Category: Montana Grizzlies
Born to Run: Reynolds, Griz Steamroll No. 14 Wildcats
Big showdown? Big runaway. The second-ranked Montana Grizzlies took command of the Big Sky Conference football race Saturday, with a dominant 31-10 win over Weber State forged with turnovers and two-tight end sets.
Another record crowd filled Washington-Grizzly Stadium thinking the game could go down to the wire; instead, the Wildcats got little going on offense, threw the ball up for grabs and saw the Grizzlies’ Chase Reynolds run for 193 of his career-best 241 yards after halftime.
By the end - after Andrew Swink came down with the fourth interception thrown by Weber State’s Cameron Higgins - the Griz were up two games in the loss column on every other Big Sky team.
Griz Trickery Surprises Sac State
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gerald Kemp is a redshirt freshman quarterback who has made only one pass - an interception - for the Montana Grizzlies, though he’s shown himself to be a dangerous runner.
On Saturday, in Montana’s 45-30 Big Sky Conference football win over Sacramento State, it was his sticky hands and not his arm or legs that boosted the Griz.
Kemp had a Marc Mariani-like leaping grab of Brody McKnight’s onside kick to set up the Grizzlies’ go-ahead TD.
Big Sky Statement Regarding Officiating in EWU-UM Football Game
OGDEN, UTAH (Oct. 20, 2009) - Following a review of the Eastern Washington-University of Montana Big Sky Conference football game, the league has issued a statement in regards to the contest’s quality of officiating.
- 309 words - Big Sky Conference, Montana Grizzlies, Eastern Washington Eagles Montana's Ongoing Competition
MISSOULA - From Miles City to Libby, whenever supporters wearing maroon and silver have gathered at coffee houses and sports bars to discuss matters pertaining to University of Montana football this spring and summer, one topic invariably rises to the forefront of the conversation.
Who will line up under center for the Grizzlies during the 2009 season?
Will it be Billings West product Andrew Selle or University of Oregon transfer Justin Roper?
Meet the 2009 Grizzlies
A year ago Montana Grizzlies coach Bobby Hauck had a young team that was scrambling to replace 24 seniors.
The result was a 14-2 record and an appearance in the Division I Football Championship. The Grizzlies lost to Richmond in the title game, but along the way found gems like running back Chase Reynolds and receiver Marc Mariani, linebacker Alex Shaw and cornerback Trumaine Johnson.
Now as the Griz wind up their third week of fall camp, they take stock of a team that is a year older and - well, still young.
Selle or Roper? It's still unknown
The jury is still out on who will be the Montana Grizzlies’ starting quarterback a week from today against Western State.
According to junior Andrew Selle, the competition is “a dead heat.”
Selle and Oregon transfer Justin Roper have battled it out during fall camp for the esteemed starting spot, but the competition has been too good for coach Bobby Hauck to make the call.
Whether Hauck and his staff actually know who will be the guy isn’t known. They keep that stuff pretty close to the vest. But one this is sure: Both Roper and Selle will play Saturday in what will likely be a blowout.
University of Montana plans to make bid to host FCS title game
University of Montana officials told Missoula’s businesses community Monday they want to bid for the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision national title game in 2010.
University administrators and athletic officials presented the idea in a late-afternoon meeting with representatives of the Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce, Missoula Convention and Visitors Bureau, Mayor John Engen and others gathered at the Canyon Club, atop Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
UM’s stadium can compete well with other FCS venues, they said.
Kemp makes most of opportunity in Griz scrimmage
It looks like Saturday is the day quarterback Gerald Kemp got his legs underneath him for the Montana Grizzlies, after he ran for 53 yards and two touchdowns in their first fall football scrimmage.
“That’s probably the most reps I’ve got this fall,” said Kemp, a 215-pound redshirt freshman. “I just had to come out here and try to improve, try to get better."‘
That was the goal for most of the Griz inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium: The younger tier of players had the lion’s share of the snaps.
Walter Payton Award candidate Chase Reynolds had just one rep, though it was memorable: He came down on punt cover and put the hit of the day on return man Brandon Dodson.
