Griz Game Day November 21, 2009 by Missoulian

G2 – Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Cover Story: Shann Schillinger

Going the distance Schillinger was driven – literally – to reach his Big Sky destination By FRITZ NEIGHBOR of the Missoulian

Shann Schillinger can look back over his college career and count the number of Big Sky Conference losses on one finger. He can remember the chaotic end to the 2008 “Brawl of the Wild” – a 73-yard interception return against the Bobcats by George Mercer for which Schillinger flew escort – and think, it doesn’t get any better. And he can think back to making the eight-hour drive from Baker to Missoula for the Grizzly football camp, in the summer of 2004, just to make sure Bobby Hauck and his staff would see what he could do. “I played DB and receiver, and tried to do whatever I could to get a look,” Schillinger said Tuesday. “Me and Ty (Palmer) always laugh about it, because he used to throw to me. The good old days.” Palmer’s a receiver these days, and Schillinger is a safety, and the days remain good for the unbeaten Griz, even if they’re numbered. Fifty-two. That’s how many game days Schillinger has suited up for as a Griz, heading into Saturday’s “Brawl of the Wild,” the 109th meeting between Montana and Montana State in Bozeman. Montana has gone 47-5 in that time, including a 30-1

MICHAEL GALLACHER/Missoulian

mark in Big Sky games. “It seems like yesterday I was a little 170-pound kid from Baker, coming into Missoula to play for the Griz,” Schillinger says now. “Kind of a dream come true. It’s winding down, and it’s more than I could ask for – tremendous players, but tremendous guys off the field. I’ve been blessed to be able to play alongside them. “But it’s not quite time to reflect yet,” he adds. “Hopefully we can ride this out for a few weeks longer.” Defensive coordinator Kraig Paulson was the first Griz coach to contact Schillinger, who played quarterback and safety at Baker, an oil and agricultural town in southeastern Montana. But it was Schillinger who noticed UM first, well before he wrapped up a high school career that saw the Spartans go 49-1 and win three State B football titles. The young man wanted to go west. “I graduated from up there,” noted Shann’s father Jim, a retired teacher and coach who was recruited out of Circle by Jack Swarthout. “And we tried to always watch the Griz games on TV when we could. And so he’s always been a bit interested. I guess he kind of asked me about going to their camp the summer between his See Schillinger, Page G5

Montana safety Shann Schillinger has suited up for 52 games in his career. The Baker native has 45 tackles and an interception this season.

Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; G3

G4 – Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Stat pack

BY THE NUMBERS MONTANA (10-0) Scoring average Rushing yards Avg./Rush Passing Passing yards Average per pass Total offense Average per play 3rd-down conversions Time of possession Fumbles-lost Kick returns Punt returns Punting Sacks by-yards Montana Opponents

39 48

Griz

Opp

34.7 181.4 4.5 186-306-7 257.9 8.4 439.3 6.2 72-147 29:21 15-7 32-22.8 26-16.2 36-39.7 15-85

17.8 87.5 3.0 246-420-14 263.6 6.3 351.1 4.9 55-152 30:39 13-5 54-19.1 8-6.2 57-37.7 9-65

114 43

73 114 38 49

7 0

– 347 – 178

Rushing Chase Reynolds 226-1096 (4.8 ypc.), long 54, 15 TDs Thomas Brooks-Fletcher 74-304 (4.1 ypc.), long 18, 2 TDs Peter Nguyen 23-147 (6.4 ypc.), long 57, 1 TD Andrew Selle 27-92(3.4 ypc.), long 34, 0 TDs Justin Roper 16-72 (4.5 ypc.), long 22, 0 TDs Gerald Kemp 15-67 (4.5 ypc.), long 15, 0 TDs Passing Andrew Selle 123-199-3 for 1,778 yards, long 68, 15 TDs Justin Roper 63-105-3 for 801 yards, long 84, 7 TDs Gerald Kemp 0-1-1 for 0 yards Receiving Marc Mariani 44-917 (20.8 ypc.), long 84, 7 TDs Tyler Palmer 26-332 (12.8 ypc.), long 25, 3 TDs Chase Reynolds 24-218 (9.1 ypc.), long 36, 2 TDs Jabin Sambrano 21-321 (15.3 ypc.), long 57, 1 TD Stephen Pfahler 18-257 (14.3 ypc.), long 33, 3 TDs Sam Gratton 18-155 (8.6 ypc.), long 45, 2 TDs Dan Beaudin 15-188 (12.5 ypc.), long 61, 1 TD Thomas Brooks-Fletcher 6-75 (12.5 ypc.), long 20, 1 TD

