grizzlyjournal

Hasquet Leads Griz Past Argos

PHOTO: Jordan Hasquet notches one over Argo Josh Volinkaty ( a sophomore who played prep at Frenchtown H.S.).

It was the first exhibition game and played to that script: ragged.

But there were some good things for Griz Coach Wayne Tinkle   to take from his team’s 77-46 victory over the University of Great Falls.

LINEUP VARIETY -- The Grizzlies have the potential to throw a variety of lineups at opponents. Not only does that allow the Griz to alter their lineup to match their opponent, but it also means the ability to change the tempo with a specific lineup will make them hard to prepare for.

Tinkle said, "We've got some interesting rotations. Sometimes we played Hasquet at the three and the squad looked pretty good with Strait and Sharp inside. Then there were times we went with three guards."

"If we can keep that going, then we'll win our share of games," he added.

DEFENSE -- The team played with good first-game intensity, muzzling an outmatched Argos squad while holding them to a 15.4 % shooting percentage during first half play. Still, there were some of the vexing problems of last year: not locating or fronting the opponents’ 3-point shooters. The Griz frequently let Argos ace Jay Jamieson (4-7 threes, 17 points) shoot from long-range.

ASSIST TO TURNOVER RATIO --Taking up where they left off last season, the Griz posted an impressive 19 assists to only 11 turnovers. Ceylon Elgin-Taylor led the team with 7 assists while Cameron Rundles dished out 5.

REBOUNDING CONCERNS -- The Griz outrebounded the Argos by a mere 5, 46-41.  The starting 5 of Matt Martin, Rundles, Ryan Staudacher, Andrew Strait and Jordan Hasquet will be undersized compared to most major college opponents. But this may not be much of an issue after a few games. That’s because the two Griz pure frosh, Brian Qvale (10 boards and three blocks) and Derek Selvig (5 boards in 11 minutes!) can rake it. PHOTO: Derek Selvig takes down a rebound.

GUARD DEPTH -- Last year’s depth weak spot shows early signs of being this year’s strength. The Griz are an easy 2-deep at each of the two backcourt positions. There’s literally no dropoff in ability (although each player brings a unique style to the floor) and that means this team will have the weapons to wear its opponents into the hardwood.

INDIVIDUAL KUDOS -- It was encouraging to see wing Ryan Staudacher light it up. The sophomore sharpshooter scored 12 points on 3-6 from beyond the arc. The Griz shot a very encouraging 42.9% from long range. Anything over 40 this year will be a major step beyond last year’s 34% team average.

Backup guard Ceylon Elgin-Taylor added 6 rebounds to his team-high assist figure. Give him a few games to fit in to the Griz system.

Frosh post Brian Qvale shot 4-5 from the field and had three blocks to add to his rebound stats. But the big guy shot only 2-10 from the free throw line.

Jordan Hasquet was all over the floor. The power forward led the team in scoring, but shot a poor 3 -11 from the field on several out-of-control drives, and  0-3 from long range.

Andrew Strait (surprise) led the Griz with 16 on 7-12 shooting from the field. He struggled again from the free throw line, converting only 2-6.

More on Cameron Rundles later... but the soph floor general is fitting into a true leadership role. Rundles may well be the critical figure to any success this team creates this season.

Big Sky Football Wrapup: Week 9

Montana 21, at Northern Arizona 16
Montana running back Lex Hilliard rumbled for 146 yards, ran for his school-record  45th touchdown, and then helped the Griz put the game away with 44 yards on Montana’s game-clinching final drive for the victory. Once again the Grizzly defense flexed but didn’t break.

At several junctures the Lumberjacks committed critical penalties, including a series of three consecutive procedure penalties, nullifying one score and killing several drives.

The Griz controlled the tempo throughout, dominating time of possession by nearly six minutes. This game wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.

The win was the 50th for UM Coach Bobby Hauck, who needs two more to surpass legendary coach Jack Swarthout for second in career victories behind also legendary Don Reed.
From: The Great Falls Tribune:
Montana coach Bobby Hauck -- "Their schedule is going to keep them out of the playoffs, but they're (NAU) a playoff-caliber team.”
From the Arizona Daily Sun:
NAU Coach Jerome Souers -- "I suppose my epitaph will be 'died trying.' I'm not going to give up."
NAU quarterback Lance Kriesien -- "The setup of the game was perfect. It was like a Hollywood story. It's (too bad) we couldn't come through. We just didn't make enough plays."
Hauck -- "If we hadn't run the ball as well as we did, we probably wouldn't have won the game. You get better as the game goes on, with a back like Lex. Our front wore on them a little bit."

Cal Poly 48, at Idaho State 28
On a day when Idaho State’s suspect defense initially stopped Cal Poly’s vaunted option rushing game, Mustangs quarterback Jonathan Dally threw for 453 yards and a school record-tying five touchdowns  and the Mustangs rolled up 687 yards in total offense against the Bengals. Cal Poly had a whopping plus 13-minute margin in time of possession over the Bengals. ISU receiver Jaron Taylor had 149 yards in receptions  and two touchdowns.
From: Idaho State Journal:
Cal Poly quarterback Jonathan Dally -- “They gave us the pass, we stuck with the pass, and when they took away the pass it allowed us to run the ball.''
Cal Poly coach Rich Ellerson -- ''We had a heck of a time running the option. But when we needed to be able to run it, when we had to be able to hand the ball off and block some guys, we were good enough.''
Idaho State receiver Jaron Taylor --  ''We can't start off slow. I can't pinpoint it or ID it. It isn't our game plan. It's not the coaching staff. We couldn't get into anything.''

Eastern Washington 38 at Cal Sacramento 30
Four turnovers and two blown scoring opportunities from within the 1-yard line doomed a game Sacramento State Hornet squad which had played evenly with the Eagles throughout much of the contest.
From the Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento State coach Marshall Sperbeck -- "We just haven't closed it out. Something here, something there. Until we get more consistent play, eliminate some of the plays that are hurting us, (then) I think you'll see a turnaround."
Eastern Washington coach Paul Wulff -- "I knew coming down here I'd take a win by one. This is a tough place to play."

at Northern Colorado 16, Montana State 13
Two lost MSU fumbles, three interceptions against Cats quarterback Jack Rolovich, three missed field goals, 10 critical penalties and several potential season-ending injuries doomed the 19th ranked Bobcats in Greeley.

