MONTANA 2019 SEASON PREVIEW • SATURDAY, AUG. 24, 2019
SNEED’S INSPIRATION
Senior QB carries family close in final season TOMMY MARTINO, MISSOULIAN
ALL-AMERICAN OLSON • PRESEASON POLLS, AWARDS • 37 JERSEY HISTORY
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COMING TO A CLOSE Montana QB carries greatgrandfather’s memory close heading into final season of winding career path
Montana quarterback Dalton Sneed runs with the ball during a win over Idaho in November. Sneed returns for his final season with the Griz after a winding journey that’s taken him to three colleges. TOMMY MARTINO, MISSOULIAN
FRANK GOGOLA
W
frank.gogola@missoulian.com
hen Montana quarterback Dalton Sneed takes the field for the Griz, he’s wearing his jersey, helmet and a host of other equipment. As he’s gone on his journey to three different colleges, he also wears something unique to him. Something he can’t take off. And why would he want to take it off? On Sneed’s left rib cage is a tattoo in remembrance of his great-grandfather, who he cites as a major influence in his life. The tattoo reads ‘Always By My Side’ and has the date he passed away, written as ‘10-29-13.’ “Every day when I’m getting dressed and look in the mirror, I see him and think about him, and it puts a smile on my face every morning,” Sneed said. Don McKinney, Sneed’s great-grandfather on his mom’s side, was a staunch supporter of Sneed, especially during his early football playing days. It was familial love that came despite McKinney never having played football at any level. The bond between them was a constant, whether it was McKinney hyping up Sneed, sharing stories of his youth or sitting in the first row at Sneed’s high school football games in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank. “He’d always make me feel like I was the greatest football player, greatest quarterback there ever was every time I walked in the room,” Sneed said. “Definitely instills the confidence in me that he’s still looking down on me, taking care of me every day.” After McKinney died during Sneed’s junior year of high school, Sneed got the tattoo. It’s one of only two tattoos he has — the other being an infinity sign he and his sister both got — because it takes something special for him to dedicate See Sneed, PAGE 4
Dalton Sneed Class: Redshirt senior Position: Quarterback Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 216 pounds Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona High School: Horizon Previous School: UNLV/Fort Scott Community College
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4 | Saturday, August 24, 2019
Missoulian
Sneed Continued from 2
himself to getting one. McKinney, a World War II veteran, made that meaningful of an impact on Sneed’s life. “He was definitely strict on me and made sure I was doing things the right way, in sort of that military aspect,” Sneed said. “But definitely, I don’t want to say father figure, but he was a greatgrandfather figure that a little kid could look up to that he really taught me a lot of different things and how to instill a great work ethic and do things the right way.” To Sneed, that applies both on and off the football field. “He was a huge influence on my life and the man I am today,” Sneed said.
‘Bumpy road’
Sneed needed that work ethic in a college journey that’s been full of twists and turns, featuring more moments that shaped him along the way. Originally recruited to UNLV by Bobby Hauck, Sneed made a detour to Fort Scott Community College before coming to Montana ahead of the 2018 season. At UNLV, he found a mentor in teammate Kevin Thomson, who’s currently Sacramento State’s quarterback. “He really took me under his wing when I first came in as a redshirt at UNLV and was showing me the ropes, you know, how much different college is from high school and the things you got to do to mentally prepare yourself and physically prepare yourself,” Sneed said. “Kevin’s awesome on and off the field, and he was awesome to play with at UNLV.” It was at the community college level that Sneed was forced into a fight for his football life as he tried to earn another opportunity with a Division I team. “It’s really the turning point in an athlete’s career because it’s you make it or you don’t,” Sneed said. “That’s what was kind of challenging and the really honing aspect of going from one level to another that it really is your life depends on it, so you got to go out there and treat it as such. As much fun as football is, you got to treat it as a business because it’s really setting you up for the rest of your life.” Before Sneed had to overcome that obstacle and prove himself again, Portland State coach Bruce Barnum had wanted to offer Sneed after he left UNLV, but Barnum never pulled the trigger. “Dalton Sneed is a hell of a football player,” Barnum said. “I wanted him. We
Dalton Sneed scores a touchdown on a 75-yard run against Sacramento State at Washington-Grizzly Stadium last season. TOM BAUER, MISSOULIAN
messed up by not taking him the year before. I think I would have had a shot at Dalton, but we didn’t take him the year before because of issues we had and scholarship needs. I still kick myself for that one. I would’ve loved to have that kid on my team.” Sneed saw his journey come full circle last season when he was reunited with Hauck and Timm Rosenbach. “It’s definitely been a bumpy road,” Sneed said. “There’s no question about that. Every choice I’ve made, every decision that has brought me to where I am now, I don’t regret any of it. “I think it’s really shaped me as a man, as a player and definitely it’s a very humbling experience going from that level down to a junior college where obviously there’s not as many fans and you got to do things a lot differently where you got to really focus on your future.”
Final go-around
Sneed heads into his final season at Montana looking to end his winding career on a positive note. He showcased his dual-threat ability last season to become the Big Sky Conference’s newcomer of the year, but Montana settled for a 6-5 record, a third consecutive loss to Montana State and a
third straight season without a playoff appearance. It was a learning experience for him and others in a new system. “We’ve been focusing on the negatives from last year and really honing in on our craft to get things taken care of, so it’s been a great offseason for us,” Sneed said. Big Sky Conference coaches were still impressed with the 6-foot-1, 207-pound Sneed, who’s learned to take nothing for granted. “Competitor,” was the word that came to mind for Montana State coach Jeff Choate. “He’s a ballplayer,” Choate said. “You can tell he’s a playmaker. When things break down, he can create outside the offense. Tough. Took some shots. You can just tell he wants the ball in his hand when the game’s on the line.” Idaho coach Paul Petrino added: “He’s their best runner. He’s their best passer. He does it all for them. And is a super competitive kid. Tough kid. He’s a kid who plays football the way you want to see football played.” For UC Davis coach Dan Hawkins, the word that came to mind to describe Sneed was “slippery.” “You think you got him, but you don’t got him,” Hawkins said. “He’s very competitive. Guys that can move around al-
ways scare you. It’s never over till it’s over. And then sometimes not even then.” This season presents a challenging schedule, but with more experience, depth and transfers who can possibly contribute immediately, the potential is there for Montana to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Sneed wants to end his career “on a win,” he said, doing so by putting the Griz in the best positions possible to win as many games as they can. As for how Sneed wants to be remembered in his two-year run at Montana, the answer is simple. “As a winner, through and through,” Sneed said. “I don’t want any personal satisfaction. I want to be known as a player for the 2019 Montana Griz that made a special year for our university and our football team.” To do that, he could rely on advice he learned from his great-grandfather. “Just being a great man on and off the field no matter what it was,” Sneed said. “Taking every day and making it the best day possible.” Frank Gogola covers Griz football and prep sports for the Missoulian. Follow him on Twitter @FrankGogola or email him at Frank.Gogola@406mtsports.com.
