The Grizzoulian : Montana Grizzlies Sports : Football, Basketball, Track & Field, Soccer, Cross Country, Volleyball, Golf, Tennis, Lacrosse : Montana Grizzlies Sports, Football and Basketball : Grizzoulian

For the second year in a row, the Montana Grizzlies knocked off an East Coast power to advance to the FCS National Championship. Every year they're discredited. The strength of their conference is picked apart while another undefeated season is scoffed at. To many, the Big Sky is the Big 10 to the SoCon's SEC. There's still one left, but Montana has proven their schedule is irrelevant. They stack up with the best and they win the big games.

Montana's level of play was questioned throughout the year. As teams ahead of them lost, the Griz didn't move up from being the 2nd or 3rd ranked team. There were even weeks when they received the most first place votes yet still were held out of that #1 spot. Obviously, there were those who felt they didn't belong. If there's anyone out there who still believes that, they're ridiculous.

Obviously, there's one more to go. Last season, the Griz were favorites heading into Chattanooga. They had knocked off CAA champion and #1 seed James Madison; only Richmond, who lost to JMU earlier in the year and finished a lowly tie for third in the conference, remained.

This year, it's different. While the Griz hold the #1 seed this time, I think many favor Villanova. The Wildcats finished the season ahead in the rankings (despite having less first-place votes) and play in one of the East Coast power conferences. Sorry to go into minutiae, but this is important.

Last year I drove from Missoula to Chattanooga in hopes of seeing Montana win a National Championship my senior year. After the effort I put in to get to the game, I felt robbed when the Griz came out as flat as I've ever seen them play. Obviously, this year has to be different.

The Griz have faced adversity before, they've been questioned. In the first round they pulled off the biggest comeback in football this year. They blew out Stephen F. Austin before facing a tough App State team. The fact that they were unseeded is deceiving, they won ten straight coming into that game and the two early season losses were without Armanti Edwards. They're a very good team. And Montana beat them.

I have no doubt Montana has the talent and coaching it takes to win the National Championship. Much like last year, that isn't the issue. Montana must come with the level of play they've shown over the last 9 quarters of football. They need that desire, effort and enthusiasm. The difference between this year and last is that, this year, they'll be there. They will not come out flat this time.

Griz play like their hair is on fire, execute on offense, fly around on defense and win a close one. 28-24 Griz.

Note: I don't think I'll be able to make it out to Kirkland in time to get a spot (which I hear would be somewhere around 3:30) so I'll be at Sluggers Sports Bar in Pioneer Square (Seattle), where I hear there will be a few Griz fans. Hope to see a decent group there. Mention this post, and be one of the first people to do so, and I'll probably buy you a beer.

Photo credit: Becky Malewitz for MontanaGrizzlies.com

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If you're Appalachian State, Richmond or anyone on this or the other side of your bracket, what transpired Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium was your worst-case scenario.

Montana couldn't be entering their second round game in a more optimal mental state. Against the Jackrabbits, they made mistake after mistake. If this was the "bend but don't break" strategy they were a piece of paper that had been folded in half. Pushed as far as any team could possibly be pushed, they didn't cave.

Going forward, is there any chance a team could push the Griz to a point where they're willing to pack it in, to think they can't win? Absolutely not. Last year, I drove thousands of miles in a shoddy camper to watch Montana fall behind early and never mount any kind of comeback. It felt like we showed up while the team stayed in Missoula.That shouldn't happen this year.

When they weren't tripping over themselves to hand SDSU the game, the Griz were unstoppable. Marc Mariani may be the most dangerous player in the FCS and a legit NFL prospect (see: Wes Welker). This team is every bit as dangerous as last year's impressive group and possibly even better.

But let's look at what could've happened this past weekend: The Giz could've come into Washington-Grizzly stadium clicking in every facet of the game and blown out the Jackrabbits by three scores. With the teams still alive on our side of the bracket, the Griz don't need a thick coating of overconfidence.

Then again, they could've played a low-scoring close game; one where the two teams exchanged mixtakes and it came down to a kick. And how does that look? It's very possible the Griz escape not believing they are truly deserving of their 1-seed.

So what do things look like now? They won't make the same mistakes. They're confident they can move the ball and win games but not so much that they aren't aware of the fact that any potential mistakes could cost them.

Idyllic.

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Bobby Hauck has grown too big for Missoula and the University of Montana. I'm sure this is what he envisioned all along. He'd steer the program to win after win as he transformed into this larger-than-life persona. He's close, but a bit off. Bobby Hauck has put himself above the University, the students and everything an upright program should stand for. 

This recent spat with the editors of The Kaimin is just one more thing to add to his already damaging résumé. Hauck feels as though he doesn't need to comment on the fact that a few of his players may or may not have beat the hell out of a University of Montana student. Sure, that may be true, the case was never reported to authorities, but treat the students who cover you with a bit of respect and possibly even a shred of class. Reporters do not deserve to be ignored at press conferences and swore at when asking questions in other venues. 

Not only has this mistreatment of the local media been a staple of Bobby Hauck's tenure here at Montana, but so have these violent incidents.  It isn't just here either. Bobby Hauck served as the recruiting coordinator at the University of Washington and played a hand in building one of the most purely evil teams in the history of football. 

So let that be his legacy. Forget the wins, forget that mask. Yes, I know coaches are hired to win football games but it should not come at the cost of a university's pride and dignity. In my mind, the negativity, animosity and separatism that he has brought between the football program and the students who support it is not worth the wins. 

When an athletic director is thinking about hiring him and decides to Google his name to see what people think of him, let them find this. When fans consider suggesting a new coach and want to see what's out there, do not think Bobby Hauck. He will win games, but at what cost? On the field, he is a good football coach. But to the media and in other areas off of it? Certainly not.  Don't hire him.

Sidenote: Griz win.

Update: I've received a few comments on this post after the Griz beat App State to advance to Chattanooga. Before I move on, I have to say I'm impressed by anyone who has the confidence to fire off an anonymous comment two months after this was posted, and only after Bobby Hauck got the Griz to the National Championship game. Takes balls. Well done.

Let me state that I love what Hauck has done on the field. He wins games. Period. I'm a huge Montana fan and definitely a bigtime supporter of Griz football. I'm thrilled the Griz will play for a National Championship game for the second consecutive year and the only disappointment I have surrounding this week is that I won't make it to Chattanooga after I had the opportunity to make the 2,000 mile drive there from Missoula last year.

Nevertheless, I'd be extremely hesitant to hire Bobby Hauck if I were the AD of Pac 10/WAC/Big East/whatever school. Before you say "that's why you're not" let me state that it's a big risk at best and horrible disaster of "how did you not see this coming?!" proportions at worst. I've stated my opinion on the matter and this current run the Griz are on doesn't change anything. He wins games. We knew that. Some people won't agree with my opinion on things, I understand that, but I'll continue to state it. He'll get a job, I know that, and good for him when he does.

You can still see the comments for this post here and I've even posted the ones from people who actually left an email address, even though it's probably fake. At least they tried. As far as new comments, they're really not. I've heard it before and the conversation isn't changing. 

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I've always been a proponent of keeping an open mind of moving teams around in the rankings based on performance, not just wins. Sure Montana looked a little bit sluggish in the first half against Western State but I would have thought a 38-0 final result would've kept the Griz where they were in the rankings. Not so.

The Griz fell from third to fifth as Villanova, who rallied to beat Temple, and Northern Iowa, who was back-to-back blocked field goals away from beating Iowa, jumped ahead of them in the polls. Also, Richmond moved to the top spot after being Duke.

Anyway, here are the complete rankings, courtesy of The Sports Network.

Others receiving votes: Georgia Southern 212, Liberty 183, Eastern Illinois 167, Delaware 158, Florida A&M 158, Furman 146, Colgate 123, Tennessee-Martin 106, Grambling 103, Western Illinois 103, Samford 87, North Dakota State 71, Alabama A&M 61, Hofstra 50, Montana State 50, Penn 48, Northern Arizona 38, Prairie View 38, Rhode Island 37, Hampton 36, Brown 33, Murray State 24, Stephen F. Austin 20, Southern 18, Gardner-Webb 17, San Diego 16, Jacksonville 14, Youngstown State 14, Southeast Missouri State 13, Southern Utah 12, Norfolk State 11, South Dakota 10, Coastal Carolina 7, Southeastern Louisiana 7, Tennessee State 7, Towson 7, Yale 7, Lafayette 6, Virginia Military 6, Chattanooga 5, Stony Brook 4, UC Davis 4, Albany 3, Jackson State 3, Central Connecticut State 2, Duquesne 2, Tennessee Tech 2.

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If it weren't for the fact that this were the home opener, today would've been quite the ho-hum affair. The Griz seemed to treat it that way in the first half and after a series of mistakes led Western State—who I honestly didn't know which state they were in the western part of until the game started—only 10-0 at the half.

Of course, Montana managed to put things together and ended up thumping Western State (did you know that their home stadium is really high up? Wow, thanks Phil!) by the score of 38-0 despite the ongoing quarterback competition. Greg Rachac of the Billings Gazette openly wonders if Justin Roper managed to distance of himself from Andrew Selle.

It was great to see Selle get the start today. If nothing else it was a nod to Selle for all the work he has done in the last three years backing up Cole Bergquist.

But Selle obviously had some early jitters. He missed four of his first five passes, threw an interception and missed a wide-open Jabin Sambrano on third down that would have gone for a long touchdown in the first quarter.

By contrast, Roper -- aside from a fumble in the red zone that killed a scoring chance -- played better than Selle overall. Roper looked a bit more polished.

I tend to agree, but more than anything else just wish Hauck would pick a quarterback. As the old saying goes, "if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have any." Or something like that. Also, how illegitimate does a team look with two quarterbacks splitting time almost evenly? I mean, does a juggernaut title contender go with quarterback by committee strategy? I don't think so.

In other news, Chase Reynolds did his thing with 100 yards on 18 carries. None of the wide receivers stood out with Mr. Touchdown Marc Mariani (Sauce!!) getting just one grab for 26 yards. But hey, the defense pitched a shutout. That's...pretty good.

The real challenges start next week with UC Davis on the road. Looking forward to it.

Hope everyone in Missoula had fun.

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For out of state fans, Big Sky TV (at least since it's been free) has been a godsend. Last year was absolutely phenomenal. They used the cameras used at the stadium, the same shots they showed up on the big screens and instead of using the TV calls from Phil Buck, they pulled in the radio feed called by Mick Holien. Needless to say, it rocked. It rocked hard. As good as you could possibly expect from a broadcast of this level. It exceeded what KPAX was putting out by far. Honestly, this free broadcast that was probably quickly patched together beat the hell out of a full-time broadcast squad.

Well, it's a new year. Big Sky TV is brought to us out-of-state fans by something called 'B2 Networks'. Phil is back and I'm pretty sure they're grabbing the TV feed. Seriously, look at this quality:

If I had to guess whether they were paying more or less for this service, I'd probably guess more. The season starts with a slight disappointment.

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Say this kid were a junior. Would he be at Montana next season? Probably. At least I'd hope so.

Alright, I graduated but I'm going to do what I can to prevent this blog going completely extinct. Gameday tomorrow. Have fun. Pour a little out for me. 

May do a live blog, we'll see. If not, check out Twitter. @colinokeefe.

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Your typical hype video, lots of highlights with music pulled from a Nike ad:

And a very insightful video from Draftguys.com highlighting the many positive attributes in Colt's game:

**

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Colt Anderson and Colin Dow are the first two Montana Grizzlies to join NFL Teams. Anderson to the Minnesota Vikings with a three year deal and Dow joins the Bengals with a two year contract. NFL deals don't make much sense as they can essentially be torn up at any point but it's exciting none-the-less.