The miscues led to a series of “firsts” for Northern Colorado, including the first win against a Big Sky opponent since joining the conference last year, sealed with four seconds remaining in the game by a the first-ever field goal as a Bear by frosh kicker Zak Bigelow.
From the Greeley Tribune:
UNC Quarterback Dominic Breazeale: "Going winless since Texas State last year is the most depressing time of my life. Finally getting this win is a relief. Get that monkey off our back."
From the Bozeman Chronicle:
MSU quarterback Jack Rolovich --  “We might have overlooked these guys. We've got Northern Arizona (next Saturday at home), Portland State and Montana coming, and just didn't even think about these guys (Northern Colorado). It's hard not to do that.”
MSU coach Rob Ash --   “We should have outscored them, but that’s just the way this game turns out sometimes. Our guys are extremely down, and they should be. This is by far the worst game we’ve had for injuries.”

Weber State 73 at Portland State 68
In a game where the score looked more like a good college basketball game, the Wildcats outlasted the Vikings and somehow overcame a Big Sky and PSU record nine touchdown passes by Vikings frosh quarterback Drew Hubel.

The total of 20 touchdowns was three more than the prevous high FCS record 17, and the 141 points broke an all-time FCS record of 125, set by Cal Northridge and Cal Sacramento in 2000.
From the Portland Oregonian:
Weber State Coach Ron McBride --   "What kind of a deal was that?"
Portland State coach Jerry Glanville -- "One day, we're all going to play good on the same day. When the defense plays good and the offense plays like that, we'll have a lot of fun."
From the Ogden Standard-Net:
McBride --"It's like you don't have any control over the game. You hate to be over there thinking if we don't score this time we're going to lose. You have to score on every possession and you can't afford not to because we weren't stopping them."

Griz Journal 'Sky Power' Ranking: Week 8

1. Montana -- (1st last week) The Griz matchup well against NAU in several team statistical categories, particularly the rushing game. Key will be for the stellar Griz rushing defense to contain Jacks QB Lance Kriesien... and for Lex Hilliard & Co. to have a seasonal-best ground game on the other side. Rejuvenated Griz QB, Cole Berquist will probably need to lead his team to at least match Montana’s season-average in points (33.1) to get the job done.
2. Northern Arizona -- (2nd last week) The Lumberjacks have beaten the Grizzlies two times over the past 20 years: 1997 and 1987. Will the “Power of Sevens” be with the Jacks this year?
3. Eastern Washington -- (3rd last week) The Eagles have never lost to Sac State and they’ll need another big W, because their only chance at a playoff nod is to win the Big Sky. To have even a chance to do that they’ll have to win em all. After getting battered by the BYU Cougars last week, it won’t be any walkover against a Sac State team that plays much better at sunny Sacramento than in “weather” on the road.
4. Montana State -- (4th last week) Senior backup quarterback Cory Carpenter will step in for injured Jack Rolovich to lead the somewhat hobbled Cats at Northern Colorado in the first of a series of must-win games. The matchup against the Bears is as close to a sure thing as it gets in the Big Sky this season.
5. Weber State -- (6th last week) The Wildcats have managed to frequently play under their projected potential. But this team has inexperienced youth at critical positions. Solid line play on both sides of the ball, especially on defense, could give the Cats a chance in Portland this week.
6. Portland State -- (5th  last week) After last week’s crushing loss to Idaho State, the Vikings will likely have to rebound without the services of Big Sky passing leader, quarterback Brian White. Adding injury to that insult, the Viks lost two additional starters to their beleaguered offensive line, which has allowed a whopping 40 sacks so far this year, compared to this week’s opponent, Weber State, which has allowed a league-leading 7. The Wildcats match up favorably against the hobbled Viks.
7. Sacramento State -- (7th last week) The Hornets have never beaten the Eagles. Notching that first one won’t be easy without at least a couple of touchdowns, a rare occurrence for the Hornets this year, who are ranked 8th or 9th in EVERY Big Sky Conference team offensive statistical category this year.
8. Idaho State -- (8th last week) Visiting Cal Poly dropped out of the FCS Top 25 after last week’s 13-point loss at South Dakota State. But the Bengals will need more than one good half to win this week against the Mustangs, a team that’s solid, if somewhat down from previous years. 
9. Northern Colorado -- (9th last week) The Bears -- still winless at Greely in nearly two years -- might be playing for their coach, Scott Downing's, job security from here out... That is if they really want to.

Projected Idaho State Point Guard Walks

Kellis Robinett reports in his Idaho State Journal blog that touted JUCO point guard, and projected Bengal men's basketball squad starter, Rich Jackson, has left the team. Read the details on Robinett's blog here:

Martin Rolls in First Grizzly Scrimmage

Play by play coverage of the season’s first scrimmage is of secondary importance to the evaluation of things more important: chemistry, fitness and team depth.

Nonetheless, senior guard Matt Martin showed clear signs of a solid rebound from last year's moderately sub-par season. Martin scored 24 points, made five of his seven 3-point shots -- one during the critical final minute of play -- and immediately demonstrated a physical quickness that was missing through much of last year.

The 3-point margin of victory for the men’s "varsity" Maroon squad is notable because the “second” string silvers made it a down-to-the-wire contest. Assembled in second half play of freshmen, redshirts and transfers, the silver squad actually outscored the varsity by 10 points in the second half before fading in overtime. There were many promising signs.

PHOTO: Zach Graves (12) intercepts Cameron Rundles.

Martin is ready: After knocking down three long range threes early in the game, Martin paced his squad with efficient ball control, and displayed a quickness and energy that was missing most of last season.

Martin said he started this season 14 pounds lighter than at this point last year.

“Last year they (coaches) wanted to make me big because I was playing the two, so I did a lot of weight work.” said Martin. “But my shooting percentage didn’t go up until midway through the season.

“This year I spent the whole summer working with my father (high school coach Jim Martin), and did a lot of running,” he added. “It’s definitely working out already.”

Martin’s final three of the game in the last minute of overtime gave his team the margin it needed to put the game on ice.

Brian Qvale is beefing up the lane. The true frosh post from Williston ND, is making redshirt decisions very tough for coach Wayne Tinkle. Qvale matched post Andrew Strait in scoring with 12 points, many on true post-power moves quickly into the paint. Qvale snared 8 boards while Strait had 7. Tinkle hinted earlier in the year that his freshmen would be candidates to redshirt. Derek Selvig is also raising eyebrows, displaying quickness, versatile play and a broad shooting range, shooting 2-3 and notching 5 points. But the competition at power forward might be harder and minutes tougher to grab for the promising 6'-10" forward-wing.

But Qvale is shaping up as a contender at back up to Andrew Strait. It's probably actually too early to tell, because sophomore post Dave Vanderjagt has been ill and didn’t see action, and so comparisons can’t be made.

But Qvale, a true post in size, stature and strength has surprising endurance for a freshman and gave  Strait all he could handle.

Jack McGillis is also ready. It’s just that McGillis will have to sit out the year as a redshirt because of his transfer ineligibility. McGillis scored a team-best 26 points on 9-13 attempts, several on breakaways or early O after forcing a turnover. In my estimation, McGillis has the ball-control and driving skills necessary for the wing position. But, most impressively, McGillis’ “Eric Hays” intensity on defense is rare. The rangy 6'-6" wing proved often that he’s a game-changer on defense.

Griz guard depth is perhaps the team’s most pleasant surprise. Beyond the obvious capabilities of projected starters Martin and sophomore Cameron Rundles, thick in the battle for playing time are Ryan Staudacher, redshirt frosh Zach Graves and JC transfer Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, all who show promise that they will serve as capable backups. All will probably mount challenges for more playing minutes as the season progresses. Junior wing Greg Spurgetis is developing into a three-point threat.

Like McGillis, Graves brings a defensive "attitude" to the court that I haven's seen since... well Kevin Criswell played here. And so, that brings me to...

Improved defensive intensity. Too tough to accurately measure at this point of the season, but this year’s squad seems obviously better prepared both mentally and physically to employ Tinkle’s in-your-face style of man-on defense from tip to final buzzer. It may simply be that this team is already in solid physical shape. It may be that Tinkle is demanding much more earlier in the season (which is a very good thing). Whatever the formula, the Griz hit the floor ready to play some D.

Simply put, this was the most fun I’ve had at a first scrimmage in years.

Posted at 11:34 PM in Men's College Basketball | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Reserves Step Up in Lady Griz Scrimmage

PHOTO: From left -- Sonja Rogers, Tamara Guardipee, Dvera Tolbert, Misty Atkinson, and Stephanie Stender.

True frosh Sarah Ena and sophomore wing Lauren Beck showed they're ready to contribute to an already deep Lady Griz squad that's already receiving near-unanimous attention to repeat as conference champions.

The duo each notched 15 points -- Ena in the paint and Beck from beyond the tip of the key -- to lead all players in scoring.

Otherwise, It was difficult to get a good read on this first Lady Griz scrimmage. Shots were not falling. Bodies were. Perhaps because there was some fatigue early on that slowed the game down quickly. The last 5 minutes of the first half were ragged.

Nonetheless this team has picked up from last year’s amazing run. Junior point Mandy Morales let be known early on that she was running the show. And her backcourt partner Sonja Rogers -- obviously in much better condition than many of her teammates -- ran the floor, penetrated the key, and at times shredded the defense.

Lauren Beck has the statistics to show that she’ll be a long-range scoring threat this year. Several of her shots literally floated, and I can see her filling an important scoring role from the tip of the key.

Lastly, I was again impressed with the quickness, rebounding sense and pugnacious toughness of frosh wing Sarah Ena. Coach Robin Selvig has said publicly that Ena will likely be redshirted. But she’s already showing the skill to push upperclass players for minutes.

The Lady Griz may need another week of conditioning. But this might be a team capable of going as far into post-season play as any team Selvig has had.

That’s saying something.

Griz Hoops Recruit Nabs Top 100 Rank

Grizzly Basketball recruit Shawn Stockton, currently a senior at Spokane’s Ferris High School, is listed at #69 on the Scout.com Northwest Top 100 football recruits ranking, which was updated on Oct. 23.

Twenty eight of the top-ranked high school seniors in the ranking have made commitments to play for major college football programs. No Big Sky (or other FCS) program has received a commitment. Stockton is one of only two players to indicate a commitment with a basketball program.

I made an inquiry regarding Stockton with Spokesman Review preps writer Mike Vlahovich. According to Vlahovich, Stockton “...had such a great basketball post-season and this past summer, that basketball got the nod.” Stockton played point for his 2007 Washington State 4A champ Saxons, and was named the Washington State 4A Tourney MVP.  

Nonetheless, the Ferris Saxons are currently undefeated in Washington 4A football, and last weekend clinched a spot in the state playoffs.

Vlahovich told me that Stockton is, “...a slotback in their spread offense and DB, but also does some short-yardage quarterbacking. He was QB last year until he broke his collarbone. He has 17 catches for 260 yards (missed a couple games with an ankle sprain) and is most valuable for the Saxons on defense."

The Northwest Top 100 ranking is compiled by Chris Fetters, the Northwest Recruiting Analyst for Scout.com.

Jacks coach pays tribute to Lex

Northern Arizona coach Jerome Souers paid high tribute to Grizzly record-breaking running back Lex Hilliard in a complimentary profile published in the Oct. 24 Arizona Daily Sun, Flagstaff's daily newspaper.

"Hilliard is the real deal," said Souers, in a story that credited the Jacks coach for dishing out, "compliment after compliment."

