The news came down like a hammer, another devastating injury during a time it seemed the Bobcats could not escape bad luck.
Fresh off a career performance against Central Arkansas, Brian Flotkoetter’s career was finished. The career-ending shoulder injury suffered by the Laurel product was the fifth season-ending blow to Montana State’s wide receiver group alone a month into 2014 and a continuation of an injury plague that dated back to spring camp the year before.
Kurt Davis saw his career end that spring. David Dash had his senior year halted before it even began, blowing out his knee the second day of fall camp in August. Brandon Davis didn’t make it to conference play and neither did Manny Kalfell before knee injuries cost them the 2014 season. When Flotkoetter blew out his shoulder again on a fourth-down catch against Eastern Washington, it seemed Montana State’s wide receiving corps was doomed. In the matter of one explosive two-game jaunt through California, a trio of freshmen erased that notion swiftly, instead building a reputation that’s sure to grow.
In a 29-18 win over North Dakota, Justin Paige showed flashes of the big-play threat he’d become, Jayshawn Gates showed a glimpse of his explosive play-making ability and Mitchell Herbert began to move the chains. But the Bobcats’ first road trip of the 2014 Big Sky Conference season proved to be the two-week stretch that put the trio on the map.
In a thrilling 59-56 victory over Sacramento State, Paige caught a 48-yard touchdown to begin the fireworks. Gates caught a 45-yard score, showing his ability to separate from defensive backs in the process. And Herbert proved he can perform in the clutch, snaring a four-yard touchdown in the waning seconds to lift the Bobcats to victory.
The next week, Paige showed off his sub-4.4 speed by sprinting his way to a 75-yard touchdown in a 77-37 win over UC Davis. Gates caught a 56-yard score from Dakota Prukop and a 23-yard TD from Jake Bleskin. And Herbert hauled in four first-down catches. The final result was a school-record for total yards (734) and the highest point total against a Division I opponent. The breakthrough also put the rest of the Big Sky on alert that the trio is here to stay.
“We weren’t expecting it at all but it was a great opportunity,” said Herbert, a product of Sheldon High in Eugene, Oregon. “Going into the season, I never expected we would play that big of a role. I wouldn’t want the guys in front of me to get injured, ever. But when they did, we had to step in and do our best to help the team win.”
Last season, Herbert caught 28 passes for 339 yards and four touchdowns. Gates averaged 29.4 yards per catch on 13 receptions and scored three touchdowns, including TDs of 67 and 48 yards. Paige averaged 31.6 yards per catch, including 57 yards per each of his three touchdowns.
Now the trio will team with senior captain Mitch Griebel to form the main portion of MSU’s weapons on the outside. Herbert, Paige and Gates are no longer surprises. Each is sure to be highlighted on the scouting report of Bobcat opponents.
“They have to keep getting better,” MSU ninth-year head coach Rob Ash said. “They aren’t going to surprise anybody now.”
Jayshawn Gates
During spring drills, the 5-foot-8, 150-pound Gates showed increased initiative and confidence in his knowledge of Tim Cramsey’s offensive system. The Palo Alto, California product should again be a serious threat out of the slot behind Griebel.
“Jayshawn Gates is an explosion waiting to happen,” said Cramsey, MSU’s third-year offensive coordinator. “He overly exceeded my expectations for him last year. He’s the fastest, smoothest, one of the top three get the ball to me guys on our team next year.”
“Jayshawn is a special football player,” added second-year wide receivers coach Cody Kempt. “He does a lot of things that not a lot of people can do based on natural, God-given talent and ability.”
Herbert, a 6-foot-4, 192-pounder, proved to be the steadiest of the trio. He caught at least one pass in each game after Nov. 1 and had signature grabs against Idaho State (a 10-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown) and South Dakota State (a one-handed grab for a first down with a defensive back draped all over him).
Mitch Herbert
“Herbert, I think he’s the leader of that group,” said Prukop, a third-team All-Big Sky selection and Walter Payton Award semifinalist as a sophomore. “Mitchell came in extremely mature and ready to play. It’s extremely rare to have one true freshman play that much and we had two. That’s an echo of the work that Coach Kempt is doing up in that room.”
Herbert would likely have played last season even without the injuries to the upperclassmen. In the spring, he was the first to encounter adversity. As a kid, he suffered from a joint disorder known as osteochondritis dissecans (OCD or OD). The disorder causes cracks to form in the cartilage and the underlying bone due to blood deprivation. Herbert had multiple surgeries on his elbow (the afflicted area) as a youth. In the off-season, he had another surgery, a procedure that forced him to sit out all 15 spring practices, something Ash said was cause for concern.
“I already have more range of motion than I did before and that was the goal,” Herbert. “It kind of started locking up and was uncomfortable during winter conditioning. I had to clean it up and make sure I was ready for the season.”
During fall camp, he’s been a star, making no less than 10 highlight reel catches thus far.
Paige spent the entire winter and spring honing his craft. The 5-foot-11, 182-pounder from Houston came to MSU as a raw prospect, an athlete with elite speed and not much else. Most days this winter, he could be found running routes by himself at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse and doing fundamental drills in an effort to sharpen his skill set.
Justin Paige
“To me, I just don’t want to be average,” Paige said. “Coming in to Montana State, I just didn’t want to be average. That’s my motivation: don’t be average.”
Herbert called Paige a “workaholic.” During spring drills, Paige put his newfound ability to catch balls in traffic and adjust to throws in the air on display. He’s an improved route runner and his ability to catch the football has vastly improved, Prukop said.
“Justin Paige was the biggest surprise of all three this spring,” Prukop said. “He was the most improved player on this team from last fall. Nowadays with all the combines and all that, people get caught up with how fast you are and how high you can jump. People forget you have to catch the ball. Justin learned how to catch the ball.”
It’s a rare occurrence for true freshmen to break into the starting lineup. When it does occur, progressing at an equal rate during Year 2 and avoiding the dreaded “sophomore slump” is a primary goal.
“I think the sky is the limit if we put in the work,” Herbert said. “We are going to push each other to be the best receivers we can be. It will be fun to see what we can become.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved
