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The trip to Ronan on Saturday reminded me of any other trip I’ve made up 93 to watch a Montana Grizzlies’ football scrimmage. Cold. Windy. Little offense.
I mentioned in my story notes that two other trips north netted some pretty dismal passing numbers. The exception was 2008 in Polson: Cole Bergquist, Andrew Selle, Jeff Larson and Clint Stapp combined to complete 17 of 30 passes for 171 yards. Of course, that scrimmage the run game didn’t click (28 carries, 56 yards), even with Chase Reynolds coming into his own.
But hey, it wasn’t all bad, and the Griz defense certainly came to play, on a well-kept Sprinturf field next to Ronan High School.
“A little windy but it’s a nice field,” linebacker Addison Owen said. “And a nice locker room. Really nice locker room. Overall, it’s been a good experience.”
As for the offense, there were flashes of brilliance and near brilliance. Jordan Canada had several impressive, downhill runs and gained 109 yards. The quarterbacks had problems, but there were a couple drops of long, wind-swept passes in which the receivers (Taylor Walcott, Ryan Burke) made nice adjustments to and then just didn’t make the catch.
I have to add that while Canada had 18 carries two other players had nine totes: Jordan Canada and Zach Heideman. You may not have heard of the second man, but the redshirt freshman from Monroe, Wash., is a familiar face to Griz players.
“Zach Heideman was our manager last year,” said head coach Mick Delaney.
I don’t know if the decent crowd on hand plunked down $5 to watch Heideman break off a couple 5-yard runs, but they seemed to have a good time. The weather was better than expected and Delaney came away up-beat.
“Overall, some good stuff,” he said. “Effort – that’s what I’m looking for, effort and enthusiasm and guys playing hard. And we did that through the whole session today.”
-Fritz Neighbor
One of the more dangerous words in the sports is “potential,” but after a couple handfuls of Griz spring football practices, I see a team that is potentially much better in all three areas than the one that went 5-6 in 2012.
I’m not the only one.
“I really do,” said Mick Delaney, whose first year as head coach of the Montana Grizzlies was a difficult one. “Very, very much so. We’re, I think, a much better football team than we were at the end of the season last year. Which we should be; we’ve got a lot of guys who’ve played a lot of football.
“But I think with what we’ve done this winter, and the first three weeks of spring (drills), we are a better football team than the one that finished last season.”
One possible bugaboo: the placekicking. Chris Lider had a better start to his Griz career than any freshman that came before him – and two of those guys, Dan Carpenter and Kris Heppner, kicked in the NFL. He made his first nine field goal attempts and ended 15 of 21, but missed four of his last six. He’s been off during spring drills when the Griz have had live special teams reps.
“He’s just struggling right now,” said Delaney. “He’s a very talented kid, though; he’ll be fine.”
The Grizzlies, in case you missed it in February, did have another kicker commit for 2013 as a preferred walk-on: Ben Worst, who at his best hit a couple 52-yarders at Twin Falls (Idaho) High School. He’ll go from the Bruins to the Griz in August, and sounds pretty jacked about it:
“Montana’s been at the top of my list the whole time. Football is like a religion up there, and they said if I proved myself I have the chance to get a starting position.”
Lider, then a redshirt freshman, won out over true freshman Harrison Greenberg last fall. The two continue to share duties at spring drills. It could just be a case of “bad swing thoughts” – former Griz coach Bobby Hauck often compared the kicking position to a golf swing – that is keeping Lider down.
“He’s as good as any freshman kicker that we’ve ever had,” Delaney noted. “He’s just got to get back in the groove and get consistent – don’t worry about my screaming at him all the time and just relax, and kick.”
-Fritz Neighbor
While the Montana Grizzlies gear up for their final spring football practice before spring break, here’s a story about how a young but capable group of receivers has looked so far. In my mind the Griz haven’t had so many unproven wide outs in maybe 25 years. This may be a reason Coach Mick Delaney signed six receivers in his 2013 recruiting class.