The story turns into a nice profile of Hilliard from there. You can read Sun sportswriter Daniel Berk's story here.

First Impressions: Lady Griz & Griz Hoops

Barely into the second week of Grizzly and Lady Griz basketball practice, several new players are making solid first impressions.

During mid-morning Saturday pre-game football festivities, fans headed toward Washington Grizzly Stadium for the Griz-Northern Colorado game got an early glance at freshman power forward/post Dvera (pronounced duh-VUR) Tolbert of Hardin.

At 6’-0,” Tolbert casts a profile similar to Lady Griz junior post Tamara Guardipee. There was speculation by several onlookers -- one fan who had seen Tolbert play several times last season --  that the imposing frontcourt player might mount a challenge to serve as Guardipee’s backup this year.

PHOTO: Zach Graves defends Ryan Staudacher while (background) Brian Qvale fronts Andrew Strait.

I was personally impressed with the agressive frontcourt play of frosh Sara Ena from Kenmore, Washington and the ball-handling skills of guard Misty Atkinson from Clarkston, Washington. Both players are considered  redshirt candidates for this year.   

Six new players have altered the look and play of the men’s basketball squad, a development that has encouraged senior all-conference post Andrew Strait.

“We’ve got a lot of new faces on this team and there are some guys that are going to contribute that people here don’t know so much about,” said Strait.

“But they’re (fans) sure going to learn about them,” Strait added.

Among the newcomers are JC transfer point guard Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, and freshman post Brian Qvale (pronounced “kwa-lee”), power forward Derek Selvig, and wing Tyler Hurley. Two transfers -- Michael Taylor from Eastern Washington and Jack McGillis from Oregon State -- practice with the team but  won’t suit up until next season.

The result, according to Strait and coach Wayne Tinkle, is a dramatically ramped-up level of practice competition.

Added Strait, “The bar’s been raised from when I was here as a freshman and it’s helped everybody on the team to practice hard and get better as an individual.”

During Saturday’s scrimmage Qvale snared a high rebound over a throng and -- with one motion -- ripped a funk slam that had even the coaches whooping.

The teams will conduct their pre-season open scrimmages at Dahlberg Arena Wednesday.

Football's version of "prostitution"

Griz football fans who’ve questioned scheduling division II teams such as Ft. Lewis College might get a kick out of a football column in Sunday’s Salt Lake Tribune.

Written by Tribune columnist Gordon Monson and headlined, "This is one game the Cougs had no business playing," it pans Brigham Young University’s scheduling of Eastern Washington for a midseason “tuneup,” which the Cougars won, 42-7.

BYU paid a handsome $325,000 to the Eagles  for... “a victory,” wrote Monson.

He contnued: “It was football’s version of prostitution. Easy but not cheap.”

Big Sky Football Wrapup: Week 8

at Montana 52, University of Northern Colorado 7

A breakout game for quarterback Cole Berquist, who notched 292 yards on 26-35 passes (1 interception)  and 57 yards rushing.

The Grizzlies racked up more points than expected in a game they were expected to win easily.

The game was valuable experience for several Griz backups, particularly backup frosh quarterback Andrew Selle, who completed 4-5 passes for 59 yards and a score. This might turn out to be the elixir the Griz offense needs one week before traveling to Flagstaff to  battle the NAU Lumberjacks for the league lead.

From the Missoulian:

Montana coach Bobby Hauck: "I think our team had fun. Our major point of emphasis this weekend was to go out and have some fun. Ignore anybody who doesn’t like the way we're doing things, and go have fun and enjoy each other, and that’s what we did."

Northern Colorado coach Scott Downing: "It’s fairly obvious we played the No. 3 team in the country today. Montana came out and played well, did everything I thought they could do."

at  Montana State 20, Cal State Sacramento 9

Was it the weather that foiled the Hornets? Two weeks after getting frozen out in a snow storm in Ogden, Utah, Sac State grabbed a 9-0 lead under sunny skies until midway through the third quarter when the temperature dropped and the snow blew in.

The steady Cat defense, with bone-chilling help from the weather, shut Cal State down from there. The Cats kept the Hornets out of the endzone... the second straight week without a touchdown for the  Hornets.

From the Bozeman Chronicle:

MSU kicker Eric Fisher: “This stadium, the wind just swirls. I was here all summer kicking with it and got a feel for it and it helped out today.”

From the Sacramento Bee:

Sacramento State coach Marshall Sperbeck: "I felt when they had the wind at their backs, they played better.”

Montana State coach Rob Ash: "I'm just glad we had the winds to our backs in the fourth quarter."

Northern Arizona 28 at Weber State 20

Northern Arizona safety Cyrus Igono returned an interception for a touchdown, blocked a Weber State punt (that resulted in a 2-point safety) and notched 14 tackles in the Lumberjacks’ 29-20 win. Lumberjack quarterback Lance Kriesien ran 24 times, several on quarterback draw plays, for 126 yards and a score.

The win sets up a battle for the Big Sky Conference lead with Montana in Flagstaff next week.

From the Arizona Daily Sun:

NAU senior defensive end Blair Boynton: "There's no use looking in the future. If you don't win the game that is ahead of you, then what's the game after that even matter?  We knew we had to come out today and get a win. That was the bottom line."

From the Ogden Standard-Examiner:

NAU quarterback Lance Kriesien: "I was able to make a couple of moves early in the pocket and find some holes. I guess I just found a lane here and there."

Weber State Coach Ron McBride: "We knew what they were going to run. I mean, everybody in the stadium knew what they were going to run. It was obvious they were going to run quarterback draw and there was a hole big enough to drive 16 people though.”

at Idaho State 38, Portland State 20

Trailing 13-3 at the half, Idaho State forced two Vikings fumbles in the first six minutes of the third quarter. Both fumbles were returned for touchdowns by Bengals defenders.

The Bengals scored two more third quarter touchdowns to coast to an 18 point win. The Bengals forced three more Viking fumbles and intercepted one PSU pass.