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THE HISTORY OF NO. 37 NO. 37 JERSEY HISTORY Player Kraig Paulson Tim Hauck Todd Ericson Jason Crebo Andy Petek Ciche Pitcher Loren Utterback Carson Bender Ryan Fetherston Jordan Tripp Zack Wagenmann Caleb Kidder Tucker Schye Jesse Sims
Years 1983-86 1987-89 1990-93 1994-97 1998-200 2001-03 2004-07 2008-10 2011 2012-13 2014 2015-16 2017 2018-19
Position Fullback Safety Safety Linebacker Defensive end Defensive end Linebacker Defensive tackle Defensive end Linebacker Defensive end Defensive end Defensive end Defensive end
Hometown Plentywood Big Timber Butte Helena Helena Anaconda Fort Benton Deer Lodge East Helena Missoula Missoula Helena Malta Stevensville
NO. 37 JERSEY STATS ear Y Player Pos GP Rush Rush yd Rush TD Rec Rec yd Rec TD 1983 Kraig Paulson FB 8 27 106 0 3 14 0 1984 Kraig Paulson FB 7 74 265 1 16 97 0 1985 Kraig Paulson FB 11 84 256 0 5 25 1 1986 Kraig Paulson FB 7 43 141 1 28 187 3 Year Player Pos GP Tkl TFL Sack INT FR FF BLK 1987 Tim Hauck S 11 75 1 0 4 2 1 2 1988 Tim Hauck S 11 101 5 3 4 3 0 4 1989 Tim Hauck S 11 129 4 0 7 1 3 3 1990 Todd Ericson S 9 21 0 0 1 0 0 0 1991 Todd Ericson S 11 94 2 0 3 4 0 1 1992 Todd Ericson S 11 97 2 0 6 2 1 0 1993 Todd Ericson S 11 96 2 0 1 1 1 0 1994 Jason Crebo LB 7 17 2 0 0 1 0 0 1995 Jason Crebo LB 14 102 20.5 6 0 0 1 0 1996 Jason Crebo LB 15 131 12 4 0 3 1 0 1997 Jason Crebo LB 12 103 10 0 0 0 1 0 1998 Andy Petek DE 10 34 11 4 0 1 0 0 1999 Andy Petek DE 11 35 11 6 0 0 0 1 2000 Andy Petek DE 15 87 35 19 0 4 6 0 2001 Ciche Pitcher DE 16 83 26 18 1 4 6 0 2002 Ciche Pitcher DE 3 17 2.5 1.5 0 0 1 0 2003 Ciche Pitcher DE 3 8 2.5 1.5 0 1 0 0 2004 Loren Utterback LB 15 44 6 2 0 0 0 0 2005 Loren Utterback LB 5 17 2.5 2 0 0 0 0 2006 Loren Utterback LB 14 103 8.5 2 1 0 0 0 2007 Loren Utterback LB 12 96 9.5 1.5 2 0 0 0 2008 Carson Bender DT 6 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2009 Carson Bender DT 15 27 2 1 0 0 0 1 2010 Carson Bender DT Missed season with injury 2011 Ryan Fetherston DE 14 47 8.5 4.5 0 0 0 0 2012 Jordan Tripp LB 11 95 13.5 5.5 1 1 4 0 2013 Jordan Tripp LB 13 100 5.5 2 3 3 1 1 2014 Zack Wagenmann DE 14 75 23 17.5 0 2 6 0 2015 Caleb Kidder DE 12 82 10 3.5 1 1 0 1 2016 Caleb Kidder DE 11 55 11 5.5 0 2 0 1 2017 Tucker Schye DE 11 54 15.5 8.5 0 3 3 1 2018 Jesse Sims DE 11 42 3.5 1 0 0 1 0
MONTANA ATHLETICS
Former Montana safety Tim Hauck, who received the No. 37 jersey from Kraig Paulson, plays in a game for the Griz in the late 1980s.
GRIZZLY GAME DAY
Missoulian
Saturday, August 24, 2019 | 7
COMEBACK QBS Sac State, N. Colo., N. Arizona will all have sixth-year QBs FRANK GOGOLA
frank.gogola@missoulian.com
S
acramento State quarterback Kevin Thomson was expecting to get one year of eligibility back because of injuries that have slowed his college career. Then he got a surprise from the NCAA when he was awarded a two-year extension that’ll give him seven seasons of eligibility by the time he’s thrown his final pass in 2020. “It’s really exciting because with coach Taylor coming in, it’s just more time to master the offense,” Thomson said during media days last month in Spokane. “Hopefully more time to just do what we want to do here at Sacramento State, like be great, compete for a championship and kind of build a new foundation now.” Thomson isn’t the only Big Sky Conference quarterback who’s been granted at least six years of eligibility because of injuries. Comeback quarterbacks abound as Northern Colorado’s Jacob Knipp and Northern Arizona’s Case Cookus both return for a sixth season. Thomson’s journey hasn’t been what he expected when he was recruited to UNLV by current Montana head coach Bobby Hauck and offensive coordinator Timm Rosenbach. He tore the UCL in his throwing elbow while redshirting in 2014, had surgery and never played a snap for the Rebels in two seasons. He didn’t appear on a roster in 2016, but his eligibility clock kept rolling. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Thomson transferred to Sacramento State in 2017 and has thrown for 3,208 yards, 25 touchdowns and four interceptions while rushing for 628 yards and nine scores. He’s only played in 15 games at Sacramento State across the past two seasons because of injuries. Now he’s feeling ready to go again, crediting strength and conditioning coach Ryan Deatrick with helping him get to this point. “This is the best I’ve felt physically in my entire football career,” Thomson said. “I was able to put on a good amount of weight while keeping my speed and agility. I really focused on the physical aspect this offseason, which was big for me.” Thomson has been back since spring ball, learning a new offense under head coach Troy Taylor. The emphasis will be on going uptempo.
“Kevin is a true dual-threat guy,” Taylor said. “He’s athletic. He can run the ball. He can throw it. He’s sharp. We’ll be able to be pretty dynamic with him.” Taylor added: “He brings some peace of mind for everybody. It’s certainly nice as a head coach and offensive coordinator to have a quarterback that’s played and played successfully and has had that experience. It’s a good place to start.” Outside expectations aren’t high for Sacramento State. The Hornets were picked 11th by the coaches and 12th by the media in the preseason conference polls. Thomson is hoping to prove those voters wrong. “People don’t expect much from us,” he said. “That’s similar to what happened two years ago, and we surprised a few people. Every year you have teams that are expected to finish at the bottom and they might surprise you and pop right up around the top. That’s what we’re expecting to do.”
