Missoulian, Saturday, December 1, 2018 — E1
MONTANA SEASON IN REVIEW • 6-5 OVERALL, 4-4 CONFERENCE • 6TH IN BIG SKY • SATURDAY, DEC. 1, 2018
BETTING ON HIMSELF Eric Williams excels on, off field with driven approach
TOMMY MARTINO, Missoulian
SEASON ANALYSIS • PICKS: THE STAFF PICKS THE FCS PLAYOFFS • AWARDS: GRIZ PLAYERS EARN HONORS
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E2 — Missoulian, Saturday, December 1, 2018
GRIZZLY GAME DAY | SEASON IN REVIEW
GROWING PAINS
Youth, lack of depth, persistent problems held Grizzlies back FRANK GOGOLA 406mtsports.com
New coach. New quarterback. Running back suspended for nonconference play. Four offensive linemen with no starts. Multiple transfers in the defensive backfield. Josh Buss coming off an injury. Dante Olson and Sammy Akem being unproven players. Maybe a 6-5 record shouldn’t have been too surprising for Montana coming into the season. There were a lot of unknowns, and while the Griz solved some of their questions, other issues became exposed as glaring weaknesses for a team with little depth. But then again, 6-5 is quite the disheartening finish for a team that started 4-1, had a schedule that was set up for a jaunt to the playoffs but lost games in unfathomable fashion. Anything short of a postseason berth would’ve been unacceptable for many inside and outside the program with Bobby Hauck’s return. Hauck came to recognize the reality of the situation, admitting after the team dropped its third consecutive game to fall to 4-4 that “maybe it’s not unexpected,” and as the season wound down, he regularly referred to the group as a young team getting better. The Griz were done in by poor offensive line play, a failure to convert short-yardage plays, untimely turnovers and blown leads in the fourth quarter. Those issues were front and center in the fourth quarter of their season-ending loss to Montana State on Saturday, culminating with a fumble on the 1-yard line
Jeff Choate. “Dalton Sneed, I’m telling you man, that guy is a gamer,” Choate said. “That dude is a heck of a football player. He was difficult for us to get on the ground, and he was all about leading his team down, too. It wasn’t a perfect game, but it was a great game.” Sophomore wide receiver Sammy Akem became a breakout star, grabbing a league-high 13 touchdowns and ranking fifth in the conference with 79.9 receiving yards per game. Junior linebacker Dante Olson obliterated the program’s single-season tackles record by 21 stops, finishing with 151, tops in the country. Redshirt freshman safety Robby Hauck transferred in and didn’t wilt under the pressure of being the coach’s son, ranking second on the team with 95 tackles and fourth with four PARKER SEIBOLD, Missoulian pass breakups. Montana punter Eric Williams sits on the bench alone after the Griz lost Saturday in the 118th Brawl of the Wild. Bobby Hauck went with a contingent of younger players, nearly blew a 26-0 halftime lead maybe thinking he could win regard. We’ll just recruit, keep in the closing seconds. with them now, but if not, he against Northern Iowa, the only The performance accentuated coaching and I think we have a took some lumps this year for the persistent problems that kept chance to be a pretty good foot- scholarship team they beat that a brighter future by developing ball team here in a couple years.” ended the regular season with a them from a potential playoff them for next season instead of winning record (6-5). Montana showed flashes of berth, which could’ve cleansed “I haven’t seen a great team yet relying on seniors who won’t the palate of a painful season that being a good team, but struggled be back. this year, including us,” Hauck included the most points allowed to put it all together on a conThe Griz will lose 12 seniors, said. “When we look in the mirsistent basis. The Griz fumbled by a Hauck-coached Montana only four of whom were regular ror, we certainly aren’t.” team, the first three-game losing away wins against the Cats and starters, and Hauck offered the The inconsistencies in Portland State. They melted streak since 1992, the largest belief that their contributions performance could be a reason down in the fourth quarter margin of defeat at home since helped lay the foundation for for doubt going forward, but against Western Illinois. They 1985 and the first time losing the future. there should be hope for the three consecutive home games in failed to convert a key fourth “I really respect and appreciate down against UC Davis and gave future with returning players the same season since 1983. our seniors because the day we and with Hauck bringing in his up 46 unanswered points in Following the third conwalked in the door, we told them own recruits. the second half. Against North secutive loss to the Cats, which things were going to change,” Junior quarterback Dalton Dakota, turnovers on their first Hauck called “gut-wrenching” Hauck said. “They didn’t do anythree possessions took them out Sneed displayed much-needed twice afterward, he promised to thing but ask for more. I think in athleticism and versatility with of their game plan. get the rivalry back to where it this day and age, in particular, an inexperienced offensive line, Even some of the victories was during his first tenure, when ranking second in the conference it’s unusual for those guys to be weren’t inspiring. The Griz the Griz went to the playoffs all united and just ask for more and struggled in the first half against in total offense with 2,723 yards seven seasons. ‘What do we got to do?’ They’re through the air and 675 on the nonscholarship Drake and for “We have the temperament,” so receptive to everything. I think ground. He threw for a seasona good portion of the game Hauck said of why he thinks a that just their tenor through the against a Sacramento State team high 354 yards on Saturday, turnaround is possible. “We’ve last 11 months has put us maybe and his performance impressed that finished 0-7 in conference established that, changed the a year ahead.” Montana State head coach play. In the season opener, they culture in our program, in that
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E4 — Missoulian, Saturday, December 1, 2018
GRIZZLY GAME DAY | ERIC WILLIAMS
Taking the long way home Loyola grad leaves state, comes back to help Griz FRANK GOGOLA 406mtsports.com
Eric Williams sat alone on a bench along the sideline at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. He hunched forward and buried his face in his hands. The Montana senior punter, wearing his maroon jersey and white pants, had emotions swirling around inside his head on that sunny Nov. 17 day. The feelings were far from those of elation and excitement that he had experienced earlier in the day when he ran out of the Topel Tunnel for the final time on senior day. The Griz had just lost in heartbreaking fashion to in-state rival Montana State, fumbling on the goal line in the closing seconds of what became an instant classic in the 118-year history of the series. “It was a lot of compounding emotion,” Williams said. “The feeling of being a literal step away from getting to play the next week, almost certainly, and having another opportunity to practice and play, and going from that in a matter of a second to knowing you’ll never play another down of football, it’s a big swing. “And there’s a lot on top of that. Losing the rivalry game is hard on anyone, regardless of it’s the last game or not.” The fact that Williams was even on the sideline playing for the Griz as a key special teams weapon was something he didn’t think was possible five years earlier when he was a high school senior with no Division I offers. The Missoula native, Loyola Sacred Heart grad and Division III transfer bet on himself and
ERIC WILLIAMS No. 35 Year: Redshirt senior Positions: Punter Height: 6-foot Weight: 188 Hometown: Missoula High School: Loyola Sacred Heart came out on top because of a driven approach that helped him become a state champion in football, earn a Division I scholarship and get a prestigious internship at Goldman Sachs. “I certainly never thought that I would play Division I football,” Williams said. “Obviously, I didn’t have the opportunity to do that right away. It was more of a dream than something I had as a serious goal.”
Finding his footing The Griz held a special place to Williams long before he got to play for them. Three generations of his family attended the school, and his family held season tickets, so he regularly
TOMMY MARTINO Missoulian
Montana punter Eric Williams boots a punt away in the fourth quarter against Idaho on Nov. 10.
Missoulian, Saturday, December 1, 2018 — E5
GRIZZLY GAME DAY | ERIC WILLIAMS went to home games until he started playing high school sports and had to miss some games. Williams played Little Grizzly Football from fifth through eighth grade, but when he went to Loyola, he decided to play soccer in the fall. He spent two years on the soccer team but chose to challenge himself by going out for the football team as a junior. “The soccer program at the time was still relatively developmental, didn’t win a lot of games, wasn’t as competitive as what I wanted for my sports experience,” Williams said. “The football team was quite the contrary. It was very competitive, won a lot of games and made the playoffs. I wanted to be a part of something that was a little bit more serious, more competitive and had a winning culture around it.” Williams served as the Rams’ punter and kicker on back-to-back state championship teams in 2012 and 2013. He hadn’t considered a college playing career when he joined but got more serious about it as a senior. He went to kicking camps and high school showcases and received offers from Division III schools, which don’t offer athletic scholarships, and a preferred walk-on spot at Montana State. He chose to attend Carleton, a Division III school in Northfield, Minnesota, because of the high-quality academics. He played through a knee injury as a true freshman and was second or tied for second in the conference in three statistical categories. Williams liked the tiny classes and challenging courses, but the small school size and remote location never grew on him. He also felt things on the field were coming too easy. He wanted to prove
to himself that he could play at a higher level. “It wasn’t as competitive as I had hoped it would be,” Williams said. “Part of me wanted a little bit more of a challenge in that realm.”