If you’re old enough to go back a quarter-century, you might remember how a freshman named Matt Clark broke into the starting lineup in a 12-3 home win against Boise State in 1987 (I strung the game for one of the Idaho papers, probably the Statesman). Now, I’m not saying Spencer Hale, being a Hellgate grad and all, is comparable to Clark. Hale wears No. 13 and Clark, a 1986 Hellgate grad, made No. 38 cool even before Lex Hilliard.
But Hale hasn’t looked bad at all. Pretty good, in fact.
Speaking of numbers, the corps of Griz pass-catchers no longer has a No. 8 in its midst. TraVon Van, the Marshall transfer running back, is wearing that jersey.
That breaks a streak of 22 seasons of 8s lining up wide: Billy Cockhill (1991-93) started it, followed by Mike Erhardt (1994-96), Jimmy Farris (1997-2000), Jefferson Heidelberger (2001-04), Rob Schulte (2005-08) and Sam Gratton (2009-12).
That’s a pretty fine group of receivers. All of them except Schulte caught at least 121 passes in their careers; Schulte had 60 catches but he also set UM’s record for career kickoff return yards with 2,129.
Here are the totals (Rec-yards-TDs):
Cockhill 158-2257-15
Erhardt 144-1991-26
Farris 129-2223-21
Heidelberger 125-1733-12
Schulte 60-592-3
Gratton 121-1423-13
If you’re wondering about the streak, it appears one receiver “willed” his number to the next; Gratton wanted Chase Nacarrato to take No. 8 this season. But it turns out Nacarrato likes No. 5 and Van loves No. 8. It also turns out the Griz only have one jersey that is officially “willed”: That would be No. 37.
So says UM’s always borderline-grumpy equipment manager, Rob Stack.
Meanwhile, Van likes the fit of the new uniform. He’s made several physics-defying moves while running the ball this spring, not unlike those seen from Heidelberger back when he dazzled on special teams.
Griz running backs’ coach Justin Green, who played on the 2003-04 teams, has noticed.
“I think Heidelberger will be happy with the production that comes out of No. 8,” Green said.
The last non-receiver to wear No. 8 was a cornerback named Broyce Batchan. He played one season, in 1989; neither Batchan nor anyone wearing his number appears in the 1990 Griz media guide.
Batchan appeared in 2 games, both starts, and – of course – made 8 tackles in his Griz career.
- Fritz Neighbor
Saturday’s scrimmage, coming as it did on the fourth practice of spring drills, ended with the Montana Grizzlies’ defense ahead of their offense.
That’s normal. But there is a chance that this defense, with 10 starters back from a group that got better as the season went on – and I’m including the record-setting North Dakota loss in there – could be great.
Zack Wagenmann is the acknowledged leader of the defensive line, but he can have no contact this spring after shoulder surgery. That’s fine: Tyrone Holmes and Derek Crittenden can use more reps, as can Caleb Kidder – a defensive tackle in a defensive end’s body (or vice versa) and Zach Peevey. Alex Bienemann and Tonga Takai are the tackles, with Trevor Rehm and Jesse Ginn pushing them.
The linebacker crew lost Nick Holt and Brian Maus, along with the graduated Josh Stuberg, but it’s still a stout group. Addison Owen could be a standout in the near future, said defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak.
“I’d go recruit him again. He’s a great-looking kid, can run and he’ll be 230 pounds
by the (2013) season. But he played safety in high school; we’ve got to get him
going downhill and splattering guys.”
The addition of Connor Lebsock gives Gregorak another converted safety, and the Grizzlies’ second-year DC mentioned that he also might try to steal 2013 signee Connor Strahm (listed as a 215-pound safety/receiver) for his group.
Meanwhile the safety group grew by a couple, with Brett Kirschner moving over from running back – at least temporarily – and Kendrick Van Ackeren coming back to the mainland from Hawaii. Matt Hermanson and Bo Tully are returning starters, and Justin Whitted, Herbert Gamboa, Steven Rominger and Zach Gratton are trying to hog the reps.