Here's what Colt had to say, from The Missoulian:

“It was tough watching guys you felt you were better than getting picked up,” admitted Anderson, who walked on at UM and leaves as a Football Championship Subdivision All-American. “It was frustrating to watch teams who you thought were interested in you take another guy.

“But bottom line, when the draft got over and teams started calling you - that was pretty exciting. A lot of teams showed interest.” ...

Anderson said 10 teams had been in contact with him as the draft wound down.

“But it came down to just a couple,” said the hard-hitting safety. “I just felt Minnesota was the best opportunity for me. They thought I could have an impact for them.”

My advice to Colt (besides not trying in any game against the Packers): dye your hair blond in an effort to look Scandinavian and thus more like the Viking mascot. How could that possibly hurt your chances of sticking with the team?

And Dow's take on the whole ordeal:

“It was nerve-wracking,” said Dow, a two-time all-Big Sky guard who kept hearing positive comments on the phone, but seeing other players picked on ESPN. “They said, ‘Hold on and keep your head up.' Nothing came to fruition, in the draft anyway, but I have an opportunity in front of me either way, and I'm going to take advantage of it.” ...

“I had a choice between Chicago, San Diego and Cincinnati,” said Dow, who was flown in for interviews by both Chicago and Cincinnati.

The Bengals won out.

“I decided that was the place I had the best chance to come and maybe make a difference,” he said. “I used a lot of the same variables that I had to when I was choosing between Wyoming and Montana (for college). Hopefully it works out as well.”

Advice for Dow: Umm, keep Carson Palmer healthy, party with Chad Ocho Cinco while managing to not get arrested.

Have fun guys, looking forward to seeing who else will get picked up.

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Having other things to do today, the only part of the day two of the NFL draft I managed to catch was the last 2-3 picks. I stopped by ESPN's 'Draftcast' to see if any Montana Grizzlies had been picked. Up to that point, nil. I wasn't really hoping for anything until it got to Kansas City and pick number 256, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Why? Because JD Quinn would've made the absolute best Mr. Irrelevant ever. Did you know Mr. Irrelevant gets an entire banquet/week dedicated to him? Oh, and on top of that, Mr. Irrelevant gets to visit the Playboy Mansion. Imagine, an entire week dedicated to JD Quinn, one in which he hangs out with Hef and the girls. Would've been great.

So, we'll wait and see who gets picked up as a free agent and then does what they can to make the team.

Oh, yeah, I'm going to try and write more. If you couldn't tell, things like driving 40 hours (both ways) to watch your football team lose a national championship and having the last Griz hoops game you attend be a heartbreaking loss to the Cats kind of takes their toll.

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That's it. The team that was expected to lose somewhere around three games is 60 minutes from the U's third National Championship. The CAA and whoever can talk themselves up all they want. The truth is, Appalachian State is the only team that can come close to making the argument that they're more of an FCS powerhouse. After tonight, Montana Grizzlies will have appeared in six of the past fourteen FCS National Championship games.

Now there's just one more. That's it. I'm not sure what I can say. At this point, it's on the players. We'll be bringing thousands of Griz fans, because let's face it, we're as good as they come. We're 2,100 miles away and sold out all our tickets. Richmond had to send some back. We can yell but it's on the guys now.

To conclude, this is ridiculous. I am in Chattanooga, Tennessee, it was close to a 40 hour drive from the zoo. Now let's do this. Just a single game. Let's go Cole. Chase, carry em. Mr Touchdown has this. And Colt 'The Hair' Anderson will be knocking down anyone that makes it to the secondary. I honestly don't know how to wrap this up. It's completely unbelievable. The last Griz game I attend as a student will be a National Championship game.

Ironically, the first Griz game I ever watched was a title game. As a senior in high school, shortly after deciding I'd be going to the University of Montana for school, I watched our Griz get beat on that torn up field. Today will be different. We'll be driving out of this town with championship #4.

28-17 Griz.

Follow twitter.com/colinokeefe for comments and pictures from the game and tailgates.

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It was a long an winding road before the Montana Grizzlies made it to the National Championship game. However, once they made it there, they got to take a chartered flight. Not me, it'll be 2,100 miles and 31 hours in a van. Awesome.

You can follow the entire trip—with pictures and comments live from wherever their taken or written—from the point we leave Missoula, to the tailgates, to the actual game, to celebrating or mourning at the bars and then finally the return on twitter.com/colinokeefe. Or here, but then the links to images won't work.

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 You always hear sports fans making a promise where, if their team makes it to their respective championship game, then that individual will go—no matter what. I never made that type of promise. Tennessee? Come on. Flights are ridiculously expensive; oh and don't even tell me about booking in advance. I wouldn't jinx my team like that. And that drive? 2,100 miles. 30 hours. 

Well, I decided that I have to make it.

It's my senior year and the Montana Grizzlies are playing in the National Championship game. This is by far the most enjoyable squad out of the past four seasons. Plain and simple, I cannot justify not making this ridiculous drive. So, upon purchasing six tickets from an Appalachian State fan, myself and five friends will be making the pilgrimage to Chattanooga, TN. I hope to see many Griz fans there. If you're making the trip and have tips (or invites to tailgates?) for some Chattanooga rookies and college students on a budget, drop those in the comments.

Go Griz.

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So, we're lucky we won on Friday. Not because JMU was the better team, because that obviously wasn't the case. No, Cole Bergquist got a message from Tony Romo on Friday. Now, that'd be pretty cool, right? But let's think, big game, you want advice from a big game quarterback, right? Yea, that's not Romo. Anyway, we won. And that's still a classy thing for Romo to do. Fixing a random couple's tire, taking a homeless guy to a movie and now this. You hope all of these positive actions pay off eventually, right? Ehhh, I still enjoy seeing the Cowboys lose.

Anyway, here's an excerpt from the original story, reported by the Great Falls Tribune:

After the game in an interview with the Tribune, Bergquist divulged that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo called him Thursday in Virginia at the team hotel and left a message on his cellphone.

"I've got a little story to tell," said Bergquist from the victorious lockerroom at Bridgeforth Stadium. "I got a call last night from Tony Romo. My sister knows one of his friends, and he left me a message. You know, he played I-AA (Eastern Illinois) football.

"He said a lot of nice stuff, including 'good things happen when you throw to the running back.'"

I don't think bombing it to Reynolds on a wheel route is what Romo had in mind, but then again, Cole's the big game quarterback.

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Last night, we found out we had one more game. Now we know the Montana Grizzlies will have to beat the Richmond Spiders to earn their third FCS National Championship.

Today's semifinal started out as boring as any football game I've watched in recent memory. You could call it a defensive battle or just slow, boring football. That's up to you. During the second half, things went from a little more interesting to downright ridiculous.

Sidenote: if you want your school, and entire division for that matter, to look completely laughable then play a nationally televised Saturday game on astroturf. Jesus. Get it together UNI.

Back to the game. UNI capitalized on a Richmond fumble and eventually ran the score to 20-7. They couldn't put it away though and proceeded to give up 14 unanswered points. They choked. After giving up the ball on 4th and 1, the Spiders forced a three and out that took only 28 seconds off the clock. With no timeouts and 1:46 left the Spiders drove 62 yards for the score. Richmond kicked it short, which made zero sense with the amount of time left (about 20 seconds). Then UNI attempted to one-up Richmond's odd play choice by running a desperation lateral play when, with one timeout, a bomb down the middle to their stud 6'7" tight end could've set-up a game-winning field goal. That was only a little worse than Richmond's clock management at the end of the second half.

Nevertheless, it was a good, nay, a great game. No one can deny how incredible the drive at the end was, but at the risk of sounding like an arrogant JMU fan, I wasn't that impressed with most of the game. I get the feeling both teams did not bring their best game today, at least for the first 58 minutes and 15 seconds. If Richmond does that again, they'll lose.

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If you go to the University of Montana for four years, you should get to see your Griz play in a National Championship. Now I will.

This seemed like it could be the team early on even though they really shouldn't. You could make the case that all of the previous three teams had more talent. From the beginning though, this team had the confidence and the right attitude. They found out what losing a conference game feels like. They had a balanced dynamic offense and the playoff experience of years past. Now it pays off.

One more game.

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I'll be honest, before last Saturday I did not know where James Madison University was located. I knew they were a great team, one that planted itself atop the rankings weeks ago, but I didn't know for sure where they played. After learning last Saturday we'd be facing them in the semis I said something along the lines of "Where the hell is James Madison even? I bet it's someplace with a lot of fast people... like Virginia." A Google search confirmed the location and Rodney Landers confirms the fast part. While Landers' unshed tears may cure cancer, this has never been a one-man game. The Griz have the makeup of a team capable of pulling this off.

ESPN hoops analyst Digger Phelps always talks about undefeated teams needing to lose a game, just to know what it's like. This team, and this program, needed to lose that game to Weber State. They have the invaluable experience of paying for their idiotic mistakes. Not everything can be overcome with talent. Talent was something past teams relied too much upon, they didn't seem to have the look of a championship team. Here's what I wrote about this year's Griz team back in September:

Of the four Griz teams I've seen since coming on campus with the 2005 squad, I'd pick this team to make it to Chattanooga over any of those. It's not about talent, it's about having the attitude and confidence. This team has it.

I stand by that statement. There's something with this team, something different. They have the necessary swagger but also stay honest. They're focused. This team is not going to be intimidated by anyone.

The Griz play smart disciplined football. Stopping Rodney Landers won't be the responsibility of one stud linebacker. It'll be about knowing assignments, reading the play and not overpursuing. It'll be a team defensive effort. Same with the offensive side of the ball. We're not going to pound it over and over again with Chase Reynolds. Cole won't key in on Mariani. Why not? Because we'll lose if they do that. That and because we're balanced.

This is a good team with the potential to be a great one. We find out tonight if this team is as special as I think. Let's do it Griz.

Photo credit: Adrienne Barnett for Montanagrizzlies.com

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Available for purchase here.

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Are you kidding me?

I've had friends ask me that question with the last meeting between the Griz and Wildcats in mind. My answer? Absolutely yes.

Do you know the type of team it would take to come to Missoula and win today? A great team. Weber State University does not have that team. They're not going to get the opening-round jitters. They're not going to get a stadium 5,000 people beneath capacity. Mainly, they're not getting the Griz team they beat on October 4th, in the conference opener.

No. They're getting 26,000 crazy Montanans who woke up at 8:00 AM this morning so they could drink themselves into a stupor and yell all damn day. They're getting a team that knows it can win in the playoffs, one with veterans who have been here before. They're getting a Griz team that's playing as well as any Griz team in years, certainly peaking at the right time.

This will be different. The Griz will come out with their hair on fire. Weber's character and resilience will be tested early. In the end, we'll be one game away from the National Championship.

35-21 Griz.

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The Griz knew they would have a chance at revenge if they beat Texas State on Saturday. Whether it was for a 48-28 loss in Ogden or 2005 playoff defeat was in question until the Wildcats straight  out-played Cal Poly down in San Luis Obispo.

For a majority of the first half, it looked like another early playoff exit was in order for the Griz. Yet another fast southern team was going to oust the FCS' version of Ohio State. Then we remembered a supposed powerhouse shouldn't bow out in a first round home game every year.

After clearing the first round hurdle, there's no doubt which Griz team will show up on Saturday. The pressure is gone, the students are back and Wa-Griz will be back at its eardrum-wrecking capacity. And oh look, we have a running game. Boosh.

Weber has been solid throughout the year but a loss to lowly Eastern Washington shows they, like any other team, are susceptible to a major letdown.

Both teams are significantly improved. Weber can't expect to be aided by four turnovers and seven sacks like the last meeting. Weather should be a big factor. Rain hurt Montana's aerial game in the last matchup and it'll be interesting to see who's better at dealing with the cold.

It should be good. I'm looking forward to this game as much as any since being on campus. Hope it's not my last as a student.

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Follow the feed—which will have updates and pictures from the student section—here or at twitter.com/colinokeefe for live updates and pictures from the game.