teams, instead earning an 10-week internship at honorable mention. Goldman Sachs in Salt Unlike Whelan, WilLake City. liams is now out of college The oldest of three eligibility. He graduated brothers, he thought he’d go into law and be an attor- this past spring, was ney like his father, grandfa- a two-time academic ther and great grandfather. All-Big Sky honoree and Earning a spot made the Dean’s List He didn’t initially enjoy math, essential in finance, every semester. After his freshman year, Williams is training but came to find his calling Williams sent his film to for Pro Day in the spring in that field. Division I schools to see if and a shot at professional “As I went through anyone had interest in him football. He also got an school, specifically as a transfer. He didn’t offer to return to Goldman college,” Williams said, get any offers, so he came Sachs and is keeping his “I realized that I liked home, enrolled at Montana options open. numbers and I liked the and helped coach special If he’s played his last way that they moved teams at Loyola since snap, his football days the world.” he’d have to sit out a year When he was rehabbing ended on a sour note, anyway as a transfer. finishing with an 0-3 mark from having his appendix Williams went out for against Montana State. removed during winter winter conditioning at In the days after he sat in of his freshman year at Montana with no promise TOMMY MARTINO, Missoulian Carleton, he created his disbelief on the sideline of making the team. He at Washington-Grizzly earned a walk-on invite to Montana punter Eric Williams (35) looks on before the game. own college basketball Stadium, he reflected on algorithm to project a 2016 spring camp, where his path to this point but playing time, it was really Adding up team’s ability to beat any he got reps as a punter, was already preparing for exciting,” Williams said. other team. kicker and wide receiver. When Williams went his next move. Earning a scholarship This past season, he “A lot of punters and to Carleton, it was the “You start to think going into his second made an algorithm to rank kickers have dreams that continuation of his about how blessed you year, Williams upped the efficiency of punters they’re maybe better academically oriented were to be in a position his number of punts of across all of Division I athletes than they are,” childhood to get into a that you got to play for 50-plus yards and more football. The ‘punter Williams said of playing prestigious school. His your hometown team that than doubled the number score,’ as he calls it, uses wide receiver. “For the transfer in order to find a spring, that allowed me to of punts he placed inside better football opportunity stats like gross punt aver- you grew up appreciating and loving and that you the 20-yard line while also didn’t end up derailing his age, punts placed inside be probably in a position got to actually play and handling kickoff duties. the 20-yard line and that was suited for better plan to build his finance see the field and play in a athletes than myself, but it He focused on punting and business resume since much more. He didn’t want to share rivalry game like we have,” was really fun to play wide in 2018, tallying career he took the initiative in highs in average yards per the real world like he had too much but offered that Williams said. “Then you receiver for the spring.” move onto the future and punt (42.1), punts inside UC Davis sophomore At first, he became a before on the field. appreciate all the things punter Daniel Whelan “is viral sensation for kicking the 20-yard line (22) and First, he did an internthat college sports gave longest punt (61 yards). better than people give a ball across the field and ship in Missoula at SGL you and know that it all The biggest adjustinto a trash can on the Investment Advisors. The him credit for.” Whelan comes to an end eventument, aside from dealing didn’t make any of the other sideline. But Wilbig one came this past ally.” with faster players trying All-Big Sky top three liams stuck as a punter summer, when he got a to block his punts, was and became a starter in his first year following the handling the unique nature of playing for his graduation of placekicker Daniel Sullivan and punter hometown team. DRINK/BEER SPECIALS EVERYDAY “You have to remove the Chris Lider. WATCH ALL THE NFL GAMES IN THE BOWL DOG LOUNGE! AFTER GAME ENJOY A BEVERAGE AND ONE OF OUR FRESHLY MADE PIZZAS! nostalgia that previously In 2016, he averaged existed with your relation40.5 yards per punt, BOWLING SPECIALS: www.missoulabowling.com $1.00 BOWLING EVERY SUNDAY, MONDAY AND ship with the team and playing in all 11 games WEDNESDAY EVENING AT 9PM! CHECK OUT OUR make sure that it’s now and doing kickoffs in Happy Hour ENTERTAINMENT IN THE BOWL DOG LOUNGE ON more of a business-like the rivalry game against Mon-Sun WED, THURS, FRI AND SAT NIGHTS. KARAOKE BY Montana State, one of his relationship,” Williams 4:30-6:00 SOLID SOUND AND RMF DJ SERVICES! Karaoke will be said. “Now, it’ll be fun top three memories with Wed, Thurs because I can be a fan the Griz. and Fri again and hopefully left a “Being able to come in @ 8:30pm and and prove that I belong on positive mark during my 2nd and last the team and immediately time as a player and will Sat @ 9:00 get to watch other people come into a role where I 1615 Wyoming • 721-5263 • OPEN MON.-SUN. 9am-2am get pretty good amounts of take the same steps.”