It’s the kind of depth you generally don’t see in the spring, and Gregorak sees more of it at a group that was extremely green a year ago: Cornerback. Sean Murray, Joshua Dennard, Anthony Goodwin and Nate Harris all played in 11 games last season, JR Nelson developed as a redshirt and Jamal Anderson transferred up from San Bernardino junior college.
It’s a group that took its licks last season, but should be that much better for it in 2013. Gregorak is confident.
“We finished very, very high in rush defense and very poorly (in the Football Championship Subdivision) in pass defense. All that being said – I love the way our corners have progressed. A year ago was a real question mark in terms of depth and experience. But I believe in them – Chief (Goodwin) has come on, Dennard, Nate Harris, Sean Murry. That’s a nice-looking group and JR Nelson’s going to be a player.”
- Fritz Neighbor
Man, this was a long day, but enjoyable. I find all days get better once you are done transcribing interviews.
Here is the 2013 Montana Grizzlies football recruiting class. Final-final.
Jamaal Anderson, 5-11, 180, CB, Fontana, Calif.
Recruited by UM a year ago, Anderson spent an extra year at San Bernardino Valley College. In 2011 he was listed second-team all Southern California Football Association at corner, as a sophomore. He had a 92-yard punt return for a TD that season.
Nate Bradley, 5-11, 250, NT, Billings.
A first-team all-state defensive lineman in 2012 for Billings West, Bradley has “accepted formal admission to UM,” which means he is walking on. He has been named to play in both the East-West Shrine Game and Knights of Columbus Badlands Bowl.
Austin Carver, 6-0, 165, WR, Dillon.
Follows his brother Bryce to UM, where Carver has accepted formal admission. A pick for the East-West Shrine Game and Knights of Columbus Badlands Bowl, Carver has won state titles in football (2011; the beavers were State runners-up last fall) and basketball (2012) and took the State A 100 meters last spring. Caught 22 passes for 523 yards and 8 TDs last season.
Mick Delaney, 6-0, 185, WR/S, Bozeman.
Delaney caught 13 passes for 203 yards for the 2012 Hawks, who lost 38-36 at Butte in the State AA title game. Also a key contributor on special teams.
Treshawn Favors, 5-9, 185, RB, Glendale, Ariz.
After an injury-shortened 2011 (he ran for 411 yards in four games), Favors piled up 1,065 yards and 12 touchdowns on 214 carries (4.98 average) as a senior for the Mountain Ridge Mountain Lions, who went 5-5. Also caught 14 passes for 182 yards and three more TDs. Averaged 23.7 yards per kickoff return as a senior, and 25.9 yards as a junior.
Nico Graham, 5-10, 175, WR, Missoula.
The Missoula Big Sky product had 43 catches for 691 yards and three touchdowns despite missing two games. A first-team all-state pick for Class AA, Graham has also excelled at track for the Eagles.
Jordan Harper, 6-2, 205, WR, Great Falls
An all-state tight end in both 2008 and 2009, Harper helped the Rustlers to the 2009 State AA title and after high school went on an LDS mission. He had 45 catches for 688 yards and 7 TDs in the regular season that year; he had 47 catches for 561 yards and 10 scores in 2008.
Josh Horner, 6-4, 205, Athlete, Great Falls.
Moved to QB from tight end this past fall for CMR and threw for 1,392 yards and 10 touchdowns while running for 1,036 yards and 27 TDs. Also caught 4 passes for 67 yards and a score before the position change. Started the 2011 season as a receiver but then moved to TE and led CMR with 21 catches for 185 yards and no TDs, and also ran for 274 yards on 43 carries and averaged 23.3 yards on 14 kickoff returns. Likely to play receiver at UM.
Josh Janssen, 6-0, 185, WR, Missoula.
Janssen was an all-state performer as Loyola Sacred Heart earned its first State B football title in 2012, catching 43 passes for 958 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Rams went 12-0.
Ryan McKinley, 6-1, 185, CB, Anthem, Ariz.
McKinley made three interceptions and 38 tackles in 2012 for Boulder Creek High School. The Jaguars went 6-4. He had offers from two-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State and Northern Arizona, among many others.
John Nguyen, 5-8, 187, RB, Bellevue, Wash.