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The Montana Grizzlies hold firm at #5 in the latest FCS poll. The Weber State Wildcats also remain lodged in the top ten at #8. Those are the only two Big Sky teams in the rankings.

Here are the complete rankings, courtesy of The Sports Network:

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While the players get a little time off after their win yesterday over Idaho State, the students do not. Nope, we're in line for Cat-Griz tickets. Here are some notes, which will probably be updated throughout this ridiculously long day.

9:45

• This blows.
• Students were not allowed in the doors until 9:00 so anyone lines formed outside before that didn't really matter. This means there were people that got here at 7:00 or before and were behind people that got here at 9:00 because they picked the wrong door. Whatever, if you were part of that first wave of people going through the door, whether you were here at 7:00 or 9:00, you're getting a guest pass. I am not.
• Like scientists predicting that future wars will be waged over drinking water, I see power outlets becoming a pretty hot commodity sometime around noon.
• To reiterate, I'm pissed I have to miss the Lady Griz game. There really has to be a better way to do this.
• Fantasy football roster is set: Brett Favre, Chris Johnson, Brandon Jacobs, Randy Moss, DeSean Jackson, Marvin Harrison, Kevin Boss, David Akers and the Bills defense. Already up 26-0 after Thursday but will miss games today. Too bad because Missoula gets Packers vs. Bears.

11:15

• Made a run to Finnegans, that was definitely a good idea. The ham and cheese omelette was delicious.
• So, word is that ASUM scheduled ticket distribution right now. You know what? Screw you guys. It's not your job to look after the professors, look after your fellow students toolbags. There will be no students at the home-opener of the school's best team. God what a terrible move.
• Why not start selling the tickets right now? Surprise us. It'd be a great PR move. Everyone who's dedicated to getting tickets is here. A majority of the other people will show up around 6 because they know tickets will still be available then. Where's the harm?
• The Packers/Bears game is underway. I am not watching it. Damn.
• Currently up 37-25 in fantasy game against my brother Eamon (his defense still has the default 10 points).
• Some people are starting to leave once they realize they're not getting guest passes—wristbands have already been handed out, I assume to the first 400 people.

1:02

• My back hurts.
• If I had more than two days of class per week I would skip a day of class just to spite ASUM and the professors for making me miss the Lady Griz game.

2:30

• Saw everyone going into the Lady Griz game on my way back from Pizza Pipeline. Really wish I were at that game but just realized the game is on BigSkyTv. Yesss.
• Shaunte Nance-Johnson looks great at point guard.
• There's some irritating Irish music playing in the UC right now. Not cool.

5:01

• For the past couple hours, the internet has been so bogged down with people that it was completely unusable. Awesome.
• Only an hour left, I'm going to need a drink, or many, after this.
• There are sections of the line with cute girls and there are sections of the line without them. I am not so fortunate as to be in one of the better segments of the line.
• Good to see that the Lady Griz won.
• So, Rhode Island almost beat Duke. Yes, good teams can be sloppy early in the season but they still pull out wins, not get beat by 30.

7:24

• I finally have my ticket and made it out of there. 
• Being completely honest, that was kind of a shit show. Once the line started moving at 6:00, we (people on the second floor) moved roughly 70 feet then stood there for another 40 minutes. That was fun.
• I'm sure I waited all day for nothing. I bet tickets will still be on sale after the entire UC line clears out so unless you got a guest pass, it really wasn't worth waiting all day.

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After a complete trouncing of supposed Big Sky contender Northern Arizona, the Montana Grizzlies moved up one place to fifth in the latest rankings. This small step comes after Appalachian State reamed Wofford, 70-24.

I'm starting to think something's up. I don't know if voters are think about past playoff performances or what. Freakin' Cal Poly got a first-place vote and sits three spots ahead of Montana. Ummm, we beat them. On the road. And with the exception of the Weber game (hey, we all got one FCS loss), Montana has taken a giant step forward each game. Whoever thinks Poly is better than Montana--and it's obviously a lot of people--is dead wrong

Here are the complete rankings, courtesy of The Sports Network:

Others receiving votes: Maine 181, South Dakota State 136, Northwestern State 114, North Dakota State 97, Jacksonville State 95, Lafayette 89, Georgia Southern 81, Prairie View 78, Eastern Kentucky 63, Grambling 54, Holy Cross 41, Morgan State 34, UC Davis 26, Albany 25, Brown 14, Hampton 13, Sacred Heart 12, Dayton 10, Texas State 9, Florida A&M 7, San Diego 6, Nicholls State 5, Montana State 4, Monmouth 2, Penn 2, Jacksonville 1.

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In a move that absolutely no one saw coming, Tyrone Willingham is out as the head coach of the Washington Huskies. Seriously, at an impressive 0-7, coaching one of two winless teams in D-1 football, I thought his job was secure.

Anywhoo, Bobby Hauck's résumé is surely already in the hands of University of Washington Athletic Director Scott Woodward. Hauck has wanted out of Missoula since he figured out recruiting thugs was "frowned upon," but at the University of Washington, where players like Jerramy Stevens can thrive and flourish, he could be seen as a sufficient savior.

Honestly, this is his dream job. He coached at the University of Washington for four years, where "he worked with defensive backs, special teams, and safeties and was considered one of the top recruiters in college football." (from montanagrizzlies.com) One of the top recruiters in college football? God, that's good. Hmmm, let's look at some of the players he recruited. That's just at U-Dub. What about here?

That might serve in his favor though. The Huskies tried the nice coach thing. They tried hiring clean guy Ty and it brought an 0-7 record. Let's bring back what worked. If recruiting people straight from the third circle of hell means winning Rose Bowls, then so be it. Bring back Bobby..... special teams guru.

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The Montana Grizzlies moved up two spots to sixth in the latest FCS Top 25 rankings after their mauling of the Northern Colorado Bears (ooo, see what I did there?). Weber State is up three spots to #13 after beating Northern Arizona. NAU is down four places to #19.

Here are the complete rankings, courtest of The Sports Network.

Others receiving votes: Texas State 127, South Dakota State 95, Maine 70, Jacksonville State 67, North Dakota State 66, Prairie View 63, Georgia Southern 60, Hampton 54, Florida A&M 47, Colgate 44, Northwestern State 33, Eastern Washington 32, Grambling 27, Penn 26, Albany 25, UC Davis 25, Eastern Kentucky 24, San Diego 14, Holy Cross 11, Sacred Heart 10, Monmouth 4, North Dakota 4, Morgan State 3, Dayton 2.

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The Montana Grizzlies jumped up four spots to #8 after their win over Eastern Washington. The Eagles fell out of the rankings as Northern Arizona and Weber State moved up to #17 and #18 respectively.

Here are the complete rankings, courtesy of The Sports Network.

Others receiving votes: William & Mary 129, Harvard 100, South Carolina State 97, Texas State 81, Eastern Washington 78, Georgia Southen 61, Sam Houston State 60, San Diego 38, Lafayette 29, Tennessee-Martin 25, Delaware 24, Eastern Kentucky 22, Prairie View 21, Northwestern State 17, Grambling 13, UC Davis 12, Colgate 11, Princeton 11, Sacred Heart 11, Eastern Illinois 10, Maine 10, Cornell 9, North Dakota 9, Southern 7, Yale 6, Northeastern 6, Montana State 5, Florida A&M 4, Delaware State 1, Penn 1.

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The more talented team didn't win on Saturday, but the best one did. The Eastern Washington Eagles came into the 2008 season with their sights set on a Big Sky Conference title and a potential deep postseason run. It's been all disappointment so far. After watching Saturday's game, it's easy to see why. 

I have not followed the Eagles very closely this year so I do not want to directly criticize head coach Beau Baldwin but on Saturday Eastern played like a team that was poorly coached. Costly turnovers and poor special teams play were only the beginning.

In the second quarter, the Grizzlies moved the ball from close to their own goal line to deep in Eastern Washington territory on a drive sustained mostly by idiotic third down penalties. Other plays that stand out: the Grizzlies moving the chain on third and 10+'s using a lucky Bergquist scramble and a draw. The fact that the Griz got zero points out of what was a completely demoralizing drive speaks volumes towards whether the Griz won this game or the Eagles lost it.

Moving past the complete lack of discipline, let's look at what's killed the Griz the past couple games: the deep ball. Even a D-2 team tore up the Grizzly secondary, you'd think what was once one of the best deep ball combos in the FCS could combine for more than 56 yards. It very well could've been the coverage but I don't remember them throwing the ball downfield nearly as much as they should have.

They opened with an impressive running game and clung to that from that point forward If they rolled the opening series into an play-set featuring a wealth of stretch plays and play-action passes—a la the Indianapolis Colts—things could've gotten ugly. Even without any play action, I was still waiting for things to turn South for the Grizzlies. Eventually Boyce and Nichols would click. Eventually they'd start hucking the ball forty yards at a time. Never happened.

The more consistent, disciplined and detail-oriented team won. That's why we're still playing for a playoff berth and they've essentially resigned themselves to the roll of spoiler less than halfway through conference play.

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Many expected next week's matchup between the Montana Grizzlies and Eastern Washington Eagles to be between top 10 teams. Nope. We both lost. Eastern Washington is at #23 and Montana falls to #12. Weber State steps into the rankings at #22.

Here are the complete rankings courtesy of The Sports Network:

Others receiving votes: Tennessee State 164, Hampton 147, Sam Houston State 126, Montana State 85, Eastern Illinois 57, South Carolina State 55, Harvard 51, Georgia Southern 50, San Diego 34, Cornell 28, Bethune-Cookman 26, Youngstown State 17, Yale 10, Lafayette 9, North Dakota 8, Northeastern 8, Prairie View 8, Sacred Heart 6, Southern 5, Florida A&M 5, Central Connecticut State 4, Eastern Kentucky 4, Grambling 4, Princeton 4, Colgate 4, William & Mary 3, Brown 2, Delaware State 1, Illinois State 1, Northwestern State 1, Portland State 1, Texas State 1.

Other relevant posts:

• It had to happen sometime

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Well, this is a little closer to the season we were all expecting.

The streak is over and you had to know it'd happen in a game like this. The Griz go on the road, in poor weather and finally have to pay for their mistakes. They didn't just lose to Weber State either, they got straight blown out by the Wildcats. And that's the way it had to go down. This team can screw everything up, try to give games away, but if it's close they'll pull a 'W' out of the back of their pants. Assuming it's not in the playoffs.

There have to be some positives though, right? Not from the actual game—which based on attendance, level of play and production quality looked worse than a high school game—but from losing. They know now they're not good enough to play terrible and win. They also know their defense isn't winning them any games this year. Unfortunately, so does everyone else.

And isn't this kind of fun? We're vulnerable again. I have a buddy who's half-hoping the nation's current economic turmoil turns into a full-blown depression. I never understood that. But I'm starting to. Sometimes people have it so good that they just have to be kicked in their collective taint. This is one of those times. We win the conference every goddamn year. I'm not saying we shouldn't. But you shouldn't be so comfortable doing it. A sprinkle of mediocrity here and there builds character.

On to Eastern next week, where both teams need try to avoid a legit losing streak. I may be there, to see if these flames can't go a little higher.

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Even though the Montana Grizzlies barely beat Division II Central Washington, they moved up to #3 in the rankings, behind Appalachian State and James Madison. This comes after #1 Richmond's lost to Villanova.

Here are the complete rankings, courtesy of The Sports Network.

Others receiving votes: Eastern Illinois 382, Lafayette 368, Tennessee State 267, Harvard 260, Holy Cross 251, Youngstown State 148, William & Mary 145, Hampton 143, Sam Houston State 130, Prairie View 56, San Diego 50, Weber State 42, Florida A&M 36, Cornell 24, Norh Dakota 10, Sacred Heart 7, Delaware State 6, Montana State 4, Colgate 2, Southern 2, Central Connecticut State 1, Coastal Carolina 1, Grambling 1.