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E6 — Missoulian, Saturday, December 1, 2018
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E8 — Missoulian, Saturday, December 1, 2018
GRIZZLY GAME DAY
Sneed, Olson earn elite honors Griz have 11 players honored with awards by Big Sky Conference FRANK GOGOLA 406mtsports.com
Montana quarterback Dalton Sneed was named the Big Sky Conference newcomer of the year and linebacker Dante Olson made the All-Big Sky first team, highlighting the 11 Griz players who received postseason recognition from the league. Sneed, who transferred from
UNLV, ranked second in the conference with 3,398 yards of total offense. The 6-foot-1, 207pound junior from Scottsdale, Arizona, completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He ran for a team-high 675 yards and six touchdowns, the second most on the team. “All because of the great coaching and teammates I have around me,” Sneed wrote in a Twitter post about being named the newcomer of the year. Olson ended the year with 151 total tackles, the most in the FCS or FBS. The 6-foot-3,
237-pound junior from Medford, Oregon, ranked second in the league with three forced fumbles, fourth with six sacks and eighth with 11 tackles for loss. Olson is also one of 25 finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented annually to the top defensive player in the FCS. Four Grizzlies made the All-Big Sky second team: wide receiver Sammy Akem, linebacker Josh Buss, Jerry LouieMcGee as a return specialist and Jace Lewis as a special teams player. Akem led the conference and was sixth in the country with 13 receiving touchdowns, but he
Olson named Montana’s team MVP Griz honor players at team banquet
tallying 3,398 yards of total offense, the second-best mark in the conference, and 28 total touchdowns. FRANK GOGOLA Sophomore wide 406mtsports.com receiver Sammy Akem The Montana Grizzlies picked up the Terry Dillon Award for outstanding announced their football back or receiver after award winners at a team grabbing 13 touchdowns, banquet on Nov. 18, one tied for sixth most in day after their season ended with a loss to Mon- the country. Malik Flowers and tana State. Junior linebacker Dante Mike McGinnis, a Sidney native, were named the Olson was named both the overall MVP, as voted Hauck Family special teams players of the year. on by the team, and the defensive MVP. Olson set Flowers had a 95-yard touchdown return against a school record with 151 Western Illinois. total tackles, the most Safeties Robby Hauck in the country, and had and Gavin Robertson each 11 tackles for loss, three got the Golden Helmet forced fumbles and two Award as the team’s hardinterceptions. est hitters. Junior quarterback Sophomore left tackle Dalton Sneed was named Conlan Beaver got the the offensive MVP,
Paul Weskamp Award for the top offensive lineman. David Shaw and Jesse Sims, a Stevensville native and Corvallis grad, shared the Larry Miller Award for outstanding defensive lineman. Senior linebacker Josh Buss won the Pat Norwood Award for being the most inspirational player. As the players who best represent Griz football, fifth-year seniors Reggie Tilleman and Kyle Davis shared the Tony Barbour Award. True freshman Garrett Graves, a Eureka native, was picked as the offensive scout team player of the year, while sophomore walk-on transfer Patrick O’Connell, a Kalispell native, was tabbed as the defensive scout team player of the year.
