officer and was a track and field star at Navy. Evan grew up in Bozeman, and worked as a ball boy on the Bobcat Stadium sidelines.
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Montana State works its way back toward full health today when offensive guard Burke Mastel returns to the starting lineup. Running back Colson Coon is also available.
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Taco Dowler, Dom Solano and Taki Uliuliakepa are the among the prominent Bobcats working toward their return. None of those three are available today.
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The Bobcat football program paid tribute to Native American Heritage Week by inviting members the Montana State University's American Indian Council to practice on Wednesday. Members of the Council sang a song of celebration and victory, performed a 'smudge' ceremony to welcome positive spirits, and made a presentation of sweet grass.
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"Native American culture has such strong roots in this valley," Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen told the students and staffers on hand.
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The Bobcats wear a helmet decal specifically designed to honor Native American culture related to the university and the region. The helmet features a feather which symbolizes football's status as "a modern day battlefield," said former Bobcat offensive lineman Leo Davis, now an analyst for the Bobcat Radio Network football broadcasts. The feather symbolizes counting coup, and the center stripe features symbols from many of the Treasure State's native tribes.
"Counting coup is the honor attained by disarming or dismantling an enemy in battle without taking a life," Davis said. "That's because Blackfeet are not known for physically overwhelming people. Blackfeet win battles with cunning and bravery, and that's what counting coup represents."
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* * * * *
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One of the intriguing storylines in the first half of the Bobcats season is the emergence of defensive end Blaine Downing as a big play threat. The sophomore from Saco, Montana, has two fumble recoveries this season, productive for a defensive lineman but not unusual. It was last week's interception on a play that defensive end Zac Crews blew up that was an outlier.
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"It really comes down to effort," said MSU defensive coordinator Bobby Daly. On one of the fumble recoveries, Downing "was on the ground and popped up when he saw the ball and got to it." He was trailing the play on the back side on the other. "Good things happen when you run to the ball," Daly said.
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The interception came as a byproduct of preparation. "We talked all week about getting our hands up (on pass plays) and that we might get a deflection," Daly said. And Downing was ready.
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Daly smiled at the mention of former Bobcat defensive linemen Zach Minter and Dan Ogden, who also made careers out of getting their hands on the ball. "Disruptive players," he said.
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* * * * *
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Carter Dahlke's emergence as a pass-catching threat for the Cats has been historic. In the most recent three games, his first starts at MSU, he has piled up 117 yards vs. NAU, 126 yards at Idaho and 112 at Eastern Washington. He is the third Bobcat with three straight 100-yard receiving games, but the first freshman.
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Chip Hobbs was the first to do so in 1998, and he had three straight. Eddie Sullivan's five straight in 2004 remains MSU's most. The most 100-yard games in a season by a Bobcat is Eric Hopkins' six in 1994.
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#GoCatsGo
Â
But it's not just any homecoming.
Â
Lt. Evan Morris will fly an EA 18 G airplane during today's flyover. A graduate of Bozeman High and the US Naval Academy, Evan's father has worked at Montana State for more than a quarter century, and his mother Angie is a long-time and highly popular – now retired – teacher in Bozeman.
Â
Lt. Morris will pilot the second F-18 in today's two-jet formation. His wife, Lt. Audrey Morris, is also a naval officer and was a track and field star at Navy. Evan grew up in Bozeman, and worked as a ball boy on the Bobcat Stadium sidelines.
Â
* * * * *
Â
Montana State works its way back toward full health today when offensive guard Burke Mastel returns to the starting lineup. Running back Colson Coon is also available.
Â
Taco Dowler, Dom Solano and Taki Uliuliakepa are the among the prominent Bobcats working toward their return. None of those three are available today.
Â
* * * * *
Â
The Bobcat football program paid tribute to Native American Heritage Week by inviting members the Montana State University's American Indian Council to practice on Wednesday. Members of the Council sang a song of celebration and victory, performed a 'smudge' ceremony to welcome positive spirits, and made a presentation of sweet grass.
Â
"Native American culture has such strong roots in this valley," Bobcat head coach Brent Vigen told the students and staffers on hand.
Â
The Bobcats wear a helmet decal specifically designed to honor Native American culture related to the university and the region. The helmet features a feather which symbolizes football's status as "a modern day battlefield," said former Bobcat offensive lineman Leo Davis, now an analyst for the Bobcat Radio Network football broadcasts. The feather symbolizes counting coup, and the center stripe features symbols from many of the Treasure State's native tribes.
"Counting coup is the honor attained by disarming or dismantling an enemy in battle without taking a life," Davis said. "That's because Blackfeet are not known for physically overwhelming people. Blackfeet win battles with cunning and bravery, and that's what counting coup represents."
Â
* * * * *
Â
One of the intriguing storylines in the first half of the Bobcats season is the emergence of defensive end Blaine Downing as a big play threat. The sophomore from Saco, Montana, has two fumble recoveries this season, productive for a defensive lineman but not unusual. It was last week's interception on a play that defensive end Zac Crews blew up that was an outlier.
Â
"It really comes down to effort," said MSU defensive coordinator Bobby Daly. On one of the fumble recoveries, Downing "was on the ground and popped up when he saw the ball and got to it." He was trailing the play on the back side on the other. "Good things happen when you run to the ball," Daly said.
Â
The interception came as a byproduct of preparation. "We talked all week about getting our hands up (on pass plays) and that we might get a deflection," Daly said. And Downing was ready.
Â
Daly smiled at the mention of former Bobcat defensive linemen Zach Minter and Dan Ogden, who also made careers out of getting their hands on the ball. "Disruptive players," he said.
Â
* * * * *
Â
Carter Dahlke's emergence as a pass-catching threat for the Cats has been historic. In the most recent three games, his first starts at MSU, he has piled up 117 yards vs. NAU, 126 yards at Idaho and 112 at Eastern Washington. He is the third Bobcat with three straight 100-yard receiving games, but the first freshman.
Â
Chip Hobbs was the first to do so in 1998, and he had three straight. Eddie Sullivan's five straight in 2004 remains MSU's most. The most 100-yard games in a season by a Bobcat is Eric Hopkins' six in 1994.
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#GoCatsGo
Players Mentioned
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DE
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WR
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DE
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OL
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