Jacob Knipp
Northern Colorado was picked to finish last in both the preseason coaches and media polls, but the Bears will have a veteran quarterback who’ll try to help them exceed those expectations. Jacob Knipp has been back since spring ball thanks to a medical waiver because of the broken collarbone he suffered last season. In fact, each of his past three seasons have been ended early because of an injury, allowing him to play in just 10 games during that stretch. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Knipp has thrown for 4,128 yards with 28 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 20 games across the past four seasons. Dealing with injuries the past three years, he’s been unable to regain the form of his redshirt freshman season, when he totaled 1,969 passing yards in leading the Bears to a 6-5 record. Northern Colorado head coach Earnest Collins has been encouraged by what Knipp can do to run the offense — as long as he stays healthy. “There’s really nothing you can’t ask of him because he can do pretty much whatever you need him to do,” Collins said. “We want him to just manage our offense. It’s really about us getting all of our other guys to make sure they understand that
TOMMY MARTINO, MISSOULIAN
Sacramento State quarterback Kevin Thomson reacts to a flag during the Hornets’ loss to Montana last season in Missoula. Thomson is one of at least three current Big Sky Conference quarterbacks who will end his career with six seasons of eligibility after suffering injuries. just keep him upright and he can do some special things for us. “He’s going to have command, he’s going to have control of whatever he wants to do in our offense because he understands it and he’s been around for a while, so he understands how to manipulate defenses. I’m just looking forward to seeing him do it.” Collins saw Knipp returning to form during spring camp. One moment that stood out came during a scrimmage when he checked out of a run play and completed a 25-yard pass over the top of the defense while leading a 12-play touchdown drive. “That’s just Jacob,” Collins said. “He’s a smart kid. He knows defenses. He knows how to read them. He knows when he sees it. That’s the unique thing about the young man is he knows the position, he can play it and we just got to keep him upright so he can help the team win some ballgames.”
Case Cookus
Northern Arizona quarterback Case Cookus has experienced an up-and-down career marred by injuries. When healthy, Cookus has been one of the league’s premier quarterbacks. He threw for 3,111 yards with 37 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2015 as he was named the national freshman of the year. In 2017, he threw for 3,413 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. Cookus suffered a season-ending injury following each of those seasons. He was limited to four games in 2016 and two games in 2018, the latter because of a bro-
ken collarbone. In his final season, Cookus and Northern Arizona will try to exceed their preseason selection of sixth in the conference. The Lumberjacks have a new head coach in Chris Ball, who took the job in part because of the chance to work with a quarterback like Cookus. “He’s extremely smart,” Ball said. “He’s got the ‘It’ factor when it comes to the quarterback position. He’s had some adversity in his career. He’s done a good job handling it. He’s very talented. Any time you talk about character, smart, work ethic, tough and talent, he’s got all those.”
Notables
Southern Utah quarterback Chris Helbig suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth game last season, his first with the Thunderbirds after transferring from junior college. He returned for spring camp. Then-Eastern Washington senior Gage Gubrud went down with a foot injury last season and was replaced by Eric Barriere, who led the Eagles to a national runnerup finish. Consequently, the former AllAmerican grad transferred to Pac-12 Washington State. At Montana State, Chris Murray would’ve been a redshirt junior after sitting out the 2018 season because of an academic suspension, but he was officially ruled to have left the team in June. Murray was the league’s freshman of the year in 2016, accounting for 4,359 yards of offense in 16 starts across the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
8 | Saturday, August 24, 2019
Saturday, August 24, 2019 | 9
DANTE OLSON: THE ALL-AMERICAN Missoulian
DANTE OLSON: THE ALL-AMERICAN
Missoulian
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Olson’s Awards Montana linebacker Dante Olson (33) celebrates after coming up with a big sack against Portland State during the 2018 season. Olson was named the Big Sky Conference preseason defensive MVP. TOMMY MARTINO, MISSOULIAN‌
Senior linebacker gets praise from Big Sky coaches
FRANK GOGOLA
frank.gogola@missoulian.com‌
‌M
ontana head coach Bobby Hauck doesn’t recall being asked about linebacker Dante Olson during the Big Sky Conference media days last July. Olson was a player who had yet to break out. And with the return of All-American linebacker Josh Buss, last year’s preseason defensive MVP — not to mention Hauck’s return to the league — Olson didn’t register on the radar. One year later, Olson was one of the main focuses of media attention at the Big Sky Kickoff. He was named the Big Sky’s preseason defensive MVP after a season in which he earned seven AllAmerica honors and finished third in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in the FCS. “There was no one asking me about Dante Olson at this deal a year ago, even though I thought he was probably our best player,� Hauck said. “It’s interesting, but you know what you know. It’s cool for him to be the preseason defensive player of the year. It means he had a great year last year, and certainly his football team needs him to do that again.� The 6-foot-3, 237-pound Olson was also tabbed an all-conference preseason inside linebacker and was one of three Montana players to make the team. Grounded in his approach, Olson doesn’t marvel in the light of the accolades. He didn’t even know he earned the preseason honor until he was shown a tweet about it. Still, Olson was grateful to be recognized by the league’s coaches after his season that included a school-record 151 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks, three forced fumbles and two
interceptions. “It’s definitely a huge honor,� Olson said. “Any time you get something like that, it’s a big recognition, especially with our conference. Can’t read too much into the preseason stuff because I hold myself and the team holds themselves to high expectations and standards. Haven’t done anything yet to prove ourselves this year.�      Several coaches around the league had high praise for Olson. UC Davis coach Dan Hawkins coached against Olson’s dad when he was at Willamette and knew about Olson before he started coaching the Aggies. “I love that dude. Well, I love him and hate him,� Hawkins said. “They asked me if you could take one guy, and I said him. He is a nightmare. He is a nightmare. I said, ‘I lost a lot of sleep when we played you.’ He’s such a great kid, plays with such energy. Their whole defense attacks your fanny. He can run. He’s tough. He can hit.� Montana State coach Jeff Choate similarly praised Olson. “He’s such a great instinctual football player,� Choate said. “One of the things that sets him apart is his straight-line speed. He can track down guys at just about any angle. Has the ability to defeat blocks with his hands but also has the unique ability to slip blocks, which not all linebackers have that combination. “Usually you’re one or the other. Dante seems to be able to play both styles and is a tremendous tackler. Once he gets his hands on you, you’re going on the ground.� Eastern Washington coach Aaron Best, who recruited Olson lightly out of high school, used the term ‘magnet’ to describe Olson, which he had heard someone else use.