was fifth in the league with 79.9 receiving yards per game, 34.6 behind the Big Sky leader. Buss, who was coming off an injury, finished second in the conference with three forced fumbles, fourth with two fumble recoveries, sixth with 5.5 sacks, 14th with nine tackles for loss and 19th with 75 total tackles. Defensive end Jesse Sims was Montana’s lone All-Big Sky third team selection. The Stevensville native and Corvallis grad tallied 42 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble. The Griz placed six players
on the all-conference honorable mention list. Sneed made it as a quarterback, and Louie-McGee was selected as a wide receiver. The four others are kicker Tim Semenza, defensive tackle David Shaw, defensive end Reggie Tilleman and safety Robby Hauck. Hauck is also one of 20 finalists for the Jerry Rice Award, presented annually to the top freshman player in the FCS. Only three of Montana’s 11 allconference honorees are seniors, meaning eight are expected to return next season. The Griz finished the season 6-5 overall and 4-4 in conference play.
2 Griz up for national awards FRANK GOGOLA 406mtsports.com
positive when you have people being recognized. “A good year by these Montana linebacker guys. I know that both Dante Olson and safety Robby Hauck were named of them would trade any type of personal accolade finalists for national for one more win on our awards on Nov. 19. schedule. But, good job by Olson was announced these guys. as a finalist for the Buck Olson finished the Buchanan Award, presented annually to the FCS season with 151 total tackles, the most in the defensive player of the FBS or FCS, breaking the year. Hauck was named a school’s single-season finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, presented annually record of 130. The 6-footto the FCS freshman player 3, 237-pound junior from Medford, Oregon, ranked of the year. second in the conference “To have two finalists with three forced fumbles, for national player of the year awards, the freshman fourth with six sacks and and the defensive player of eighth with 11 tackles the year award, is certainly for loss. Olson is one of 25 finala great thing for our team ists for the award. “That’s and our program,” Monawesome,” Olson said of tana head coach Bobby making the list. “It’s truly Hauck said. “It shows these guys had a nice year an honor. Like I’ve said with some help from their before, it’s a blessing from God. Take a few days to teammates. Obviously, you don’t ever accomplish reflect on the season and what we accomplished anything on the field as a group. Coming back alone, but it always is a
on Monday, we’ll get started gearing up for next season.” Robby Hauck, who transferred from Northern Arizona and wasn’t cleared by the NCAA until the summer, finished the season with 95 total tackles, tops among FCS freshmen. His 8.6 tackles per game rank 45th in the FCS and third among freshmen. The 5-foot-10, 179-pound redshirt freshman added 2.5 tackles for loss and four pass breakups. Hauck is one of 20 finalists for the award. “Obviously, it’s an honor to represent my team and this university,” Hauck said. “It’s the same sort of thing both these guys have said is I’ll take some time to reflect on the season and what I can do to improve. I’m looking forward to get rolling into the offseason and just improve what we need to improve. But, yeah, it’s an honor.”
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E10 — Missoulian, Saturday, December 1, 2018
GRIZZLY GAME DAY
HOW WE SEE THE PLAYOFFS are ranked No. 2, but they’re seeded No. 4 behind NDSU, Weber and Eastern Washington. The Wildcats came within three points of reaching the semifinal round last December and because of their vaunted defense, they’re my pick to reach the championship this season along with North Dakota State. Bill: Weber State 28, Southeast Missouri 14. Frank: Weber State 27, Southeast Missouri State 16. Kyle Houghtaling: Wildcats 24, Redhawks 17.