Off and running: Grizzlies get fall camp going with first practice
The Montana Grizzlies still seemed well-stocked as they opened their 2009 fall drills under breezy, partly sunny skies at the South Campus Fields.
There were four quarterbacks slinging the ball around, and none of them were named Jeff Larson. The 6-foot-4 junior out of Cut Bank is officially a receiver, which it seems is where he’s needed.
Three receivers from spring ball - Tony Kazmierczak out of Thompson Falls, Bryan Riggs out of Spokane, Wash., and Tyzer Cady out of Colstrip - are no longer in the program.
Larson can fit in alongside stalwart Marc Mariani, Jabin Sambrano, Ty Palmer and Sam Gratton in a crew that doesn’t lack size or speed. Yet replacing the catches of graduates Mike Ferriter (50) and Rob Schulte (23) won’t be easy.
MSU, UM open fall camp with starting QB jobs undecided
The Montana Grizzlies are gunning for a repeat performance of a 14-win campaign that culminated with a trip to the Football Championship Subdivision title game.
The Montana State Bobcats are aiming to build on their seventh consecutive winning season and have designs on making a playoff push.
Both teams open fall camp today in preparation of the 2009 season, which begins Sept. 5.
The Grizzlies return slew starters from last year’s squad that lost the championship to Richmond in December in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Without free lunch, Griz appetite grows
Cole Lockwood spent a lot of time marveling at maroon mountains as a kid.
The snow-covered kind are more scenic, but maroon ones put an electrical charge into a boy’s chest. Strong enough to power his dreams.
“I used to look at the Griz as a pro football team,” Lockwood said. “Just the great biggest guys on earth.”
Now Lockwood is one of those big guys. On Saturdays in autumn he runs through a tunnel with rising smoke and 25,000 fans reminding him what it means to be a Montana football player.
He’s an example for high schoolers across the Treasure State. Not those coveted by college recruiters. The ones keeping their goals to themselves.
Summer's over: Griz ready to get back to work on the field
Chase Reynolds is a husband, a father, the University of Montana record-holder for rushing touchdowns in a single season and a Walter Payton Award candidate.
So how did he spend his summer “vacation?” He worked 70 to 85 hours a week.
For those wondering, summers for the Griz aren’t all river floats broken up by voluntary workouts. Classes await some, and 18-hour work days await others like Reynolds, who for the second straight year worked for Western Traffic Control, where he planned how to move travelers through construction zones.
“There are a couple things I have to do that a lot of people don’t,” laughed Reynolds, who at last count was the Grizzlies’ lone married player. “But I enjoy working. And my wife actually got to stay home this summer with my son. That’s a really big gain.”
NCAA bans championship tournaments in states that allow betting on single games
The NCAA approved a policy Thursday that would ban states, such as Delaware, from hosting championship events if they allow fans to bet on single games.
Chancellors and presidents from all three NCAA divisions approved the measure, saying it applies to “any session of an NCAA championship,” though it does not apply to states that allow parlay betting, lottery tickets, pull tabs and sports pools.
The move came one day after a federal judge denied a request by professional sports leagues and the NCAA to halt Delaware’s planned sports betting lottery until a legal challenge is resolved.
Congress banned sports betting in 1992 while grandfathering four states — Delaware, Nevada, Montana and Oregon — that had already offered it. The lawsuit filed by the four major pro sports leagues and the NCAA argues that Delaware’s plan to allow single-game betting would violate the legislation because Delaware has never offered single-game betting before.
Montana schools cleared to host NCAA Championship Events
A gambling policy adopted by the NCAA Executive Committee on Thursday will allow The University of Montana, Montana State University, and other NCAA institutions in the state the privilege of hosting NCAA Championship events.
- 362 words - Big Sky Conference, Montana Grizzlies, Montana State Bobcats Scott Schultz retirement bittersweet for Roughriders' & Former Griz Mike Stadnyk
Stadnyk, a Regina product, grew up watching Schultz play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders through eight-plus seasons. Stadnyk was surprised by Schultz’s sudden retirement to become president of the Schultz-Gareau Insurance Agency. Stadnyk also understood what it meant for him.