“He’s a magnet to the ball,� Best said. “You can tell he’s a junkie in terms of a film junkie. He knows things before things happen. He must carry a crystal ball with him. He finds a way to be around the ball all the time. So ‘magnet’ probably fits his play more than anything. “From an outsider’s perspective, he’s nothing short of one of the better players in this league and quite certainly this nation at this level.� Idaho State head coach Rob Phenicie also turned the talk about Olson to the national level and said he’d give Olson his vote for the Buchanan Award. “An excellent, excellent football player that you got to account for,� Phenicie said. “Everything that comes together with him, it’s a good deal. Just watching him on film, it takes a play or two to go, ‘Oh, that’s the guy.’ “The thing that makes it even harder to go against is he’s such a nice guy. Buchanan Award candidate, he’s got my vote.� Portland State head coach Bruce Barnum, who recruited Olson, agreed in a sense. “Last year, I thought he should have got every accolade known to mankind just for what he did,� Barnum said. Montana’s other players to land on the preseason list are junior wide receiver Sammy Akem and junior linebacker Jace Lewis, who earned the nod as a special teams contributor. Akem led the Big Sky with 13 touchdown receptions last year. Lewis, a Townsend native, piled up 62 tackles, fifth on the team and third among returners. Frank Gogola covers Griz football and prep sports for the Missoulian. Follow him on Twitter @FrankGogola or email him at Frank.Gogola@406mtsports.com.
2018 Postseason
„„ Third in voting for Buck
Buchanan Award (Top defensive player in FCS) „„ Phil Steele FCS Defensive Player of the Year „„ Athlon Sports All-American „„ Phil Steele First-Team AllAmerican „„ AFCA First-Team AllAmerican „„ STATS FCS First-Team AllAmerican „„ Walter Camp Foundation All-American „„ Associated Press FirstTeam All-American „„ HERO Sports First-Team All-American „„ Phil Steele Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year „„ First-Team All-Big Sky by league coaches „„ Steve Carlson Award (Montana’s team MVP) „„ Montana’s defensive MVP „„ 151 regular-season tackles (1st in Division I, singleseason school record) „„ 2018 GoGriz.com Person of the Year „„ FCS ADA Academic All-Star „„ Academic All-Big Sky „„ 2018 Montana President’s List (4.0 GPA) 2019 Preseason
„„ ‌Butkus Award Watch List
Dante Olson Class: Redshirt senior Position: Linebacker Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 240 pounds Hometown: Medford, Oregon High school: Cascade Christian
2019 Preseason All-Big Sky team Offense Offensive MVP: Jake Maier, Sr., QB, UC Davis Name Year Pos. School Jake Maier Sr. QB UC Davis Mitch Gueller Sr. WR Idaho State Samuel Akem Jr. WR Montana Jared Harrell Jr. WR UC Davis Mitch Brott Sr. OT Montana State Chris Schlichting Sr. OT Eastern Washington Noah Johnson Sr. OG Idaho Ty Whitworth Jr. OG Weber State Zach Larsen Sr. C Southern Utah Charlie Taumopeau Sr. TE Portland State Josh Davis So. RB Weber State Elijah Dotson Jr. RB Sacramento State Troy Andersen Jr. FB Montana State Trey Tuttle Jr. PK Weber State Rashid Shaheed Jr. RS Weber State
Defense Defensive MVP: Dante Olson, Sr., LB, Montana Name Year Pos. School Jalen Goss Sr. DT Northern Arizona Kenton Bartlett Sr. DT Portland State Adam Rodriguez Sr. DE Weber State Jonah Williams Jr. DE Weber State Auston Tesch Sr. OLB Weber State Bryce Sterk Sr. OLB Montana State Dante Olson Sr. ILB Montana Kody Graves Sr. ILB Idaho State Khalil Dorsey Sr. CB Northern Arizona Greg Filer Sr. CB Montana State Adkin Aguirre Sr. S Idaho State Brayden Konkol Sr. S Montana State Cade Coffey Jr. P Idaho Jace Lewis Jr. ST Montana
(Top defensive player in Div. I; only FCS player on list) „„ Buchanan Award Watch List (Top defensive player in FCS) „„ Athlon Sports Preseason All-American „„ HERO Sports Preseason All-American „„ STATS FCS Preseason FirstTeam All-American „„ College Football American Yearbook FCS Preseason Starting Lineup „„ Big Sky Conference Preseason Defensive MVP „„ Big Sky All-Conference Preseason Inside Linebacker „„ AFCA Good Works Team nominee „„ Spring 2019 President’s List (4.0 GPA)
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DANTE OL THE ALL-AM Missoulian
DANTE OLSON: THE ALL-AMERICAN Senior linebacker gets praise from Big Sky coaches
FRANK GOGOLA
frank.gogola@missoulian.com
M
ontana head coach Bobby Hauck doesn’t recall being asked about linebacker Dante Olson during the Big Sky Conference media days last July. Olson was a player who had yet to break out. And with the return of All-American linebacker Josh Buss, last year’s preseason defensive MVP — not to mention Hauck’s return to the league — Olson didn’t register on the radar. One year later, Olson was one of the main focuses of media attention at the Big Sky Kickoff. He was named the Big Sky’s preseason defensive MVP after a season in which he earned seven AllAmerica honors and finished third in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in the FCS. “There was no one asking me about Dante Olson at this deal a year ago, even though I thought he was probably our best player,” Hauck said. “It’s interesting, but you know what you know. It’s cool for him to be the preseason defensive player of the year. It means he had a great year last year, and certainly his football team needs him to do that again.” The 6-foot-3, 237-pound Olson was also tabbed an all-conference preseason inside linebacker and was one of three Montana players to make the team. Grounded in his approach, Olson doesn’t marvel in the light of the accolades. He didn’t even know he earned the preseason honor until he was shown a tweet about it. Still, Olson was grateful to be recognized by the league’s coaches after his season that included a school-record 151 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks, three forced fumbles and two
interceptions. “It’s definitely a huge honor,” Olson said. “Any time you get something like that, it’s a big recognition, especially with our conference. Can’t read too much into the preseason stuff because I hold myself and the team holds themselves to high expectations and standards. Haven’t done anything yet to prove ourselves this year.” Several coaches around the league had high praise for Olson. UC Davis coach Dan Hawkins coached against Olson’s dad when he was at Willamette and knew about Olson before he started coaching the Aggies. “I love that dude. Well, I love him and hate him,” Hawkins said. “They asked me if you could take one guy, and I said him. He is a nightmare. He is a nightmare. I said, ‘I lost a lot of sleep when we played you.’ He’s such a great kid, plays with such energy. Their whole defense attacks your fanny. He can run. He’s tough. He can hit.” Montana State coach Jeff Choate similarly praised Olson. “He’s such a great instinctual football player,” Choate said. “One of the things that sets him apart is his straight-line speed. He can track down guys at just about any angle. Has the ability to defeat blocks with his hands but also has the unique ability to slip blocks, which not all linebackers have that combination. “Usually you’re one or the other. Dante seems to be able to play both styles and is a tremendous tackler. Once he gets his hands on you, you’re going on the ground.” Eastern Washington coach Aaron Best, who recruited Olson lightly out of high school, used the term ‘magnet’ to describe Olson, which he had heard someone else use.