Tackles for loss DE Severin Campbell 7.5-26 DE Jace Palmer 6-21 DT Tyler Hobbs 5-18 DE Bobby Alt 3.5-7 DE Ryan Fetherston 3-10 CB Keith Thompson 3-10 CB Trumaine Johnson 3-6

Scoring average Rushing yards Avg./Rush Passing Passing yards Average per pass Total offense Average per play 3rd-down conversions Time of possession Fumbles-lost Kick returns Punt returns Punting Sacks by-yards

Interceptions CB Trumaine Johnson 4-14, long 11, 0 TDs CB Andrew Swink 2-18, long 9, 0 TDs DE Jace Palmer 1-57, 1 TD SS Erik Stoll 1-29, 0 TDs LB Brock Coyle 1-26, 0 TDs LB Caleb McSurdy 1-17, 0 TDs DE Bobby Alt 1-6, 0 TDs

72 36

Opp

23.8 153.6 4.0 195-334-8 220.0 6.6 373.7 5.2 50-148 29:50 22-14 38-18.7 20-5.6 52-42.0 28-169

21.1 81.2 2.5 218-388-13 261.5 6.7 342.7 4.8 48-151 30:10 14-5 39-21.1 24-10.2 62-39.2 18-125

70 76

45 32

44 67

7 0

Receiving Everett Gilbert 41-525 (12.8 ypc.), long 60, 6 TDs Julius Lloyd 35-343 (12.4 ypc.), long 40, 1 TD Elvis Akpla 26-373 (14.3 ypc.), long 45, 3 TDs Joe Schreibeis 21-205 (9.8 ypc.), long 23, 0 TDs

Special teams leaders PATs/Field goals Brody McKnight 41-42/10-17, long 54, 1 blocked, 71 points

Kickoff returns Jabin Sambrano 17-25.7, long 50, 0 TDs

Passing Mark Iddins 113-193-6 for 1217 yards, long 49, 5 TDs Cody Kempt 81-138-2 for 949 yards, long 60, 8 TDs

Defensive leaders Tackles LB Clay Bignell 71, 27 unassisted FS Michael Rider 64, 38 unassisted DE Dane Fletcher 56, 35 unassisted LB Jody Owens 53, 27 unassisted SS Jordan Craney 50, 27 unassisted DT Dan Ogden 36, 15 unassisted Tackles for loss DE Dane Fletcher 16.5-66 DT Dan Ogden 7.5-30 LB Clay Bignell 7-20 NT Jason D’Alba 6-24 FS Michael Rider 5-23

Bobcats’ schedule Sept. 5..........................at Michigan State (L, 3-44) Sept. 12.............................DIXIE STATE (W, 23-20) Sept. 19.......................................................... open Sept. 26..................at Northern Colorado (L, 25-7) Oct. 3............................. at Weber State (W, 26-21) Oct. 10............... NORTHERN ARIZONA (L, 23-10) Oct. 17....................... SOUTH DAKOTA (W, 31-24) Oct. 24............... at Eastern Washington (L, 34-25) Oct. 31............................ IDAHO STATE (W, 41-10) Nov. 7......................... at Portland State (W, 28-10) Nov. 14..................................... SAC STATE(27-21) Nov. 21..................................................MONTANA

– 238 – 211

Offensive leaders

Pass breakups CB Trumaine Johnson 8 DE Jace Palmer 5 DT Austin Mullins 5 CB Keith Thompson 4 FS Shann Schillinger 3 FS Mike McCord 3 11 with 2

