October 20, 2007

Walk-on earns the fruits of determination

Copyright Tim Kupsick 2007

By: Jake Grilley
GameDay Kaimin

Marc Mariani stood just in front of the Montana end zone inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The 6-foot, 174-pound sophomore from Havre nervously awaited the kickoff. His blond crew cut and thin frame were all but hidden beneath his helmet, pads and the number 80 University of Montana jersey he had worked so hard to wear.
Just two years prior, Mariani had enrolled at the University of Montana with intentions of making the Grizzlies as a walk-on.
Mariani said his first day stepping on the practice field was an overwhelming experience.
“It was a quick transformation from being a big fish in a small pond to being a small fish in a huge pond,” he said.
Week one of practice made Mariani wonder what exactly he had gotten himself into.
“The first week was real scary,” he said. “Being out there, coaches yelling at you, guys getting beat up, doing tackling drills you have never done before.”
After seeing all the talent that Montana had, Mariani knew his journey wouldn’t be easy.
“There was a lot of question marks, lots of hard work in front of me,” Mariani said.
Mariani was willing to put in the hard work. He participated in the team’s freshman lifting program that began at 5:30 a.m. four days a week.
He tried not to worry about what he couldn’t control.
“I just had fun with it, I didn’t know where it was going to go,” he said. “I just worked as hard as I could and waited to see where it would take me.”
Although he was uncertain where his hard work would take him, Mariani never doubted his decision to walk-on for the Griz.
“I felt like I could play, I thought I could play and I wanted to prove it to myself,” he said.
Growing up in Havre he envisioned himself playing at Montana someday.
“For me it was just the top goal,” Mariani said. “I am from small town Montana and this has been the biggest goal that I was shooting for as soon as I started playing football. This is what I dreamed of, this is the place I wanted to be.”
As sure as he was about his dream, he was just as uncertain about it ever happening.
“I was more of a basketball player growing up,” he said. “I was always the small guy (on the football team.)”
But Mariani was determined not to let his size stand in the way of his aspirations and by his junior year of high school he was emerging as a standout football player.
Mariani was a first-team All-state free safety his junior season. It was during his senior year that Mariani broke out as a wide receiver, setting the Havre High record in single-season receiving yards.
These kinds of performances garnered Mariani calls from various Division II and NAIA programs. But the one school he wanted to take a look at him didn’t seem to notice.
“I wasn’t getting recruited hard by (Montana),” Mariani said. “I kinda thought at one point I should look around. I didn’t think I would be able to do it.”
Despite not being heavily sought after by the Grizzlies, Mariani decided to take his best shot at playing for the two-time national champs.
“I just wanted to push myself,” Mariani said. “I didn’t want to settle for something and regret not giving this a shot. I didn’t want to go somewhere and always wonder ‘what if I could have made it?’ ”
Mariani was among a handful of walk-ons competing for a roster spot that fall.
“There is not a difference between walk-on and scholarship really,” Mariani said. “You just have to earn respect and earn your spot on the team.”
Part of earning that respect was taking some knocks.
“I remember me and a few walk-on guys got thrown in (a drill),” Mariani said. “We were getting screamed at and yelled at and had no clue what was going on. I think in the first week I got absolutely taken out by Mike Murphy.”
Sophomore wide receiver and fellow walk-on at the time Bryan Riggs was impressed by Mariani’s determination and focus.
The things that made Mariani successful then and now are his hard work ethic and ability to keep a level head, Riggs said.
Junior wide receiver and fellow punt and kick returner Rob Schulte said Mariani put in the time he needed to be a success.
“You can put in lots of time or you can choose not to,” Schulte said. “He is the kind of guy that puts in the time.”
Mariani said other players on the team kept him motivated.
“The thing is you never stop working,” Mariani said. “As soon as you stop working, someone else is going to pass you by.”
He said although he is very self-motivated it helped to have friends and family encouraging him.
“I made all the decisions,” Mariani said. “But the support I get from my friends and family is everything. When times get hard you need someone to fall back on and that is what I have for sure.”
It wasn’t until after spring meetings that Mariani would get to know if all his hard work had paid off.
“Those last few weeks of spring were nerve-racking as heck,” he said. “I mean you’ve gone through a year of practicing and it all comes down to that, whether you will be on the team next year or not.”
He said he tried to walk into the meeting with the confidence of knowing that he had given it his best shot.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Mariani said. “I was pretty nervous. I thought I had done as well as I could have but it was all up in the air.”
As he sat down for his final meeting with head coach Bobby Hauck, Mariani crossed his fingers and wished to himself that he had made the team, but he didn’t get his hopes up because he said “there is always that chance.”
The butterflies Mariani was feeling were quickly eliminated when Coach Hauck asked him back for the fall.
Mariani’s dream of becoming a Montana Grizzly had become a reality.
“I hadn’t done anything yet,” Mariani said. “But I made the team and that was my first goal.”
Now, a year and a half after making the team, Mariani is making an impact.
He is the team leader in both punt return and kick-off return average with 13.4 and 40 yards respectively. Mariani’s punt return average is also the highest in the conference and his 40-yard average on kick returns would eclipse the conference high of 26.5 if Mariani had more returns.
Mariani also has the title of being the team’s fastest man.
He clocked in at a 4.49 in the 40.
The ever-modest Mariani downplayed his achievement.
“I probably cheated, it probably wasn’t right,” he said.
Schulte believes the sky is the limit for Mariani.
“He is the people’s favorite,” Schulte said. “He is the kind of guy you want to see succeed. He has done that and will continue to.”
Mariani understands that Grizzly fans expect big plays from their returners.
“Everyone in Montana is used to a big time punt returner,” he said. “We’ve had (Levander Segars) and (Tuff Harris) those are some big, big shoes to fill.”
Although Mariani has met his goals, don’t think he hasn’t set more for himself.
“My next goal is to help the team win,” he said. “Anything I can do, special teams, returns, receiver, whenever my number is called. That is what it comes down to and that is my immediate goal right now.”
Riggs was impressed by Mariani’s determination and focus.
The things that made Mariani successful then and now are his hard work ethic and ability to keep a level head, Riggs said.
Junior wide receiver and fellow punt and kick returner Rob Schulte said Mariani put in the time he needed to be a success.
“You can put in lots of time or you can choose not to,” Schulte said. “He is the kind of guy that puts in the time.”
Mariani said other players on the team kept him motivated.
“The thing is you never stop working,” Mariani said. “As soon as you stop working, someone else is going to pass you by.”
He said although he is very self-motivated, it helped to have friends and family encouraging him.
“I made all the decisions,” Mariani said. “But the support I get from my friends and family is everything. When times get hard you need someone to fall back on and that is what I have for sure.”
It wasn’t until after spring meetings that Mariani would get to know if all his hard work had paid off.
“Those last few weeks of spring were nerve-racking as heck,” he said. “I mean, you’ve gone through a year of practicing and it all comes down to that, whether you will be on the team next year or not.”
He said he tried to walk into the meeting with the confidence of knowing that he had given it his best shot.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Mariani said. “I was pretty nervous. I thought I had done as well as I could have but it was all up in the air.”
As he sat down for his final meeting with head coach Bobby Hauck, Mariani crossed his fingers and wished to himself that he had made the team, but he didn’t get his hopes up because, he said, “there is always that chance.”
The butterflies Mariani was feeling were quickly eliminated when Hauck asked him back for the fall.
Mariani’s dream of becoming a Montana Grizzly had become a reality.
“I hadn’t done anything yet,” Mariani said. “But I made the team, and that was my first goal.”
Now, a year and a half after making the team, Mariani is making an impact.
He is the team leader in both punt return and kick-off return averages, with 13.4 and 40 yards, respectively. Mariani’s punt return average is also the highest in the conference and his 40-yard average on kick returns would eclipse the conference high of 26.5 if Mariani had more returns.
Mariani also has the title of being the team’s fastest man.
He clocked in at a 4.49 in the 40.
The ever-modest Mariani downplayed his achievement.
“I probably cheated, it probably wasn’t right,” he said.
Schulte believes the sky is the limit for Mariani.
“He is the people’s favorite,” Schulte said. “He is the kind of guy you want to see succeed. He has done that and will continue to.”
Mariani understands that Grizzly fans expect big plays from their returners.
“Everyone in Montana is used to a big time punt returner,” he said. “We’ve had (Levander Segars) and (Tuff Harris) those are some big, big shoes to fill.”
Although Mariani has met his goals, don’t think he hasn’t set more for himself.
“My next goal is to help the team win,” he said. “Anything I can do special teams, returns, receiver whenever my number is called. That is what it comes down to and that is my immediate goal right now.”

Griz 6-0 despite low performance numbers

By: Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

The University of Montana football team is ranked No. 3 in the nation. Yet when compared to teams in their own conference, the Griz have put up numbers that could best be described as middle-of-the-road.
The Griz have been out-gained nearly 2-to-1 each of the last two weeks in total offense, and have been forced to rely on big, game-saving plays in the fourth quarter to squeeze out wins against Eastern Washington and Sacramento State.
Despite having arguably the most talented group of running backs in the conference, the Griz are ranked second to last in rushing yards per game in the Big Sky, and their pass offense ranks dead last in the nine-team league.
Against Eastern Washington, the Eagles posted a gaudy 565 offensive yards, while the Griz mustered just 289. As an encore, the Grizzlies were doubled-up offensively when Sac State had 346 yards – exactly twice as many as the Griz – in the 17-3 Montana win.
Despite the lack of offensive productivity, the Griz stand at 6-0 with their sights set on a probable playoff berth, barring a late-season meltdown.
“I’m not into numbers other than the ‘W’ in the left-hand column,” Montana head coach Bobby Hauck said Tuesday.
Today the Griz will look to improve on their marginal numbers when they host a team that is also familiar with futility. The Northern Colorado Bears are winless on the season, but also played a grueling preseason schedule that included games at Hawaii, San Diego and Cal Poly. But the Bears also lost a home game to Division II Chadron State, who also knocked off Montana State last season in Bozeman.
The highly regarded Grizzlies can expect a challenge from the Bears, Hauck said.
“Northern Colorado will come in hungry, they’re playing hard,” he said. “I’ve watched every game in some form or fashion that they’ve played this year. Their coaches have them playing hard, that’s what we expect. They have not come out in the win column like they wanted to in numerous games.”
Despite concerns surrounding the Montana offense, Northern Colorado coach Scott Downing doesn’t see where the Griz have a lot of holes.
“I don’t think they have a lot of problems,” he said. “I would tell you this, I think their scheme is good, they’re very well coached, they’re technically very sound.”
Downing said he didn’t think the Grizzlies had been under-producing in recent weeks, rather that other teams were playing up to Montana’s level.
“I think one of the things that probably catches up with a team like Montana, like I’ve said before, they’ve got a big target on their chest,” he said. “They’re the top team in the league and one of the top teams in the nation.”
Senior offensive tackle Cody Balogh said the Grizzly offense was planning to spend this week in practice regrouping and trying to find a rhythm.
“Northern Colorado’s a good team, but we’re going to focus on us this week,” Balogh said. “We’ve got some stuff we’ve got to take care of, and hopefully it will end up in a good way on Saturday.”
Hauck cautioned that the Griz couldn’t overlook the Bears.
“They’re a team that we can beat if we go out and play well,” he said.
Downing said he’s been pleased with the team’s effort, and that even though the wins haven’t happened yet this year, the Bears have a positive attitude.
“Our kids are tired of losing. Our coaches are tired of losing, but it’s not from a lack of effort,” he said.
Just a week removed from being ranked No. 1 in The Sports Network’s top 25, the Grizzlies are in a completely opposite situation.
“That team at Montana knows how to win,” he said. “Sometimes maybe they don’t win by the point margin that people want them to win by, but we don’t get any style points for margin of victory.”