Younger brother to 2012 Griz MVP Peter Nguyen, John Nguyen rushed for 1,217 yards and 18 TDs while helping the Wolverines run their winning streak to 40 games. Bellevue went 14-0 last fall and won its fifth straight Washington Class 3A state title. Nguyen ran for two touchdowns in the 2011 3A title game as well.
Chris Parker, 6-0, 185, CB-KR, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Parker had 10 pass deflections and 1 interception last season at Washington High, which won its third 11AA state football title in four seasons. He also had 38 tackles – seven for losses – at corner, forced a fumble and recovered another. On offense he had 13 catches for 187 yards and on special teams he was a dynamo: 18 punt returns for a 19.2-yard average and 2 TDs; 5 kickoff returns for 37.4-yard average and another touchdown. He had similar stats as a junior – 13 pass deflections, two picks, and two TDs via kickoff returns.
Mike Ralston, 6-5, 250, TE, Eugene, Ore.
Ralston aims to play tight end for the Griz though he caught just a handful of passes in 2012 for Sheldon High (5 for 29 yards and 2 TDs, to be exact). He also had a team-highs of 8 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss playing DE for the Irish, who went 14-0 and won the Oregon Class 6A title.
Marq Rogers, 6-4, 181, WR, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Rogers was among the top receivers in Fort Wayne’s Summit Athletic League with 50 catches for 683 yards for Concordia Lutheran.
Cameron Rokich, 6-5, 245, OL, West Jordan, Utah
A first-team all-Region 10 pick in 2012, Rokich played tackle and defensive tackle for the Soaring Eagles, who went 12-1.
Marquin Russell, 6-0, 185, CB/WR, Lakewood, Wash.
Russell had 33 catches for 482 yards and six touchdowns last season for the Lakes High Lancers, a perennial power. On defense he had four interceptions, returning two for touchdowns. Russell, a state 400 champ, also had a pick-six as a junior.
Noah Scarver, 6-5, 234, TE, Minneapolis
Scarver caught 27 passes for 283 yards as a senior at Washburn High, which went 6-3. He also led all of Minnesota in sacks, garnering 14 at defensive end.
Tucker Schye, 6-4, 215, LB, Malta.
The defensive leader for the State B runner-up Mustangs, Schye had 100 tackles in 12 games, including 20 sacks. He forced 10 fumbles, five in the playoffs, and had an interception return for a TD. Schye was all-state in 2012 and helped the Mustangs to the State B basketball title last March.
Makena Simis, 6-2, 195, QB, Boise, Idaho.
Simis committed to the Griz in June, then went out and completed 180 of 263 passes for 2,240 yards and 24 touchdowns in Boise Capital’s no-huddle offense this past fall. Simis, who was intercepted seven times, also ran for 553 yards and eight TDs. He was all-state for Class 5A in Idaho.
Cooper Sprunk, 6-4, 215, TE, Portland, Ore.
Played tight end and defensive end for the Jesuit Crusaders, who went 10-3 and lost 35-28 to eventual 6A champion Sheldon in the semifinals. Accepted formal admission to UM.
Connor Strahm, 6-2, 215, DB, Eugene, Ore.
Strahm was Oregon’s 6A defensive player of the year after making 53 tackles, three sacks and four interceptions for the 14-0 Irish. Two of his picks were crucial to the Irish’s 13-6 win over Lake Oswego in the state title game, and he also ran for Sheldon’s only TD that day. Offensively he had 92 catches for 1,138 yards and 14 scores and ran 78 times for 564 yards and nine TDs.
Travon Van, 5-11, 195, RB, San Diego.
A transfer from Marshall University, Van rushed for 551 yards and three touchdowns for the 2011 Herd, and after three games this season led the team with 93 yards on 39 carries. A move to defense precipitated his transfer, and he’ll be a junior with the Griz. At Helix High School in San Diego in 2008, Van ran for 1,237 yards. He spent the next year at a prep school, Milford (N.Y.) Academy.
Kendrick Van Ackeren, 6-0, 205, DB, Bellevue, Wash.