Other relevant posts:

• Montana Grizzlies - Central Washington Wildcats highlights
• Montana and The Ewing Theory

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Thanks to montanagrizzlies.com for putting this together and then also to whoever put it on Youtube.

I don't mean to discredit the Wildcats—they did an excellent job of taking advantage of the opportunities given to them—but the Grizzlies almost lost this game, the Wildcats didn't almost win it.

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ESPN columnist Bill Simmons is a tool. That fact is not up for debate. However, this doesn't mean he didn't have any decent ideas. One of those: The Ewing Theory.

The Ewing Theory is the often-seen premise where a team loses their best player(s) and then inexplicably gets better. The examples are endless. There are two I can think of off the top of my head. The Seattle Mariners lost Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez all in a relatively short span. In their first season without any of those three they won 116 games. The New York Giants lost Tiki Barber to retirement before last season. That turned out well.

The Patrick Ewing Theory can also apply to scenarios outside the sports world:

Can the Ewing Theory apply to romance?
You betcha. Everyone has one friend who got dumped by their girlfriend/boyfriend, sending them into a tailspin. You worried about them and their well-being, you logged major phone time with them, you wondered if they would ever bounce back... and then, boom! Your friend started working out, dropping 15 pounds and suddenly looking better than ever. They also started going out three times a week, rekindling all their old friendships; within time, they had completely regained their mojo. And inevitably, when they finally started dating again, their new flame put the old one to shame. That's the Ewing Theory in a nutshell.

Right now the Griz, and especially the offense, are livin' the single life.

As most fans probably notice, the Grizzly offense looks a lot different this season. The ultra-conservative offense we'd come to know and hate is gone for the most part. We lost Lex Hilliard and Dan Carpenter (along with Eric Allen and Ryan Bagley) and we're better.

Hilliard and Carpenter are the primary catalysts for the change. We're not pounding the ball into the line on 3rd and 4. We're not settling for three points on 4th and goal from the 2. Hell, we're not kicking field goals on 4th and 5 from the 25 either.

Isn't this fun? The offense is creative. Marc Mariani and Cole Bergquist have combined to form an offensive threat that's every bit as intimidating as the 225-pound Hilliard. They've been given the room and freedom to morph into an almost true spread offense. The options are endless. Pfahler and Ferriter are getting more looks. Mariani is certainly the go-to receiver but not nearly in the way that Lex Hilliard was the go-to player. The options are endless and this team is taking advantage.

Of the four Griz teams I've seen since coming on campus with the 2005 squad, I'd pick this team to make it to Chattanooga over any of those. It's not about talent, it's about having the attitude and confidence. This team has it.

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Once again, major thanks to the people at Montanagrizzlies.com for putting these on Youtube.

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The Montana Grizzlies remain as the #4 team in the nation after a win that showed more character than anything else. This team drove down the field and scored when it needed to then came back and made the big stop. James Madison's close win over Appalachian State has them leap over the Griz and all the way up to #2 with App State coming down to #3. Completely justified. Appalachian State now has zero first-place votes. Wow. NDSU falls all the way down to #10 after a loss to Youngstown State. Eastern Washington continues to move up, they're at #11 after their first win of the season, a 52-31 victory over Division II Western Washington.

Here are the complete rankings, courtesy of The Sports Network.

Others receiving votes: Harvard 331, Youngstown State 276, Northern Arizona 273, Yale 251, Jacksonville State 224, Hampton 106, San Diego 71, Prairie View 59, William & Mary 50, Brown 44, Florida A&M 43, Holy Cross 38, Penn 30, Weber State 28, Sam Houston State 22, Eastern Kentucky 14, Southeastern Louisiana 13, Lafayette 10, Sacred Heart 9, Delaware State 8, South Carolina State 8, Norfolk State 5, Princeton 4, Tennessee-Martin 4, Montana State 1, North Dakota 1,.

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The drill is the same as always. Live updates and pictures from the game. You can check the thing beneath or go straight to twiitter.com/colinokeefe. The latter is properly best as you'll need to copy and paste links to images out of the flash widget.

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 Above are the highlights from Saturday's game. Well-done and great that they're putting them on YouTube. Anyway, here are a few of my observations from the game.

• Marc Mariani is a monster. Southern Utah had a better chance of stopping the sun from shining than they did slowing down Mariani. He ran great routes, blew by coverage, caught the ball when it was catchable and made moves in the open field. For the first time in the four years I've been here, it looks like the Griz have a definite go-to receiver.
• Cole Bergquist loves his first receiver. From the moment he drops back, he will stare so hard at his first progression that he may be able to see into their soul. Berquist's athleticism and mobility are great but can be a negative if he only looks to his first guy then takes off. I mentioned this in the Twitter feed, he stared down his first progression like no quarterback I've ever seen. I bet he looks like Reche Caldwell out there. If Mariani continues the phenomenal play, it's going to become very obvious who he's going to throw the ball to. However...
• Berquist throws a great ball. He may not read all the way through his progressions but when he tosses it to the first guy, it's normally an excellent throw. The difference between last season and this is obvious. He's throwing with more strength, accuracy and confidence than he ever has.
• When Selle eventually steps in, there will be do drop-off. He looked every bit as good as the starter. Go back and watch some of the throws, he was placing strong throws between coverage perfectly. On top of that, he has all the mobility of Bergquist. It may have been the fact that he's the backup and therefore less worried about getting hurt, but he seemed to run with a bit more power, lowing his shoulder into linebackers at times. Tebow-esque.
• Defense is still good. There was much concern about how the defense would look after all the losses. So far, so good. They play with a bit different style. Not as much power but a little more flash. Trumaine Jackson's back-to-back interceptions were both due to great grabs.
• Kicked down the doors. After a mediocre first quarter, I was worried the Griz would let the inferior Thunderbirds hang in there. Not so. It was nice to see our offense thoroughly dominate and put the game away early.
• We need to play better teams. It's been said so many times but if you look at it from the fan's perspective, we're getting robbed of games. We only get one half of interesting football. Maybe three quarters. It's nice seeing the offense do well but even that can get old. So if you take a half out of this game, a half out of the next game and probably three quarters of the Central Washington game, that's seven quarters of good football that we don't get to see. We're getting screwed. But hey, at half a mil a game, the administration is happy. And if the administration is happy and profitable, nothing else matters.
• Bobby Hauck is a joke. When asked during the coach's show about the status of Cole Bergquist, Bobby Hauck did his usual and declined comment, saying "Sometimes I just have to laugh at myself." Oh that's funny, because I always have to laugh at Bobby Hauck. He wants out, he wants to coach big-time football and he thinks (brace for PG-13 language) the beat reporters for schools like Washington, UCLA, Colorado, and Cal are going to put up with that shit? He's your star quarterback and you can't give us an inkling as to whether he's going to play next week? Please. Damn, even Tressel let the media know about Beanie Wells. They were playing USC and he meant a lot more to his team than Bergquist means to the Griz. They may take that crap in Laramie, which is where Bobby Hauck should be going, so good for him. If you got to where you are by being good at special teams (!!), you're not going much further. Please, really, bring up the fact that he's also known for recruiting.

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The Griz looked great on Saturday and that is reflected in the latest FCS rankings. The Griz moved up to #4. Sure it's only one spot, but they added six first-place votes. They now have seven, that's the most of any team besides #1 Appalachian State.

Here are the complete rankings, courtesy of The Sports Network:

Others receiving votes: Harvard 185, Youngstown State 170, Northern Arizona 146, Delaware State 96, Yale 87, Holy Cross 86, South Carolina State 56, Jacksonville State 49, Sam Houston State 44, Prairie View 29, Norfolk State 27, Northwestern State 26, UC Davis 23, Sacramento State 22, Hampton 21, Weber State 20, Eastern Kentucky 18, San Diego 16, Dayton 15, Albany 12, Lafayette 11, Brown 10, Montana State 9, North Dakota 5, Sacred Heart 4, Florida A&M 3, Southeastern Louisiana 2, Maine 1, Nicholls State 1, William & Mary 1.

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This is for those who don't want to scan through my Twitter feed to see the pictures taken from Saturday's game. Here they are, in one place, after the jump. Enjoy.

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Those of you who check in here during basketball season know the deal. It'll be short little comments live from the student section in the box below. Also, instead of having a separate page for live images from the game, there will be links in that feed as well. You can also see the complete feed at twitter.com/colinokeefe

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Almost there. Come here for live comments and--depending on how my cell phone service is--pictures from the game tomorrow.

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After an impressive road win over Cal Poly in what Dave Coulson called the 'FCS game of the week,' the Montana Grizzlies are still ranked fifth, receiving one first place vote. I'm not sure anyone can definitively say the Griz are better than the fifth best FCS team in the country but if the Griz play like they should this weekend and thump SUU, I expect a move up.

Eastern Washington dropped from 7th to 17th while Northern Arizona sits just barely outside of the top 25.

Here are the complete rankings from The Sports Network.

Others receiving votes: Northern Arizona 125, Furman 113, Delaware State 95, Sam Houston State 89, Fordham 65, Eastern Kentucky 54, Jacksonville State 51, Hampton 46, Tennessee State 43, Yale 42, Holy Cross 41, South Carolina State 21, San Diego 18, Norfolk State 17, UC Davis 16, Montana State 15, Sacramento State 15, Grambling 13, North Dakota 12, South Dakota 12, Prairie View 10, Dayton 8, Coastal Carolina 8, Albany 7, Colgate 5, Hofstra 5, Stony Brook 5, Nicholls State 3, Northwestern State 2, Lafayette 1, Texas State 1.

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Video from AppFan

No one thinks it can happen again. No one thinks it'll even be close. But what if? Has there ever been more of a "games like this are the reason we play sports" type of game?

App State won't blow away LSU's defense like they did to Michigan. (Sidenote: anyone else remember that Michigan beat Florida?). Then again, they won't be facing as good of an offense. At the most important position in football, the Mountaineers have the advantage.

The Tigers will likely start Andrew Hatch, whose only college football experience comes as a backup quarterback at Harvard. Harvard! There are at least four Big Sky quarterbacks who are better than him. None of those guys are even close to as good as Armanti Edwards.

Even so, it'll be speed against speed. Very dissimilar to the Michigan game. That upset is only one example of many times when a Big 10 power was exploited by a more athletic opponent (see: BCS Championships).

But can App State get enough breaks to make it a game? Ask the Chicago Bears what it's like to have everything but a quarterback. It's about as fun as riding a Schwinn with no handlebars.

So what if the Mountaineers did drop another upset a-bomb? What if they simply made it a game? Do people start giving the FCS a little more credit?  Right now, the Football Championship Subdivision gets about as much respect and credibility as it deserves--that being very little. If this happens, things could change.

I'm sure they're aware, but it should be said as much as possible: the Mountaineers are playing for a lot more than just themselves.

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There should be a set of large quotation marks floating above Jerry Glanville at all times. In an Oregonian article on Montana's conference domination, the Portland State head coach had this to say about Rob Ash's first recruiting class at Montana State.

"Montana State did something that I think will change the conference," Glanville says. "They signed 14 kids out of Texas in one year. How does that change them? Well, everybody in Texas runs 'rapidamente.' There are no slow players in Texas. They're all fast. So that will change Montana State."

I hope it does so the Griz can learn something. Montana's lack of speed was apparent in the playoff losses to UMass and Wofford.

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This whole thing has to be a little surreal for Dan Carpenter. There probably a few times when he thought that missed kick against Wofford was the last big moment in his football career. Not quite.

From The Miami Herald:

''I'm probably still in the pinch-me phase,'' Carpenter admitted Tuesday as he walked off the practice field and toward an NFL career that begins for real in 11 days. ``I think it'll sink in once the regular season starts and the Jets come to town.''