Plenty of action around the Big Sky Conference

Copyright Tim Kupsick 2007

By: Amber Kuehn
GameDay Kaimin

While the Griz try to stay undefeated, several other conference teams will vie to move up the Big Sky standings.
Meanwhile, Eastern Washington takes a break from league play to face BYU.

Northern Arizona at Weber State (1:05 p.m.)
These two teams first met in 1964 and they’ve met every year since, with the Wildcats holding a one-game advantage in the series.
The Lumberjacks sit at 3-1 in Big Sky action and are alone in second place. NAU managed 588 total yards in their 45-24 victory over Idaho State last Saturday. Today they face a Wildcats squad that is on a two-game win streak and beat Northern Colorado 23-0 for their first shutout in 27 years. NAU quarterback Lance Kriesien received Player of the Week honors after his 320 yards of total offense and trio of touchdowns. He completed 75 percent of his passes and was dangerous on the ground with 17 carries. Kriesien has played both quarterback and wide receiver in his two seasons. As a quarterback, he has rushed for 390 yards and five touchdowns to rank eighth in the conference in total rushing yards.
NAU leads the league in rushing offense. Leading the Lumberjacks attack is Lionel Scott, who is averaging 107.2 yards in conference competition. Last Saturday he was responsible for three touchdowns.
The Jacks are also strong on the defensive side of the ball. NAU leads the league in interceptions with 13. K.J. Gerard leads the FCS in interceptions with six this season and leads the Lumberjacks in total tackles with 38.
For the Wildcats, Bryant Eteuati is one to watch out for. He had eight receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears. Eteuati is also the best in the Big Sky at kickoff returns.
The Wildcats are league-leaders in scoring defense and pass defense.
NAU has won three of its last four games in Stewart Stadium. For that reason, and their numbers so far this season, I’m taking the Lumberjacks.

Sacramento State at Montana State (1:05 p.m.)
Sac State managed to double Montana’s offensive output last Saturday but the Griz defense was too much for the Hornets. They now must face another strong defensive unit from the same state.
Both Sac State and MSU are coming off losses. The Bobcats suffered their first Big Sky loss of the season to Eastern Washington, 35-13. MSU only managed 22 rushing yards in that contest.
Sac State should beware of Bobcats linebacker Bobby Daly. He has had double-digit tackles in four straight games and was named to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list this week.
As far as the Cats’ offense, Demetrius Crawford leads the team in rushing yards. Wide receiver Josh Lewis also has over 100 yards receiving in two games in the past three weeks.
The Hornets have only posted one win this season and the Cats have only two losses (their other was to Texas A&M), which were both respectable considering the tough teams they were facing. I don’t see MSU losing this one.

Portland State at Idaho State (3:05 p.m.)
The Vikings haven’t won in Pocatello since 1999, and are coming off a bye week that followed a heartbreaking 44-43 loss to NAU.
Idaho State is also coming off a loss to the Lumberjacks, falling 45-24 last weekend.
Both squads sit at 2-4 in the Big Sky.
The Bengals are averaging 403.5 yards of offense but are guilty of 16 turnovers in six games. Freshman Russel Hill and sophomore Luke Butler have split time under center, and have combined to complete 58 percent of their passes. Tailback Josh Barnett currently leads the league with 548 rushing yards. Receiver Eddie Thompson is the league leader in receptions with 50 in six games, which is also third in the nation.
Portland State is banged up, with 10 players suffering injuries this season. But the athletes they have playing have been playing extremely well.
PSU quarterback Brian White has played spectacularly lately and has led the Vikings to two come-from-behind victories. He has thrown for over 1,500 yards in the past four games.
Vikings senior fullback Olaniyi Sobomehin leads the team and the Big Sky with nine touchdowns in six contests. He has 72 carries for 344 yards.
Want my opinion? Jerry Glanville and crew are going to get their first win in Pocatello in seven years.

Eastern Washington at BYU (3:35 p.m.)
The Eagles may get a break from conference action, but that doesn’t mean they are getting a break.
The Cougars are dangerous on both offense and defense and Brigham Young University is one of the most powerful college teams in the country. BYU ranks 16th in the FBS in total offense with 462.8 yards and is only allowing 313.3 yards per game. Quarterback Max Hall ranks sixth in the nation.
Both teams sit at 4-2. EWU has never beaten a Mountain West Conference member, and BYU is undefeated in the MWC this season.
The Eagles win over MSU last weekend moved them up to No. 22 in the Sports Network FCS Poll.
It would be nice of me to pick the Eagles since they are a fellow conference member. But football isn’t about being nice, so I’m going to play it safe and say BYU wins.

Where are they now: Marty Mornhinweg

By: Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

Great quarterbacks are as much a staple in Montana football history as tourists are in Glacier National Park during summer.
Dave Dickenson, Brian Ah Yat, Drew Miller, John Edwards and Craig Ochs have all taken their place in the spotlight for the Grizzlies. But it’s a quarterback often forgotten in discussions of great Griz gridiron generals who has had arguably the most successful professional career.
Marty Mornhinweg is better known for his career calling plays from NFL sidelines than from under center for the Grizzlies in the early 1980s.
He was the head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2001 and 2002, and for the past five years has been with the Philadelphia Eagles, currently as offensive coordinator. Stops in San Francisco, Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit and Philadelphia make his NFL passport an enviable one.
Long before Dickenson and Edwards, two national championships, and nine straight Big Sky Conference titles, Montana football had its up and down years. Before 23,000-plus fans packed into Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Griz games were played at Dornblaser Field with its wooden bleachers. Fans were just the toss of a beer – especially when Montana State was in town – from the action.
Former Montana coach Joe Glenn said the Mornhinweg-led teams of the ’80s were largely responsible for the transition from middle-of-the-pack to top-of-the-heap.
“The times weren’t as good as they have been since they moved into the stadium,” said Glenn, who was an assistant coach during Mornhinweg’s tenure and now coaches the Wyoming Cowboys.
“(Mornhinweg) was amazing to watch. He probably played with a cast of less talented players than have been there since Marty.”
In his years as Griz quarterback, Mornhinweg’s teams were 22-30-1, a record that would likely make modern-day Griz fans cringe.
Yet, Mornhinweg’s teams were the first to prove the Grizzlies could contend, a fact that is consistent with recent Montana history.
“I think the fellows that I played with were tough. They were the types of guys (who) didn’t make excuses,” Mornhinweg said. “We didn’t whine or cry, we got better every day. Tough guys usually rise to the occasion. I don’t think we were quite the most talented team, but we won it.”
After Mornhinweg and his potent crop of receivers – highlighted by Brian Salonen and Bob McCauley – the Grizzlies didn’t win another Big Sky title for 11 years.
“I was happy for the teammates I had because they put a lot of time, effort, sacrifice and many of them were upstanding citizens and great students,” Mornhinweg said.
The San Jose, Calif., native came to Montana highly regarded, but major schools shied away from him and his 5-foot-9, 185 pound frame. But not the Griz.
“He played quarterback position like a linebacker,” said Daryl Gadbow, former Missoulian sports editor. “He was really tough. If he ran the ball there was no sliding; he ran right smack into somebody.”
Mornhinweg’s social life exuded the same zeal as on the field. He was a presence in the bar scene and was known for frequently dealing poker at the Stockman Bar.
“He was a partier and he liked to gamble,” Gadbow said. “The Grizzlies used to play down at (the University of Nevada) Reno and I heard they couldn’t drag him out of the casinos at night.”
Prior to his senior season in 1983, Mornhinweg was suspended after being accused of cheating on an exam. He sat out the year before returning in 1984.
“I think that most fans thought he was a good player and I think people thought he made a mistake and he paid for it,” he said. “And he stuck around.”
Mornhinweg’s stats at Montana were good, but not great. He threw for 6,083 career yards, sixth most all-time, and averaged 169 passing yards per game. However, even then he had the mind of a coach, Glenn said
He was introduced to great coaching early in his career. At Oak Grove High School in San Jose, one of his coaches was Mike Holmgren, coach of the Packers when they won the 1997 Super Bowl and currently coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
Mornhinweg’s first shot to run an NFL team came in 2001 when he was hired by the mercurial Matt Millen to guide the hapless Lions. However, he was fired after two years and a 5-27 record.
Glenn said although Mornhinweg’s stretch at the top of an NFL team was short-lived, he has redeemed himself in Philadelphia. The Eagles have produced record-setting offensive numbers in his tenure, and he deserves another shot.
“He’ll get another chance,” Glenn said. “The first one didn’t work out so well as a head coach. People like him, players like him.”
Mornhinweg didn’t rule out coaching in the college ranks, at least once his four kids – the youngest is 8 years old – are out of the house.
“I’ve got a little time left here, but my wife and I have discussed some of those things,” he said. “It would be nice to get to a university setting one of these days.”
Mornhinweg, with his wife and kids, visited Missoula for the first time in 15 years this past summer, and said he frequently chats with former teammates.
Despite his extensive and lucrative career in the pros, Mornhinweg insisted the NFL isn’t as glamorous as it is portrayed by Hollywood.
“It may seem like that to some people, but we work hard, we prepare,” he said. “We do everything we can to have success that next week. You got to do it day-to-day, week-to-week. And we did this at the University of Montana.”