Van Ackeren played linebacker at Hawai’i in 2012, which was his redshirt freshman season. He had 25 tackles, eight of them solo. He was the Seattle Times’ 3A Washington state Player of the Year in 2010 after helping Bellevue to a 13-1 mark and the Wolverines’ third straight state title. Threw for 960 yards and ran for 550 that season and on defense had six interceptions. As a junior had 90 tackles, four fumbles caused and three interceptions.
Zach Vis, 6-3, 185, WR, Lynden, Wash.
Sat out first five games for Lynden but helped the Lions to the Washington 2A state title with 52 catches for 929 yards (17.9-yard average) and 10 scores. Had 9 catches, 272 yards and 3 TDs in the title game. Lynden went 13-1.
- Fritz Neighbor
With the loss of Gunnar Brekke I’m guessing the Griz had to go out and find another DB (which is what I suspected Brekke was going to play at UM), and they found one – Chris Parker, a hard-hitting corner out of the same high school that gave the UM Matt Hermanson.*
Highlights are easy enough to find, but what stands out on paper are Parker’s returns. He’s scored five touchdowns via the kick or punt return in the past two seasons for the Washington Warriors. He also had a hand in a critical special teams play in the South Dakota Class 11AA title game: He caught a punt, was swarmed by several Brandon Valley defenders and had the ball pop loose. It caromed to teammate Zac Freese, who took it 54 yards to the barn. Washington beat Brandon Valley 35-20.
*-Hermanson is a hard-hitting safety, especially in 2011. Parker said Hermanson was a big factor in choosing Montana, but so were the Griz coaches. He wrote me that “they were so upfront with me and down to earth, it made me want to play for them because I knew they’d make me a better player.”
Here is my updated list of verbals, minus Brekke, Montana’s Gatorade Player of the Year who is now headed to MSU:
Mick Delaney, 6-0, 185, WR/S, Bozeman.
Delaney caught 13 passes for 203 yards for the 2012 Hawks, who lost 38-36 at Butte in the State AA title game. Also a key contributor on special teams.
Nico Graham, 5-10, 175, WR, Missoula.
The Missoula Big Sky product had 43 catches for 691 yards and three touchdowns despite missing two games with the Eagles. A first-team all-state pick for Class AA, Graham also excelled at track for the Eagles.
Josh Janssen, 6-0, 185, WR, Missoula.
Janssen was an all-state performer as Loyola Sacred Heart earned its first State B football title in 2012, catching 43 passes for 958 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Rams went 12-0.
John Nguyen, 5-8, 187, RB, Bellevue, Wash.
Younger brother to 2012 Griz MVP Peter Nguyen, John Nguyen helped the Bellevue Wolverines to a 14-0 season and their fifth straight Washington Class 3A state title. Nguyen rushed for two touchdowns in the Wolverines’ 35-16 title-game win over Eastside Catholic on Nov. 3. It was their 40th straight win.
Chris Parker, 6-0, 185, CB-KR, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Parker had 10 pass deflections and 1 interception last season at Washington High, which won its third State 11AA football title in four seasons. He also had 38 tackles at corner – seven for losses – at corner, forced a fumble and recovered another. On offense he had 13 catches for 187 yards and on special teams he was a dynamo: 18 punt returns for a 19.2-yard average and 2 TDs; 5 kickoff returns for 37.4-yard average and another touchdown. He had similar stats as a junior – 13 pass deflections, two picks, and two TDs via kickoff returns.
Marq Rogers, 6-4, 181, WR, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Rogers was among the top receivers in Fort Wayne’s Summit Athletic League with 50 catches for 683 yards for Concordia Lutheran.
Marquin Russell, 6-0, 185, CB/WR, Lakewood, Wash.
Russell had 33 catches for 482 yards and six touchdowns last season for the Lakes High Lancers, a perennial power. On defense he had four interceptions, returning two for touchdowns. Russell, a state 400 champ, also had a pick-six as a junior.
Tucker Schye, 6-14, 215, LB, Malta.