From the Portland Oregonian:

Portland State coach Jerry Glanville: "The only problem was when the turnovers were returned for touchdowns. They caught us and went ahead without the defense being on the field, and that's about as bad as it gets."

ISU safety Sterling Mennear: "One of our big goals was to get pressure on the quarterback. If you give their receivers time to develop their routes, they're going to pick you apart."

From the Idaho State Journal:

Idaho State coach John Zamberlin: ''It's awful nice to get this when nobody picked us to win.''

at Brigham Young 42, Eastern Washington 7

The Cougars pay out $325,000 to the Eagles to be their mid-season practice squad. Cougar frosh running back Harvey Unga rushed 21 times for 145 yards and had four receptions for 57 yards.

A comment after the story in the Salt Lake Tribune suggested the Cougars schedule a game with a Salt Lake City high school team for next year.

From the Deseret News:

Brigham Young Coach Bronco Mendenhall: It was good to win a football game, but it certainly wasn't as clean as I would have hoped. I didn't think our offense executed the way they are capable of, and it gives us a great chance to add a sense of urgency."

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

Brigham Young running back Harvey Unga: "A win is a win. We will take it any way we can whether it be a JC, Division I-AA or a Division I school."

Griz Journal 'Sky Power' Ranking: Week 7

1. Montana -- (1st last week) The Grizzly defense is truly “defending” the team’s solitary grasp of first place... what with its offense so frequently awol. No game is a “given,” but the Griz have an opportunity to experiment with some lineup tweaks on offense with the winless UNC Bears in town this Saturday.
2. Northern Arizona -- (4th last week) A generally favorable schedule remaining puts the Jacks in excellent position to make a run at the league crown. The Jacks travel to Weber Saturday and a road win will leave them with home contests against the Eagles and Griz and one final road contest against MSU.
3. Eastern Washington -- (3rd last week) A week’s break away from Big Sky play won’t help the Eagles, who can’t afford another loss in league or non-conference play. Seems like an odd time of year to schedule a road game against Mountain West power BYU.
4. Montana State -- (2nd last week) Just like the Griz, this team is searching for consistent offensive flow, something that will be harder than ever to find with starting quarterback Jack Rolovich’s status (chronic shoulder injury) questionable for Saturday. Cats might be vulnerable this week.
5. Portland State -- (5th  last week) A well-scheduled week off puts the Vikings in position to challenge for the Big Sky title. Some subtle signs that this team is finding an identity under its new coach. Expect a breakout game on offense from the Vikings.
6. Weber State -- (6th last week) The Wildcats might be able to play spoiler against NAU this week, where a Weber win would severely harm the Lumberjacks’ title hopes. Wildcats are playing for little more than self-respect from here out.
7. Sacramento State -- (7th last week) With the Bobcats facing injury and uncertainty at quarterback, the Hornets have the defense and the offensive potential (if they eliminate interceptions) to pull an upset special.
8. Idaho State -- (8th last week) Another quarterback switch is planned for the Bengals, with Russel Hill back calling signals. The Bengals, with the second-worst league rush defense, need some solutions on D as well.
9. Northern Colorado -- (9th last week) The winless string is mounting. The Bears are now taking more heat from disgruntled critics in Greeley than they are anywhere else.

Big Sky Football Wrapup: Week 7

Montana 17, at Sacramento State 3

The Grizzlies gave up four turnovers and, for the third consecutive week, were thrashed statistically. What the stats won’t reveal is that the Griz D controlled the flow of the game, scored once on an interception, and gave the offense good  field position for another score.

Check out this photo of the the Grizzly “D” swarming to the ball.

Montana coach Bobby Hauck: "We had to fight hard to get the win. I don't think I have ever been around a team that has turned the ball over four times and won the ball game.  I'm not doing cartwheels on how we played on offense. I thought we controlled field position and won the kicking game, which was huge." -- Great Falls Tribune

Sac State coach Marshall Sperbeck: "We did some good things. We moved the ball well. We had some opportunities that got away from us. We just didn't finish the job." -- Sacramento Bee

at Eastern Washington 35, Montana State 13

A close game at halftime swings decidedly in Eagles’ favor when the Bobcats’ first drive of the third quarter falters. After driving to the Eagles’ 28 yard line, a missed connection on a pass stops the Cats and the Eagles pull away.

Montana State coach Rob Ash: “Jamelle Banks was wide open, and we missed him,” Ash said. “I thought that missed opportunity was one of the key times in the game.” MSU Bobcats.com
"I thought we had great drive to start the second half, because we had talked (at halftime) about needing to come away with some points. Obviously, we were hoping for a touchdown there. On that play where Banks was wide open, that was one of the great missed opportunities that came and went. All of sudden we didn't get points. -- Bozeman Chronicle 

Eastern Washington coach Paul Wulff: “That was big. They chewed up like seven minutes in that first drive of the third quarter, so it was important we held them to three and then answered those points with a touchdown. Spokesman Review (registration required)

at Northern Arizona 45, Idaho State 24

Northern Arizona quarterback Lance Kriesien: "I have the easiest job in the conference right now. We have two great running backs, a great offensive line. We have wide receivers that are blocking down field and then making plays. It just makes things ridiculously easy for me." -- Arizona Daily Sun

Northern Arizona running back Lionel Scott: ''It's easy to be a running back when you have an offensive line and receivers blocking and you're not being touched until 10 yards down the field.” -- Idaho State Journal

Idaho State linebacker Sterling Mennear: ''We have to go back and find out who we are. We can't count on amazing schemes. We have to go right back to the drawing board.'' -- Idaho State Journal

Weber State 23, at Northern Colorado 0

Northern Colorado, after suffering its 15th straight loss (to Weber State), is a program living “down” to the title of  “doormat status,” a quality feared most by many former players now voicing concern about the school’s football program. See quotes below.