October 8, 2007

'All-American guy'

Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

Under the fluorescent lights of the University Center Commons, Kyle Ryan looks just like any other University of Montana student cramming for a midterm exam. He sports a blue zip sweatshirt and a white Notre Dame ball cap backwards. The hat is a nod to his Irish Catholic roots and his love of Fightin’ Irish football – a religion of its own.
Huddled in a corner of the room, little about him stands out.
Ryan is used to blending in. Of the three senior starting linebackers for the top-ranked Griz – Ryan, Loren Utterback and Tyler Joyce – the Billings West High School product is the one who has flown the most under the radar.
His No. 46 holds little prestige compared to the hallowed No. 37 Utterback wears, and he’s not as brash or, frankly, as violent as Joyce.
“Kyle’s kind of quietly put together a great career,” said Griz linebackers coach Ty Gregorak. “In my opinion Kyle’s been unbelievably consistent.”
As a three-year starter, Ryan has accumulated 234 tackles. But just a year removed from tying the team high with 115 stops, he has recorded only 23 to start this season.
“This year I’ve kind of struggled to make the plays I have in years past, but I just have to be patient and it will come,” Ryan said.
One of those plays in which patience paid off came last weekend.
In the third quarter, with Weber State clinging to a 10-9 lead, Ryan stepped in front of a Cameron Higgins pass for his first interception of the season. He stuck out a hand, first tipping the ball and finally corralling it.
The Washington-Grizzly Stadium crowd, restless and anxious for a reason to cheer, exploded.
Gregorak was planted on the sideline near where the play happened.
“His eyes just got huge because there was nothing but green in front of him and it looked like he probably thought he could score and next thing you know he gets whacked from the side,” Gregorak said. “I was just so happy he didn’t fumble the ball.”
The interception led to Montana’s lone touchdown of the game, a one-yard run by Greg Coleman.
“It was a heckuva play,” Gregorak said. “It was a game-changing play. It set up a score and ultimately we ended up winning the game.”
It’s fitting that Ryan has spent his college career at Montana, though it might have been more so had he landed at Notre Dame.
His father was a rugby player for the Irish, and Ryan grew up a Notre Dame fan. His bedroom in Billings was equally plastered in Notre Dame and Montana posters, he said.
His brother Casey played offensive line for the Griz in the late ‘90s, and his brother Pat was a reserve linebacker for Notre Dame from 1999-2002.
Naturally, the youngest Ryan wanted to play for the Irish too.
He saw how hard Pat worked in high school to earn a chance at Notre Dame, so he said he tried to put in that same effort. He attended a camp at Notre Dame his junior year. Future Irish players, including current Cleveland Brown quarterback Brady Quinn, surrounded him there.
But when the recruiting period got into full swing, Notre Dame showed little more than cursory interest in Ryan.
“Kyle thought he was going to be a teammate with those guys, but it just didn’t work out that way,” his father, Bill Ryan, said.
Other schools showed interest – Montana State, of course, Colorado State, Stanford and a handful of Ivy League schools – but Kyle Ryan had essentially already pared his list to two.
“I’m glad it ended up that I’m a Griz,” he said. “I don’t regret that for a second. Growing up, I had thought about it (playing for the Irish), but when my brother played at Notre Dame, I kind of realized that I’d be better off at Montana.”
The Grizzlies offered Ryan the opportunity to play closer to home, and, as he said, to have a greater chance of success.
Ryan made his splash with the Griz as a sophomore in 2005 when Utterback broke his foot at Oregon. Ryan started the rest of the season at middle linebacker.
Ryan would not have likely had the opportunity to start as a sophomore at Notre Dame or another big school.
Pat Ryan said he is happy that his brother ended up with the Griz.
“I loved my experience (at Notre Dame); Kyle’s loving his experience,” he said. “I don’t think he’d give up what he has now. I think he’s in a perfect spot for him.”
Even if Notre Dame had offered him a shot, Kyle Ryan isn’t certain he would have taken it.
“I would have had to think about it,” he said. “It wouldn’t have been the clear choice that it would have been earlier in my life.”
Kyle Ryan was not the prototypical star-to-be. He was “mushy-faced little four-eyed guy,” Bill Ryan said.
However, continuing in the mold of Casey and Pat, Kyle Ryan slowly developed into a force, the biggest of the football-playing brothers, his dad said.
According to Bill Ryan, his son’s offer to join the Griz came the spring of his sophomore year of high school. The season was highlighted by a game against Flathead High School when Ryan recorded an eyebrow-raising tackle against another future Grizzly standout – running back Lex Hilliard.
One Ryan brother never played football, but Kyle Ryan looked up to him as well. Bill Jr., who his father said was actually the best athlete of the group, went to Stanford for his undergraduate degree and is a lawyer in Billings.
“Kyle kind of went down that road academically,” Bill Ryan Sr. said. “And then with Casey and Pat right in front of him, that was a huge motivator (to play football).”
Gregorak said Ryan’s reputation as an “all-American guy” sometimes may earn him some teasing from his teammates.
“My wife loves him,” Gregorak said. “He’s a big, good-looking dude. He is a smart guy, he is a gentleman, he is ‘yes sir, no sir.’ I think he takes some flack for it, too.
“He’s a great student. He’s a student of the game, I bet he does real well in his business school.”
Ryan is an accounting major and has few illusions about playing football beyond college. When his career is over, he plans to take a year off and apply to law school. He’d like to stay at UM.
But before Ryan gets too caught up in his long-term goals, he’s focused on a more imminent one: winning a national championship.
In Ryan’s four seasons, the Griz have been close to winning the title twice. He was a redshirt freshman in 2004 when they were painfully close, losing in the championship game to James Madison 31-21.
“We kind of felt invincible for a while up until that last game,” he said.
The other near-championship run was last season, when, after a season-opening loss to Iowa, the Grizzlies were undefeated until faltering at home against Massachusetts in the national semifinals.
“It definitely left a bad taste in our mouth,” Ryan said. “It just makes us better, makes us work harder in the offseason.”
While he said the No. 1 national ranking means little now, it would mean everything to be on top at the end of the season.
“My whole thing is I want to go out with a national championship,” he said. “That’s the most important thing to me. All the personal accolades are great, but nothing would compare to a national championship.”

Eastern Washington brings young team to face an old rival

Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

The Montana football team learned last week that being ranked No. 1 nationally doesn’t give it a free pass through Big Sky Conference play.
The undefeated Grizzlies narrowly topped Weber State 18-10 last weekend, but will face an even more formidable opponent today, with the 3-1 Eastern Washington Eagles in town.
Eastern fell out of the rankings after losing 28-21 to Portland State. It had risen to 21st before the defeat.
Eastern Washington has a record of playing well in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Their four wins are the most of any team since the stadium opened in 1986.
“Eastern’s always played the Montana Grizzlies tough, forever,” Montana head coach Bobby Hauck said.
The last time the Eagles were in Missoula, in 2005, they rolled behind standout quarterback Erik Meyer.
But Meyer and much of that team is gone. In their places, the roster is loaded with sophomores. However, according to Eastern coach Paul Wulff, it’s an experienced group of youngsters.
“We have some experience on offense; and defense, there’s some experience there,” he said. “We’re youthful from an age standpoint.”
When the Eagles won in 2005, the Griz were led by a freshman quarterback named Cole Bergquist, who was filling in for the injured Jason Washington.
This season, Bergquist is again the starter for Montana, and has averaged just over 195 passing yards and 39 rushing yards in the team’s four wins.
“He’s developed a lot,” Wulff said this week. “He’s a lot more confident in what he does, a lot more accurate in throwing the ball. He’s a tough guy to defend because he runs the ball so well.”
Bergquist said Eastern Washington’s defense appeared on film to be stifling.
“They look like an Eastern defense that I’ve seen for the past three years that I’ve been here,” Bergquist said. “They play aggressive, their secondary (has) got an attitude, they want to play hard. You can tell that they don’t fear many teams. They’re always swarming to the ball.”
Both teams are coming off games in which injuries played a key role. A spate of Griz players had to be helped off the field against Weber State, though none of the injuries will likely keep any Grizzlies out of today’s game.
Eastern Washington, on the other hand, has already lost nine players for the season, Wulff said. Star receiver Tony Davis left the Portland State game with a shoulder injury and center Chris Carlsen left with a knee injury. Wulff said neither would play against Montana.
Both Montana and Eastern Washington have been successful this season by putting lots of points on the board, but Eagles coach Paul Wulff said he would rather have less scoring.
“Anybody would want a lower scoring game,” he said. “I don’t want it to be a shootout.”
Giving Montana, a team that leads the nation in scoring defense, lots of scoring opportunities could be fatal for Eastern Washington.
However, if Montana can eliminate its own mistakes, it should be fine, Bergquist said.
“I think we’re well aware that Eastern’s a good team. They’ve shown that they can put up a lot of points,” he said. “We need to put together a full game, which we haven’t quite done yet, I don’t feel, as an offensive unit.”