The defensive leader for the State B runner-up Mustangs, Schye had 100 tackles in 12 games, including 20 sacks. He forced 10 fumbles, five in the playoffs, and had an interception return for a TD. Schye was all-state in 2012 and helped the Mustangs to the State B basketball title last March.
Makena Simis, 6-2, 195, QB, Boise, Idaho.
Simis committed to the Griz in June, then went out and completed 180 of 263 passes for 2,240 yards and 24 touchdowns in Boise Capital’s no-huddle offense this past fall. Simis, who was intercepted seven times, also ran for 553 yards and eight TDs. He was all-state for Class 5A in Idaho.
Travon Van, 5-11, 195, RB, San Diego.
A transfer from Marshall University, Van rushed for 551 yards and three touchdowns for the 2011 Herd, and after three games this season led the team with 93 yards on 39 carries. A move to defense precipitated his transfer, and he’ll be a junior with the Griz. At Helix High School in San Diego in 2008, Van ran for 1,237 yards. He spent the next year at a prep school, Milford (N.Y.) Academy.
- Fritz Neighbor
An alert reader pointed out that while I wrote Friday that Marquin Russell was the 10th verbal commitment for the Montana Grizzlies’ 2013 football signing class, I didn’t name the other nine.
Below is my list so far, with whatever detail I was able to dig up on each player. Some of these guys are old news but at least the stats are updated, in most cases. It gives me an excuse to contact guys like Malta coach Scott King – a regular phone interview back in my Billings Gazette days. Which don’t seem nine years ago.
King’s blue-chipper is linebacker Tucker Schye, a main cog (linebacker and offensive guard) on Mustang teams that lost in the last two State B title games. The 215-pounder also plays hoops and anchored Malta’s state-champion short relay in May.
“He dominated Class B as a linebacker,” King wrote. “I believe he has a bright future with the Griz.”
Here are the 2013 Verbals:
Gunner Brekke, 5-11, 180, RB/S, Helena.
Brekke ran for 1,285 yards and 16 touchdowns on 168 carries last season for the Capital Bruins and was named Montana’s 2012 Gatorade Player of the Year. Brekke was also a key defender, making 46 tackles and intercepting three passes. He broke up six others.
Mick Delaney, 6-0, 185, WR/S, Bozeman.
Delaney caught 13 passes for 203 yards for the 2012 Hawks, who lost 38-36 at Butte in the State AA title game. Also a key contributor on special teams.
Nico Graham, 5-10, 175, WR, Missoula.
The Missoula Big Sky product had 43 catches for 691 yards and three touchdowns despite missing two games with the Eagles. A first-team all-state pick for Class AA, Graham also excelled at track for the Eagles.
Josh Janssen, 6-0, 185, WR, Missoula.
Janssen was an all-state performer as Loyola Sacred Heart earned its first State B football title in 2012, catching 43 passes for 958 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Rams went 12-0.
John Nguyen, 5-8, 187, RB, Bellevue, Wash.
Younger brother to 2012 Griz MVP Peter Nguyen, John Nguyen helped the Bellevue Wolverines to a 14-0 season and their fifth straight Washington Class 3A state title. Nguyen rushed for two touchdowns in the Wolverines’ 35-16 title-game win over Eastside Catholic on Nov. 3. It was their 40th straight win.
Marq Rogers, 6-4, 181, WR, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Rogers was among the top receivers in Fort Wayne’s Summit Athletic League with 50 catches for 683 yards for Concordia Lutheran.
Marquin Russell, 6-0, 185, CB/WR, Lakewood, Wash.
Russell had 33 catches for 482 yards and six touchdowns last season for the Lakes High Lancers, a perennial power. On defense he had four interceptions, returning two for touchdowns. Russell, a state 400 champ, also had a pick-six as a junior.
Tucker Schye, 6-14, 215, LB, Malta.
The defensive leader for the State B runner-up Mustangs, Schye had 100 tackles in 12 games, including 20 sacks. He forced 10 fumbles, five in the playoffs, and had an interception return for a TD. Schye was all-state in 2012 and helped the Mustangs to the State B basketball title last March.
Makena Simis, 6-2, 195, QB, Boise, Idaho.