Many Dolfans, concerned about swapping proof for potential, were worried coach Tony Sparano and the new management had made a risky choice.

''We were shocked, too,'' Carpenter's mother, Diane, said Tuesday. ``We're still not believing it. It still does not feel real to me.''

Starting about the middle of his junior year, I thought Dan had a shot at making the NFL. Then it became apparent that he would be a legitimate pro after the Dolphins cut Feely. After a great preseason (he hit 4 FGs in a game against Jacksonville), I was definite he wouldn't only be a decent pro but an amazing fantasy football kicker. Then former Kaimin sports editor Amber Kuehn stole my sleeper pick in 5th(!!) round. Damn you.

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Word of a new ticketing system has been floating around for a few weeks. Most fans want to get rid of the old paper system to prevent students from scalping, this new route should do it.

From montananewstation.com:

Students will no longer be receiving an actual ticket when they go to get one on the Monday before the game, instead they will get an electronic ticket credited to their Griz Card.

UM athletics department representatives say that paper-less tickets are the wave of the future for universities around the country.

Students will then swipe their Griz Card at the south east corner of the football stadium and receive a wristband if they need to exit the game and re-enter. [...]

"I think there's a lot of positives to it" said UM Associate Athletic Director Chuck Maes. "We may have a few wrinkles in the first game or so that we'll have to work out. We're hoping we can try and be as organized and well prepared as we can but its hard to know what's going to happen right out of the gate."

The article also says that student guest passes will not only still be available, but that there will be 100 more for sale. I've only sold Griz tickets once, but the one time I did it was with guest passes. It remains to be seen whether or not these tickets will still be in paper form or if students receive two 'credits' to their Griz card.

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There have been times when I've questioned our marketing department but I'd start filling out my transfer papers if UM dipped as low as the Western Carolina Catamounts.

This is from an actual WCU press release [via AppFan]:

The Western Carolina University Athletic Department today announced an exciting new aspect to Catamount Football this season - the "Armchair Coaching Series," sponsored by Wal-Mart. This new feature will allow local fans the opportunity to put their creative football knowledge to use by creating their own play, with the chosen scheme to be used by the WCU coaches in a game.

That's right; the WCU coaches will actually select an offensive or defensive play submitted by fans for each home game this season.

Oh there's more. Fans will receive prizes based on the results of the play:

Offensive Plays

• 0-3 yard gain = Western Carolina logoed t-shirt
• 4-10 yard gain = $25 gift card to Wal-Mart
• 11-19 yard gain = $100 gift card to Wal-Mart
• 20+ yard gain = 10 megapixel camera or gift card
• Touchdown = 32" flat screen television or shopping spree

Defensive Plays

• Less than 15 yard gain = Western Carolina logoed hat
• 0-3 yard gain = $25 gift card to Wal-Mart
• Tackle for Loss = $100 gift card to Wal-Mart
• Interception/Turnover = store selected home theater system or gift card
• Defensive TD/Safety = $1,000 shopping spree

Now, let's start looking at the extremes. A defensive play gives up the game winning touchdown: you're suited up and out there as a wide-receiver on a post route while the QB lobs one over the middle. Offensive play wins the game: offensive coordinating gig on the FCS level.

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Before I launch too far into this, I want to point out that abcmontana.com's The Tenzone Blog has been pretty solid. The writers there have provided readers with excellent coverage; they often have insight and video straight from the Bobcats' and Griz fall camps. So, on that, well done. Now, other issues...

Dave Griffiths has the Montana Grizzlies as the fourth best team in the conference. I'm not trying to be a homer, honestly. In the four years I've been at the University of Montana, I've never been less hopeful going into a football season. But fourth in this sorry group of teams with high school stadiums? I don't think so.

Preemptive strike to the "wow, does a nice stadium equal a good team?" and "eventually the Griz will get what's coming to them" comments: it's nice having you back because you apparently missed the last ten or so years of Big Sky football. The Griz fall backwards out of windows into conference [co-]championships. Worst case scenario: they finish third and eGriz.com members threaten to burn the Adams Center offices to the ground unless Bobby Hauck, the football coaching staff and Jim O'Day resign immediately.

Here's Griffiths' blurb on Montana, a few of my comments in brackets.

When you've had a share of 10 straight conference titles, it's very hard to rank you down at 4th in a preseason poll, but as Varun has said in his blogs [This needs to be clarified. The Tenzone is a blog. What you, Varun and myself are writing are 'posts' or 'entries.' What articles are to newspapers, 'posts' or 'entries' are to blogs. You don't write multiple blogs on a blog. Wouldn't make sense. Glad we could figure that out], 10-12 freshmen should get a lot of playing time. With Coach Bobby Hauck relying that much on the young guys, I can't put UM any higher than fourth right now. Also, when I spoke with Hauck at a spring scrimmage, he said to me clear as day "we plain don't have a good football team right now". That might be coach speak, but hey, I can use that as a reason to put UM this low to start out. I expect junior QB Cole Bergquist [he's a senior] will be very good in his second full year as a starter, and he could even rival Matt Nichols for best QB in the conference [no he couldn't]. However, replacing the production of departed runningback Lex Hilliard will be impossible. On defense, former walk-on now senior S Colt Anderson is the leader of this team, and he'll have to be with several corners coming in with zero college football experience.

Lastly, get a working RSS feed. Please.

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That would be Cody Kempt. Today, Montana State head coach Rob Ash named the Oregon transfer as the Bobcats' starting QB.

Here's what Ash had to say on the matter, from The Cat-Griz Insider:

“This was an excruciating decision for our staff, because both quarterbacks played extremely well in the entire pre-season camp.

“Their statistics for the three weeks of practice were almost exactly even, and they are both excellent leaders with an impressive understanding of the game. We have great confidence in both young men.”

I would like nothing more than an MSU student to comment and confirm my suspicion that this kid wears an atrocious amount of Hurley and Abercrombie. Second on the list of things I want to happen related to Cody Kempt: this.

Yessss.

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Jerry Winkler, someone who came to this site looking for a little more information on Tuff Harris, had this to say about the former Griz standout.

I attended the Tennessee Titans final open practice yesterday and came back to do some research on the new guy - Tuff Harris that was signed on Tuesday.  Head Coach Jeff Fisher spent quite a bit of one on one time with Tuff during practice - and he looked decent during drills.  Could very well see him in action vs Atlanta this weekend.

He was 3rd string DB in drills, but 2nd string on returning punts and kicks.

Harris' interaction with Jeff Fisher, whose son Brandon plays for the Griz, shouldn't come as much of a surprise as most Griz fans already assumed he had a large hand in the signing.

The Titans play the Falcons tomorrow night at 5:30 Mountain Time. If you're a Griz fan with the NFL Network, you can see the game at 7:00 AM on Saturday. Yes it's early but it's a rare opportunity to watch two former Griz play in the same NFL game.

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The Montana Grizzlies enter this season as the eighth best team in the Football Championship Subdivision according to the Sports Network's most recent top 25 rankings.

This is one spot behind conference rival Eastern Washington and six spots ahead of #14 Cal Poly, UM's first opponent of 2008. Those two are the only Grizzly opponents in this preseason poll. Here are the complete rankings:
 

Others receiving votes: Northern Arizona 249, Fordham 212, Delaware State 198, Jacksonville State 195, Yale 170, Sam Houston State 166, Montana State 146, Furman 120, Liberty 115, Jackson State 79, South Carolina State 76, Holy Cross 74, Hofstra 61, Colgate 56, Grambling 55, Norfolk State 48, Coastal Carolina 44, Hampton 41, Southern 32, Northwestern State 30, Tennessee-Martin 30, UC Davis 22, Weber State 17, Lafayette 16, Alabama A&M 10, Texas Southern 9, Brown 9, Nicholls State 9, Dayton 6, Tennessee State 5, San Diego 4, Albany 4, Maine 1, Prairie View 1.

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Don't give me all the nonsense on "The Ashtray", "Kitty Litter" and "The Streak." Try to look at this alone. Montana State's new field looks better than the new turf the University of Montana is putting down.


Photo courtesy of eGriz user FTGRIZ.


Photo courtesy of Bobcat Nation user TIrwin24.

The Washington-Grizzly turf does not look bad nor is it completely installed. I understand that. But it won't look as good as the turf in Bozeman. Please hold off on everything else, I know the rest of that stadium is mediocre and so is the team most years but on this topic alone, they have UM beat.

Montana State chose to go with FieldTurf, the industry leader for these artificial grass surfaces. FieldTurf is used by 22 NFL teams and countless Division I colleges.

The University of Montana went with Sprinturf. Washington-Grizzly stadium is the highest profile job they've done.

I do not know all the advantages and disadvantages of each. I do know one: Sprinturf is uglier.

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[...] the Montana Board of Regents approved $320,000 to fund replacing the turf on July 9.

Another $150,000 will supplied by the manufacturer.

Unofficially, the turf will be a lot like the one in place now - which could be removed as soon as next week. One wrinkle would be the end zones, which will be maroon with “Montana” and “Grizzlies” in white lettering.

The current field was installed in 2001, and was guaranteed to last eight seasons. This fall would mark the eighth season, and the surface has been showing some wear. The chance to upgrade the petroleum-based surface now could mean UM will avoid prohibitive costs down the road.

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If you're not an FCS fan, you should be a fan of Mustang QB Jonathan Dally. His legs do more damage than his arm, if you can believe that. Cal Poly was fifth last year in rushing, gaining over 270 yards a game. Dally was the leading rusher statistically. That, however, doesn't mean he can't chuck it as well. Dally was second in the FCS in passing efficiency which is the holy grail of QB stats. Cal Poly relies on FB Jon Hall more than most teams utilize that position and James Noble did a good job at RB last year with over five yards a touch. Tredale Tolver and Ramses Barden team up to make a pretty impressive combo at WR and the line did its job finishing 27th in sacks allowed. In the FCS, there's just about no offense as feared as Cal Poly's.

Dally made an immediate impact last year as a JC transfer, beating out the now-departed Matt Brennan and finishing second to San Diego's Josh Johnson in NCAA passing efficiency. Dally is one of the new breed of QBs who can beat you with both his arm (2,238 yards) and legs (763 yards), and leads an offense that ranked second in total offense a year ago.

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In response to the Sunday story, Wulff hopped on the sports radio airwaves yesterday on KJR-AM in Seattle. You can give it a listen here. Most of all it was a chance for Wulff to respond in his own voice, beyond just a couple of lines in the story about what WSU is already doing to correct the problems of the past.

For example, since the APR debacle, academics have taken on a whole new level of importance. In Wulff's first semester in Pullman, the football team just turned in a 2.72 GPA for the spring, the highest in the last 30 years. The goal for this fall is to turn in the highest GPA in team history. And Wulff has already implemented a team "Unity Council", a 16-player group that will sit in judgment in dealing with players who stray off the beaten path. They will recommend punishment to the coaching staff, and the input will be part of the ultimate decision on each player.

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"We felt confident when we made the move because we had a great university and good tradition in our football program," [Troy head coach Larry Blakeney] said Tuesday before speaking to the Russellville Civitan Club. "We did well when we went to Division I-AA and then the crowning jewel was moving to I-A. There is no doubt that it has paid off for our team, but especially for the university."

"We're proud of the progress we've made, especially going to two bowl games in four years," Blakeney said. "Now, we want to move toward getting a home-and-home series with an SEC or ACC team."

How about Alabama or Auburn?

"We would love to play in Jordan-Hare or Bryant-Denny Stadium," he said, "but that's probably not going to happen in the foreseeable future. It's political more than anything, and you hear the argument that those schools have nothing to gain and everything to lose by playing us. I don't blame them, but we would sure relish that opportunity."

