So Long, Dakota Prukop
In the last Montana Mint Superfans post of the season, we discuss the seemingly imminent departure of Montana State QB Dakota Prukop. To update with Montana sports, be sure to sign up for the Montana Mint’s sport email blast here. It comes out weekly during the football season and periodically otherwise. It. Is. Awesome.
Bear Tycoon (Griz fan): Dakota Prukop’s time in Bozeman seems to be ending. It’s being reported almost as fact by Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, and Bleacher Report. Potential landing spots include Oregon, Texas, TCU, and Michigan. Crazy turn of events.
Hot Take Nate (Cats fan): This article from FishDuck.com is illuminating…especially the comments from an “anonymous” MSU coach. These comments throwing shade have to be from former Offensive Coordinator, Tim “Cramster” Cramsey. If it is, then there was some shit going on behind the scenes last year at MSU we didn’t know about.
Coach (Cats fan): Sounds like the Cramster might have been a cancer.
Z-Train (Griz fan): or that the Cramster had the type of winning mentality it takes to succeed.
Coach (Cats fan): Perhaps, but when one or two people become a cancer (and I’ve heard rumors about both Cramster and Prukop being selfish and disruptive) it can be more of a negative than a positive, regardless of talent level.
Z-Train (Griz fan): mmmmmm. It’s like when Jordan, Kobe, Brady were a-holes and won all those rings. Everyone hated them for that.
And is there any evidence Prukop was disruptive? How could he have been selfish? They were already giving him the ball every play and asking him to do everything. I don’t want to cast aspersions on a guy based on rumor. From my more detached, Griz-centric point of view, that kid played his heinie off for a couple years and was a workhorse/star.
Bear Tycoon (Griz fan): Right. I always respected Prukop and felt bad for how bad the Cats defense was for him. At one point, someone joked that Prukop was going to play both ways and I believed it. He did his part and we never really heard any complaints from him (though they would have been justified).
Z-Train (Griz fan): Now, if we knew that he was berating the D or belittling them, that’s a different story, but as far as I know, that isn’t the story. It seems like everyone involved in this season is very interested in venting/airing dirty laundry on internet forums. This could be ultimately destructive/damaging for those people and the program.
Hot Take Nate (Cats fan): I wasn’t really thinking of Prukop being the cancer – more Cramsey. I think we all saw Cramsey’s true colors after Ash was canned. Do I get why he’d be mad? Yes, his O was unreal and Prukop was being asked to do EVERYTHING. But have some tact, man.
This Prukop thing is tiring. I get what he’s doing, but how long has he been planning this? I’m thinking sooner in the year than when Ash was axed. Something about how he’s handling this is giving me a sour taste.
It’s also bad news for the Big Sky Conference. Last year, I hated seeing VA leave for Oregon. I didn’t care that it meant we didn’t have to face him but I did care that we lost someone in the Big Sky due to this stupid rule. I’d hope that a quality player leaving the Big Sky is something that Griz fans don’t like seeing. I’d hope they aren’t happy for this because it means the Cats lose their star QB. This is one thing that I wouldn’t be happy about if it did happen to the Griz.
Z-Train (Griz fan): It would be horrible news if he left–both for MSU and for the Big Sky. As we discussed in a previous article, obsessively following FCS football every year is defensible/rational for about 10-15 schools’ fan bases. Three of those are in the Big Sky Conference –UM, EWU, and MSU. I don’t want to see an inferior product because the Lex Hilliards, Marc Marianis, Jamaal Joneses, and Dakota Prukops of the world flee to the Pac 12 after they prove they can cut it in the FCS for a couple years. It’s bad for the schools and the fans, and I think would undoubtedly cause fans to migrate elsewhere.
Bear Tycoon (Griz fan): The more it happens, the more it makes it feel like the FCS is the minor leagues for the bigger schools instead of a separate entity.
Z-Train Griz fan): I am a big believer that program/season success breeds success. That’s not a novel statement, but look at Montana’s history. Lulay/McGhee/Prukop undoubtedly boosted MSU’s recruiting profile and enabled them to turn their high school stadium into one of the ten best stadiums in FCS. The same goes for Dave/Ah Yat/Jimmy Faris/Johnny Montana, etc. I think you can partly attribute UM’s formerly skyrocketing enrollment to the increased exposure/attention it got from football.
I usually tend to take the pessimistic tack, but as much as Prukop and McGhee drove me nuts as a UM fan, I was proud that these players were playing in the Big Sky Conference and for Montana schools.
Hot Take Nate (Cats fan): We jokingly said we were waiting for Prukop just to throw his hands in the air and walk off the field because of the defense this year. Looks like we weren’t far off. This is where my loyalties are truly with my school and program over a player. If all this is true – let him go.
Bear Tycoon (Griz fan): Sadly for you, Hot Take Nate, the ball is entirely in Prukop’s court. It seems like a waiting game for the Cats. New Bobcat coach Jeff Choate put out this sad statement, “Dakota has been a great Bobcat, a tremendous teammate and a leader in this program. In the short time I’ve known him and his family, there is no doubt he will achieve success in whatever pursuit he chooses. I respect his desire to look at all of his options and I certainly hope he chooses to remain in our program, but we will support his decision regardless.”
Coach (Cats fan): I have a source close to the team that said Prukop was a handful for coaches and he was pissed off that the defense couldn’t stop anyone.
Z-Train (Griz fan): But wasn’t everyone legitimately mad that the D was so bad? Isn’t that why ash was fired, at least in part? Complacency would be worse.
And what does being a handful for coaches entail when you are dominating your position in every game? Was he critical of schemes? Did he not put forth effort in practice? Based on his general physique I seriously doubt he wasn’t a hard worker, and he seemed to grasp the system extremely well FOR A GUY THAT STARTED AS A SAFETY–so it seems likely he put in the effort both in the weight room/practice field and in the film room.
This all sounds like post hoc sour grapes to me without specifics. It’s way too easy for someone close to the program to throw him under the bus after the fact. If it wasn’t an issue when he was leading the world in yards and carrying a team, how is it an issue now? Call me skeptical.
Hot Take Nate (Cats fan): There’s chewing people out and then there’s being a cancer because you’re ruining the morale of the team. Also, when that person is aligned with a coach like Prukop was with Cramster, then I can see how a locker room could be divided.
This is all conjecture, but the more you look back on the season the more you could see this being the reality.
Z-Train (Griz fan): Case closed on this. I won. Next topic.
Scotty Mint (Cats fan): I found the best thing on the internet this week: Is Bill Murray legally allowed to try and steal the Wu-Tang album from Martin Shkreli?
Z-Train (Griz fan): That is very good, but is it this good? Did J.J. Watt Break His Hand While Jerking Off?
Scotty Mint (Cats fan): Or this – www.slapkirk.com
Z-Train (Griz fan): what is that?!?!??!
Scotty Mint (Cats fan): Did you play? It’s a game where you slap Captain Kirk.
Bear Tycoon (Griz fan): Ok. We seem thoroughly off track from Montana football, Montana, or football. Thanks a million to all of you for reading. We will see you again in 2016!
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