DE Dustin O’Connell 5-25 LB Chase Gazzero 4-25 DE Dan Fletcher 6-43 DT Dan Ogden 5-23 DE John Laidet 3-24 LB Clay Bignell 2.5-12

Fumbles forced-recovered FS Michael Rider 1-1 7 with 1 fumble forced, 7 with 1 recovered Pass breakups FS Kevin Retoriano 8 CB Darius Jones 4

Special teams leaders

PATs/Field goals Jason Cunningham 23-24/13-17, long 47, 1 blocked, 62 points Punting Eric Fisher 39-44.1, long 77, 12 inside 20, 1 blocked Mackey Nolan 12-38.3, long 51, 2 inside 20, 0 blocked Punt returns DeSean Thomas 13-2.2, long 11, 0 TDs Everett Gilbert 3-3.3, long 6, 0 TDs Kickoff returns Everett Gilbert 19-21.1, long 39, 0 TDs AAron Mason 7-13.6, long 22, 0 TDs

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Interceptions FS Michael Rider 4-3.0, long 12, 0 TDs LB Clay Bignell 3-1.0, long 3, 0 TDs FS Kevin Retoriano 2-26.5, long 53, 0 TDs LB Jody Owens 1-31, 0 TDs LB Chase Gazzerro 1-23, 0 TDs

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Fumbles forced-recovered LB Jordan Tripp 0-2 DT Tyler Hobbs 1-1 DT Austin Mullins 1-1

Punt returns Marc Mariani 20-15.6, long 82, 1 TD Sam Gratton 1-31, 0 TDs Jabin Sambrano 1-26, 0 TDs Peter Nguyen 4-13.0, long 33, 0 TDs

Tackles LB Shawn Lebsock 70, 30 unassisted SS Erik Stoll 58, 22 unassisted LB Brandon Fisher 51, 18 unassisted LB Alex Shaw 47, 14 unassisted FS Shann Schillinger 45, 18 unassisted DE Severin Campbell 44, 15 unassisted

Rushing Aaron Mason (118-567 (4.8 ypc.), long 26, 5 TDs CJ Palmer 111-495 (4.5 ypc.), long 31, 5 TDs Blayde Becksted 42-213 (5.1 ypc.), long 31, 3 TDs Everett Gilbert 19-141 (7.4 ypc.), long 26, 1 TD

Punting Sean Wren 36-39.7, long 60, 9 inside 20, 0 blocked

Defensive leaders

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Sacks DT Tyler Hobbs 3-15 DE Severin Campball 2.5-14 DE Jace Palmer 2.5-12 DE Josh Harris 2-17 DT Bryan Waldhauser 2-15

Offensive leaders

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DT Austin Mullins 41, 8 unassisted CB Keith Thompson 35, 21 unassisted CB Trumaine Johnson 32, 17 unassisted SS Mike McCord 27, 16 unassisted

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Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009 – G5

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Cover story: Shann Schillinger “I think the year’s gone pretty good. My stats aren’t as good as last year’s, but … I can only control what I can control, and make the plays when I have the chance. Right now we’re 10-0 and this is my last year of football here, and I only care about winning. And that’s the honest to God truth.”

