Montana Grizzlies beat Western State, set Wash-Griz record, continue to breath oxygen

Posted on September 5, 2009 by Colin O'Keefe

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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Let's do this.

Posted on December 12, 2008 by Colin O'Keefe

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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