BILL SPELTZ 406mtsports.com
No city in the country compares to Missoula when it comes to the Football Championship Subdivision game-day atmosphere. But the city of Fargo, with its powerhouse North Dakota State team, comes close. The whole town seems to be sporting green and yellow on days when the Bison play in the Fargodome. You definitely know you’re in hostile territory when NDSU takes to the field to the sounds of hard rock music blaring. The hometown crowd goes crazy and it must be a little unnerving for opposing teams when combined with the jawdropping success of the Bison, with their six FCS titles in the last seven years. Montana State (8-4) will take its best shot at the Bison Saturday afternoon in an FCS playoff quarterfinal. I say good luck with that. It’s not that I want to see the Bobcats lose. I’m a fan of defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak, a former Montana Grizzly assistant, and MSU is chock full of former Montana preps. It’s just not worth the energy rooting for the Cats because winning is not going to happen. I do have an interesting side note about NDSU head coach Chris Klieman. I remember watching him play defensive back for Northern Iowa back in the late 1980s and I remember writing about him back when he coached DIII Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. Here’s a little-know fact about Klieman’s foray into head coaching on the DIII level: He spent one season at the helm for the Duhawks and his record was 3-7. The moral of that story is it’s all about the situation. Pro, college, high school — the situation has a great bearing on whether an individual succeeds, no matter how good he is as a player or coach. That’s largely due to the fact it takes a lot of bodies to make a good football program. Anyway, the Bison have too much offense for the Bobcats. Montana State can be proud of how far it has advanced, but it’s over Saturday. No. 23 Montana State at No. 1 North Dakota State: The Bison average 459 yards of offense per game. The Bobcats average 378. In order to compete,
BILL SPELTZ
KYLE HOUGHTALING
FRANK GOGOLA
0-0
0-0
0-0
49, Nicholls State 24. Kyle Houghtaling: Eagles 48, Colonels 30.
Montana State must find a way to keep the ball away from North Dakota State’s offense. Plus the Cats need to adjust to a loud crowd because they can’t afford penalties. It’s not that I’m picking on the Cats here. I just don’t think anyone on the FCS level can beat NDSU in Fargo right now. Bill: Bison 45, Bobcats 17. Frank: North Dakota State 42, Montana State 14. Kyle Houghtaling: Bison 41, Cats 13.
No. 14 Nicholls State at No. 4 Eastern Washington: The Eagles have averaged over 45 points per game this season. They’ve been extra good lately, averaging 60 in their three wins leading up to the playoffs. Considering they’re extra tough to beat on the red turf in Cheney, Washington, it’s hard to pick against the Eagles. And it’s not like Nicholls State (9-3) knocked off a heavyweight in the first round of the playoffs. The Colonels advanced with a 49-30 win over non-scholarship San Diego in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Bill: Eagles 54, Colonels 24. Frank: Eastern Washington
No. 20 SE Missouri State at No. 3 Weber State: The Wildcats (9-2) secured the No. 2 seed in the FCS playoffs and that’s huge, because they will have home-field advantage all the way to the championship game if they keep winning. Kennesaw State (10-1) has a better record than Weber and the Owls
Northern Iowa at No. 7 UC Davis: The Montana Grizzlies can feel good about beating the Panthers in their first game of the season. Plus, let’s face it, the Griz had the Aggies on the ropes until fading in the second half on Oct. 27. Anyway, getting back to the present, Davis (9-2) has had one heck of a breakout season and its offense is going to be too much for Northern Iowa to handle. Bill: Davis 41, Northern Iowa 24. Frank: UC Davis 38, Northern Iowa 28. Kyle Houghtaling: Panthers 30, Aggies 28. Bill Speltz is the Deputy Sports Editor of the Missoulian. Email him at bill. speltz@406mtsports.com.