“He’s a magnet to the ball,” Best said. “You can tell he’s a junkie in terms of a film junkie. He knows things before things happen. He must carry a crystal ball with him. He finds a way to be around the ball all the time. So ‘magnet’ probably fits his play more than anything. “From an outsider’s perspective, he’s nothing short of one of the better players in this league and quite certainly this nation at this level.” Idaho State head coach Rob Phenicie also turned the talk about Olson to the national level and said he’d give Olson his vote for the Buchanan Award. “An excellent, excellent football player that you got to account for,” Phenicie said. “Everything that comes together with him, it’s a good deal. Just watching him on film, it takes a play or two to go, ‘Oh, that’s the guy.’ “The thing that makes it even harder to go against is he’s such a nice guy. Buchanan Award candidate, he’s got my vote.” Portland State head coach Bruce Barnum, who recruited Olson, agreed in a sense. “Last year, I thought he should have got every accolade known to mankind just for what he did,” Barnum said. Montana’s other players to land on the preseason list are junior wide receiver Sammy Akem and junior linebacker Jace Lewis, who earned the nod as a special teams contributor. Akem led the Big Sky with 13 touchdown receptions last year. Lewis, a Townsend native, piled up 62 tackles, fifth on the team and third among returners. Frank Gogola covers Griz football and prep sports for the Missoulian. Follow him on Twitter @FrankGogola or email him at Frank.Gogola@406mtsports.com.
Dante Olson Class: Redshirt senior Position: Linebacker Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 240 pounds Hometown: Medford, Oregon High school: Cascade Christian
10
| SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2019
GRIZZLY GAME DAY
MISSOULIAN
SOUTH DAKOTA FOOTBALL
Young South Dakota team looks to improve BARRY POE
SIOUX CITY JOURNAL
N
obody involved with the University of South Dakota football team was happy with the way things went down last season. A season after reaching the second round of the FCS playoffs, the Coyotes slipped to 4-7 in Bob Nielson’s third season as head coach. Although several of those losses could have gone the other direction, that’s how it played out and a young 2019 squad is eager to make amends. “This is a football team that’s young but at the same time we’ve had a lot of young guys that have played and gained some experience,” Nielson said during the team’s media day earlier this month. “We have five seniors on each side of the football, one of the youngest groups I’ve ever had. “But they’re a group that’s worked really hard over the last year and a group that came away from 2018 not feeling good about the way we finished the year and set a course to be better in 2019. They had a good spring and great summer and have put themselves in position to springboard in fall camp.” The Coyotes have plenty of talent at the offensive skill positions and bring back two-time All-American Darin Greenfield on defense. The major question mark as they prepare for an Aug. 31 opener at home against Montana is an offensive line that is very inexperienced. Austin Simmons returns for his second full season as the starting quarterback. The senior from Council Bluffs, Iowa, led the Missouri Valley Football Conference and ranked fourth nationally with 3,124 passing yards. He completed 287 of 469 passes with 18 touchdowns and also led the league in total offense at 314 yards per game. “There’s been a lot of growth this past off-season, trying to get better each and every day,” Simmons said. “I hope that
translates over to a better season this year. Obviously any time you can get experience in anything in life you get better as you do it so with one year under my belt hopefully I can pick up at a higher level this year than I was last year.” The Coyotes also bring back their top three running backs, six of their top seven wide receivers and their top three tight ends. The offensive line, though, has one senior and one junior, but the rest are all either freshmen or sophomores. “We feel real good about their (offensive line) progress,” Nielson said. “As a 27-year head coach, we have the best freshman offensive line class that I’ve ever been a part of. So we have guys that as we move down the road will have an opportunity to have really good careers here.” Mason Scheidegger, a 6-foot-5, 330-pound junior from Fonda, Iowa, has started all 24 games in his last two collegiate seasons and has played all five positions along the offensive line. “As of now I’m at one of the inside three at either guard or center but we’ll see as time goes on where they need
me most,” Scheidegger said. “I haven’t played tackle since my redshirt freshman year so guard or center is where I’m most comfortable at. “The main thing we focused on as we started fall camp was being able to identify the fronts and get into the playbook and be able to mentally be a step above where we were last year. Now as we get farther into camp we’re working on the little things with our technique and stuff like that.” Senior wide receiver Dakarai Allen was a second-team All-MVFC pick after leading USD with 48 catches for 703 yards and five touchdowns. Allen was named to the Missouri Valley Football Preseason Offense Team. Sheldon, Iowa, product Greenfield, a 6-3, 225-pound defensive end, has recorded 15 sacks and 34 tackles for loss over the past two seasons, more than any of the other returners to the MVFC this season. He has the fourth-most sacks and sixth-most tackles for loss in program history. South Dakota, however, is operating under a new defensive system installed by first-year coordinator Travis Johansen. “He has come in and laid down exactly how he wants it to be,” Greenfield said. “We’re focusing on taking a step to get better every day. He understands that it’s a brand new defense for everybody and there’s a lot of new techniques, so he’s very understanding with people who are making little mistakes. But you have to keep bettering yourself and you can’t keep making those same mistakes. “We got a little bit of a foundation with the new defense in spring ball but we only have three weeks before our first game and there are still quite a few things we need to sharpen up and get a lot better. The defense is really focusing on making sure everybody understands what’s going on.” Junior linebacker Jack Cochrane saw
action is some games as a freshman and started all 11 last season, finishing second on the team with 82 tackles. The son of Sioux City native John Cochrane was a first-team MVFC All-Academic team selection. “Stepping in as a young guy helped develop that early experience and has helped me out into this year,” Cochrane said. “It’s also helped me see a perspective of what other guys are going through, being able to help my teammates succeed more.” Cochrane and the rest of the Coyote linebackers should benefit from the tutelage of first-year assistant Abdul Hodge, who starred at the University of Iowa and played five seasons in the NFL. “He is a guy who really knows what it takes to win football games,” Cochrane said. “Being an NFL linebacker he knows what it takes to be a really effective player so I’m absorbing everything I can from him.” Cochrane, junior safety Phillip Powell and junior punter Brady Schuett, an MOC-Floyd Valley High School graduate, were honorable mention preseason all-league defensive picks. Nielson, one of 14 active college football coaches in the country who have compiled 200 wins, said his team will find out early what it’s made of. “It’s going to be an interesting year because our schedule is going to hit us right in the face,” Nielson said. “Montana is a very good team that was a lot like us last year, very young and disappointed that they didn’t end up in the playoffs. Then you follow that by playing one of the best if not the best team in the country in Oklahoma so we’re going to get tested right away to get a gauge of where we need to go before we hit the start of the Valley schedule.” USD opens at home for the first time since 2013 and is riding a 16-game winning streak in home openers. Montana is ranked No. 25 in the preseason FCS poll.
