Montana State QB McGhee out with shoulder separation

Bozeman, MT (Sports Network) - Montana State University starting quarterback DeNarius McGhee will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a separated shoulder near the end of Saturday's 31-30 loss at SMU. Coach Rob Ash said he believes McGhee will return to the field sometime around midseason. McGhee, a senior from Euless, Texas, will see his string of 40 consecutive starts for the Bobcats come to an end. He is a three-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which honors the outstanding player in the FCS, and a two- time Big Sky Conference offensive player of the year. "DeNarius McGhee has been the leader of this team for 40 games in a row, ever since his first game as a redshirt freshman," Ash said. "We have other great leaders on the team, as well, but he's been sort of the face and personality of this program. It's going to be very strange to be coaching without him and for his teammates to be playing out there without him, but we have a very resilient and positive group of guys and I know that they'll go out and do a great job." Sophomore quarterback Jake Bleskin is listed as the starter for Saturday's home game against Colorado Mesa. Bleskin played in five games last season, all as a backup, completing 3-of-4 pass attempts for 18 yards. Montana State remains the No. 3-ranked team in the FCS, despite the loss on Saturday.