406MTSPORTS.COM
Missoulian, Saturday, December 1, 2018 — E11
GRIZZLY GAME DAY | STAT PACK
BY THE NUMBERS MONTANA (6-5) STATISTICS
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 QB Sneed 1-0
Defensive leaders
Tackles 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 LB Olson 11.0-55 LB Buss 9.0-49 LB Lewis 7.5-29 DE Tilleman 5.0-6 DE Deming 4.0-17 LB Welnel 3.5-11 DT Sims 3.5-7 S Hauck 2.5-8 DE Nelson 2.0-8 CB Calhoun 1.5-12 S Robertson 1.0-11 DE Nagler 1.0-6 LB Cochran 1.0-2 DT Shaw 0.5-3 DE Harris 0.5-3 S Miller 0.5-1 S Sandry 0.5-1 DE Rodriguez 0.5-1 Sacks LB Olson 6.0-43 LB Buss 5.5-44 LB Lewis 2.5-20 DE Deming 2.0-14 LB Welnel 2.0-9 CB Calhoun 1.0-11 S Robertson 1.0-11 DE Nagler 1.0-6 DT Sims 1.0-3 DE Tilleman 1.0-2 DT Shaw 0.5-3 DE Harris 0.5-3
Interceptions CB Dareon Nash 2-40, 1 TD LB Olson 2-51 S Miller 2-37 S Sandry 2-32 LB Buss 1-0 CB Calhoun 1-0 Fumbles forced-recovered LB Buss 3-2, 1 TD LB Olson 3-0 LB Welnel 2-0 DT Sims 1-0 CB Calhoun 1-0 DE Deming 1-0 WR Louie-McGee 1-0 S Miller 0-2 CB Nash 0-1 DT Shaw 0-1 LS O’Donoghue 0-1 Pass breakups LB Lewis 2 CB Nash 7 CB Calhoun 6 S Epperly 1 S Sandry 5 CB Cowans 1 S Hauck 4 DE Tilleman 1 LB Olson 3 DT Shaw 1 S Miller 2 LB Buss 2 DE Nelson 1
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
Big Sky Individual Regular-Season Leaders Total Offense G Plays Yds Yds Pg Gueller,Idaho St. 11 457 3,471 315.5 Sneed,Montana 11 515 3,398 308.9 Maier,UC Davis 11 504 3,347 304.3 Barriere,Eastern Wash. 9 263 1,956 217.3 Alexander,Portland St. 11 350 2,210 200.9 Petrino,Idaho 11 410 2,178 198.0 Andersen,Montana St. 11 332 2,106 191.5 Constanti,Weber St. 10 295 1,658 165.8 Protheroe,Cal Poly 11 363 1,810 164.5 Jenkins,Cal Poly 10 280 1,441 144.1 Scoring G PAT A FG FGA Pts Avg Andersen,Montana St. 11 0 0 0 116 10.5 Alcobenda,Eastern Wash. 10 55 13 13 93 9.3 Sheidow,Idaho St. 11 49 12 18 82 7.5 Tuttle,Weber St. 11 31 17 26 82 7.5 O’Rourke,UC Davis 11 52 10 13 81 7.4 Gilliam,UC Davis 11 0 0 0 80 7.3 Vega,Cal Poly 10 39 11 12 72 7.2 Semenza,Montana 11 43 13 17 79 7.2 Akem,Montana 11 0 0 0 78 7.1 Protheroe,Cal Poly 11 0 0 0 78 7.1 Medeiros,Sacramento St. 8 26 10 15 56 7.0 Alexander,Portland St. 11 0 0 0 72 6.5 Williams,Portland St. 11 37 11 14 70 6.4 Bailey,Montana St. 11 39 11 15 69 6.3 Leading Rushers G Car RuYD Tds Yds Pg Protheroe,Cal Poly 11 363 1,810 13 164.5 Davis,Weber St. 10 224 1,288 9 128.8 Dotson,Sacramento St. 10 185 1,154 9 115.4 Andersen,Montana St. 11 161 1,199 19 109.0 McPherson,Eastern Wash. 11 130 1,008 9 91.6 Madison,Idaho St. 11 194 974 11 88.5
