Montana State football has had some coming out parties over the years. Players that set foot on the field early in their careers and never looked back abound. That tradition continued the first Saturday of the 2024 season in the faraway land of Albuquerque, New Mexico. And it proved to be no fluke last week in Saint George, Utah.
Among the most memorable breakout games includes when freshman quarterback DeNarius McGhee’ went 24-of-37 for 266-yard and two touchdown passes against Washington State to begin the 2010, a campaign that ended in a Big Sky title for the Bobcats.
Four years later, sophomore Dakota Prukop went 19 for 27 for 289 yards and added 18 carries for 90 yards, accumulating three total touchdowns in a win over Central Arkansas to open the 2014 and, for a moment, make people forget about the graduation of McGhee.
In his first Big Sky Conference game as a linebacker turned running back, freshman Troy Andersen ripped off 131 yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns as Montana State drilled defending Big Sky champion North Dakota in Grand Forks in 2017.
The Bobcat debut, times two, of Adam Jones can now be added to the list. All Jones did after his clutch, all-around performance against the New Mexico Lobos was earn National Freshman of the Week honors this week after helping MSU to a second straight road win.
The McGhee, Prukop and Andersen showings were all early season games. Jones did what he did in his first start, on the road, against an FBS team and in the 2024 season opener. His 93-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter swung the momentum fully in Montana State’s favor and helped the ‘Cats earn a 35-31 win, their first over a Football Bowl Subdivision team since 2006.

“His ascension we’ve seen coming along for a while,” MSU head coach Brent Vigen said. “I thought he had a great spring setting himself up to be this every-down back. Excited for him and excited for our program that he’s done the things that he’s done. It’s our hope and I’m sure his, that this is just a start.”
Jones ran for 167 yards, including that electrifying 93-yard touchdown gallop, on 17 carries in the Bobcats thrilling come-from-behind win in Week 0. He was clocked a 22.1 miles-per-hour during his hair-raising touchdown run, which rivals some of the fastest speeds in the NFL last season, where only three players turned in speeds faster than 22 mph. He also had two receptions for 10 yards.
The former 3-sport athlete — Jones had an offer to play baseball at Utah and was also a stud hockey player in high school — has been working his way up the ladder at MSU since the start of last season as he made big waves during spring and fall camp.
“I’m not the same player I was a year ago, that’s for sure,” Jones said. “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot bigger and a lot faster. Coming in, I was probably ten pounds less and I kind of got thrown around at the beginning.
“Sean Herrin, our strength coach, is the man around here. He’s got some of the most respect on the team and anything he says, I listen.”
The Missoula Sentinel product did more than just run the ball in the “Land of Enchantment”. He had key roles in all three of MSU’s fourth quarter scoring drives. Prior to the long touchdown run, he made a heady play after a bad snap led to a busted play for the Bobcats. Quarterback Tommy Mellott gathered the wayward snap, but was unable to hand the ball to Jones as intended. Jones wisely spun around and provided a block that helped spring Mellott to the end zone from 15 yards out.
Perhaps his most savvy play came on the game-winning drive when the Bobcats were in a second-and-five situation at the New Mexico 26. Jones’s role was to stay in the backfield and help the offensive line with pass protection. In the process of doing that, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder went to the ground as he put a block on a UNM defender. Jones popped up immediately and, noticing that Mellott hadn’t gotten rid of the ball yet, he sprinted to his left and found an open spot in the defense near the sideline in front of Mellott, who hit him for a six-yard gain and a first down.

“The most challenging part is the pass protection,” Jones said of transitioning from high school to college football. “In high school, it’s not at the top of your list, but when you get to college it’s probably one of the most important things you do. That’s how you get on the field, the coaches have to trust you to protect that quarterback.”
Jones’s all-around game is definitely something that has allowed him to get on the field so early in his career.
“When you can be an every down guy, it’s either gonna happen for you fairly early or it might not happen,” Vigen said of the nature of the running back position. “There’s a piece to playing the game that doesn’t come to every running back. Even having the knack for protecting isn’t always an acquired skill. We knew his receiver skills were very good. We saw him as a running back because of all the things he brought to the table. He had been physical when he played defense. He’s been on a different path than most young running backs with his understanding of the game, but also his ability to put on the weight he’s put on.”

At Missoula Sentinel, Jones earned First Team All-State honors in 2022 on both offense and defense. He carried 153 times for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns his senior season and played on two Sentinel Class AA state championship teams. Sentinel had not won a state championship since 1963 before breaking through in 2020.
Back then, he was a 185-pound gliding slash back who moved as fluidly as he skated on the ice. But the fact that he did two sports that are not sanctioned at the high school level and the fact that he suffered a few injuries during his high school football career meant college recruiters weren’t sure how fast he truly was or how durable he could be.

Still, he earned offers from Montana and several Ivy League schools before committing to Montana State just days before his senior season began. After a year of biding his time, learning the system and hitting the weight room, Jones is now taking full advantage of his opportunity.
“It’s been huge for me to get on the field, development-wise,” Jones said. “Learning from Scotty (Scottre Humphrey), learning from the older guys, finally getting in there, finding my way. Game reps are always different and you have to get used to that speed again. It’s been good, it’s been fun.”
After earning Big Sky Player of the Week in Week 0, Jones proved he is not a one-hit wonder as he had a standout game again last week. Jones carried the ball 13 times for 66 yards and caught three passes for 18 more yards. He scored a touchdown to help MSU to a 31-7 win over Utah Tech.
His great instincts are apparent as a runner and it’s something he’s relied on throughout his career. His speed helps differentiate him in a running back room that is absolutely stacked for the No. 3 team in the FCS.
“We run the ball hard here, so just trusting my vision has come pretty natural to me and that’s how we ran the ball in high school,” Jones said.
Jones wasted no time making his presence felt his freshman year when he took his first handoff for a 49-yard trip to the student end zone against Cal Poly in Bobcat Stadium. His next opportunity comes at home in MSU’s home opener against Maine on Saturday night in Bozeman.
“I’m just grateful, honestly, grateful for this team, grateful for the time to go out there and play,” Jones said. “Playing for the Bobcats is the best thing in the world and I’m excited to get back home.”