“It’s going to be an interesting year because our schedule is going to hit us right in the face. Montana is a very good team that was a lot like us last year, very young and disappointed that they didn’t end up in the playoffs.” Bob Nielson, South Dakota head coach
GRIZZLY GAME DAY
Missoulian
Saturday, August 24, 2019 | 11
BY THE NUMBERS 2018 M ONTANA STATS (6-5)
Griz Opp Scoring average 33.9 28.5 Rushing yards 1806 1971 Avg./Rush 4.9 4.1 Passing 256-410-7 221-386-10 Passing yards 2989 2619 Average per pass 7.3 6.8 Total offense 4795 4590 Average per play 6.1 5.3 3rd-down conv. 64-160 70-179 Time of possession 28:16 31:44 Fumbles-lost 18-13 17-7 Kick returns 34-24.7 36-17.7 Punt returns 25-9.2 15-6.2 Punting 61-40.7 68-41.5 Sacks by-yards 24-169 25-161 Montana 116 102 83 72 - 373 Opponents 72 60 48 134 - 314
Offensive leaders RUSHING QB Dalton Sneed 131-675 (5.2 ypc.), long 75, 6 TDs RB Adam Eastwood 125-514 (4.1 ypc.), long 68, 9 TDs RB Jeremy Calhoun 41-206 (5.0 ypc.), long 22, 2 TDs WR Jerry Louie-McGee 12-144 (12.0 ypc.), long 36, 1 TD WR Gabe Sulser 4-133 (33.2 ypc), long 59, 1 TD RB Alijah Lee 30-105 (3.5 ypc.), long 20, 1 TD RB Levi Janacaro 8-29 (3.6 ypc.), long 8 QB Garrett Graves 7-18 (2.6 ypc.), long 10 WR Samori Toure 1-13 RB Rey Green 1-(-1) TE Colin Bingham 1-(-1) QB Tanner Wilson 1-(-3) TM Team 5-(-5) (-1.0 ypc.)
QB Cam Humphrey 3-(-21) (-7.0 ypc.) PASSING QB Sneed 241-384-7, 2723 yards, long 59, 22 TDs QB Humphrey 13-24-0, 241 yards, long 68, 2 TDs WR Keenan Curran 1-1-0, 25 yards, 1 TD WR Mitch Roberts 1-1-0, 0 yards RECEIVING WR Samuel Akem 59-879 (14.9 ypc.), long 68, 13 TDs WR Louie-McGee 42-451 (10.7 ypc.), long 33, 2 TDs WR Curran 39-460 (11.8 ypc.), long 33, 2 TDs WR Samori Toure 37-440 (11.9 ypc.), long 41, 2 TDs RB Eastwood 30-183 (6.1 ypc.), long 21 TE Colin Bingham 12-93 (7.8 ypc.), long 25, 1 TD TE Bryson Deming 10-140 (14.0 ypc.), long 45 WR Sulser 9-114 (12.7 ypc.), long 59, 3 TDs TE Matt Rensvold 8-89 (11.1 ypc.), long 45, 2 TDs RB Lee 5-93 (18.6 ypc.), long 37 RB Calhoun 3-41 (13.7 ypc), long 26 WR Roberts 1-6
Defensive leaders ACKLES T LB Dante Olson 151, 57 unassisted S Robby Hauck 95, 41 unassisted LB Josh Buss 75, 32 unassisted S Reid Miller 68, 38 unassisted LB Jace Lewis 62, 24 unassisted S Josh Sandry 61, 30 unassisted CB Justin Calhoun 56, 35 unassisted S Gavin Robertson 48, 27 unassisted DT Jesse Sims 42, 11 unassisted DE Reggie Tilleman 40, 14 unassisted DT David Shaw 34, 6 unassisted CB Dareon Nash 24, 18 unassisted DE RJ Nelson 22, 10 unassisted DE Braydon Deming 20, 7 unassisted S Evan Epperly 19, 11 unassisted LB Marcus Welnel 16, 10 unassisted
LB Shayne Cochran 11, 3 unassisted DE Jed Nagler 10, 9 unassisted S Michael McGinnis 9, 5 unassisted ST Gavin Crow 9, 6 unassisted DE Randy Rodriguez 7, 2 unassisted CB Josh Egbo 7, 3 unassisted LB Michael Matthews 5, 2 unassisted DT Eli Alford 4, 2 unassisted ST Malik Flowers 4, 1 unassisted CB Lewis Cowans 3, 2 unassisted WR Jerry Louie McGee 3, 3 unassisted K Adam Wilson 3, 1 unassisted RB Adam Eastwood 2, 0 unassisted WR Samori Toure 2, 2 unassisted LS Matthew O’Donoghue 1, 0 unassisted OL Conlan Beaver 1, 1 unassisted DT Kyle Davis 1, 1 unassisted DE Andrew Harris 1, 0 unassisted OL Angel Villanueva 1, 1 unassisted WR Keenan Curran 1, 1 unassisted QB Dalton Sneed 1, 1 unassisted WR Samuel Akem 1, 1 unassisted TACKLES FOR LOSS CB Calhoun 1.5-12 LB Olson 11.0-55 S Robertson 1.0-11 LB Buss 9.0-49 DE Nagler 1.0-6 LB Lewis 7.5-29 LB Cochran 1.0-2 DE Tilleman 5.0-6 DT Shaw 0.5-3 DE Deming 4.0-17 DE Harris 0.5-3 LB Welnel 3.5-11 S Miller 0.5-1 DT Sims 3.5-7 S Sandry 0.5-1 S Hauck 2.5-8 DE Rodriguez 0.5-1 DE Nelson 2.0-8 SACKS S Robertson 1.0-11 LB Olson 6.0-43 DE Nagler 1.0-6 LB Buss 5.5-44 DT Sims 1.0-3 LB Lewis 2.5-20 DE Tilleman 1.0-2 DE Deming 2.0-14 DT Shaw 0.5-3 LB Welnel 2.0-9 DE Harris 0.5-3 CB Calhoun 1.0-11
INTERCEPTIONS S Sandry 2-32 CB Dareon Nash 2-40, 1 TD LB Buss 1-0 LB Olson 2-51 CB Calhoun 1-0 S Miller 2-37 FUMBLES FORCED-RECOVERED WR Louie-McGee 1-0 LB Buss 3-2, 1 TD S Miller 0-2 LB Olson 3-0 CB Nash 0-1 LB Welnel 2-0 DT Shaw 0-1 DT Sims 1-0 LS O’Donoghue 0-1 CB Calhoun 1-0 DE Deming 1-0 PASS BREAKUPS LB Lewis 2 CB Nash 7 S Epperly 1 CB Calhoun 6 CB Cowans 1 S Sandry 5 DE Tilleman 1 S Hauck 4 DT Shaw 1 LB Olson 3 DE Nelson 1 S Miller 2 LB Buss 2
Special teams leaders PATS/FIELD GOALS Tim Semenza 40-43/13-17, long 42, 79 points PUNTING Eric Williams 57-2399 (42.1 ypp.), long 61, 27 fair catches, 22 inside 20, 6 touchbacks, 6 50+ yards, 2 blocked PUNT RETURNS Louie-McGee 24-222 (9.2 ypr.), long 46 Welnel 1-9 KICKOFF RETURNS Malik Flowers 22-607 (27.6 ypr.), long 95, 1 TD Justin Calhoun 6-107 (17.8 ypr.), long 26 Gabe Sulser 3-61 (20.3 ypr.), long 23 Gavin Crow 2-54 (27.0 ypr.), long 26 Samori Toure 1-12
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12 | Saturday, August 24, 2019
GRIZZLY GAME DAY
Missoulian
Griz 4th, 5th in preseason Big Sky polls GREG RACHAC
406mtsports.com
M