Simis committed to the Griz in June, then went out and completed 180 of 263 passes for 2,240 yards and 24 touchdowns in Boise Capital’s no-huddle offense this past fall. Simis, who was intercepted seven times, also ran for 553 yards and eight TDs. He was all-state for Class 5A in Idaho.
Travon Van, 5-11, 195, RB, San Diego.
A transfer from Marshall University, Van rushed for 551 yards and three touchdowns for the 2011 Herd, and after three games this season led the team with 93 yards on 39 carries. A move to defense precipitated his transfer, and he’ll be a junior with the Griz. At Helix High School in San Diego in 2008, Van ran for 1,237 yards. He spent the next year at a prep school, Milford (N.Y.) Academy.
- Fritz Neighbor
News flash, Griz fans. You didn’t have Johnny Manziel out there. In fact, Jordan Johnson was no Johnny Manziel — at least not after that Sac State loss in 2011, am I right? But in 2012 there was no Jordan Johnson, either, and so the Montana Grizzlies came at the world with Trent McKinney and Shay Smithwick-Hann at QB.
And you know what? You shouldn’t complain.
As linebacker Jordan Tripp pointed out, in every one of their six losses, the Grizzlies held a lead. So things did go right; they just didn’t go right for a large enough stretch of those 60 minutes spent on college football Saturdays.
The 112th Brawl of the Wild, a 16-7 home loss to Montana State, is the latest example. An untimely turnover. A bad break. Then another. A penalty. A missed field goal. Then another. Add it up and you have a 5-6 finish.
I’ve said I’ll never blame a kicker for a loss, and so while a certain pall settled over Washington-Grizzly Stadium after Chris Lider missed a 23-yard field goal at the end of UM’s first possession Saturday, let me say this: The Griz should have had six.
After Greg Hardy’s 35-yard catch and run - sprung by the best accidental block I’ve ever seen, from Gerald Kemp – to set up first-and-goal, Shay Smithwick-Hann missed a wide-open Bryce Carver for a touchdown. On third-and-goal he threw just a little late to Sam Gratton, allowing MSU safety Steven Bethley to close and pry the ball away.
That’s not to blame Smithwick-Hann, who performed capably in relief of McKinney from the Grizzlies’ eighth game on. Nor could I play Dan Moore, whose first-quarter fumble on Saturday set up MSU’s first field goal. That came on a shovel pass, and it might’ve been a big-gainer if offensive tackle John Schmaing hadn’t stumbled, making him late to seal MSU linebacker Jody Owens, who popped the ball from Moore.
Nor can I blame Schmaing, or his predecessor at left tackle, Trevor Poole, whose bad decision after the Idaho State game cost him at least two games, and possibly his college career.
You see where I’m going? It was one of those years, full of strange and unfortunate happenstance and upheaval going back farther, really, than Robin Pflugrad’s dismissal in late March. But expectations around UM are such that you should win even though you have a new head coach, two new coordinators, a new special teams coach and two new QBs.
OK, the Grizzlies should have won at Eastern Washington and North Dakota and at home against Southern Utah and sure, Northern Arizona. But a certain mystique - the stuff that hangs above the turf and does things like make Sac State’s Ricky Ray pitch the ball to Damon Parker - has been seeping out for a while.
Here’s one thing you might have missed:
This was almost the fourth straight Brawl to feature a safety. There were two in the 2009 game and one each the last two years, and in the second quarter Saturday there should (see comments) have been another: Josh Harris had a handful of DeNarius McGhee’s jersey in the end zone when the Bobcat QB fired a pass toward the feet of Orenzo Davis. The problem: The pass didn’t reach the line of scrimmage.
I doubt it would have mattered. By then UM’s offense had slipped a couple gears, and two years ago a safety against MSU turned out to be the play of the game: The Bobcat punter managed to scoot a jail-break punt snap out of the end zone to avoid the TD. MSU held on, 21-16. Hey, what was that guy’s name, anyway? Oh, right – Rory Perez, he of the three field goals on Saturday.
