Barth eyes football career at MSU
<p>Wildcat Austin Barth hopes to play quarterback for the Montana State University Bobcats.</p>
Ask Columbia Falls High School senior Austin Barth about joining the Montana State University football program and his answer is just two words.
"I'm stoked," the 6-foot, 6-inch quarterback prospect said last week.
Barth expects to officially sign with MSU in early February. He verbally committed to the Bobcats last spring. He's been a standout all-state athlete in football and basketball for Columbia Falls throughout his high school career. Last year, Barth helped lead his team to a state Class A basketball championship,
In the immediate future, he's been honing his basketball skills.
"We're definitely trying to get back to the state tournament," he said last week.
Barth says he enjoys both sports, but football has the edge.
"Friday night. Nothing gets better than that," he said.
But last season wasn't kind to Barth. The team failed to make the playoffs. There were simply too many games where they dug themselves into a hole and a comeback behind Barth's rifle arm fell just short. Barth made the all-state football squad as a linebacker, but in college his sights are set on playing quarterback.
Barth said he expects to red-shirt in his freshman year with the Bobcats. Red-shirt players practice with the team but don't play in games.
"It'll give me time to get to know the offense," he said.
Barth expects to compete for the quarterback position in his sophomore year. There's a lot of work to do, he admits. For one, he said he needs to put on about 30 more pounds. He's 220 now and needs to be 250, he said. He said he also needs to work on his foot speed and quickness and tighten up his mechanics. MSU football camps start in July.
The Bobcats are currently led by quarterback DeNarius McGhee, a sophomore out of Euless, Texas. McGhee was the Big Sky Conference co-Offensive Player of the Year, throwing for 2,799 yards and 23 touchdowns. He led the Bobcats to the quarterfinals of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) championship, where they lost to Sam Houston State, 49-13.