Peter Christian brings his faith to games as Griz announcer

Roman Stubbs
GameDay Kaimin

For nine seasons, Peter Christian has been the big guy upstairs in Washington-Grizzly Stadium as the voice of Montana football.
“I’ll never forget when I first was offered the job, I felt so lucky to be able to do this,” said Christian.
A Helena native, Christian’s path to being the lovable PA voice on game days wasn’t as easy as merely talking.
“I hadn’t seen a lot of college football games, so my first time up there was a little rough,” he said. “But everyone remained very supportive and I got gradually better.”
Now, he can’t get enough of Saturdays.
“We don’t sit down up there the entire game, it’s that much fun,” said Christian, who is quick to point out that as the PA voice, he isn’t the only one contributing. “Without my spotter, John Wall, I would look like a complete idiot.” Wall helps Christian with names, plays and timeouts. “He is a complete genius,” Christian said. “I depend so much on him; we really work together.”
With his original name being Peter Wall, he asserted his Christian faith into his broadcast career when an employer told him to come up with a radio moniker.
“People know me as Christian, and it is a name to show my faith,” he said.
He also attributes that to his job as the PA voice.
“I go by the hot stove theory; everything I touch is going out to the stadium,” he said. “I just remember to represent God, the University and myself in the best possible way I can.”
Christian’s hot stove theory has won him the respect of others in the business. He recalls meeting the sports information director from Sam Houston State, who told him that he admired his work and enthusiasm as the voice of the Griz.
“He’s one of the best in the country, by far,” said Mick Holien, Montana’s radio network flagship play by play announcer. “He’s such an entertaining guy to begin with, and he works with so much enthusiasm.”
Holien, who has known Christian for about 20 years, was the Griz PA announcer before Christian.
Christian’s signature has become the first-down cry, in which he yells “first down”, and the fans respond in a climactic “Montana.”
“To be fair, that isn’t mine,” he said. “I kind of picked it up from an old announcer when I was watching an Idaho game a few years back. He would be pretty enthusiastic about the first down, so I figured we would add the Montana part and bring it to the Big Sky.”
Christian said a lot of Big Sky teams have picked up the idea.
“I think the ultimate compliment to Peter is when fans of the opposing teams complain when he screams ‘first down Montana,’” Holien said. “He’s so good at it, has so much energy, that they want their announcer at home to do it.”
Christian’s rise in the radio business began after a friend suggested he become a disc jockey to channel his love for music.
“I was playing drums in a local band with my friends, traveling the country and trying to make a living as a struggling musician,” Christian says, laughing about the nostalgic moments of his youth. “And then my friend told me to get involved as a disc jockey, and I joined the number one network in Helena, and I’ve loved it ever since.”
Since then, he acknowledges the hard work he must put into the business.
“I didn’t graduate with a degree in journalism, so I feel like not only have I had to teach myself a lot about this business, but also that I have to work that much harder to be successful,” he said.
Christian has taken that work ethic to Clear Channel Radio Network, where he has been for over 20 years. He rises at 3 a.m. every morning and is at work at 3:30 a.m. to begin his duties at the station. At 6 a.m., he hosts the award-winning Montana Morning on KBGO 1290. He then returns home around 10 a.m. to work at his own business, Peter Christian Communication, which is a commercial hub to radio stations nationwide. The full schedule doesn’t get to a humble Christian.
“They are really full days, but I love it,” he said. “There is always five or six people behind the scenes who are really doing a lot of the work; so I have a lot of help with my work.”
Married and a father of two, Christian stays loyal to not only his faith and career, but also to his game day ritual. “I park way across campus,” he said. “Then I grab my briefcase, pop and paper,” he continued, chuckling at his superstition. “I’m all nervous, you know, I’m walking across campus, just talking to God, hoping to have a good day doing my job,” he said.
When Peter Christian arrives at the stadium, he is thrust into a nine-year labor of love, as the voice thundering over the stadium. Even before game time, before he has to pronounce tough names and plays, even before a “first down Montana” cry, Christian might be reflecting on his own lucky job, and take his own time out.
And thank the big guy upstairs.

Around the Big Sky Conference

Amber Kuehn
GameDay Kaimin

Today features a slate of conference games, and one final nonconference competition for rival Montana State. Here is a preview of today’s matchups and what you can expect to see in each. You can watch them all on www.bigskytv.org.

Sacramento State at Weber State (1:05 p.m.)

The Hornets are coming off a 38-9 victory over Northern Arizona and one of their best performances in school history. The win was Sac State’s first of the season. One player to watch in this game is Hornet linebacker Cyrus Mulitalo, who was named co-defensive player of the week after last weekend. The 6-foot-1, 245-pound junior had a game-high nine tackles and a sack against NAU, in addition to returning an interception 60 yards for a touchdown. The Hornet offense compiled 422 yards and the defense held the Lumberjacks to just 187 yards. Quarterback Jason Smith had a solid arm and was mobile, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another.
If Sac State can continue their hot play from last weekend, they should find success in Ogden, Utah. Weber State still hasn’t found a way to win this season, but gave Montana a run for its money last weekend. The Wildcats tested the Griz in Washington-Grizzly Stadium last weekend and the defense held the Griz to just one touchdown. But despite the Weber State offense jumping out to a 10-0 advantage early on, the Wildcats then allowed 18 unanswered points.
Weber State leads the series 7-4 all-time and has never lost to Sac State at home. The Hornets won last year’s game in Sacramento. If the Hornets win today, they will open the season 2-1 in Big Sky play for the second year in a row and just the second time in school history. The Hornets have yet to win a game on the road this season.
This should be a close game, and might be one of the most exciting matchups of the day.
I predict Weber State will jump out to another lead, only to let it slip away. The Hornets will get their first road win and the Wildcats will start the season 0-5 for the first time since 2004.

Northern Colorado at Idaho State (2:05 p.m.)

The Bears haven’t won a game this season and now must enter the often-hostile confines of Holt Arena (even though Idaho State has struggled at home against Big Sky opponents in the last five contests). Northern Colorado still hasn’t beaten a Big Sky team since joining the league last season.
In the series, ISU leads 17-6, and won last October 41-13.
The Bengals dropped their first two conference decisions to Eastern Washington and Montana State, and the Bears lost their 13th-straight game to Cal Poly, 56-21, last Saturday. In that game, Bears junior running back David Woods rushed for a career-high 130 yards and completed a 35-yard pass to senior receiver Andy Birkel to set up the score. That was the team’s longest pass of the season.
The Bengals are coming off a 40-20 loss to MSU in which they blew an early lead and were unable to keep the Bobcats out of the end zone in the third quarter.
ISU is switching signal callers once again, as quarterback Luke Butler suffered a concussion with nine seconds remaining in the MSU game. Butler is out for at least a week, and Russel Hill will get the start today.
Today marks homecoming festivities at ISU, and the Bengals will be naming the turf Caccia Field to honor Babe Caccia, 90, ISU’s all-time winningest football, baseball and wrestling coach, and also a former athletic director.
I will continue my trend of never picking Northern Colorado. Besides, it’s ISU’s homecoming, and no team should have to lose such a festive game. Idaho State will win, and the Bears will start considering a possible move to another conference.
You can catch this game on Altitude.

Montana State hosts Southern Utah (1:35 p.m.)

All of 2007, MSU has managed to dominate the third quarter. Last Saturday, the Bobcats scored 17 third-quarter points to come back from a three-point halftime deficit and beat Idaho State 40-20. In that game, the Bobcat defense also held the No. 2 receiver in the nation, Eddie Thompson, to just six catches for 53 yards. Montana State moved up five spots in the national polls this week to No. 13.
MSU now faces a Thunderbird squad that the Grizzlies defeated in their season-opener. Southern Utah is coming off a bye week, and fell to McNeese State, 41-20, the weekend before. Despite the defeat, SUU piled up over 400 yards. Senior running back Johnny Sanchez had a career-best 181 yards on 16 carries. Third-year starting quarterback Wes Marshall was knocked out during the McNeese game and taken to the hospital. It is uncertain whether he will start in today’s game.
The only time these two teams have faced each other, MSU edged SUU with a one-point victory.
Montana rolled over SUU and I expect Montana State to do the same, especially with home-field advantage.
Cats win.

Northern Arizona at Portland State (1:35 p.m.)

The Vikings are 2-0 in Big Sky action and are coming off a big win over Eastern Washington, handing the Eagles their first loss of the season.
NAU is coming off a 38-9 loss to Sacramento State and lost starting quarterback Lance Kriesien to an injury. Northern Arizona struggled on third down in that game, unable to convert the entire game. The Lumberjacks only had 73 yards rushing.
PSU leads the nation in passing defense. Quarterback Brian White threw for 329 yards last weekend on 29-of-37 passing with three touchdowns. He’s one of the league’s strongest arms, and has thrown for 1,100 yards in the past three contests. The Vikings also had 191 yards on the ground in the last game.
If Portland State can put forth the same effort they did last weekend, they’ll beat NAU easily.

Where are they now: Karl Stein

Jake Grilley
GameDay Kaimin

Karl Stein knew what he had to do if he needed to gain more respect from the students in his middle school art class.
He would tell the students to go over to the computer to search for Montana Grizzly football records on the Internet.
“My students didn’t think I played for the Grizzlies,” Stein said. “They just thought I was a doofy looking art teacher.”
Stein said his students came away from the computer with a newfound respect for their instructor, the Grizzlies’ all-time leader in interceptions.
Stein excelled as a free safety at Montana during the 1969 and 1970 seasons. The Grizzly Hall-of-Famer was a first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection each of his seasons with the Grizzlies. During his two seasons, Stein set a team record of 21 interceptions and set the single-season interception record at 11. Stein is also Montana’s all-time leader in interception return yards and fifth in all-time punt return yards. Montana went 20-0 during Stein’s two regular seasons with the team.
Stein remembers the Griz fans were particularly captivated by the successes the team had during his tenure.
“We always felt the support from the Missoula community,” Stein said. “They had a tickertape parade down Higgins Avenue after both of our undefeated seasons.”
Even though the team was winning, the coaches instilled a strong work ethic in all the players.
The first practice after every game the coaches would make the players run up to the “M” on Mount Sentinel in full pads, Stein said.
After graduating from UM with an art degree in 1972, Stein found himself in a multitude of artistic professions.
His paintings have been sold in art galleries across Montana and the Northwest. Stein also worked as a professional dancer and actor as well as an art teacher for several years.
Stein has lived on a plot of land near Arlee for the last 34 years. The acreage has allowed him to try his hand at land and forest maintenance along with building two houses on the property.
For Stein, who grew up outside San Francisco, Montana was love at first sight.
“When I first came to Montana in 1968 there was four feet of snow on the ground,” Stein remembered. “I just loved all that snow. It was almost the amount of snow rather than the school.”
Stein did more than just play in the snow when he came to Montana. He was part of two undefeated teams that helped to serve as building blocks for the tradition behind Montana football.
Coaches have told Stein over the years that the team’s level of play during his two seasons helped to bring in better players and established a higher standard for Montana football.
“I think we had a solid effect on the history of football at Montana,” Stein said. “Of course Dave Dickenson had something to do with that as well.”
The only regret Stein has about his football career is that he never played at the professional level.
Stein made the preseason roster of the Los Angeles Rams in the early 1970s and had an interception in his only preseason game. After being released, Stein had the option of trying out for the Denver Broncos or play in Canada.
“Instead I went back to Montana to live in the mountains,” Stein said.
Stein never lost his football hunger. In the early 1980s, many of the players from Stein’s team participated in the football alumni game, in which former Griz would play the varsity squad. The alumni team beat the varsity four years in a row.
“Sometimes I still wish they had the alumni games,” Stein said. “I would put on my wild socks and try to keep up with them.”
Nowadays, Stein spends his time painting – mostly watercolor landscapes – and spending time with his 9-year-old son, Kai.
Stein is currently working on a short story infused with the struggles of an aging athlete.
“I am writing about a 50-year-old who is trying to break the world speed record in sprinting,” Stein said.
Stein said having his name atop the Grizzly record books is a great ego boost for a man entering his late 50s. However, Stein does have one gripe.
“They always get my record wrong; it was 11, then 10, 20 interceptions,” Stein said. “It’s even wrong in the Hall of Champions. I’m trying to get them to change that.”