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• Download The Grizzoulian podcast

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There are numerous intriguing storylines that make the matchup appealing for ESPN2’s national audience. The contest pits the defending Southern Conference co-champions and is the first between the two teams since Appalachian had its 17-game winning streak snapped by Wofford, 42-31, last Sept. 22 in Spartanburg, S.C. ASU rebounded from the loss to Wofford to go 13-2 en route to its third-straight NCAA Division I national championship, while Wofford (9-4) earned the SoCon’s automatic postseason bid and advanced to the national quarterfinals.

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Round Pick # Overall Team Athlete Pos. School
2008 Draft 24 student-athletes
1 16 16 Arizona Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB Tennessee State
1 18 18 Baltimore Joe Flacco QB Delaware
2 15 46 Cincinnati Jerome Simpson WR Coastal Carolina
2 27 58 Tampa Bay Dexter Jackson WR Appalachian State
3 3 66 Miami Kendall Langford DT Hampton
3 16 79 Houston Antwaun Molden CB Eastern Kentucky
3 17 80 Philadelphia Bryan Smith OLB McNeese State
3 33 96 Washington Chad Rinehart OT Northern Iowa
4 4 103 Tennessee William Hayes DL Winston-Salem St.
4 26 125 Oakland Arman Shields WR Richmond
4 34 133 Baltimore David Hale OT Weber State
5 11 146 Detroit Jerome Felton FB Furman
5 14 149 Arizona Tim Hightower RB Richmond
5 19 154 Atlanta Kroy Biermann OLB Montana
5 25 160 Tampa Josh Johnson QB San Diego
6 11 177 Cincinnati Corey Lynch FS Appalachian State
6 14 180 Washington Kareem Moore DB Nicholls State
6 27 193 Minnesota Jaymar Johnson WR Jackson State
6 34 200 Philadelphia Joe Mays ILB North Dakota State
6 38 204 Miami Lex Hilliard RB Montana
6 41 207 Cincinnati Matt Sherry TE Villanova
7 3 210 Kansas Brian Johnston DE Gardner-Webb
7 12 219 Buffalo Demetrius Bell OT Northwestern State
7 18 225 Arizona Brandon Keith OT Northern Iowa

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As part of the expansion, the Big South and Northeast Conference champions will receive automatic bids to the playoffs beginning in 2010 and can earn access into the field in 2008-09 by attaining certain criteria adopted this week during the Board of Directors meeting.

The Division I playoff committee adopted changes in the selection process that will guarantee entry into the postseason for any conference champion that wins at least eight games against Division I opponents, wins two non-conference games against teams from auto-bid leagues and ranks 16th or higher in an average of the Sports Network top-25 poll, the coaches poll and the Gridiron Power index (GPI) computer ranking.

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Fall Sports
Soccer: Five times per half; one at halftime
Field Hockey: Five times per half; one at halftime
Volleyball: Three per Competition; one in between Competitions
Football: Three per quarter; one at halftime
Cross Country: Ten per day/session
Men's Water Polo: Three per quarter; one at the halftime

Winter Sports
Ice Hockey: Three per period - one in between (includes overtime)
Basketball: Five times per half; one at halftime; two times per overtime period
Wrestling: Ten per session
Indoor Track and Field: Ten per day/session
Swimming and Diving: Ten per day/session
Bowling: Ten per day/session
Gymnastics: Ten per session

Help Wanted: NCAA Blog Wrangler

Must have prior experience looking over other people's shoulders. Abacus provided for counting, but applicant must procure own horse-and-buggy ride to/from athletic facility.

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Another potential successor — Montana’s Bobby Hauck — appears to be a longshot. Even though Hauck, a former University of Colorado assistant, has won five consecutive Big Sky Conference championships, his program has been criticized for a series of off-the-field incidents involving his players. At least seven players have faced a variety of charges within the past year, including murder, armed robbery, assault and DUI.

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"Montana took a chance on me and I want to thank them for that," he said. "All the people who wanted to associate me with people who make bad decisions. It's been like that my whole life.

"I get joy out of proving people wrong in that aspect. A lot of people thought, 'He's a troublemaker and hangs out with the wrong people. He's a thug.' It's funny, you can't judge a book by its cover."

Too often success stories like Jackson's drown in a media cesspool of well-documented failures. Folks read about the players that went to jail on Page A1, while the Quinton Jacksons go largely unnoticed.

You know the familiar criticism: (Team name) never should have taken a chance on (fill in the blank) because he stumbled in the past and he's a risk. Somebody must have been asleep at the wheel to recruit him.

Sound familiar? Of course it does. That's why it's important testimonials on players like Jackson reach the public.

Think back on your life and try to remember if someone showed faith in you. Can't think of a time? Think a little harder.

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Date ..... Opponent ..... Time
9.6 ..... at Cal Poly ..... TBA
9.13 ..... Southern Utah ..... 1:05 p.m.
9.20 ..... UC-Davis (Homecoming) ..... 1:05 p.m.
9.27 ..... Central Washington ..... 1:05 p.m.
10.4 ..... at Weber State * ..... TBA
10.11 ..... at Eastern Washington * ..... TBA
10.18 ..... Sacramento State * ..... 1:05 p.m.
10.25 ..... at Northern Colorado * ..... TBA
11.1 ..... Northern Arizona * ..... 12:05 p.m.
11.8 ..... at Portland State * ..... TBA
11.15 ..... Idaho State * ..... 12:05 p.m.
11.22 ..... Montana State * (108th meeting) ..... 12:05 p.m.

* Conference game

Last year, we played Fort Lewis (Don Read loved the Division II schools to let young kids get experience) and UM Athletics netted about $300,000 - not counting what the Adams Center received for ticket fees ($1 per ticket), or what dining services produced in sales, or the bookstore... not counting what the Missoula economy saw by another home game (estimated at between $5-$7 million per home weekend).  We admit that was a "money game," as do most teams at our level.   Still, it is no different than Oregon hosting Montana for $450,000 or Iowa hosting Montana for $650,000.  Their fans expected big wins at our expense, and they, too, need to produce funds to pay their bills.

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If history prevails, each game will be very well contended. Cal Poly is a very well respected academic institution with an excellent athletic program. Like Montana, they have a lot of trouble attracting people to play in their venue because of their home winning successes and travel costs to get into their areas.

The 2010 game was scheduled two years ago, while we just finished the details on the new two home-and-home series. This is, and always has been, a good series for the two schools. We have very high respect for them, as do they for us. The Mustangs will be very tough next year... but they seem to be every year.

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Word is Colorado State has a front-runner: Montana coach Bobby Hauck. It looks like it is his job to accept or reject.

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Construction will begin Monday, Dec. 3, on a 2,000-seat expansion to the east side of Washington-Grizzly Stadium at The University of Montana. Drivers are asked to slow down and expect possible delays on Campus Drive.

Then on Dec. 15, a section of Campus Drive east of the stadium will be closed to through traffic until the building project is completed in August 2008.

"We were able to start this project a little early when the Grizzlies were eliminated from the playoffs," UM architect Jerry Ballas said.

Though a section of Campus Drive will be blocked off, students, University staff members and the general public will still be able to access the Facility Services building and Public Safety office from the south by entering campus on Beckwith Avenue. The entire Campus Drive loop will not be open to public travel.

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This was a basketball town 25 years ago. No ifs, no ands, no buts about it.

Missoula may not have been the most feared place on the planet for an opposing college basketball team to visit, but it ranked up there. The courtside student section filled to the gills an hour before tip-off, and thousands of town folk filed in behind them.

The atmosphere was electric. The crowds were both feared and revered by opposing coaches, who often talked about how basketball-savvy the fans here were.

For several years in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Grizzly men averaged - averaged, mind you - more people at home basketball games than the current Dahlberg Arena (capacity: 7,500) can even hold. If today's basketball team sold out every single home game, it would still never touch a University of Montana attendance record.

Football, on the other hand?

There was a November day in the late 1970s that stands out, but only as a monument to Missoula's apathy toward Grizzly football back then.

It was the final home game of the regular season. It was cold, snowy, and the wind was howling through the unprotected bleachers at Dornblaser Stadium.

Less than 1,000 people showed up to watch Montana. Imagine that: A Grizzly home football game with more than 90 percent of the seats empty.

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“Our president has made it very clear we will not be doing formal background checks and he was very public in his statement. From a compliance standpoint, our student athletes are to be treated like every other student – no better and no worse – during the admissions process.” - Associate Athletic Director Jean Gee

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Team (First-place votes)	Record	Points	Previous Rank
1. Northern Iowa Panthers (70)	10-0	2,474	1
2. North Dakota State Bison (23)	10-0	2,291	2
3. Montana Grizzlies (10)	10-0	2,269	3
4. McNeese State Cowboys (3)	10-0	2,260	4
5. Southern Illinois Salukis	9-1	2,084	5
6. Appalachian State Mountaineers	8-2	1,982	7
7. Richmond Spiders	8-2	1,845	9
8. Massachusetts Minutemen	8-2	1,841	8
9. Delaware Blue Hens	8-2	1,591	6
10. Delaware State Hornets	9-1	1,538	10
11. Yale Bulldogs	9-0	1,417	12
12. Eastern Kentucky Colonels	8-2	1,408	13
13. Wofford Terriers	8-3	1,366	15
14. James Madison Dukes	7-3	1,253	16
15. Eastern Washington Eagles	7-3	942	20
16. Georgia Southern Eagles	7-3	892	11
17. Youngstown State Penguins	7-4	742	21
18. Fordham Rams	8-2	672	22
19. Grambling State Tigers	8-2	653	17
20. New Hampshire Wildcats	6-4	568	14
21. Eastern Illinois Panthers	7-3	539	25
22. Hofstra Pride	7-3	380	18
23. Alabama A&M Bulldogs	8-2	307	NR
24. Elon Phoenix	6-4	223	19
25. Cal Poly Mustangs	6-4	188	24

Others receiving votes: Harvard 158, South Dakota State 140, Norfolk State 138, Dayton 124, The Citadel 97, Villanova 68, San Diego 63, Western Illinois 59, Liberty 53, Nicholls State 42, Colgate 36, Central Arkansas 30, Furman 23, Hampton 12, South Carolina State 11, Southern 9, Montana State 6, Sam Houston State 5, Albany 4, Prairie View 4, Missouri State 1.

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The expansion will provide about 700 new student seats by relocating some season ticket holders to the new area.  The student section will grow into the section next to it, wrapping further around the south side of the stadium to bring the total number of student seats to 4,000.

“It moves over one more entire section,” UM Athletics Director Jim O’Day said.  “We wanted (students) to be down low, and that’s where they wanted to be.”

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A name to watch when jobs start opening: Montana coach Bobby Hauck. He almost got the Stanford job last year. It's only a matter of time before a bigger school snaps up Hauck. Washington State? Colorado State?

Other places: UCLA, UW, Wyoming. Odds are, he'll be at one of the aforementioned schools come this time next season.

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Team (First-place votes)	Record	Points	Previous Rank
1. Northern Iowa Panthers (61)	9-0	2,687	1
2. North Dakota State Bison (42)	9-0	2,540	2
3. Montana Grizzlies (7)	9-0	2,462	4
4. McNeese State Cowboys (2)	9-0	2,455	5
5. Southern Illinois Salukis	8-1	2,279	6
6. Delaware Blue Hens	8-1	2,187	7
7. Appalachian State Mountaineers	7-2	2,058	9
8. Massachusetts Minutemen	7-2	1,847	3
9. Richmond Spiders	7-2	1,799	11
10. Delaware State Hornets	8-1	1,547	13
11. Georgia Southern Eagles	7-2	1,514	17
12. Yale Bulldogs	8-0	1,414	15
13. Eastern Kentucky Colonels	7-2	1,378	16
14. New Hampshire Wildcats	6-3	1,222	8
15. Wofford Terriers	7-3	1,215	10
16. James Madison Dukes	6-3	1,140	12
17. Grambling State Tigers	8-1	1,083	18
18. Hofstra Pride	7-2	857	20
19. Elon Phoenix	6-3	736	14
20. Eastern Washington Eagles	6-3	585	24
21. Youngstown State Penguins	6-4	467	22
22. Fordham Rams	8-2	342	NR
23. Western Illinois Leathernecks	6-4	325	19
24. Cal Poly Mustangs	6-3	289	NR
25. Eastern Illinois Panthers	6-3	264	NR

Others receiving votes: Norfolk State 181, Alabama A&M 142, South Dakota State 94, Dayton 85, Villanova 82, Harvard 76, Jacksonville State 71, Northern Arizona 50, Holy Cross 39, Liberty 29, Jackson State 26, Nicholls State 22, Southern 20, Albany 19, San Diego 17, Colgate 12, South Carolina State 11, The Citadel 9, Central Arkansas 8, Furman 7, Gardner-Webb 7, Hampton 7, Sam Houston State 6, Austin Peay 4, Rhode Island 2, Iona 1, Northeastern 1.