Saunders,Idaho 11 203 911 6 82.8 Ifanse,Montana St. 11 154 843 7 76.6 Green,Southern Utah 11 162 829 7 75.4 Flanagan,Idaho St. 11 132 803 8 73.0 Gilliam,UC Davis 11 149 796 10 72.4 Hall,Northern Colo. 11 161 757 7 68.8 Jenkins,Cal Poly 10 191 664 9 66.4 Sneed,Montana 11 131 675 6 61.4 Leading Passers G Att Cp InL Yds Tds Pts Gueller,Idaho St. 11 340 193 10 3,101 27 153.7 Maier,UC Davis 11 477 310 6 3,387 31 143.6 Barriere,Eastern Wash. 9 202 118 4 1,503 13 138.2 Sneed,Montana 11 384 241 7 2,723 22 137.6 Constanti,Weber St. 10 259 166 8 1,734 12 129.4 Alexander,Portland St. 11 238 126 7 1,786 11 125.3 Petrino,Idaho 11 333 199 8 1,933 15 118.6 Andersen,Montana St. 11 171 96 6 907 2 97.5 Receptions Per Game G Ct ReYd Ct Pg Doss,UC Davis 11 100 1,054 9.1 Ungerer,Idaho 11 69 697 6.3 Wesley,Northern Colo. 10 57 1,050 5.7 Gueller,Idaho St. 11 62 1,259 5.6 Webster,Eastern Wash. 11 60 1,021 5.5 Akem,Montana 11 59 879 5.4 Harrell,UC Davis 11 53 761 4.8 Measom,Southern Utah 9 43 589 4.8 Haywood,Idaho 11 51 489 4.6 Cotton,Idaho 11 49 656 4.5 Dean,Idaho St. 11 49 863 4.5 Rutledge,Southern Utah 11 47 504 4.3 Receiving Yards Per Game G Ct ReYd RecYD Gueller,Idaho St. 11 62 1,259 114.5 Wesley,Northern Colo. 10 57 1,050 105.0
Doss,UC Davis 11 100 1,054 95.8 Webster,Eastern Wash. 11 60 1,021 92.8 Akem,Montana 11 59 879 79.9 Dean,Idaho St. 11 49 863 78.5 Butler,Northern Ariz. 9 35 676 75.1 Harrell,UC Davis 11 53 761 69.2 Measom,Southern Utah 9 43 589 65.4 Taumoepea,Portland St. 9 28 580 64.4 Ungerer,Idaho 11 69 697 63.4 Koski,Cal Poly 11 33 666 60.5 Cotton,Idaho 11 49 656 59.6 Interceptions Per Game G InG Yds TD IPG Alleyne,Montana St. 9 5 102 0 .6 Boyd Jr.,Northern Colo. 10 4 97 1 .4 Johnson,Northern Ariz. 10 4 88 0 .4 Sutton,Northern Ariz. 8 3 22 0 .4 Benjamin,Weber St. 11 4 41 0 .4 Stice,Weber St. 11 4 72 0 .4 Tucker,Eastern Wash. 11 4 49 0 .4 Dorsey,Northern Ariz. 10 3 10 0 .3 Frasch,Cal Poly 10 3 0 0 .3 Aguirre,Idaho St. 11 3 112 0 .3 Brown,Idaho St. 11 3 31 1 .3 Lewis,Eastern Wash. 11 3 16 0 .3 Moe,UC Davis 11 3 61 0 .3 Punt Returns G PRYd Yds Avg Davis,Weber St. 10 14 224 16.0 Ungerer,Idaho 11 14 198 14.1 Louie-McG,Montana 11 24 222 9.3 Shaheed,Weber St. 11 15 106 7.1 Thomas,UC Davis 11 27 133 4.9 Kickoff Returns G No KRYd Avg Shaheed,Weber St. 11 15 521 34.7
Cockett,Southern Utah 10 14 422 30.1 Flowers,Montana 11 22 607 27.6 Modise,UC Davis 11 29 682 23.5 Dorton,Eastern Wash. 11 15 323 21.5 Ison,Northern Colo. 11 20 425 21.3 Yancy,Idaho St. 11 15 277 18.5 Campbell,Cal Poly 11 14 242 17.3 Punting G Punts Avg Alcobenda,Eastern Wash. 10 37 45.9 Arnson,Northern Ariz. 10 54 44.6 Coffey,Idaho 11 64 44.1 Williams,Montana 11 57 42.1 Miller,Southern Utah 11 50 42.0 Padmos,Montana St. 11 57 41.9 Root,Northern Colo. 10 45 41.7 Whelan,UC Davis 11 57 41.4 Lloyd,Weber St. 11 67 40.2 Ryan,Idaho St. 11 50 39.9 Hoolihan,Sacramento St. 10 58 39.1 Niesner,Portland St. 11 53 38.5 Sublette,Cal Poly 11 52 38.1 Field Goals G FG FGA Pct PG Tuttle,Weber St. 11 17 26 .000 1.55 Alcobenda,Eastern Wash. 10 13 13 .000 1.30 Medeiros,Sacramento St. 8 10 15 .000 1.25 Semenza,Montana 11 13 17 .000 1.18 Vega,Cal Poly 10 11 12 .000 1.10 Sheidow,Idaho St. 11 12 18 .000 1.09 Bailey,Montana St. 11 11 15 .000 1.00 Williams,Portland St. 11 11 14 .000 1.00 O’Rourke,UC Davis 11 10 13 .000 .91 Berz,Southern Utah 11 8 13 .000 .73 Coffey,Idaho 11 8 11 .000 .73
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