Montana Grizzlies Sports, Football and Basketball : Grizzoulian

Both Hilliard and Biermann get their shot in the NFL through draft. Now two more Montana Grizzly football players will get a chance as undrafted free agents. Offensive tackle Cody Balogh will get a chance with the Chicago Bears and Dan Carpenter signed with the Miami Dolphins.

With Lex drafted, the Dolphins now have two Grizzlies. Maybe they saw Carpenter knocking a 50-yarder through while watching Lex rip apart the Cats. The Dolphins would've had three Grizzlies, but they cut Tuff Harris the day before the draft.

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The cartoon above appears in the Ogden Standard-Examiner. Based of course on Balogh's chop block on Weber State defensive tackle Derek Johnson. Wow.

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This year's Sports Network FCS All-American team stars three Montana Grizzlies: running back Lex Hilliard and tackle Cody Balogh were named to the second team offense while defensive end Kroy Biermann was named to the first-team defense.

The Missoulian notes this trio's longevity:

Lex Hilliard, Kroy Biermann and Cody Balogh are all members of the Sports Network Division I FCS Preseason All-American team that was released Wednesday.

And they have something else in common.

All three seniors played as true freshman for the Grizzlies, who will enter the season on Sept. 1 as the second-ranked team in the nation.

Hilliard, of course, was set to finish out his eligibility last year, but the 230-pound running back out of Kalispell tore his Achilles tendon in fall camp. His medical redshirt is one reason there are 24 seniors on this year's Grizzlies.

Another reason is eight current players suited up as true freshmen in 2004. That was out of a large recruiting class of 23. Nine of them played in the Grizzlies' run to the '04 FCS (then I-AA) championship game.

That includes Biermann, who had 22 tackles and three sacks that season, and Balogh, who started at right tackle in the Grizzlies' final three playoff games.

“We were forced to play a bunch of guys as true freshmen because we weren't talented enough to win without them,” said Bobby Hauck, then in his second year as the Grizzlies' head coach. “Now we've got essentially two classes together.”

Also interesting to note that the Big Sky Conference leads all conferences with 11 All-Americans.

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More than 30 percent of this year's preseason All-Big Sky Conference football team will come from the University of Montana. Here's the complete team, with the Montana kids in bold:

Offense

• QB-Cole Bergquist, Montana
• RB-Lex Hillard, Montana
• FB-Bobby McClintock, Portland State
• TE-Shaun Fitzpatrick, Northern Arizona
• OL-Cody Balogh, Montana
• OL-David Hale, Weber State
• OL-George Yarno, Idaho State
• OL-Matt Alfred, Eastern Washington
• OL-Brennan Carvalho, Portland State
• WR-Alex Watson, Northern Arizona
• WR-Eric Allen, Montana
• WR-Eddie Thompson, Idaho State
• K-Dan Carpenter, Montana
• KR-Bryant Eteuati, Weber State

Defense

• DE-Kroy Biermann, Montana
• DE-Cole Smith, Portland State
• DT-Aaron Papich, Montana State
• DT-Dallas Mauga, Sacramento State
• LB-Cyrus Mulitalo, Sacramento State
• LB-Epikopo King, Montana State
• LB-Tyler Joyce, Montana
• LB-Bobby Daly, Montana State
• LB-Jordan Senn, Portland State
• CB-KJ Gerard, Northern Arizona
• CB-Ricky Wilson, Northern Arizona
• S-Torrey Thomas, Montana
• S-Colt Anderson, Montana
• P-Dan Zeidman, Idaho State
• ST-Kenneth Mackins, Portland State

The most debatable UM selection has to be Cole Bergquist at quarterback. Odd that a guy who's never really been #1 on the depth chart and still hasn't been tabbed as the Griz starter would be voted the best signal-caller in the conference.

With almost half their starters on the all-conference team, it's not much surprise they were unanimously voted as the favorite to win the conference.

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