“He was an amazing guy and he lit up the whole locker room,'’ said Stadnyk, who is expected to be on the Riders’ active roster Friday when they play the B.C. Lions at BC Place. “He was a great influence on me right through training camp because he never let me get down. He will be missed but we have to move on. Even though he left, it’s a great opportunity for me.’
Stadnyk, 6-foot-4 and 247 pounds, thought about that chance Monday but wasn’t sure where he fit into the coaches’ plans. Stadnyk was on the Riders’ 46-man roster for four of the first five regular-season games. He wasn’t on the 42-player roster for games, though. That changed on Monday.”
“When I came back, I had a special teams sheet in my locker,'’ said Stadnyk, a graduate of Miller High School. “I knew then that I would be playing.'’
Mike Scheper, the Riders’ first-year defensive line coach, said that Stadynk will see playing time as part of the three-player rotation at defensive end with Stevie Baggs and Luc Mullinder. Scheper added that game situations will determine how much Stadnyk will play.
“Should we be in the unfortunate situation where we’re on the field for a very long time, those reps will increase,'’ said Scheper. “We have to go with the flow but he’s ready to play. He will definitely be part of our plans for Friday night.'’
Stadnyk has been in part of the Riders’ plans since 2008 when he was selected in the second round (14th overall) in the CFL draft after playing four years with the University of Montana Grizzlies.
Pflugrad joins Montana football coaching staff
Long-time college football coach Robin Pflugrad (pronounced: flew-grad) has been selected to serve as the wide receiver coach at The University of Montana, announced seventh year UM Head Coach Bobby Hauck.
Pflugrad coached in the prestigious Pac-10 Conference for the previous 13 seasons, with stints at Oregon, Washington State, and Arizona State. He is now in his 29th season of coaching overall and his 28th at the college level.
Four more Payton Award candidates announced by Sports Network
Randolph among four named to Payton watch list
Two-time Walter Payton Award finalist Dominic Randolph is one of four players who have been added to the 2009 Payton Award watch list, bestowed annually upon the top player in FCS.
Randolph has 9,689 yards passing and 83 touchdowns during his Holy Cross career. He finished 12th in 2007 and ninth in 2008 in the Payton Award voting.
- 812 words - MEAC, SoCon, Big Sky Conference, Montana Grizzlies, Patriot League, Holy Cross Crusaders, Florida A&M Rattlers, The Citadel Bulldogs Weber State Dominates Preseason All-Conference Team
GDEN, UTAH (July 22, 2009) – Four players were unanimous selections to the 2009 Big Sky Preseason All-Conference team, which was released Wednesday.
The team was picked by select media and sports information directors.
- 939 words - Big Sky Conference, Montana Grizzlies, Montana State Bobcats, Sacramento State Hornets, Portland State Vikings, Northern Colorado Bears, Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, Weber State Wildcats, Eastern Washington Eagles, Idaho State Bengals Big Sky: Coaches, Media Like Montana
OGDEN, Utah (July 21, 2009) - The Montana Grizzlies, whose 2008 season ended with a loss in the Division I Football Championship, have once again been selected by the media and coaches to capture the Big Sky Conference football championship.
The 2009 preseason polls were released by the conference on Tuesday, with Montana selected first in both polls, and 2008 co-conference champion Weber State picked second.
- 663 words - Big Sky Conference, Montana Grizzlies, Montana State Bobcats, Sacramento State Hornets, Portland State Vikings, Northern Colorado Bears, Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, Weber State Wildcats, Eastern Washington Eagles, Idaho State Bengals Montana's Hauck to visit US troops in Asia
University of Montana football coach Bobby Hauck will travel to southwest Asia next month to visit troops at US military bases as part of a morale-boosting college football coaches tour. The tour is being organized by the US Army.
Other coaches scheduled for the tour include David Bailiff of Rice, Rich Ellerson of Army and Rob Akey of Idaho.
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