A strong connection with Cowboy Joe

I couldn’t resist: Here’s a column on Joe Glenn, the Montana Grizzly football coaching hero who is bringing South Dakota into Washington-Grizzly Stadium Saturday. I can’t imagine how warm a reception he’ll get ahead of the 1:30 p.m. kickoff. I certainly always liked the guy, dating back to my first fall writing for the Montana [...]

Lightning in a bottle

That’s what Joe Glenn is hoping to capture Saturday, when his South Dakota Coyotes take on the Montana Grizzlies at 1:30 p.m. in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Or so he told the Yankton (S.D.) Press: “We are close; really close. If he (quarterback Josh Vander Maten) can pull off what we think he can, we’re going to [...]

Of Coyotes and Griz and Joe Glenn

Here’s my first “Who Next?” story of 2012 – these are among my favorite stories to write. I had former Griz football coach Joe Glenn on the phone on Tuesday, and a page and a half of quotes later, I’m trying to figure out how to get a half of them in the paper. Or [...]

Rough week to be an NFL Griz

First Caleb McSurdy went down with a torn Achilles during practice with the Dallas Cowboys, and then came Marc Mariani’s gruesome broken leg suffered in Tennessee’s game against Arizona. The good news for McSurdy’s injury is one that people have come back from. I’m thinking here of Griz product Lex Hilliard, who is in camp [...]

Seattle-bound in 2017

Where will you be in five years? I’d like to think that on Sept. 2, 2017, I’d be Husky Stadium watching the Griz. The University of Washington and University of Montana announced Friday that they’ll play in 2017 — their first matchup in 66 years. It’s so far out there that no player currently on [...]

Setting the edge for the Grizzlies

Here’s my story on the Griz defensive backfield, which is breaking in four new starters – though three of them have played quite a bit for the Montana Grizzlies. Aric Williams and Leon Burtnett are cautiously optimistic about their corners and safeties. One thing I didn’t mention is that Herbert Gamboa, a 215-pound true freshman [...]

Offseason tumult not limited to Griz

Here’s an opening of camp story from the Deseret News on Weber State, which has had some difficult things to go through, starting with the retirement of venerable coach Ron McBride. As most people know, the Wildcats hired John L. Smith to replace McBride, only to lose Smith to Arkansas when the Razorbacks fired Bobby [...]

These guys look pretty good

Here’s a link to the Sioux City (S.D.) Journal’s preview story on the South Dakota Coyotes, the Montana Grizzlies’ opponent for their season opener Sept. 1 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Among the highlights are the ever-effusive Glenn’s praise for starting quarterback Josh Vander Maten. Glenn told the Lincoln Journal Star that Vander Maten was the fastest [...]

Griz reload up front on defense

Here’s an item I wrote on the Montana Grizzlies’ defensive front, which has a bunch of newcomers joining holdovers Josh Harris, Tonga Takai, Alex Bienemann and Zach Wagenmann. The fresh faces belong to Derek Crittenden, Jesse Ginn, Tyrone Holmes and Caleb Kidder (if you’re counting, that’s five Montanans among the top eight up front). Legi [...]

Where will you be in two years?

It’s hard to say where Idaho’s football team will be. Will the Vandals be a viable independent program at the Bowl Subdivision level? Will they end up with an invite to the same Mountain West conference that snubbed them a few months back? Will they be back to playing the Griz and the Cats in [...]