Schillinger

upon his arrival in 2005, but a broken foot made it a redshirt season. Starting in 2006, he hasn’t missed a Continued from Page G2 game. “Great ball skills,” says Hauck. “He junior and senior year.” can play either side of the ball. We really Talk about generational differences: didn’t see him as anything but a safety, Shann drove to a summer camp, while but he’s a guy – if you need him to – who 36 years before Jim had actually flown out of Glendive for a recruiting visit. The could play corner, wide receiver and probably even be a linebacker. end results were different, too, in that as “He’s a big, physical athlete at safety, good as Swarthout’s teams were – Jim which there aren’t a lot of.” Schillinger was mostly a backup running Schillinger played behind Torrey back on squads that went 26-7 – Bobby Thomas from 2006-07, and then took Hauck’s charges have won even more. over as starter at free safety last fall. Hauck, now in his seventh season The Griz went 14-2, advanced to the as UM’s coach, remembers the camp Football Championship Subdivision title well. He ran a bunch of “Renegades” game, and Schillinger was second on the – players from scattered towns who team with 108 tackles, to go with four banded together to compete in the team interceptions, two fumbles forced and camp – that included Ty and Jace Palmer, recovered, and 10 passes defended. Noxon’s Dan Beaudin and Schillinger. That his numbers have dropped to “He kind of lit it up,” remembered 45 tackles and one crucial interception Hauck. “Certainly camp was a deciding – in the end zone to seal UM’s 41-34 win factor in this being a guy we wanted to over Northern Arizona in overtime – this recruit.” season is either a testament to the respect “I really liked his (Hauck’s) style and he’s earned from Big Sky coaches, or the competitiveness,” said Shann. “We kind job the Griz corners are doing. Maybe of clicked together. I guess the rest is both. history. “I don’t know if people were officially “After the (2004) season Coach going a different direction,” said Hauck. Paulson offered me a scholarship, and it “A lot of times if you’re doing a great job was a real comforting decision. Both of in pass defense, you don’t get a lot of them grew up in the same situation I did, plays your direction.” in a small eastern Montana town. And the Whatever the case, Schillinger wasn’t fit’s been great.” as visible, and he soon found himself getting reps at strong safety. Schillinger seemed Big Sky-ready “That’s why we switched him sides –

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offenses were throwing away from him a little bit,” said Hauck. “He’s been playing the ‘field’ (strong safety) a little bit more, and he’s had more plays.” And the Griz have kept winning. “They’re pretty interchangeable,” said Schillinger, who has 212 career tackles. “I think the year’s gone pretty good. My stats aren’t as good as last year’s, but … I can only control what I can control, and make the plays when I have the chance. “Right now we’re 10-0 and this is my last year of football here, and I only care about winning. And that’s the honest to God truth.” Schillinger is closing in on his secondary education degree, with a business minor. “I’ve been around teaching and coaching my whole life,” he said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.” You can thank dad Jim and uncle Don for that. Don Schillinger, one of the winningest high school football coaches in state history, has guided Baker to six state titles. As far as where Shann was going to play college, Jim let his youngest son make up his mind. It worked for the oldest, Jace, who redshirted at Carroll College before transferring to Dickinson (N.D.) State, where he became the Blue Hawks’ career rushing leader in 2004. A year later Shann landed in Missoula. “I think deep down (Dad) wanted me to come here, but he kind of let me make my decision,” he said. “But he liked the

fact that his coaching staff was willing to give Montana kids a chance. I think he thought this would be the best fit for me, and it turned out that way.” “If he had gone to Dickinson, I’d have been happy, too,” Jim Schillinger said. “But he wanted to give it a try at Montana, and I didn’t want him to wonder about it later. I figured, give it a whirl and see how it goes.” Jim Schillinger is saying this from the cab of a truck, near Vida. He was hauling wheat from Circle to Wolf Point. “I’ve got to pay for all the trips I’ve been taking,” joked the man who hasn’t missed a home Griz game in two years. What he and wife Debi have seen in Missoula the past four years is a bit removed from Dornblaser Stadium in the early ’70s. It figures they’ll get at least one more trip to Washington-Grizzly Stadium, since the Griz have all but locked up a home playoff game. It doesn’t matter to them that Greeley, Colo., is just as close to Baker as Missoula. “Mom and Dad, every Thursday evening or Friday morning they pack up and drive from east to west,” said Shann. “That’s a lot of traveling. But I think it’s something they really enjoy and they’ll miss it when it’s over.” You know – when it is finally time to reflect. Fritz Neighbor can be reached at 5235247 or at fneighbor@missoulian.com.