ontana coach Bobby Hauck and Montana State coach Jeff Choate conveyed similar practical opinions at the Big Sky Kickoff with the release of the Big Sky Conference preseason football media and coaches polls. Each ranking placed the Bobcats and Grizzlies in the top five of the 13-team league. The Bobcats were picked fourth in the media poll with 417 points, while the Grizzlies were slotted fifth with 396 points and one first-place vote. They were flipflopped in the coaches votes, with Montana coming in No. 4 with 104 points and one first-place nod, and the Bobcats at No. 5 with 100 points. Eastern Washington, one of three defending conference co-champions and on the heels of a run to the FCS national championship game, is ranked No. 1 in each poll. UC Davis and Weber State, who shared the league crown with EWU in 2018, were ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in both. It’s the second consecutive preseason in which Eastern Washington came in at No. 1 in each poll, and the third time since 2014 the Eagles were picked to win the league by both the coaches and the media simultaneously. The media picked EWU No. 1 in 2015. The Grizzlies are coming off a 6-5 campaign in which they missed the playoffs for the third straight season. Hauck, entering the second year of his second stint as coach, said the preseason polls are more for conversation than anything else.
“It’s about being there in November. That’s what we want,” Hauck said. “We don’t have a Big Sky championship to our name since 2009, and we need to fix that. The sooner the better. “Maybe we can take a Hauck little solace in the idea that some of our bone-headedness (in 2018) was due to youth. We need to be a more complete football team and play more complete games. If we do that I think we’ll be good. One thing that’s exciting for me is that we weren’t a million miles away from being better record-wise.” Choate said he wasn’t surprised with where his Bobcats landed after going 8-5 and getting the program’s first playoff victory in six years, and he wasn’t surprised Montana was right there, either. “I think it’s probably right where you’d think we would be, given that you’ve got three teams that all had first-round (playoff) byes and were co-conference champions last year,” Choate said. “It’s hard to not put each one of those teams in the top whatever order, however you want to stack it. And then there’s some brand recognition, if you will, that goes along with the University of Montana. So I think it’s kind of more or less what you’d expect.” No. 6 Northern Arizona (with first-year coach Chris Ball), No. 7 Idaho State, No. 8 Idaho, No. 9 Cal Poly and No. 10 Portland State were ranked the same in both polls. Northern Colorado, at No. 13, was picked
last in each. The only other difference was between Southern Utah and Sacramento State. The Thunderbirds were slotted 11th in the media poll while the Hornets, under new coach Troy Taylor, were picked 12th. The teams traded places in the coaches poll. Eastern Washington coach Aaron Best, whose team went 12-3 last year and fell 38-25 to perennial FCS champion North Dakota State in the national title game in Frisco, Texas, in January, said he and the Eagles are honored by being No. 1 in both polls. But he also cautioned against it, considering EWU lost 25 seniors, including 18 four-year lettermen — though the team has 22 seniors returning in 2019. “Preseason is preseason,” Best said. “You’re a year older. That’s all that’s guaranteed. Those things are out of our hands. I’m humbled, we’re humbled. We’re privileged and excited about the opportunity to play this thing out. But if you and I had a conversation about whether we’d rather be there in July or in December, we both know the answer. “This has happened multiple times in this decade. I think we’ve had a great run. It’s a tough thing to do — to be No. 1 in everyone’s eyes in the preseason and to be No. 1 at the end of the year. You haven’t mentioned injuries, you haven’t mentioned luck, you haven’t mentioned weather, you haven’t mentioned schedule … there’s so many things to consider.” Eastern Washington has won or shared six Big Sky championships since 2010.
Montana 25th in FCS preseason poll 406MTSPORTS.COM
ive Big Sky Conference football teams F are ranked in the STATS FCS Preseason Top 25 poll, and Montana just made the cut, checking in at No. 25. The league placed three teams in the top-10 and had a total of seven teams that received votes. Eastern Washington led the way for the Big Sky as it was picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll with 3,594 points and three first-place votes. The Eagles are
coming off an NCAA Division I Football Championship game appearance and a 12-3 overall record. UC Davis was right behind the Eagles with a fifth-place preseason ranking. The Aggies earned 3,210 points. They recorded a 10-3 overall record and advanced to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. Weber State collected 2,827 points to rank eighth in the preseason poll. The Wildcats finished the 2018 season with a 10-3 record, advanced to the quarterfinals
of the FCS Playoffs, and shared the Big Sky title with the Eagles and Aggies. Montana State was voted 14th with 1,866 points. The Bobcats picked up a win in the first round of the playoffs last season, as they registered an 8-5 overall record. Montana rounded out the top 25 with 413 points. The Griz finished 6-5 a year ago in head coach Bobby Hauck’s first year of his second stint at his alma mater. Northern Arizona and Idaho State both received votes in the preseason poll.
