BOZEMAN — The Montana State defensive line came into this season as the most experienced position group on the team, and has shown just how seasoned it is so far this season while limiting opponents to just 10 points per game in its FCS schedule.
Among that group is standout defensive end Hunter Parsons, a Sparks, Nevada, native who head coach Brent Vigen has noted is having his best year yet.
Parsons has a signature celebration after a sack, as pictured below.
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It's from the scene of the movie Gladiator where Russell Crowe's character, Maximus Decimus Meridius, famously declares the phrase, "Are you not entertained?" to the Roman crowd in the Colosseum.
"I love that movie, and I watched it last year before a game, so that’s what I used for my first sack of last year and then just stuck with it," Parsons explained.
In recent years, the MSU defensive line has produced players that were all-conference and All-Americans. Parsons stuck to the process, putting his head down and working while taking in what the older guys taught him — knowing he’d eventually get his shot.
"Learning from guys like Daniel Hardy and Amandre (Williams), and then when they left I was learning from Brody (Grebe) and Ben Seymour," Parsons said. "Just learning from those older guys, it’s really, truly helped me become a more consistent player and has helped me play to the best of my ability."
He broke out onto the scene last season, and this year he’s had his strongest campaign yet.
"He’s taken it upon himself as a senior to do everything he can to have his best year and really contribute," Vigen explained. "He’s become a starter, and beyond becoming a starter I think he’s really been an impact player to this point, and we’ll need that to continue."
What’s meant the most in his final year in the Blue and Gold is his teammates and how hard they worked coming into this season.
"The guys on the team have just been really great this season, and I wasn’t sure how this team would be in terms of leadership standpoints and how guys would operate in the team because we have a very young team, but guys truly worked hard this summer, and it’s really paying off for them," Parsons said.
No. 5-ranked Montana State travels to play No. 13 Northern Arizona in a ranked showdown at 3 p.m. Mountain time on Saturday at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Ariz.