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G6 – Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Big Sky picks

HOW WE SEE THE BIG SKY Season record: Fritz 47-8, Bill 44-11, Nick 45-10, Michael 47-8

By FRITZ NEIGHBOR of the Missoulian

So it’s come down to these four games. Four games to decide the Big Sky Picks champion, a heavy crown that brings the unadulterated admiration of your sports pod peers, along with a financial reward commensurate with your football knowledge. One “Montana Corona” coming up, jerky. As I try to push past upstart Michael Heinbach, I look back over the last 12 weeks and see an organization that improved as the season went on. I wasn’t complacent. We don’t kick back around here; we correct. But I can also confirm that when you win a vast majority of your games, the losses stand in stark relief.

FRITZ NEIGHBOR

BILL SPELTZ

Picking Idaho State over Northern Colorado on Oct. 17 was poor execution. Taking NAU over Sac State on Halloween was poor execution as well – on the part of the Lumberjacks. Getting ISU over Portland State right, well, that’s what titles are made of. That and picking the Griz over Weber. As Rivalry Week hits and the season winds down, I’d like to say this to my worthy adversary, Michael: Cleveland rocks. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have this to say to our resident Joe Dirt: Enjoy your Waaa-amburger, Nick.

The picks

n No. 3 Montana at No. 23 Montana State: Wildcards include UM’s Marc Mariani, MSU’s Everett Gilbert,

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and as many as six people taking snaps during the game. But it has the makings of a classic defensive battle, with two teams that intend to run the ball against defenses heck bent to stop the run. Fritz: Griz 35, Cats 10. Michael: Griz 38, Cats 13. Nick: Griz 34, Cats 17. Bill: Griz 27, Cats 21. n Cal Poly at No. 19 Weber State: The host Wildcats didn’t figure to be fighting for their playoff lives at this point. The good news is they beat a better version of this Cal Poly team in the ’08 playoffs. Fritz: Weber 49, Cal Poly 35. Michael: Cal Poly 17, WSU 14. Nick: Weber 35, Cal Poly 24. Bill: Weber State 31, Cal Poly 24.

State: It’s the Causeway Classic, everyone! Hornets! Aggies! Sac State’s win over the Aggies last year was its first in nine years! “I haven’t said much about it, because it hasn’t been much of a rivalry,” Sac State coach Marshall Sperbeck said at the time. “Maybe now everybody will look at the game differently.” We do! It’s huge! Sigh. Fritz: Sac State 23, Davis 21. Michael: Davis 35, Sac State 12. Nick: Davis 31, Sac State 21. Bill: Davis 21, Sac State 14. n No. 18 Eastern Washington at Northern Arizona: I had been selling NAU ever since they outplayed the Griz for much of a 41-34 overtime loss in September. The Jacks have since burned me with losses at Sac State and Weber State. No more. Eastern still harbors playoff hopes. Fritz: EWU 41, NAU 34. Michael: EWU 24, NAU 19. Nick: EWU 27, NAU 16. Bill: EWU 35, NAU 28

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Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009 – G7

Montana St. Montana Montana St. Montana Montana St. Montana Montana St.

People still wonder why Andrew Selle and Justin Roper split time for UM. Answer: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In MSU’s case, the QB position was broken for quite awhile. Cody Kempt is healthy again, but that doesn’t mean the offense is fine-tuned. The war in the trenches will go a long way in deciding who wins the 109th “Brawl of the Wild.” Montana’s league-best running attack goes against Montana State’s league-best running defense. UM is No. 2 in run defense, MSU is No. 2 in run offense. Big Sky rushing leader Chase Reynolds isn’t showing any signs of slowing down and neither is his former team. Drummond treks to Wibaux for the Class C title game on Saturday. If the Bobcats can’t stop Reynolds, he may just show up in Wibaux by halftime.

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Montana St. Montana Montana St. Montana Montana St.

No Bobby Daly, no Chase Gazzerro, no way in heck the Bobcats have better ’backers than the Griz this year.

If there’s one area where Montana has taken a few lumps this season it’s in the secondary. That said, UM leads the Big Sky in interceptions with 14, while MSU is No. 2 (13).

Montana St.