BIG SKY CONFERENCE PRESEASON FOOTBALL POLL Big Sky media poll
Rank School Votes(1st) 1 Eastern Washington 536(25) 2 UC Davis 510(13) 3 Weber State 472(4) 4 Montana State 417 5 Montana 396(1) 6 Northern Arizona 302 7 Idaho State 285 8 Idaho 248 9 Cal Poly 196 10 Portland State 178 11 Southern Utah 160 12 Sacramento State 125 13 Northern Colorado 90
Big Sky coaches poll
Rank School Votes(1st) 1 Eastern Washington 140(10) 2 UC Davis 127(2) 3 Weber State 124 4 Montana 104(1) 5 Montana State 100 6 Northern Arizona 88 7 Idaho State 72 8 Idaho 65 9 Cal Poly 56 10 Portland State 42 11 Sacramento State 40 12 Southern Utah 38 13 Northern Colorado 19
STATS FCS POLL Rank School 1 North Dakota State 2 James Madison 3 South Dakota State 4 Eastern Washington 5 UC Davis 6 Jacksonville State 7 Maine 8 Weber State 9 Wofford 10 Kennesaw State 11 Towson 12 Nicholls 13 Colgate 14 Montana State 15 Illinois State 16 Indiana State 17 Southeast Missouri State 18 UNI 19 Furman 20 North Carolina A&T 21 Elon 22 Delaware 23 Sam Houston State 24 Princeton 25 Montana
Votes 3971 3635 3631 3594 3210 3004 2891 2827 2522 2361 2330 2156 1892 1866 1432 1192 1166 1136 1074 885 870 798 564 432 413
(first place) (142) (14) (1) (3)
Saturday, August 24, 2019 | 13
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14 | Saturday, August 24, 2019
GRIZZLY GAME DAY
Missoulian
BIG SKY CONFERENCE
New coaches hope to make splash Sac State’s Taylor, NAU’s Ball begin first year as head coaches GREG RACHAC
406mtsports.com
N
aturally, Chris Ball knows he has some big shoes to fill as the head football coach at Northern Arizona, a position former Montana assistant coach Jerome Souers held for the past 21 seasons. Souers was an institution on NAU’s Flagstaff, Arizona, campus, leading the Lumberjacks to 123 victories and breaking a barrier as the first Native American head football coach in Division I. “He did a tremendous job, and I have a lot of respect for Jerome,” Ball said last month during the Big Sky Kickoff media event at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington. Ball, most recently an FBS defensive coordinator at Memphis and Arizona State, is one of two new head coaches in the Big Sky this season; the other is Sacramento State’s Troy Taylor, the offensive coordinator at Utah the previous two seasons, who takes over for Jody Sears. Both are first-time college head coaches. Since being hired in December, the men have worked to instill a new culture within their respective programs — a drawn-out process that’s necessary in the face of transition. The Lumberjacks won just four games last year in Souers’ final campaign. They made the FCS playoffs in 2017 but haven’t won a Big Sky Conference championship since 2003, which Ball hopes to rectify with a specific set of values. “Character. We want to establish great character,” said Ball, who was one of five finalists for the head coaching job at Montana State in 2015 before Jeff Choate was eventually hired. “We want to establish a great work ethic, we want to establish some toughness, we want to be smart, and then we want to be talented.
Sacramento State Head Coach Troy Taylor
Northern Arizona Head Coach Chris Ball
Those are the things that we’re hanging our hat on right now. “That’s something we’re trying to instill in our guys, and so far they’ve done a great job. The kids have met the standard.” Sacramento State won seven games under Sears two years ago but otherwise have never made the FCS playoffs since jumping up to Division I and joining the Big Sky in 1996. Taylor’s doctrine is built on passion and devotion to the game, to the team, and to the institution. And Taylor, who went 63-8 overall in separate stints as a head coach at Folsom High School in the Sacramento area, is embracing what figures to be a significant duty in turning the Hornets around. “I’m here for a challenge. If I wanted to stay in an environment that was comfortable I never would have left Folsom High School. I would have just stayed there,” Taylor said said. “So I’m here for those challenges. That’s where the good stuff comes from.” A head coaching transition can be complicated for a given program, but Ball
has an ace up his sleeve in NAU senior quarterback Case Cookus. Cookus (6-4, 205) sat out most of last season with a shoulder injury — the second time he’s missed significant playing time in his career — but has proven to be as good as they come in the Big Sky Conference when healthy. Cookus has thrown for just under 8,000 yards in his career with 74 touchdown passes and a completion percentage of .634. In 2015, Cookus won the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the FCS. The value of Cookus’ presence isn’t lost on Ball. “Any time you’ve got a quarterback you’ve got a chance. To be honest with you, it’s one of the reasons I took the job,” Ball said. “He’s battled through adversity and it hasn’t fazed him. He shows up every day. He knew what he needed to do to make himself better. “He’s bigger, he’s stronger, he’s healthy … I’m really proud of the way he’s handled himself through this transition. He’s got great character, he’s smart, he’s got great work ethic and he’s tough.
And he’s talented. Those are things that he has, and any time you’ve got that at that quarterback position you’ve got a chance.” Taylor, a Cal grad, was the offensive coordinator at Eastern Washington in 2016 when Eagles quarterback Gage Gubrud threw for an FCS record 5,160 yards. Taylor’s sling-the-ball-aroundthe-yard philosophy won’t change at Sac State, and quarterback Kevin Thomson, running back Elijah Dotson and receiver Pierre Williams, etc., are expected to deliver. But Taylor offered that perhaps the most important move he’s made to this point was to pluck Andy Thompson from NAU to be Sac State’s defensive coordinator. Thompson, a former player at Montana, spent 10 years as the Lumberjacks’ defensive coordinator, where he coached more than 60 All-Big Sky selections. Ex-Montana, UNLV and Southern Illinois defensive coordinator Kraig Paulson, a Plentywood native, is also on Taylor’s staff as defensive line coach. Thompson and Co. have a big job: The Hornets finished second-to-last in the Big Sky in total defense in 2018. Taylor is a big believer in “process.” He said positive results will eventually come to a program starving for greater success. “Obviously we want to win and be authentic about that, but you don’t win by talking about it,” Taylor said. “You do that by being in the moment. We will spend the exact amount of time on a game whether we’ve won or we’ve lost. We’ll give the same emotion and energy to that. “One moment is not bigger than any other, so it’s about each day. I know that sounds trite in coach-talk, but anybody who’s really good at anything, they’re in that moment and they’re enjoying it. “Are we going to be a great program? Are we going to win championships? Absolutely. I don’t know when that’s going to happen, but it will happen.” Email Greg Rachac at Greg. Rachac@406mtsports.com or follow him on Twitter at @gregrachac.
GRIZZLY GAME DAY
GRIZ TRIVIA 1. Bobby Hauck became Montana’s all-time winningest coach last season. What’s his career record leading the Griz? a) 84-24 b) 85-23 c) 86-22 d) 87-21 2. Montana tied for sixth in the Big Sky Conference last season. When was the last time the Griz won at least a share of the league title? a) 2009 b) 2011 c) 2013 d) 2015 3. Montana linebacker Dante Olson set the school’s single-season record for total tackles last season. How many did he have? a) 130 b) 131 c) 150 d) 151
Answers: 1) C. 2) A., 2011 title vacated due to NCAA violations 3) D.
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