The Griz seemed to miss out on certain calls. Weber State’s Anthony Morales goes helmet-to-helmet with Sam Gratton, causing an interception? No call. Matt Hermanson does same with MSU’s Jon Ellis in the second quarter Saturday? Called (as it should have been; Ellis was knocked out of the game).
I don’t know how the line judge sees Cam Warren’s hold in the second quarter and misses a way more obvious one on MSU’s Bethley vs. Kemp in the third. But it happens.
In the end, the Griz couldn’t get – or make – enough of their breaks. Stuck at their own 6-yard line late, they caught the Cats in a man-to-man and tried to hit Warren on an underneath “drag” route – only to find him double-covered by the umpire.
It was that kind of year, though there was reason to cheer. The defense became very formidable, and played its best game against MSU. For all the problems the Griz had scoring at times, they piled up the yards. And a couple plays before his 47-yard touchdown run, Peter Nguyen absolutely trucked MSU defensive lineman Brad Daly on a 3-yard run.
Nguyen, the Grizzlies’ 2012 MVP, leaves as one of the half-dozen best rushers and all-purpose runners in UM history.
As for Saturday there was just a little too much McGhee and Caleb Schreibeis. It’s been noted that Schreibeis, out of Billings West, and MSU center Shaun Spencer Sampson are former walk-ons turned key performers. It makes me think of Marc Mariani – who unfurled the No. 37 banner Saturday – along with Colt Anderson and Ty Corwin and others. The Griz could use just a few more of those guys.
- Fritz Neighbor
While some hold out hope that a big Montana Grizzly victory in Saturday’s Brawl of the Wild will mean an FCS playoff berth, this is likely the last game of UM’s season. The Sports Network’s Craig Haley notes there will be many 7-, 8- and even possibly a 10-win team that won’t make the 20-team playoff grid. The best the Griz can do is 6-5.
Here’s Haley’s bracketology; here’s a link to the FCS standings on Yahoo! Sports. Unless I counted wrong, there are 34 playoff-eligible teams with fewer losses than Montana. The playoff selection show airs at 11:30 a.m. Mountain on ESPNU, by the way.
If the Griz are playing for pride against the 9-1 Montana State Bobcats, they have one of the most prideful players I’ve ever run across in Sam Gratton. The UM legacy figured on more catches and more victories when he signed on; today, he notes, is the chance to put the cherry on an excellent career.
Saturday’s GameDay in the Missoulian was also a last chance to chat with Jake Hendrickson, a junior college transfer who came to Montana in 2010 and hardly played. Last year he redshirted. This year, he’s a starter at left guard. He’s a great story, and so are these Griz – a team that’s had more than its share of upheaval. When they bounce back in the next season or two, remember not to call it a comeback; they were here the whole time.
- Fritz Neighbor
In Friday’s Missoulian, ahead of Saturday’s 112th Cat-Griz game, we have point and counterpoint of players plucked from the other school’s backyard: Cody Kirk and Brock Coyle.
Both are juniors. And while Bill Speltz’s feature on Kirk notes that the Frenchtown product could meet up with long-time buddy Jordan Tripp, a Montana Grizzly linebacker, there’s another guy that Kirk could bump into Saturday: Coyle, the Bozeman product who has filled in nicely at middle linebacker for the Griz with the graduation of Caleb McSurdy.
There is a lot to like about the Bobcats, though I know that is anethema for most Griz fans. Of course it’s that kind of forward thinking that sent on a journey to a pretty clunky nickname: “Brawl of the Wild.” It’s always been Cat-Griz to me — I never gave it a second thought to calling it anything else, even while (as an undergrad) seeing the Griz take their lumps from 1983-85 — but somewhere UM fans started insisting it was Griz-Cat and people, can’t we all get along?
I guess I know the answer to that.
Here’s my weekly story on the Grizzlies’ opponent. It’s called “Up Next,” and it’s one of my favorite pieces to write. This week’s opponent is the Cats. The game is Saturday inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The lights will be on at the end. The Bobcats are favored. These last two facts were common to last year’s game — and we know how that turned out.
- Fritz Neighbor
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