September 29, 2007

Steady as he goes: Griz kicker Dan Carpenter keeps his thoughts on the team and off the prize


Photos copyright Tim Kupsick 2007

Amber Kuehn
GameDay Kaimin

It was Nov. 4, 2006, and Cal Poly had just taken a 9-7 lead with less than four minutes remaining in the game.
The Montana Griz football team answered, culminating a 16-play, 76-yard drive.
Now, the entire game hinged on this moment.
With just five seconds left in the game, No. 29 took his place on the field just as he had a hundred times before. He had to focus, had to forget about the 32-yard attempt he had missed earlier in the game. This one counted. He had to make it for his team.
His parents, who haven’t missed one of his Griz football games yet, prayed. The 22,853 Griz fans in attendance held their breath. It was one of the few times that Washington-Grizzly Stadium has ever been eerily silent.
But Dan Carpenter felt no pressure. “Just get the ball up, don’t let them block it,” he thought.
And in a matter of seconds, the game was over. The 21-yard field goal was good. The Griz won.
“It definitely wasn’t the prettiest kick,” Carpenter recalls, adding that he has watched replays of it on tape a couple of times. “It hooks to the left pretty bad.”
His father, Val, remembers the game-winning field goal like it was yesterday.
“There was no doubt in my mind he’d make it,” he says. “I knew the pressure wouldn’t get to him, because he’s always been a pretty cool cucumber. After the kick, he about came out of his shoes.”
As a young boy, Carpenter played a multitude of sport basketball, baseball, soccer – all the while honing his athletic abilities until the day came when he could get on the gridiron. Before he ever kicked the pigskin through the goal posts, he was kicking soccer balls into nets.
His mom remembers a time when he even had to play goalkeeper.
“When he was 11, they put him in goal at the soccer tournament finals in Idaho,” Diane Carpenter recalls. “It was sleeting and his little hands were just frozen, but he managed to stop every shot and his team won. He was so focused on the game that he didn’t even realize how much his hands hurt until it was over.”
Perhaps it is experiences like these, from his younger days, that taught Carpenter to stay calm and collected when the game is on the line. Football teams are always trying to “ice the kicker” when games come down to a field goal or an extra point. Numerous college and NFL games are won or lost at the end by a field goal, and it’s on the shoulders of the kicker to be the hero.
“The kicking game is a third of the football game,” Val Carpenter says. “When you’re a kicker, you’re out there all by yourself on the score.”
Diane Carpenter says her son feeds off this pressure.
“He’s always been the kid who wants pressure, whether it was a game-winning shot he once made in a basketball game, or the game-winning field goal,” she says. “I remember him telling me after the semi-final game last year that he was thinking, ‘Just get me a little closer, guys, so I can put it through.’”
Surprisingly, Carpenter has always been more nervous about the kickoff. His mom said this is because he feels he’s all on his own, whereas on field goals and PATs it really is a team effort.
“Out of the 11 people on the field right then, my job is the easiest,” Carpenter said. “Nine guys have to block, and Clint Stapp has to have the hold just right. I’ve got the easy job. I just have to kick it through.”
On kickoff, however, it’s his job to pin the opponent down deep in the backfield and not let them get good field position. This is where Carpenter feels a lot of the responsibility. But, he adds, his secret to staying cool under pressure is just to get into a routine.
“The most pressure I ever felt was my first college game in Washington-Griz in front of 23,000-plus fans,” Carpenter says. “I was very nervous because the fans and team had high expectations for me and I just wanted to prove myself.”
If he hadn’t done so already, Carpenter proved himself on Nov. 6, 2004. It was his freshman year and Montana had the ball on the 13-yard line on fourth down. The field goal unit was on the field, and everyone in the crowd assumed the Griz were going to go for three. Instead, Tyson Johnson flipped the ball between his legs to Carpenter and Carpenter ran to the right — untouched all the way — scoring his first touchdown as a Grizzly.
“Fake field goal,” Carpenter recalls. “We had a party in the end zone; I remember that.”
It’s the only time Carpenter has scored seven for the Griz. Normally, he’s the star after the touchdown, right before pinning opponents at the 20-yard line. But it’s not uncommon for him to take over wherever he is needed. Last season, Carpenter handled the punting duties while Johnson sat out with an injury. He proved he can perform well at whatever he does.
Carpenter has been a second team All-Big Sky selection three times, conference player of the week six times and was an Associated Press All-American in 2006. Also last season, Carpenter led the nation in field goals, connecting on 24 of 30 and averaging 1.71 a game. His freshman year he was perfect on 63 PATs. Last year, as a junior, he tied his career-long field goal with a 50-yarder at Weber State. During practice, Carpenter says he has kicked a 66-yard field goal before. His longest punt came last year at Northern Colorado when he kicked a 63-yarder.
As a prep athlete at Helena High School, Carpenter was a guard on the basketball team and a wide receiver and kicker on the football team. His coach, Tony Arntson, who played for the Grizzlies from 1985-88, says Carpenter was a very good wide receiver for the Bengals, and described him as a self-taught kicker who had a natural ability.
“He wasn’t one of those kickers who went to a lot of kicking camps or anything,” Arntson says. “He just went out and did it.”
Carpenter set the school record during his senior season for longest field goal in a game against Kalispell – a 53-yarder that still stands as the mark to beat today. He also set a school record at the receiver position, catching 13 passes for 931 yards.
“I think his strength is that he doesn’t get hung up in the pressure of the game,” Arntson says. “His easy-going temperament benefits him being a kicker.”
Arntson said what he’s always loved most about Carpenter is that he’s a hard worker, a good leader and a positive person who’s good with kids.
“And he loves the game,” Arntson added. “He takes a lot of pride in what he does.”
Maybe so, but Carpenter radiates humility. The most important thing to him is the success of his team, and he’ll be the first to tell you this if you ask him about another record looming on the horizon.
Carpenter currently ranks second in UM history with 337 points, 57 behind former Griz kicker Chris Snyder. In the first three games this season, Carpenter has already racked up 25 points, making it likely that he’ll break the record this year as a senior. His dad tracks every point in his mind as he’s watching the games, as every field goal and extra point brings Carpenter one step closer to the milestone. If he keeps scoring at the pace he is now, he will be on track to break the record around his 22nd birthday on Nov. 25, and also around the time of the first round of playoffs.
“We’re going to have a big party when it happens,” Val Carpenter says. “I don’t really see it being a problem for him, especially since they’ll probably make the playoffs; knock on wood.”
But Carpenter could care less about the record.
“I might start thinking more of it once it gets closer,” he says. “But I’m perfectly happy with touchdowns and just kicking extra points all season. Anything I can do to help our team win.”
And while his father may be counting down from the stands, Carpenter says he isn’t keeping track.
“I honestly don’t pay attention,” he says. “Personal stats don’t matter. I’m here to help 2007 Griz football reach our goals.”
Those goals include a national title. Oh, how special it would be if Carpenter could break the record in Chattanooga. The entire team would like to get to the FCS championship game, but Carpenter said he’d rather just take it one game at a time.
Kick by kick, field goal by field goal, extra point by extra point. After all, these are Carpenter’s last days as a Griz football player. What will he miss most when he graduates?
“I’m going to miss the fans, and just playing in front of 23,000 crazy people every Saturday that love nothing more than to come out and see the football team win,” he says.
Record or no record, the fans will miss him too.

Weber State brings aggressive defense

Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

On paper, the football teams of the University of Montana and Weber State appear to be polar opposites.
Entering Big Sky Conference play today, the top-ranked Grizzlies are 3-0. Following last weekend’s loss to Montana State, the Wildcats are 0-3. After a summer-long quarterback controversy, Montana has settled on a winner: Cole Bergquist had a career game last week against Albany, and was named the conference’s offensive player of the week for the second time this season.
Late in fall camp, Weber State got a highly touted transfer at quarterback: Jimmy Barnes, formerly of Alabama, has flopped in three preseason games and was benched against the Bobcats. The Wildcats’ head coach Ron McBride said Tuesday that Barnes is likely not an option for the team this week due to some nagging injuries.
Despite the apparent disparities, Griz head coach Bobby Hauck said he is respectful of Weber State entering today’s Homecoming game.
“We’re anticipating a really aggressive physical game. A very tough game to win,” Hauck said. “Our experience with Weber State is the fact that in each of the last four years it’s no coincidence they’ve played their best game of the year against us.”
In Hauck’s four seasons at the helm for the Griz, only in 2004 did Montana top Weber State by more than five points. Last year in Ogden, Utah, the then-No. 2 Griz narrowly escaped with a 33-30 win.
“They’re a good opponent,” said senior cornerback Quinton Jackson. “We treat them like they’re a good opponent and that’s how we prepare ourselves.”
When preparing for Montana, McBride said, Weber State would have to find a way to shut down the Grizzlies potent offense.
“If you can stop them, go ahead and stop them,” he said. “If you can’t, you can’t. You know what they’re going to do.”
At quarterback, the Wildcats will likely turn to redshirt freshman Cameron Higgins. Higgins was 9-for-17 for 113 yards in less than three quarters against Montana State.
Backing him up will likely be junior Brendon Doyle, McBride said.
Barnes struggled in the team’s first two games, against Boise State and Cal Poly, as well, before being pulled last weekend.
In his three starts, Barnes completed less than one-third of his passes for just under 300 yards.
Montana’s Bergquist, who has thrown for 596 yards in three games, said he still has things to work on despite his recent successes.
“I don’t necessarily think it was my best game after watching it on film,” he said. “I missed a couple opportunities and there’s always room to improve.”
After not throwing an incomplete pass two games ago against Fort Lewis College, and setting career highs in passing and rushing last week, Bergquist expects a stiffer test from the Wildcats.
“They look as solid as any defense we’ve seen so far,” he said. “Their defensive play doesn’t really reflect their record.”
Senior safety Ty Sparrow is one of the defensive leaders, having accrued 26 tackles on the season.
Today’s game will also be Montana’s first chance to defend their shiny new No. 1 ranking after moving up a spot in the wake of Appalachian State’s loss to Wofford. The Griz received only 46 of 103 possible first place votes in The Sports Network top-25 poll and apparently has some convincing to do with the voters.
However, McBride said he believes the Griz are ranked where they should be, saying they look like a No. 1.
“I’ve watched most of the teams that are ranked,” he said. “First of all (Montana hasn’t) been pushed. The games have been over early and they just keep playing. They’re a nice team and I think they deserve their ranking.”
Montana senior receiver Ryan Bagley maintained that the ranking doesn’t affect the way the team prepares for a game or views itself.
“I definitely don’t feel any different than I was last week,” he said.
McBride said if the Wildcats can shore up its sloppy play, it might have a shot at the vaunted Grizzlies. If it has a repeat performance of either its six fumbles against Cal Poly or its three interceptions against the Bobcats, McBride said the outcome might not be pretty.
“If we can eliminate our mistakes and come out and play football like a real football team, then we’ll see what happens,” he said. “If we continue to do the things we’ve done the last three weeks, it’s going to be a long road.”