Former Northern Colorado quarterback Tom Beck, who led the UNC Bears to the National Division II Title in 1996. "There needs to be changes and things need to be put into place that will allow us to be successful because it is going to be a shame if this program becomes a doormat program and is sitting at the bottom.” -- Greeley Tribune

Former Northern Colorado quarterback Corte McGuffey who led the Bears to the Division II title in 1997:  "It has been a little frustrating for everybody that has been associated with the program.... Anytime you lose, it is tough and when you lose that many in a row it is hard, but hopefully people are working hard and trying to get things pointed in the right direction." -- Greely Tribune

The Big Sky's most-penalized teams

Weber State coach Ron McBride, in post-game comments Sept. 29,  shortly after the Montana Grizzlies defeated his Wildcats 18-10, was very blunt regarding what he considered to be “cheap-shots” by Montana players.

Three weeks later there is still chirping from Ogden. One Griz offensive lineman has been repeatedly singled out in comments made to Ogden and Salt Lake City newspaper reporters, in newspaper commentaries and even in an editorial cartoon.

The broader message from the northern Utah press is clear: that Montana players -- historically feared for their physical style -- play a borderline game rife with cheap-shots and questionable blocks.

Montana coaches and players -- to their credit -- have not responded with any give and take over the past three weeks.

But the question remains: is there any evidence of “extra-curricular” play by the Griz? And wouldn’t that style of play be evident in the number of penalties the team is flagged for each week?

We took a look. And we found answers on the Big Sky Conference football statistics page. Are the Grizzlies the “most-penalized” Big Sky team? Nope. In particular, how do the Griz rank in comparison to the Wildcats?

Here are the league stats for total and per-game average in penalties through Oct. 13.

BIG SKY CONFERNCE -- MOST PENALIZED TEAMS -- 10/14/07

1. NORTHERN ARIZONA        7 games, 645 yds, 92.1 per game
2. WEBER STATE                  6 games, 539 yds, 89.8 per game
3. EASTERN WASHINGTON    6 games, 504 yds, 84.0 per game
4. SACRAMENTO STATE        6 games, 437 yds, 72.8 per game
5. PORTLAND STATE            6 games, 429 yds, 71.5 per game
6. NORTHERN COLORADO    6 games, 428 yds, 71.3 per game
7. IDAHO STATE                  6 games, 420 yds, 70.0 per game
8. MONTANA                       6 games, 383 yds. 66.3 per game
9. MONTANA STATE             6 games, 310 yds. 51.6 per game

Grizzly Hoops: First Practice Promise

PHOTO ABOVE: First practice instruction from coach Wayne Tinkle. From left: Ryan Staudacher, Greg Spurgetis, Brian Qvale, Michael Taylor, Cameron Rundles, Derek Selvig and Jordan Hasquet.

The Montana Grizzly Men’s Hoops squad held its first practice Friday, Oct 12. My first impressions about any Griz basketball team have usually been a mix of excessive optimism and the hopes an “undefeated” record (0-0) brings. So why not? Now's as good a time as any to be enthused.

Some things about this team jumped out quickly  compared to last year’s 17-15 squad (3rd Place in the Big Sky):

• SIZE -- They’re freshmen, but Center Brian Qvale (6’-11”, 235 lbs.) and power forward Derek Selvig (6’-10, 205 lbs.) make the Grizzlies a considerably more imposing squad in sheer size than any Griz team over the past 10 years. Qvale is a true post player in size and stature and Selvig is mobile and surprisingly quick for a player his size. Three Grizzlies are taller than coach Wayne Tinkle (6’-10”). Sophomore post Dave Vanderjagt (7’-0”) is the third.

• GUARD DEPTH: The addition of 6’-2” JC transfer Ceylon Elgin-Taylor (see photo at left, shown with Cameron Rundles)  will give Tinkle some very nice options at point and shooting guard. Elgin-Taylor is mobile, has good ball-control skills and immediately showed he knows how to dish it. It’s too early to predict who will start, but this position is suddenly very deep, with 6’-1’ senior Matt Martin, 6’-2” soph Cameron Rundles, 6’-3” soph shooting guard Ryan Staudacher, promising redshirt frosh, 6’2” Zach Graves, and 6'-4" shooting guard Greg Spurgesis in hot pursuit of two starting slots. It’ll be fun to see how competition for the backcourt positions shakes out.

• Who will replace Matt Dlouhy? I didn’t see any obvious answers this early. That’s partly because I was distracted by the heady play of Jack McGillis, a perfect fit for Dhlouy’s position. But the Oregon State transfer won’t be eligible until next year.

• TEAM DEPTH! The team is well balanced and very deep. Intra-squad competition could well drive this year’s Griz toward steady improvement in a way that a squad with less depth simply could not accomplish.

NO LADY GRIZ? The men’s and women’s teams practiced at the same time on Friday. I hope to have a report on the Lady Griz soon.

Griz Journal 'Sky Power' Ranking: Week 6

1. Montana -- (1st last week) Envious Griz fans watched the Eagles’ efficient short passing game rack up the yardage. Made em’ long for the days of Don & Dave. Eagles’ receiver, Aaron Boyce, was named The Sports Network as the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Offensive Player of the Week.  But as Montana coach Bobby Hauck said after the game, “Any time you get to sing the fight song, then it’s a good day.”
2. Montana State -- (2nd last week) As long as the Bobcats can keep holding opponents to fewer than 10 points per game, they’ll be in the hunt. The big test will be Saturday. Can the Cats contain Eastern Washington’s passing game this week in Cheney?
3. Eastern Washington -- (4th last week) Two close losses hurt the Eagles’ title hopes. This is a dangerous team that may now have more of a say in how the rest of the league shakes out than it does in their own slim title hopes. Young passing-receiving tandem of Matt Nichols to Boyce is electric.
4. Northern Arizona -- (7th last week) The hot & cold Jacks cranked up the offense and reignited their title hopes with a road win over Portland State. The 44  points in Portland was a true breakout for Jerome Souers’ team.
5. Portland State -- (3rd  last week) Still in the hunt. But in a league where two losses may be too much, Vikings Coach Jerry Glanville may regret his last-second decision to go for the win instead of a tie (and a playoff) against NAU.
6. Weber State -- (5th last week) WSU seems better than its 1-4, 1-2 record indicates. This team will get better as freshman quarterback Cameron Higgins gains confidence.
7. Sacramento State -- (6th last week) Another team that’s hard to figure. Hornets lose at WSU 38-0 one week after beating NAU 38-9.   
8. Idaho State -- (8th last week) ISU finally breaks into the win column with their 25-14 win over the last place Bears. The Bengals’ schedule from here out will make it tough to notch another win.
9. Northern Colorado -- (9th last week) The losses keep adding up for the Bears, whose string of consecutive losses over two years is now at 13 and mounting.