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Team (First-place votes)	Record	Points	Previous Rank
1. Northern Iowa Panthers (59)	8-0	2,558	1
2. North Dakota State Bison (37)	8-0	2,456	2
3. Massachusetts Minutemen (6)	7-1	2,330	4
4. Montana Grizzlies (7)	8-0	2,300	3
5. McNeese State Cowboys (3)	8-0	2,272	5
6. Southern Illinois Salukis	7-1	2,069	7
7. Delaware Blue Hens	7-1	1,866	9
8. New Hampshire Wildcats	6-2	1,828	8
9. Appalachian State Mountaineers	6-2	1,689	10
10. Wofford Terriers	7-2	1,612	11
11. Richmond Spiders	6-2	1,454	14
12. James Madison Dukes	6-2	1,432	6
13. Delaware State Hornets	7-1	1,284	12
14. Elon Phoenix	6-2	1,215	16
15. Yale Bulldogs	7-0	1,179	13
16. Eastern Kentucky Colonels	7-2	1,068	17
17. Georgia Southern Eagles	6-2	850	22
18. Grambling State Tigers	7-1	789	21
19. Western Illinois Leathernecks	6-3	624	24
20. Hofstra Pride	6-2	518	15
21. Alabama A&M Bulldogs	7-1	404	NR
22. Youngstown State Penguins	5-4	292	20
23. Villanova Wildcats	5-3	253	NR
24. Eastern Washington Eagles	5-3	245	NR
25. Nicholls State Colonels	5-3	224	18

Others receiving votes: Eastern Illinois 208, Holy Cross 179, Cal Poly 147, Central Arkansas 127, Fordham 109, The Citadel 88, Norfolk State 87, Montana State 76, Dayton 59, San Diego 50, Harvard 47, Jacksonville State 36, South Dakota State 25, Hampton 19, Northern Arizona 15, Iona 11, Albany 9, Prairie View 5, Liberty 2, Winston-Salem State 2, Colgate 1.

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No. 3 Montana (7-0, 4-0) at Northern Arizona (5-3, 4-1)

Another strong team that finds itself on the playoff bubble is Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks have lost to Arizona and Appalachian State, but an even more damaging defeat was to Big Sky Conference rival Sacramento State. But NAU is 3-0 at home and will provide a strong challenge for Montana. RB Chris Garrison (22 carries, 134 yards) and QB Lance Kriesien (24 carries, 126 yards) both exceeded the century mark in rushing last week in a 29-20 win over Weber State on the road. NAU's defense forced four turnovers last week and has 12 takeaways in the past four games and 22 on the season (fifth in FCS). CB K.J. Gerard is tied for the lead nationally in interceptions with six. Montana finally got its offense untracked in a 52-7 win over Northern Colorado, but keep in mind that the Bears are winless in eight games and rank dead last nationally in defense. RB Lex Hilliard had a promising 112 yards and two TDs rushing and QB Cole Bergquist added 292 yards passing and four TDs. The Grizzlies will need a similar effort against NAU and must also put ball security as a high priority.

Northern Arizona 24, Montana 21

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Hasty could end up at Montana, a Division I-AA program. Because he has only two years of eligibility and would have to sit out one year if he transfers to another Division I program, Division I-AA is a a stronger possibility.

Bobby Hauck, a former Husky assistant, is the Montana head coach. Craig Chambers, a former UW wide receiver, transferred to Montana, as did former Washington State quarterback Josh Swogger.

His decision ends a career that never lived up to the hype that greeted his arrival in 2005 when he was the most highly-touted member of the Class of 2005, Willingham's first as Husky coach.

I say you take a flyer on the kid. He was part of Bellevue's great run a few years ago. I believe they had the longest high school winning streak in the nation for a bit. It's a sorry state of affairs when we have to resort to scooping up kids like this but we're an FCS school and this is what we do.

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NAU has lost nine consecutive games to UM, the last win coming during the 1997 season and corresponding to the last non-title season by the Grizzlies.

NAU won 27-24 in front of a sellout crowd at the Walkup Skydome on Oct. 25, 1997...Will 2007 provide the same magical game as the game 10 years ago?

History might be a leading indicator. NAU also posted victories over Montana in 1977 and 1987. Maybe there is magic in the air. The game in '77 was the Walkup Skydome opener and Tom Jurich hit a 54-yard field goal to win the game. In 1987, NAU won 24-17 in the second game of the season.

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Team (First-place votes)	Record	Points	Previous Rank
1. Northern Iowa Panthers (56)	7-0	2,696	1
2. North Dakota State Bison (47)	7-0	2,621	2
3. Montana Grizzlies (11)	7-0	2,473	3
4. Massachusetts Minutemen (4)	6-1	2,411	4
5. McNeese State Cowboys (2)	7-0	2,335	6
6. James Madison Dukes	6-1	2,155	8
7. Southern Illinois Salukis	7-1	2,101	9
8. New Hampshire Wildcats	5-2	1,821	11
9. Delaware Blue Hens	6-1	1,679	14
10. Appalachian State Mountaineers	5-2	1,665	5
11. Wofford Terriers	6-2	1,533	7
12. Delaware State Hornets	6-1	1,340	15
13. Yale Bulldogs	6-0	1,240	16
14. Richmond Spiders	5-2	1,110	18
15. Hofstra Pride	6-1	1,057	10
16. Elon Phoenix	5-2	1,000	24
17. Eastern Kentucky Colonels	6-2	849	13
18. Nicholls State Colonels	5-2	849	13
19. Montana State Bobcats	5-2	813	20
20. Youngstown State Penguins	5-3	719	12
21. Grambling State Tigers	6-1	514	23
22. Georgia Southern Eagles	5-2	503	NR
23. Norfolk State Spartans	6-1	432	25
24. Western Illinois Leathernecks	5-3	288	17
25. The Citadel Bulldogs	5-2	282	NR

Others receiving votes: San Diego 250, Alabama A&M 211, Eastern Washington 147, Cal Poly 104, Eastern Illinois 96, Villanova 59, Holy Cross 56, Jacksonville State 40, Northern Arizona 38, Fordham 37, South Carolina State 33, Illinois State 30, Central Arkansas 23, Harvard 19, Hampton 12, South Dakota State 9, Sam Houston State 3, Austin Peay 2, Albany 1, Dayton 1.

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Photo by Todd Goodrich for Montanagrizzlies.com

This weekly roundup on action in the Big Sky has been less than weekly but here it is for this weekend's games.

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“It is real frustrating, and it is real depressing,” UNC quarterback Dominic Breazeale said in a postgame interview with the Greeley Tribune. “It is hard to go through a season with so many losses considering we had so many losses last season, too. This season was supposed to be a breakout for us, and we are sitting here with no wins right now and it is not a good feeling at all.”

“It's just frustrating because our plays are set up, and they're right there,” UNC tight end Ryan Chesla said. “Their defense didn't beat us. We just didn't play our game.”

“For whatever reason, it seems like everybody plays a pretty good game against us and we are going to have to play one perfect in order to pull one out,” UNC head coach Scott Downing said to the Tribune. “But that's part of it. That's what we call pounding the rock.”

“I'm not disappointed in our kids, our coaches or anything, our support staff, our strength coach, our trainers,” Downing said. “Everybody is busting their butt for us. These kids, they deserve a win, but I don't know how it's going to happen.”

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Team (First-place votes)	Record	Points	Previous Rank
1. Northern Iowa Panthers (35)	6-0	2,577	2
2. North Dakota State Bison (23)	6-0	2,443	3
3. Montana Grizzlies (40)	6-0	2,431	1
4. Massachusetts Minutemen (4)	5-1	2,280	4
5. Appalachian State Mountaineers (3)	5-1	2,231	5
6. McNeese State Cowboys (2)	6-0	2,154	6
7. Wofford Terriers (3)	6-1	2,113	8
8. James Madison Dukes	6-1	1,883	9
9. Southern Illinois Salukis	6-1	1,735	7
10. Hofstra Pride	6-0	1,700	10
11. New Hampshire Wildcats	4-2	1,468	13
12. Youngstown State Penguins	5-2	1,444	12
13. Nicholls State Colonels	5-1	1,326	14
14. Delaware Blue Hens	6-1	1,275	15
15. Delaware State Hornets	5-1	1,054	17
16. Yale Bulldogs	5-0	1,006	16
17. Western Illinois Leathernecks	5-2	935	19
18. Richmond Spiders	4-2	705	20
19. Cal Poly Mustangs	4-2	633	22
20. Montana State Bobcats	4-2	584	11
21. Eastern Kentucky Colonels	5-2	584	23
22. Eastern Washington Eagles	4-2	514	NR
23. Grambling State Tigers	5-1	319	25
24. Elon Phoenix	4-2	306	NR
25. Norfolk State Spartans	5-1	293	NR

Others receiving votes: Eastern Illinois 237, Hampton 204, Alabama A&M 175, The Citadel 166, San Diego 153, Georgia Southern 64, Villanova 44, Central Arkansas 21, Holy Cross 19, Fordham 15, South Carolina State 14, Jackson State 10, Furman 8, Lehigh 8, Northern Arizona 8, Southern 8, Jacksonville State 7, Illinois State 6, Lafayette 6, Harvard 3, Missouri State 2, Sam Houston State 1, South Dakota State 1.

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What we have here in Missoula is anything but pathetic. We have a town who loves its football and community members who show their student athletes support on any given Saturday. It’s the kind of school spirit akin to that at Pac-10 and Big Twelve schools, despite merely being a Football Championship Subdivision team. The magnitude of volume in the stadium is often too much for opponents to handle, and teams spend many practices prior to playing the Griz attempting to emulate the noise they will have to put up with in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. When the fans yell the “first down Montana” cheer or alternate the “Montana Grizzlies” chant from one side of the stadium to the other, it’s enough to send chills down your spine.

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Team (First-place votes)	Record	Points	Previous Rank
1. Montana Grizzlies (55)	5-0	2,683	1
2. Northern Iowa Panthers (29)	5-0	2,659	2
3. North Dakota State Bison (24)	5-0	2,612	3
4. Massachusetts Minutemen (5)	4-1	2,487	4
5. Appalachian State Mountaineers (2)	5-1	2,356	5
6. McNeese State Cowboys (2)	5-0	2,260	6
7. Southern Illinois Salukis (1)	6-0	2,218	7
8. Wofford Terriers (3)	5-1	2,217	8
9. James Madison Dukes	5-1	1,917	9
10. Hofstra Pride	5-0	1,719	12
11. Montana State Bobcats	4-1	1,473	13
12. Youngstown State Penguins	4-2	1,434	10
13. New Hampshire Wildcats	3-2	1,433	15
14. Nicholls State Colonels	4-1	1,278	17
15. Delaware Blue Hens	5-1	1,244	11
16. Yale Bulldogs	4-0	1,039	18
17. Delaware State Hornets	4-1	923	20
18. Hampton Pirates	4-1	814	21
19. Western Illinois Leathernecks	4-2	775	22
20. Richmond Spiders	3-2	551	14
21. Georgia Southern Eagles	4-1	454	NR
22. Cal Poly Mustangs	3-2	442	24
23. Eastern Kentucky Colonels	4-2	259	NR
24. Eastern Illinois Panthers	3-3	252	16
25. Grambling State Tigers	4-1	228	NR

Others receiving votes: Alabama A&M 221, Lafayette 138, San Diego 127, Missouri State 105, Southern 99, Sam Houston State 97, Eastern Washington 95, Villanova 85, Norfolk State 78, Elon 76, The Citadel 62, Furman 32, Drake 23, Towson 23, South Carolina State 14, Illinois State 14, Lehigh 12, Central Arkansas 11, Holy Cross 11, Northern Arizona 11, Austin Peay 7, Fordham 5, Morehead State 4, Southeastern Louisiana 3, Tennessee Tech 2, South Dakota State 2, Portland State 2, UC Davis 1.