10 things to know about Griz football

The University of Montana football program is shrouded in mystique and steeped in tradition. Its triumphs have been well recorded on these pages as well as on Wikipedia. Certain things, however, fall through the cracks, such as, what Ryan Bagley likes on his omelets. The senior wide receiver addressed that, and other pressing issues, in an interview this week with Kaimin reporter Bill Oram.

Greg Coleman: Cunning back
According to Bagley, the team is filled with jokesters. Chief among them is junior running back Greg Coleman, who consistently sets his sights on teasing fellow back Reggie Bradshaw.
Funniest guy on the team? Easy choice, said Bagley.
“I would have to say Greg Coleman, just to listen to him make fun of Reggie every day,” he said. “He’s always got something to say. I think he’s a real funny guy.”

Watch out, Nathan’s Famous!
So, Coleman may be the team’s biggest hot dog, but who would be the biggest hot dog eater? Bagley said if the team were to hold a frankfurter-eating contest, he’d surely be the top dog.
“I would say that I could probably eat the most out of anybody on the team,” Bagley said. “I honestly don’t know too many people that can eat more than me.”

Fine, but is it Tillamook?
On game days the team enjoys omelet breakfasts in the Food Zoo. Bagley loads his up with mushrooms, peppers, ham, sausage and ... “I get both cheeses,” he said.

How ‘bout the cellophane on the toilet seat?
Like any locker room, Montana’s is chock full of practical jokes. Some favorites, Bagley said, are the old tape-up-the-locker trick and stealing playbooks. Additionally, freshmen have to endure certain rites of passage, which Bagley coyly declined to divulge.
“A lot of the pranks and that stuff goes on a lot during fall camp when we’ve got a little more time,” Bagley said. “But now that school’s going and stuff, I don’t think we focus that much on goofing around.”

Oh won’t you be my ... Bobby Hauck?
Surely head coach Bobby Hauck is a big teddy bear when the cameras go off, right?
“Definitely not a teddy bear,” Bagley said. “I would say the furthest thing away from a teddy bear. I mean he’s a good guy, I love coach Hauck, but he does come off a lot harder than he is.”
Perhaps Bagley has a career as a diplomat awaiting him upon graduation.

We could sympathize ... if beer pong were a sport.
Bagley said playing football for the Griz has its drawbacks. But the one he mentioned specifically should raise a few eyebrows.
“Probably just you meet a girl and they’re like, ‘Oh you play football.’ That’s like, alright, check it off the list,” he lamented.
Say what? Football players have a harder time getting girls?
“Girls that I like, yeah,” Bagley said.

But it’s still more fun than the Fourth of July in England!
Losses are few and far between at Washington-Grizzly Stadium (Montana’s last regular season home loss was in 2005), but when they do occur, they certainly put a damper on the locker room atmosphere.
“It sucks,” Bagley said. “It’s quiet and ... I hate losing and when we lose it’s a big deal because we don’t lose that much. Everyone’s ... It’s quiet.”

Biermann: a beast on the side
Of all the tattoos sported by Griz players, Bagley said the inked jaguar that covers the entire side of defensive end Kroy Biermann’s torso takes the cake.

At least they don’t have to carpool.
Traveling isn’t especially fun for the Griz, Bagley said.
“When we’re traveling its pretty much a business trip,” he said. “People are like, ‘Oh you get to go to California and do this and this,’ but as soon as we get there we’re on the bus to the hotel room, back to the bus to practice, back to the bus to meetings all night.”

He left his heart in ... Portland?
The Griz have the largest stadium in the Big Sky Conference and Washington-Grizzly Stadium is widely regarded as one of the best football atmospheres in the country; other stadiums pale in comparison. But there are a couple of other venues Bagley holds in esteem.
“I like playing in Portland because it’s in the city. Their stadium’s pretty cool,” Bagley said. “Montana State for sure though, because that’s Montana State.”

UM Homecoming special for alumni

Jake Grilley
GameDay Kaimin

Ask a Griz fan what homecoming is about and you will likely get a wide variety of answers. Many fans associate homecoming with Saturday morning’s always-entertaining parade. Others enjoy the pep rally, or “yell night” as it is known, and its age-old traditions of singing on the steps and the lighting of the “M” on Mount Sentinel. Homecoming, however, often brings up a question that lingers in the minds of many Montana fans: How can it be “homecoming” if the football team isn’t coming off a road game or in this season’s case hasn’t played outside Washington-Grizzly Stadium?
A misconception that many people have regarding homecoming is that the University is welcoming the football team back home. The homecoming tradition actually is rooted in welcoming alumni back to the University.
Clark Hammer is one of those alumni and he remembers a funny story from homecoming 1954.
Hammer recalled a time when Maurice Avenue ran through campus and was littered with potholes. The city and University couldn’t decide who was responsible for repairing the street. A group of students decided to put up a sign that read: “Welcome to Carl’s Bad Caverns” a reference to Carl McFarland, the president of the University at the time.
“The potholes got fixed but we never knew who did it,” Hammer said.
He believes these are the kinds of memories that bring alumni back to the University during homecoming week.
Ken Thompson, on-campus events coordinator for the Alumni Association, said the University of Montana celebrated its first homecoming in 1919.
Hammer believes the nostalgic memories alumni associate with their time at UM are what have brought graduates back for 88 years.
“Alumni come back here because of relationships with fellow classmates, faculty at the time, or with the athletic department,” Hammer said. “Homecoming brings people back to renew those friendships and support the University.”
Hammer came back to the University during homecoming about 15 years ago. When he was a student in the mid-1950s, Hammer played in the marching band.
It was a chance to play in the alumni marching band during homecoming that brought Hammer back to Missoula.
“The alumni band is one of the best things they brought to homecoming,” Hammer said. Hammer noted the alumni band does a great job of uniting different generations of alumni.
A woman who graduated from the University in the 1940s plays alongside alumni who graduated in 2005, Hammer said.
After participating in the alumni band, Hammer became involved with the University of Montana Alumni Association.
He represents the Alumni Association as a member of the House of Delegates, a group of alumni that assists in University outreach programs, including recruiting new students and fundraising efforts.
Hammer believes homecoming is a great opportunity for graduates to become involved with the University once again.
“They have made a commitment to help the University celebrate,” Hammer said. “This is a way for alumni to get involved in campus.”
Hammer would like to see alumni associated with the University year-round but noted that it is easy to get them to rally behind a Grizzly football game.
“It doesn’t hurt that the football team does well,” Hammer said. “Grizmania sure is something.”
The Griz football team seems to always deliver a win when the alumni pack Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Homecoming Saturday.
Since 1979, Montana has suffered only four homecoming losses. The Grizzlies are on a 16-game winning streak of homecoming games; their last loss came in 1990, to Eastern Washington by one point.
Renee Valley, media editor for UM’s Sports Information Department, found that the scheduling of homecoming is a joint effort between the Alumni Association, the athletics department and the Big Sky Conference.
Hammer hopes students will think of homecoming as more than just “another football game.” He wants students to become more involved while attending the University. They shouldn’t wait until they are alumni to embrace homecoming.
“Some folks don’t have an involvement other than going to the game,” Hammer said. “Students need to be more conscious of their surroundings. Normally when you are going to school you have tunnel vision. “Get involved with the institution now so maybe some of that will carry five, 10, 15 years down the road.”

Griz B-ball gives 'M' fresh coat of paint

Copyright Kristine Paulsen 2007

Roman Stubbs
GameDay Kaimin

The City of Missoula got a lot of points in the paint from the Montana men’s basketball team on Tuesday.
In conjunction with the University of Montana’s Homecoming week, the 16-man roster teamed up with Facilities Services to add a fresh coat of white paint to the “M” on Mount Sentinel Tuesday afternoon.
“We are really thankful that the team did it,” said Hugh Jesse, director of Facility Services. “It allows us as a department to spread our funds to the fullest,” he added.
One of the University’s most prominent symbols, the “M,” has only been painted twice in the past 20 years, with the most recent polish coming in 2004. Coordinated by Facility Services, the team’s paint supply was provided through affiliated campus stores. Originally thought to take 100 gallons, the laborers from Facility Services replenished the team halfway through the 2.5-hour project with an additional 25 gallons.
Head coach Wayne Tinkle and assistant coach Andy Hill – who oversaw the project – spearheaded the team’s painting efforts in 2004 and with Tuesday’s new job, have begun a new Homecoming team tradition in their four-year tenure.
“To do this for the community, especially on Homecoming week, it’s a great feeling for our team,” said Hill, who added that the project allows his team to bond while giving back. “As a coach, you love seeing the camaraderie beyond the basketball floor. A project like this gets our team together in a positive way, and it really does bring them closer.”
Aside from community service, the effort also means an upgrade for the 39-year-old mammoth stone letter. According to Gene O’Neill, UM’s assistant director of maintenance, it needed it badly.
“It really needed to be painted,” O’Neill said, adding that while many Facility Service laborers were transporting supplies up Missoula’s busiest hiking trail for a good amount of the day, the team’s donation made all of the difference. “The team made a big contribution. It really means a lot. It not only gives them an opportunity to bond, but it also helps the school and our services tremendously.”
The team’s contribution on Tuesday was the latest installment in their community service so far this year. On Sept. 15, they also participated in the Missoula Heart Walk, an American Heart Association sponsored event that raised money through a three-mile walk around campus. Notably, Facilities Services has interacted with student athletes on many community service projects, including when the women’s soccer team recently painted the locker rooms at Dornblaser Field.
“We have a great relationship with the athletic department,” O’Neill said. “Their help means a lot to us, and we will continue to work together on future projects.”
And that’s perfectly fine for Hill and the team.
“We love doing this,” Hill said. “We have such great fans who give so much to us all year long, so this is a great opportunity for our guys to give back.”