Big Sky Football Wrapup: Week 6

at Montana 24, Eastern Washington 23

I’ve never seen a college football game where the WINNING team is so thoroughly whipped statistically.

The stats in a nutshell:
FIRST DOWNS-- Eagles: 25,  Grizzlies: 14
RUSHING YARDAGE-- Eagles: 114, Grizzlies: 108
PASSING YARDAGE-- Eagles: 451, Grizzlies: 181
TOTAL OFFENSE -- Eagles: 565,  Grizzlies: 289
TIME OF POSSESSION -- Eagles: 33:05, Grizzlies: 26:55
3RD DOWN CONVERSIONS -- Eagles: 7 of 19, Grizzlies: 2 of 14

But here’s the key stat:
4th DOWN CONVERSIONS --  Eagles: 0 of 0, Grizzlies: 1 of 1.

That 4th down conversion was a diving catch of an errant Cole Berquist pass by Ryan Bagley which extended the Grizzlies’ final 2-minute-drill drive and resulted in a game-winning field goal by Chris Carpenter.

Montana Kicker Chris Carpenter: “That’s one of the better catches I’ve ever seen.” Quote from the Spokesman Review.

Eastern Washington coach Paul Wulff: “He (Bagley) just got away from us. It’s a shame. Our defense was solid all day. It was too bad it had to end that way.” Quote from the Spokesman Review. Read the story here (registration required):

Montana Coach Bobby Hauck: “We haven’t had anybody move the ball like that on our defense in a long time, and they (Eagles) deserve a lot of credit for being able to do that.” Quote from the Spokesman Review.

Read the story in the Missoulian (with an excellent photo of “the catch” here:

at Idaho State 25, Northern Colorado 14

Bengal Junior wide out Eddie Thompson’s 109 yards in first-half receptions was more than penalty-plagued Northern Colorado’s entire first-half offensive output (97 yards). ISU took a 13-point lead by halftime and withstood two Bears fourth-quarter scores for the win.

Northern Colorado Coach Scott Downing: "It's not like (us) to get those penalties. It's not conducive when you have to start with that kind of field position." Quote from the Greely Tribune.

ISU Coach John Zamberlin: ''I'm proud of the staff and the players to get that first conference victory, to get over the hump. They should enjoy that, because you don't get to enjoy it very long.'' Quote from the Idaho State Journal. Read the story here:

at Montana State 7,  Southern Utah 3

The Bobcats’ defense steps up big again. This time assisted by snow, freezing conditions and an icy mud-bath of a field. It was the lowest Bobcat offensive output in the history of Bobcat/Sales Field history.

The Bobcat D blocks a SUU field goal and intercepts a pass in the endzone during the final minute of play secure the win for MSU.

Montana State coach Rob Ash: “The defense was absolutely great today. There were several huge plays that dictated the outcome and the defense produced most of them.” Quote from the Bozeman Chronicle. Read the story here:

Southern Utah Coach Wes Meier: “If we make that field goal, which we work on every single day, all we have to do is kick a field goal to win the game at the end. Those kind of things haunt you. We really could have used the win.”
Quote from the Bozeman Chronicle.

Northern Arizona 44, at Portland State 43

Portland State scores a touchdown with six seconds remaining and coach Jerry Glanville decides to forego an extra-point kick, opting instead to try for the win with a two-point conversion.

The play fails and Jerome Souers’ NAU Lumberjacks roll out of Portland with a crucial road win and new life in the Big Sky race... while Glanville absorbs the boos from several of the 9,291 home fans.

Portland State coach Jerry Glanville: "If we're in the same spot tomorrow, we'll do it again." Quote from the Portland Oregonian. Read the story here:

Northern Arizona coach Jerome Souers: “... I'm not sure I wouldn't have done the same thing. It's been a long game, a lot of big plays are going both ways. They happen to have the momentum, so you lay it out there like that. I respect that." Quote from the Oregonian. “This is the biggest team win I've had in my 10 years here. We are at a pivotal point in our season and we absolutely had to have a win and our guys came through today." Quote from the Arizona Daily Sun. Read the story here:

at Weber State 26, Sacramento State 7

After scoring 38 the previous week the Sac State Hornets are literally frozen out by a snowstorm with ice and slush... and by the “pass-happy” Wildcats, which get 245 yards from second-game frosh QB (and Hawaii native) Cameron Higgins.

Weber State coach Ron McBride:  “Really, it was my kind of football. I'm a bad-weather coach. I love the bad weather. I knew when I got up this morning that we'd play well." Quote from the Sacramento Bee. Read the story here:

Sacramento State coach Marshall Sperbeck: "Both teams have to play on it (icy field) and Weber State came out and did a much better job with it than we did." Quote from the Ogden Standard Examiner. Read the story here: (with some excellent photos by Drew Godleski).
"... Some of that game plan got taken away by the conditions. So that hurt us a little. But we didn't tackle them. We didn't block. We didn't do the things necessary to win." Quote from the Sacramento Bee.

Controversial UM-Weber incident escalates

They’re still fanning the flames in Ogden concerning a chop block that resulted in an injury and a penalty in Montana’s 18-10 victory over Weber State last Saturday.

The charges that the block was not only illegal, but actually deliberate were repeated in a story in the Oct. 4 Salt Lake Tribune.

Weber State coach Ron McBride is quoted in the story as saying, “It was blatant.”

Wildcat nose guard Bryce Scanlon is quoted as saying, “It was no accident and completely uncalled for.”

