Griz move up just one spot to #5 in lastest poll

Posted on November 3, 2008 by Colin O'Keefe

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:

Team (First-place votes) Record Points Previous Rank
1. James Madison Dukes (91) 8-1 2,707 1
2. Appalachian State Mountaineers (17) 7-2 2,617 2
3. Cal Poly Mustangs (1) 6-1 2,373 4
4. Northern Iowa Panthers 7-2 2,296 5
5. Montana Grizzlies 8-1 2,233 6
6. Villanova Wildcats 6-2 2,110 7
7. Richmond Spiders 6-3 1,984 8
8. New Hampshire Wildcats 7-1 1,874 9
9. Weber State Wildcats 8-2 1,767 13
10. Wofford Terriers 6-2 1,747 3
11. Elon Phoenix 7-2 1,690 10
12. Southern Illinois Salukis 6-2 1,650 14
13. Massachusetts Minutemen 6-3 1,262 15
14. William & Mary Tribe 6-2 1,202 16
15. Furman Paladins 7-3 1,081 18
16. Central Arkansas Bears 7-2 887 11
17. Western Illinois Leathernecks 5-3 824 12
18. McNeese State Cowboys 5-3 789 20
19. South Carolina State Bulldogs 7-2 750 22
20. Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks 7-2 527 24
21. Harvard Crimson 6-1 463 23
22. Tennessee State Tigers 7-2 425 25
23. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 6-3 395 19
24. Colgate Raiders 7-2 207 NR
25. Liberty Flames 7-2 195 17

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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Cameron Rundles heading to Wofford

Posted on May 6, 2008 by Colin O'Keefe
There'd been rumors floating around about where Cameron Rundles would end up transferring to, with the initial thought being Wayne State. That doesn't appear to be the case.

It looks like Cameron Rundles is headed to Wofford, the same tiny school that upset us in football. Wofford plays in the SoCon, a Division I conference. So, I believe he will have to sit out a year.

Well, good luck as a Terrier.
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Appalachian State gets ESPN game under the lights

Posted on April 28, 2008 by Colin O'Keefe

Appalachian State gets even more love as their November 1st game against Wofford gets pushed back a day so the game can be televised Halloween night on ESPN2.
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.
The timing's not great as there will be a decent chunk of people out doing whatever adults or college students do on Halloween, but whatever, it's exposure for the FCS and App State program. Good for them.

So, will something like this ever happen for Montana? One of two things would have to happen: we'd need to get lights. ESPN2 could be interested in a Friday night Cat-Griz game under the lights. It's one of the oldest rivalries in college football and, along with App State, Missoula is one of the best FCS venues in the nation. Otherwise, we have to schedule someone great. An App State, Georgia Southern, what have you. Even then, you probably still have to beat Michigan and win a string of National Championships.
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Wofford uses back-breaking drive to beat Griz, 23-22

Posted on November 24, 2007 by Colin O'Keefe
For the second time in three years, the Montana football season ended in the first round of the playoffs. In the game's final minutes, the Terriers used a lengthy scoring drive that put them up five with only 32 seconds remaining. After running the ball down the Griz's throats, the Terriers of course used a pass from the 5 yard line to beat the Griz. This came after the Griz scored and failed to convert a 2 point conversion that put would've put them up 7.

Even though there was almost no time left, the Griz nearly won it. When the Terriers kicked off with 32 seconds remaining, the Griz ran the ball out to mid-field. A few Bergquist completions moved the ball near the 30. Carpenter had a shot at a 47 yard field goal to win it. Of course it came to that. The call started with "Carpenter drilled it" until the vacuum sucked all the emotion out of Washington-Grizzly and he finished the call with "he missed it."

I'm sure Dan feels like he's gonna die but you cannot hang this loss on him. The Terriers turned the ball over three times and the Griz failed to cash in any of them.

The entire season the Griz wanted their respect. You have to earn it. Today, they did not.
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A look at the Wofford Terriers

Posted on November 23, 2007 by Colin O'Keefe


The video above is a series of highlights from Georgia Southern's 38-35 victory over the Wofford Terriers set to some awful music. The video gives a decent look at what it takes to beat Wofford but more than anything else it makes you kind of glad the Griz aren't playing Georgia Southern.
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