Where are they now: Tony Arntson

Photo Courtesty of UM Sports Information

Roman Stubbs
GameDay Kaimin

Tony Arntson was always a coach’s dream.
“Ever since I was young, I wanted to be a coach,” Arntson said. “When I was in high school I coached elementary basketball, flag football, and Little League baseball. I loved it. I couldn’t wait to do it when I was older.”
He didn’t have to wait long. His natural athletic ability, particularly on the gridiron, went hand-in-hand with his skipper aspirations.
“Trust me, I could always tell he was going to be a coach, a great coach,” said Brad Salonen, a former standout Griz linebacker who played with Arntson from 1985 to 1988. “He really was a player coach on the field. The guy was like a sponge; anything you told him in the film room, he wanted to see what he could do with it.”
After a stellar career with the Griz in the late 1980s, Arntson is now entering his 13th season as Helena High’s head coach.
Growing up in Great Falls, Arntson became a record-setting quarterback at CM Russell High School, where he starred under the legendary Jack Johnson, who has been at the helm for the Rustlers for over 30 years.
“Coach Johnson played a huge role in not only my career but in my life,” Arntson said. “He was a disciplinarian type coach.”
Under Johnson, Arntson played in three state championship games, which included an undefeated season and title in Arntson’s senior year.
Opting to go to Missoula a year after Montana State had won the national championship, Arntson started four games at quarterback as a true freshman for the Griz, then was moved to running back and special teams in Don Reed’s first three years as head coach. And for the type of player who is a coaches’ dream, the move from the game’s most glamorous position was no problem.
“I was an option quarterback, so the move didn’t matter to me,” Arntson said. “I just wanted to play and help our team win. Playing under coach Reed was really special. Just like coach Johnson, he really influenced me in life.”
Arntson was a part of the first-ever squad to play in the friendly confines of Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
“Some special memories and friendships were made there,” says Arntson.
Salonen couldn’t agree more.
“We had some great moments together,” he said. “I’ll never forget one game against the Bobcats in 1988, when me and Tony both had touchdown catches in the game and that was a really special moment. We had a special group of guys and Tony was a big part of that.”
Arntson’s journey up the coaching ladder to Helena High started under his mentor Johnson at CMR in 1989, when he was the quarterbacks coach for some guy named Dickenson. “That was an incredible opportunity to start my career under coach Johnson,” he said. “Coaching Dave on a team that went 22-0 over two seasons was unbelievable.”
In the early 90’s, Arntson took the head coaching job at Charlo, where he served as the grandfather of the eight-man program.
“It was a really neat experience,” he said. “You’re just not the coach out there, you do the grunt work too, taking care of everything associated with the program.”
Eventually Helena High came calling, and Arntson found himself in charge of a AA program at 27, doing what he had always wanted to do. In his 13-year tenure, Arntson has solidified the Bengals into a perennial contender, making the state semifinals five times, including three state championship appearances. All the while in the chase for his first state title, he has reasserted the Bengals place in the cross-town rivalry with powerhouse Helena Capital and has formed an annual showdown with his mentor Johnson. But above all, the most rewarding part of living out his childhood dream has been seeing his former players succeed. “That is one of the best parts of my job,” he said. “When I see some of my players turn from kids into fine young men, it feels really good to know they’re proud to come through the program I coached.”
One of those players, Mike Ferriter, has continued his career at Montana, thanks in large part to Arntson.
“He has always been a really big influence in my life,” Ferriter said. “He helped me so much as a player and as a person.”
And with homecoming week in full stride, Arntson’s presence as one of the first to ever play at Washington-Grizzly Stadium will be felt.
“So many great memories, it really is a special place to me,” Arntson said of his old stomping grounds. And it is a special place to those who he helped coach there, like Ferriter.
“Coach Arntson is a great coach, and a great guy,” he said. “We still remain close because he really cares about his players. He was a player’s dream as a coach.”

Roman is Burning: The struggle of American Indian football

Roman Stubbs
GameDay Kaimin

After Browning High School’s first football game, a 42-7 loss to Columbia Falls, their field is reduced to dirt. “Our field is in pretty bad shape after games,” said Browning head coach Robert Miller. “Sometimes I wish we had better facilities for football here. Not a lot of people believe in our football.”
This is the epitome, if not the plight, of Montana American Indian football.
After all, this is the same Browning, Mont., A hotbed for the state’s most gifted athletes, where cross country and track state titles are won, where basketball phenoms are heavily recruited, and where high school football gets lost in translation.
Putting talent onto the football field isn’t supposed to be a secret. For most Montanans, American Indian football is a secret, always has been. Since 1900, only five reservation teams have won state titles, in any division. The last one came 26 years ago. To scratch the surface of a 100-year struggle, I made four phone calls to men who know the struggle, starting with Miller.
Miller has been the head coach at Browning for seven years, and to be blunt, he tells me that the last time the Browning program had anything to brag about was almost 20 years ago in 1989, when he was a player for the Indians’ 6-3 playoff squad. In the 18 years since, Browning has had multiple-season winless droughts, including a five-year stretch in the mid-‘90s when the Indians didn’t win a single game. There is no youth development of football in Browning. There is no great lineage of experienced coaching, where the game’s grassroot fundamentals can be taught early to the kids. Talent isn’t discovered without these essentials. Miller does tell me that many of his players have talent, including his quarterback, all-around athlete Andrew Spotted Wolf.
“He has all the tools to be a great football player,” Miller says. “He’s fast, athletic, has a great arm and he’s shown flashes. But if our team isn’t working together, his talent isn’t exposed very well.”
Dr. Ronald Trosper is a professor at the University of British Columbia and has noticed the cultural trend of authority figures in American Indian lifestyle, especially in sports. Trosper is a Harvard-educated member of the Flathead Tribe who thinks young American Indians don’t traditionally respond to the type of coaching demonstrated in football.
“This isn’t a culture that accepts a dictator,” says Trosper, who cites the story of the 1918 Carlisle Indian School, a team that featured the legendary Jim Thorpe. Coached by Pop Warner, the team made historic headlines with upset wins over Navy and West Point, which Trosper attributes to Warner “listening to his players and how they wanted to play. They received him well, and wanted to play for his indeginous leadership.”
But Trosper understands that the culture of football isn’t like that of Warner’s freelance tactics, which could commonly be found today on the basketball floor. His analysis surfaces perhaps the most intriguing question of all, that of the American Indian individualistic approach to athletics.
Hays Lodgepole coach Shawn Mount answers that question. “Just like our ancestors did, as warriors thousands of years ago, its important for people to live by the deed, which is to prove yourself for yourself,” he says. “You’re not going to change a thousand years worth of indigenous tradition.” Mount’s team is 0-4 this season, and hasn’t had a winning season since the mid-1980s. Like Browning, Hays Lodgepole had a five-season span in the late ‘90s where they didn’t win a game. Paradoxically, it has been in the running for a cross country title every year in the past ten, and the boys basketball team won the Class C state championship last season, led by the states best player, 6-foot-5 junior A.J. Long Soldier, who has wowed Montana with his uncanny run-and-gun style. However, he doesn’t play football.
“I would love to have A.J. out on the field. He has so much football talent, he’d be like our Randy Moss,” he tells me. Long Soldier has lived his deed on the basketball floor.
In 2005, only 79 American Indians played on Division I teams. While talent is there, recruiting on the reservations is a challenge. Just ask UM Northern head coach Mark Samson. He has had eight American Indian athletes in his four years with the Lights, none of who have continued on in his program. Samson has tried to tap into the four reservations situated around Havre, and even has implemented a summer camp, trying to lure young American Indian talent to the confines of his school.
“I’ve called Browning, Harlem, Rocky Boy – the coaches just tell me none of their kids are interested,” he says.
Samson then discusses the different mentality between football and basketball, but still becomes lost in translation with the struggles of Indian football. He tells me of one instance last season, when he was watching Browning play Havre in basketball.
“There was one kid, about (6-foot-4) who was just blessed with ability,” he says. “I thought to myself, man, I’d love to turn this kid into a college football player. Line him up at receiver and run routes through him, or at safety where he could just run around and hit people. I could see it.”
Samson can see it. So can Miller, but many others can’t. The American Indian football precedent has been set.
“We roll into towns, and people yell racial slurs, telling us we can’t play football,” Miller says.
In December the Browning football field will lay as a rock field, under a sheet of snow, covering another year, another barren memory in a 100-year struggle. Fifty yards up the hill, some of the state’s best athletes will be in an energy-filled gym, playing for another state basketball title. Andrew Spotted Wolf will be in the middle of it all. And what of his football talent?
That will be out in the cold, too, staying Montana’s best-kept secret.

Around the Big Sky Conference

Amber Kuehn
GameDay Kaimin

In today’s games, two Big Sky teams are searching for their first wins of the season, Eastern Washington tries to remain unbeaten and our Interstate 90 neighbors to the east will look to stay hot against long-time rival Idaho State.