That’s just the start of it. The story gets more perplexing from there, particularly with reference to UM Coach Bobby Hauck. You can read the Tribune story here.

There’s a similar account in the Oct. 3 Deseret News here.

Any sports injury, particularly one that jeopardizes a season or a career, is  tragic. The first order of attention should be to the injured player.

But instead, this affair seem to be getting out of hand.

Does the Big Sky Conference have an established protocol for dealing with issues like this? You would think that conference officials would want to ensure an ugly incident does not become a larger and uglier incident or string of incidents.

The fact that accusations are getting dangerously close to becoming slanderous certainly bodes ill on a number of fronts.

Did the game referees err in not ejecting the offending player? Is it obvious that the coaches could not resolve the issue quickly (the Trib story seems to hint there may have been an effort at resolution on Hauck’s part).

It might be time for conference officials to make a couple of calls. Before Saturday’s games.

Griz Journal 'Sky Power' Ranking: Week 5

One brief week after I proclaimed an upper and a lower division in the Big Sky Conference Rankings, the conference has turned into a rumble. Heck, it’s more fun this way.

1. Montana -- (1st last week) The Griz will have to cut down on penalties and dropped passes if they expect to maintain any distance on the pack.
2. Montana State -- (3rd  last week) The Cats leapfrog from 18th to 13th in the FCS National Rankings after 5 teams ranked ahead of them lose. MSU hosts non-conference foe Southern Utah Saturday. The Cats D looks to be for real.
3. Portland State -- (7th last week) Vikings’ special teams “player of the week” goes to the team bus driver who avoided a near head-on collision with a wrong-way driver on I 94 minutes before the team bus pulled into Portland. Read the story here.
4. Eastern Washington -- (4th last week) A tough loss at home to PSU and the Eagles get to ramble east on I 90 to Montana. History says they have a chance. The Eagles have four victories at Washington Grizzly Stadium, more than any other Big Sky Team.
5. Weber State -- (8th last week) For the first time this season a Weber State Men’s team is nationally ranked. It just happens to be the men’s cross country team, which earned a national ranking of 26th.
6. Sacramento State (6th last week) --  The Hornets’ per-game average of   4.50 sacks per game leads the Big Sky and is good for second in the FCS and leads the Big Sky. Defensive co-player of the week, Linebacker Cyrus Mulitalo was one of four players to collect a sack against the Lumberjacks last Saturday.
7. Northern Arizona -- (2nd last week) "We looked like a team without direction,” said Jacks coach Jerome Souers after a 38-9 loss to Sac State. They’ll get a chance to get headed in the right direction this week at Portland State... that’s just north of Sacramento on Interstate 5, coach.
8. Idaho State -- (9th last week) Down by a lousy point (21-20) at Bozeman before their new quarterback, Luke Butler, suffers a concussion and the Bengals get blown out 40-20. Butler won’t play this week. The Bengals, behind previous QB starter Russel Hill have their best chance yet for a win when they host the NCU Bears Saturday.
9. Northern Colorado -- (8th last week) These Bears are struggling for identity, but all the news is bad during a  dark week where Former Northern Colorado backup punter Mitch Cozad is sentenced to a 7-year jail term for second degree assault.

Griz win over Weber stirs controversy

On a quiet day only hours removed from the Montana Grizzlies’ tenuous 18-10 victory over winless Weber State University, at least a couple of long-simmering controversies erupted with the Montana football program... the flames of which  were fanned, at least in part, by Weber State football coach Ron McBride in his post-game comments.

In a  story headlined, “Costly block: Illegal chop block set the tone for penalty-marred game,” Missoulian reporter Nick Lockridge considers the ramifications of an illegal block that ended in a likely season-ending injury to Wildcat defensive lineman Derek Johnson.

McBride spoke candidly and critically of the play, hinting that penalties of that nature from the Griz were the norm, not the exception. “What happened is one of the Montana linemen set him (Johnson) up and the other guy chopped him. He tore his whole knee,” said McBride.

"I don’t think they teach their guys to do that, but that’s just absolutely horrible,” McBride is further quoted by Lockridge as saying.

You can read Lockridge’s complete story here.

The other story by Missoulian columnist Bill Speltz entitled, “Soft Griz schedule comes with a pricetag,” examines the more than muffled grumblings of numerous local fans who believe a soft non-conference schedule is actually hindering (rather than helping) the Grizzlies in numerous ways.

Speltz is blunt: he says the Grizzlies’ soft early-season schedule is actually severely hindering a potentially talented team. And there are veiled hints that the Griz are not as good as their national power ranking indicates.

Speltz writes: “Twenty-two years of covering football, and I can't ever remember a team - college, high school or middle school - playing five straight home games to start the season. Add the fact that the combined record of Montana's first four foes is 2-14, and I can understand how it might affect the Grizzlies' level of concentration.”

You can read Speltz' column here.
 

The scheduling issue is a complicated one for a program that is -- in many ways -- the victim of its own success. The brutal truth: every UM home game is a sellout... and that’s not just spare change for the local school. Go ahead, tell them they shouldn't schedule a sure-thing profit-winner.

Regarding McBride’s charges: That is an issue that should be efficiently handled by the Big Sky Conference front office. If there’s a trend, it should be addressed with administrative force.

But this is also a sensitive issue that has no easy answers. For several years now I’ve seen the Griz finish at the top of the Big Sky only to host FCS playoff teams that come to town and play a brutally physical game, win or lose. No team’s going to advance in FCS playoff action without preparing for quality smashmouth-playing opponents in post-season play.

This doesn’t address the issue of “illegal” or “dirty” play. But I’m certain that Big Sky Conference officials have the ability to efficiently enforce the conduct of fair play without compromising the physical impact of this game designed upon the principals of brute physical force and random violent collision.

Lastly, Kudos to Missoulian sports writers for publishing two quite objective stories on the controversies. The local newspaper enjoys a nifty profitable public relations arrangement with UM by publishing the home-game game programs (filled with soft features), and so any article that questions program or coaches is likely to grate with UM administrators.