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Griz fans will roll out of their Victorian-style single-wide trailers on Saturday and rumble over to their stadium in their four-miles-to-the-gallon Ford F-350 Jumbo Cab (their pride has to sit somewhere) and walk up to the ticket office at the stadium just before the game.

"Milford Tilly, age 40, residing with mom, currently the assistant manager of Taco Bell, here is your season ticket."

Unfortunately for Tilly, his beloved Griz are playing the Eags: The same Eags who handed Montana a 34-20 home loss in 2005 when they ranked as the second-best team in the country. Every time EWU slogs into the state (the beer-guzzling, mud-flap toting, red-headed and freckle-faced cousin of Wyoming), they seem to play with a chip on their shoulder. In fact, EWU has been the victorious team over Montana in four of its nine league losses all-time at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Win or lose, when EWU fans wake up on Sunday morning they'll be able to root for a pro football team from their own state. And then when they wake up on Monday, they'll be able to go to work instead of spending the entire day on the Grizzly football forums talking about UM head coach Bobby Hauck's latest hairstyle.

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"We didn't execute well against Portland State and as a coach that drives you nuts," said Wulff. "But we'll improve and get it done. I know our players like to play in Missoula and it will be a huge challenge for us like it always is. But it's a game that is winnable and our players know that. If we can improve our execution in all facets of the game, we expect that we will have a great chance to win the game when the fourth quarter rolls around."

"We're going get a game plan, get our kids ready to play hard, go in and execute and go in and win the ballgame," Wulff said.

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The Grizzlies? After they struggled in an 18-10 victory over winless Weber State, they have some questions to answer. Sure, they’re (still) the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, but UM has been bolstered by a weak schedule (their four opponents are a combined 2-14) and they still won’t play a road game until midway through October. Plus, who knows the status of Lex Hilliard’s shoulder injury? Bobby Hauck mentioned that he just hopes that Hilliard can come back at some point this season. That is certainly not good news for UM. The Griz will have to play much better this week against Eastern Washington.

The Bobcats, on the other hand, have been cruising thus far. A loss in their season opener at Texas A&M was expected, but since then they’ve been rolling. Granted, they, too, struggled against Weber State, but for the most part the Bobcats have been clicking on both offense and (especially) defense, making coach Rob Ash’s first tenure at the helm a success thus far.

All I’m saying is this: If Montana and Montana State were to play right now, the Bobcats would win. That may not be the case on Nov. 17, but it is certainly the case now.

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Team (First-place votes)	Record	Points	Previous Rank
1. Montana Grizzlies (52)	4-0	2,573	1
2. Northern Iowa Panthers (23)	5-0	2,564	3
3. North Dakota State Bison (19)	4-0	2,496	4
4. Massachusetts Minutemen (11)	4-1	2,422	2
5. Appalachian State Mountaineers (2)	4-1	2,294	5
6. McNeese State Cowboys (7)	4-0	2,236	6
7. Southern Illinois Salukis (2)	5-0	2,115	7
8. Wofford Terriers (3)	4-1	2,084	8
9. James Madison Dukes	4-1	1,878	9
10. Youngstown State Penguins	4-1	1,811	10
11. Delaware Blue Hens	5-0	1,693	12
12. Hofstra Pride	4-0	1,376	14
13. Montana State Bobcats	3-1	1,229	18
14. Richmond Spiders	3-1	1,041	25
15. New Hampshire Wildcats	2-2	895	11
16. Eastern Illinois Panthers	3-2	894	19
17. Nicholls State Colonels	3-1	785	23
18. Yale Bulldogs	3-0	746	22
19. Sam Houston State Bearkats	2-2	744	15
20. Delaware State Hornets	3-1	652	NR
21. Hampton Pirates	3-1	587	13
22. Western Illinois Leathernecks	3-2	566	17
23. Illinois State Redbirds	2-3	339	16
24. Cal Poly Mustangs	3-2	289	NR
25. Southern Jaguars	5-0	279	NR

Others receiving votes: The Citadel 261, Eastern Washington 180, Georgia Southern 118, Lehigh 109, Furman 86, South Carolina State 75, Grambling 65, Alabama A&M 57, Lafayette 54, San Diego 52, Elon 47, Eastern Kentucky 31, Portland State 26, Princeton 19, Villanova 17, Drake 16, Gardner-Webb 10, Tennessee Tech 7, Norfolk State 5, South Dakota State 5, Towson 5, Missouri State 3, Northwestern State 3, UC Davis 3, Alabama State 2, Morgan State 1, Northern Arizona 1.

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From 7:00-7:30 free pop and popcorn will be served. A 14-foot projector screen will show UM’s recent award-winning commercials and tunnel walk.

The UM Marching Band, Spirit Squads, Monte, and the Griz Football team will arrive at 7:30 p.m. Speakers include UM Athletic Director Jim O’Day, Head Football Coach, Bobby Hauck, and a few Griz football players.

The 2007 Homecoming Student Ambassadors will be announced at the event. Other activities include singing by the UM Jubileers, the Bonfire which is hosted by the UM Forestry Club, the Lighting of the “M,” and an on-campus fireworks show concludes the rally.

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Team (First-place votes)	Record	Points	Previous Rank
1. Montana Grizzlies (46)	3-0	2,396	2
2. Massachusetts Minutemen (18)	4-0	2,345	3
3. Northern Iowa Panthers (12)	4-0	2,272	4
4. North Dakota State Bison (14)	3-0	2,269	5
5. Appalachian State Mountaineers (8)	3-1	2,108	1
6. McNeese State Cowboys (2)	3-0	1,951	6
7. Southern Illinois Salukis (1)	4-0	1,833	7
8. Wofford Terriers (2)	3-1	1,821	13
9. James Madison Dukes	3-1	1,651	8
10. Youngstown State Penguins	3-1	1,616	9
11. New Hampshire Wildcats	2-1	1,522	10
12. Delaware Blue Hens	4-0	1,486	11
13. Hampton Pirates	3-0	1,170	12
14. Hofstra Pride	3-0	1,086	15
15. Sam Houston State Bearkats	2-1	872	17
16. Illinois State Redbirds	2-2	815	14
17. Western Illinois Leathernecks	3-1	782	19
18. Montana State Bobcats	2-1	772	18
19. Eastern Illinois Panthers	2-2	567	20
20. Furman Paladins	1-2	538	16
21. Eastern Washington Eagles	3-0	415	25
22. Yale Bulldogs	2-0	369	21
23. Nicholls State Colonels	3-1	336	NR
24. Elon Phoenix	2-1	263	NR
25. Richmond Spiders	2-1	171	NR

Others receiving votes: Cal Poly 166, Delaware State 119, The Citadel 111, Villanova 107, South Carolina State 55, Southern 42, Northern Arizona 41, Grambling 39, Lafayette 37, Alabama A&M 36, Lehigh 31, Holy Cross 30, Missouri State 27, San Diego 22, Alabama State 19, Eastern Kentucky 17, Georgia Southern 14, Gardner-Webb 9, UC Davis 9, Drake 8, Tennessee State 6, South Dakota State 5, Stony Brook 4, Chattanooga 3, Harvard 2, Dayton 1, Jackson State 1, Norfolk State 1, Northwestern State 1, Towson 1.

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The football program grew from a club team in 1970-72 to Division III from 1973-1994. The Great Danes climbed into Division II in 1995 and the Football Championship Subdivision in 1999.

Montana quarterback Cole Bergquist said film study during the bye week showed certain defensive tendencies on the part of the Great Danes. Then the Griz watched film of Albany's 28-13 Saturday home loss to No. 15 Hofstra, and things had changed.

"They ran some totally different stuff," Bergquist said. "Now it's just like any game - we have to be ready for everything."

"When I first came here I thought I was going to stay three years, use it for a professional stepping-stone and move on," Ford said.

"I started the program from scratch,” Ford said. “As other opportunities came up to go other places that paid more money, it was sort of my baby, I guess, and I just didn’t want to walk."

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Fountain Day is UAlbany’s annual rite of spring when the main fountain at  the center of the Academic Podium is turned on for the season. This event draws a huge cross-section of the University Community, gathering students, faculty, and staff for an afternoon of festivities. Fountain Day began in 1978 as Human Awareness Potential day. The University President is usually on hand to preside over the ceremony by tossing out the “First Frisbee” of the season. In recent years, Fountain Day has been shaped into a carnival-esque atmosphere complete with beach balls, free caricatures, free massages, fried dough vendors, tropical smoothie bars, music, contests, giveaways, and more fun!

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[The Grambling game] was a possibility earlier, but doubtful at this time due to scheduling conflicts.  Maybe down the road something like this will happen.

This idea, with promoters pushing it and guarantees for both teams at a neutral site, could be a real positive for our division down the road.  It would allow some interesting cross-country rivalries to take place.

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Team (First-place votes)	Record	Points	Previous Rank
1. Appalachian State Mountaineers (77)	2-0	1,925	1
2. Montana Grizzlies	2-0	1,849	3
3. Massachusetts Minutemen	2-0	1,726	2
4. Northern Iowa Panthers	2-0	1,630	8
5. North Dakota State Bison	1-0	1,625	4
6. Youngstown State Penguins	1-1	1,411	6
7. Southern Illinois Salukis	2-0	1,386	11
8. McNeese State Cowboys	1-0	1,374	7
9. James Madison Dukes	1-1	1,366	10
10. Delaware Blue Hens	2-0	1,051	13
11. Wofford Terriers	2-0	1,044	14
12. New Hampshire Wildcats	0-1	1,030	5
13. Hampton Pirates	1-0	826	15
14. Eastern Illinois Panthers	1-1	749	12
15. Furman Paladins	1-1	725	9
16. Sam Houston State Bearkats	2-0	709	16
17. Illinois State Redbirds	1-1	556	17
18. Nicholls State Colonels	2-0	475	25
19. Hofstra Pride	1-0	394	NR
20. Montana State Bobcats	0-1	356	21
21. Yale Bulldogs	0-0	280	23
22. Western Illinois Leathernecks	1-1	273	24
23. Towson Tigers	2-0	260	NR
24. Delaware State Hornets	2-0	214	NR
25. Lafayette Leopards	2-0	134	NR

Others receiving votes: Cal Poly 131, Northwestern State 96, Princeton 82, Richmond 81, Texas State 74, Alabama A&M 70, Drake 69, The Citadel 65, Missouri State 65, Tennessee-Martin 60, Portland State 58, Georgia Southern 50, South Carolina State 46, Eastern Washington 35, Eastern Kentucky 34, Southern 34, Northern Arizona 31, South Dakota State 29, Villanova 24, Alabama State 23, Liberty 23, San Diego 20, Austin Peay 14, Holy Corss 12, Maine 12, Stony Brook 10, Norfolk State 9, Grambling 7, Central Arkansas 6, Harvard 6, Colgate 4, Prairie View 4, Rhode Island 2, Tennessee State 2.

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