Idaho State at Montana State (1:35 p.m.)
The Bengals are 1-2 after falling to Eastern Washington 34-7 in their conference opener last Saturday. The Bobcats, however, are 2-1, with their only loss coming to the Big 12’s Texas A&M. MSU is coming off a 21-5 road victory over Weber State.
The Bengals should be a tad worried entering Bobcat Stadium.
Not only does ISU have to be concerned about the Bobcat offense scoring touchdowns, but the Bengals should also beware of the MSU defense’s ability to put points on the board. Montana State junior strong safety Chase Gazzerro and senior cornerback Michael Beach each returned interceptions for touchdowns in the Weber State game last weekend. Bengals, take note. After all, the ISU offense struggled against EWU, turning the ball over four times in the first half alone, three of which came in the first 18 minutes.
The Bengals’ offense has to find a way to score early on if they want to have a chance in this one. Idaho State didn’t score until there were fewer than 10 minutes in the game last Saturday, and only had 104 yards of total offense in the first half.
MSU had only 283 yards against Weber State, but managed to hold the Wildcats to 340 yards and didn’t allow any touchdowns.
The Bengals will have a new face getting the starting nod at quarterback today. Earlier this week, head coach John Zamberlin named Luke Butler the starter after he threw for 264 yards in relief of Russel Hill last weekend. This will be the first start of his career. The true test will be can he handle the Bobcat D. I’m taking the Cats in this one.
The game will be televised live on Altitude Sports Network.

Northern Arizona at Sacramento State (2:05 p.m.)
The Lumberjacks are 2-2 overall and undefeated in conference action. Sacramento State, on the other hand, has yet to win a game. This is the Hornets’ first home game of the 2007 season.
NAU totaled 507 yards of offense last Saturday against Northern Colorado. The NAU defense also recovered two fumbles and intercepted a ball in the end zone.
The Hornets allowed 58 points in their loss to New Mexico last weekend. Cyrus Mulitalo saw some action at running back, compiling 11 yards on three carries and picking up two first downs.
I predict the winless Hornets will go down again. You can catch the game live on www.bigskytv.org.

Portland State at Eastern Washington (6:05 p.m.)
The Eagles are undefeated, and the Vikings are 1-3. Their lone win was over conference foe Sac State two weeks ago. PSU is now coming off a 52-17 loss to San Diego State.
Despite quarterback Brian White throwing for 283 yards in the first half, the Vikings only managed to put two scoring drives together.
White completed 36-of-53 passes for 408 yards, but was intercepted three times.
The Portland State defense held the Aztecs to just three points in the third quarter. Jordan Senn had a career-high 17 tackles. Linebacker Andy Schentz left the game early on with a knee injury and his status for today’s game is unknown.
Eastern Washington has already matched last year’s win total and hasn’t gotten off to this good of a start in a decade.
The Eagles had several impact players perform well in last weekend’s win in Pocatello. Sophomore quarterback Matt Nichols threw for 232 yards in the first half alone. Alexis Alexander finished with three rushing touchdowns. Sophomore receiver Tony Davis had six catches for 150 yards. The Eagle defense forced four first-half turnovers, and sophomore cornerback Lonnie Hosley contributed with two interceptions, two pass breakups and five tackles. Linebacker Marcus Walker led the Eagles with 10 tackles, and four different players recorded sacks. So what players should PSU look out for? I’m saying the whole team.
Last year Portland State beat EWU in a blowout, 34-0. Different season, different teams – Eagles win this one.
You can catch the game live on www.bigskytv.org.

Northern Colorado at Cal Poly (6:05 p.m.)
The Bears are entering their final non-conference game of the season and are still searching for their first win in 2007. Northern Colorado has lost 12 straight, and are now faced to play a tough Cal Poly team for their third-straight road game. Cal Poly is 2-2.
The two teams are familiar with one another, as the Bears were members of the Great West Conference with Cal Poly prior to coming into the Big Sky. The Bears are 2-5 all-time against the Mustangs, and never managed to beat them when the two were members of the same conference.
The Bears may be hurting even more now than they have been in previous games. They lost three key players to injury against Northern Arizona last weekend, and all of them are questionable for today’s game.
John Eddy suffered a right ankle injury, Korey Askew went down with an injured left leg, and Quincy Wofford hurt his right leg.
Northern Colorado junior quarterback Mike Vlahogeorge is in good shape, however, as he is just 33 yards shy of passing for 500 yards in just his first season with the Bears.
I’m saying Cal Poly wins big, and the Bears fall for the 13th time in as many games.

September 24, 2007

Utterbacks: From backyard to Washington-Grizzly

Copyright Tim Kupsick 2007

By: Roman Stubbs
GameDay Kaimin

Their story has gone down many roads: Through the record books, through Baker and through one January phone call. It could start anywhere. But fittingly, Loren and Brandon Utterback’s story starts in a small town on the Missouri River, past the wheat fields of Central Montana, in a backyard.
“We used to run out into our backyard with our Joe Montana jerseys on, playing all day and all night,” recalls Loren, who is in his final season as a Griz linebacker.
His brother remembers the beginning of something special.
“Our backyard had some great games,” said Brandon, a talented special teams player and back-up running back for the Griz. “Me being the youngest, I would always take a lot of hits, sometimes that would knock me out for the day. That’s where it all started. We knew that we always wanted to play college football. That was our goal.”
To the Utterback brothers, it was a backyard of dreams. A dream that all roads would lead to Missoula.
“My parents instilled in me and my brothers hard work,” said Brandon. “It didn’t matter if it was football or school, we grew up in a family and a town that was all about hard work.”
With guidance from their father, Brad, the brother’s work ethic and passion for football went hand-in-hand. Their older brother Ryan, who played at MSU-Northern, introduced them to the weight room. Loren filmed Fort Benton High games as a young boy. Brandon grew up in Fort Benton coach Kevin Smith’s strength and conditioning program. With football and hard work in their blood, the brothers would soon become Fort Benton’s finest.
“They come from a very good family, a very hard working family,” Smith said. “The thing about the Utterback boys is that they are incredible football players, but they are also incredible human beings.”
Loren’s road to being a three-year starting linebacker began from the sandlots of Fort Benton, where he learned early on the Utterback way. The hard work, the roll-up-your-sleeves and grab-your-lunch-pail type of hard work.
Entering his senior year of high school, Loren became the face of one of Montana’s best high school programs. A two-time All-State pick, recruiters were buzzing about his strength and athletiscm.
Then came the roadblock.
In the third game of his senior year, Loren tore his ACL. “A lot of tears were shed that night we found out,” Smith said. “You watch a kid grow up in your program and work his ass off to get to this point, then see that. It’s devastating. I’ll tell you one thing: we we’re all sad, but Loren never cried.”
He couldn’t cry. It could’ve been the end for him, had he decided to forgo his senior year and have reconstructive surgery. Instead he did what he’d always known. Grabbed his lunch pail and went to work.
“I had worked too hard to lose everything,” Loren said. “I mean, my teammates, the state title, and my dream of playing college football – all of it was on the line. I felt like I had no other option but to strap a brace on and play on it.”
Loren did physical therapy on weeknights, and then carried his torn ACL into a nine-game stretch in which he rushed for more than 1,000 yards and 22 touchdowns en route to the 2002 Class B state title.
“What he did that year I’ll never forget,” Smith said. “But that’s Loren. He has so much pride, so much will, and he cares about his teammates. That’s what a leader is all about.”
While many recruiters shied away because of his knee, Loren still had an offer from Bobby Hauck, and after making a visit to Washington-Grizzly Stadium decided on Montana. While his dream of playing college football had been fulfilled, Loren wasn’t satisfied.
“I wanted to show all the schools who quit on me that they made a mistake,” Loren said. “I had a chip on my shoulder.”
Loren would have to carry that chip on his shoulder plenty his freshman year. He had heard the doubts about his knee, about his abilities coming out of the Class B, about whether he was going to make it off the practice squad as a running back. After watching Lex Hilliard have an outstanding freshman year, Utterback approached Hauck and offered to help the team win from another position. Then, shortly after his move to linebacker, he got a phone call in mid-January of his freshman year. It was former All-American defensive end Ciche Pitcher, who had designated his number 37, the prestigious defensive hallmark given to a native Montanan, to Utterback.
“I was so surprised. It was great to know that I had gotten to that point, but also with the tradition of the jersey it pushed me that much harder to represent it well,” Loren said in a down-to-earth manner.
It’s his opponents whom he has put down to earth, however, earning him not only a 2006 All-Big Sky selection, but also respect from his coaching staff.
“Everything Loren has gotten he has earned. He earned his scholarship. He’s earned respect for small schools. He’s earned the 37 jersey and he’s earned his way as a starter and leader of this team,” said linebackers coach Ty Gregorak, who paused, then added, “And Brandon is on his way. He’s younger, and plays a lot like his brother – with a lot of intensity and a lot of heart.”
There have never been any shortcuts for Brandon. There was never a detour he could take to escape the hits in the backyard as the baby brother, or escape any legacy shadow his older brother might have cast over him in high school.
No shortcuts, no problem. Brandon ran right through it. The guy became a man-child at Fort Benton, rushing for 1,915 yards as a senior, becoming the state’s then all-time leading rusher. After 7,000 career all-purpose yards, little brother wasn’t so little anymore.
“Loren has always pushed me, ever since we were little,” Brandon said. “I have fed off the example he has set, it always reminds me to work harder.”
When it came down to signing day, a fork was pitched in the road. The suitors came calling, but in the end he was a Griz, right alongside his brother.
“I really wanted to make my college decision my decision,” Brandon said. “I looked into what I wanted academically and athletically, and UM was a good fit. Loren has had a huge impact on me, and he was a big part in why I chose to play at UM.”
Coming out of high school as one of the best prep players in state history has no guarantees, though. And to Brandon, that’s exactly what he wants.
“I have to pay my dues,” he said. “That’s the one reason why this program is so great: guys have to come in here and earn their spot, and I’m ready to do that. I just want to help our team win and get to our ultimate goal, which is a national championship.”
After completing his redshirt season, Brandon has become a fixture on special teams, all the while staying true to playing running back, fighting his way up the depth chart in the coming years. That lets him bang heads in practice with a familiar face.
“They really look after each other as brothers, but they’re also both extremely competitive against each other,” Gregorak said. “Brandon brings it against Loren. We were in spring drills, and there were one-on-one battles going on. They wanted to go at each other. Their intensity shows how much they want to win.”
On game day, Loren Utterback doesn’t get superstitious. He’s too old-school for that. He’ll tighten his socks, put on his prestigious jersey and head down the tunnel, running out with his brother behind, just like they did with the childhood Joe Montana jerseys on. They’ll shoot a look up to their blue-collar roots in the north end zone stands, never forgetting where they came from. Then it’s time for work. As Fort Benton’s finest, this is the brothers’ new backyard of hope.
Hope that all roads lead to Chattanooga.