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MSU’s return game is atrocious. UM’s is among the best in the nation. MSU’s punter averages more than four yards per punt more than UM’s. MSU placekicker Jason Cunningham has made 13 FGs in 17 tries. UM’s Matthew Brenner has made two $10,000 FGs in two tries.

It’s that time of year again. Let the Treasure State’s pre-Thanksgiving family feud begin. Whether you say Cat-Griz or vice-versa, the rivalry gives Montanans plenty to talk about. With playoff positioning on the line, both the Kitties and Cubbies have something to play for. Gotta go with No. 1 in the nation though.

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UM’s Marc Mariani meets his heir apparent on Saturday when MSU frosh Everett Gilbert makes his Cat-Griz debut. Gilbert had his first career two-TD day last weekend. The advantage still goes to Mariani, who’s had six two-TD days in his career.

Bobcat Stadium will see a real battle at this position from two native sons: Missoula’s Jace Palmer (No. 42 for the Griz) vs. Bozeman’s Dane Fletcher (No. 47 for the Cats). The two seniors won’t go head-to-head, but if you want the epitome of this rivalry look no further.

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G8 – Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Grizzly Q&A

Justin Roper

Roper adjusts to role, prepares for rivalry Q: I read you floated some rivers with teammates when you arrived in July. Have you done any other Justin Roper may be new to the activities unique to Montana? Brawl of the Wild, but he isn’t new A: The rivers were definitely to rivalries. unique and a lot of fun. Fly fishing Roper, a transfer from the isn’t real big in Georgia. It’s mostly University of Oregon who has just lakes down there. split time at quarterback with Q: What is something you fellow junior Andrew Selle, said he would say teammate Andrew Selle understands the importance of the does better than you and what is annual Montana-Montana State something you do better than him clash. on the football field? “One thing I noticed the first A: It kind of depends on the week I was here is that people kept situation. I think he might know talking about beating Montana the offense better than I do since State a lot more than I assumed,” he’s been here like three years. said Roper, who moved to Missoula I think I might have a little bit in July. “We would be watching film Q: You reportedly considered stronger of an arm than he does. during the summer and someone Towson and Massachusetts before We both have unique skill sets. would mention the Bobcats and picking Montana. What pushed Q: Have you ever played football then someone else would say ‘I hate Montana above the other schools? in snow? the Cats.’ It’s always on people’s A: It was a level of A: I’ll say no. What I consider minds. People are always talking conformability here with Coach snow and what Montanans about it more than any rivalry I’ve (Robin) Pflugrad. He was the consider playing in snow are been a part of.” different. I think I played when Roper has completed 60 percent receivers coach at Oregon before he came here. I like him and we there was snow flurries, but not of his passes for 801 yards with had a good relationship. The other sticking to the ground, when I was seven touchdowns and three in fourth grade. It was Pop Warner interceptions in nine games. He has deciding factor was Montana’s also rushed 16 times for 72 yards for tradition of winning. It’s very high. or Little League. Georgia only gets Q: Is Buford a suburb of Atlanta? like two to three inches in a year the unbeaten Grizzlies. A: It’s an extended suburb. It’s maybe. The lanky Buford, Ga., native about an hour away. Q: Your playing time has varied grew up in a part of the country Q: What is something you all season. Do you have any idea where college football is king. how often you’ll see the field before “I’ve grown up around football,” enjoyed doing when you lived in Georgia that you can’t do now? Roper said. “Georgia Tech was the start of a game? A: In Georgia I was involved in my favorite team growing up. A: Yeah, we usually have a set sports so much that I didn’t really Georgia was my MSU. I can rotation. Whoever starts goes three do anything other than hunt and understand the significance of series, and then the next guy will the rivalry, especially to this state fish, but you can do that out here. go three series. Then we’ll probably By SCOTT JOHNSON for the Missoulian

No. 18 Year: Junior Position: Quarterback Height: 6-foot-6 Weight: 215 Hometown: Bufurd, Ga.

because there’s no pro teams. I can understand how this is the biggest game by far for the state and the day after the game people will be talking about next year’s game.” Roper transferred to Montana after Oregon switched to a spreadoption offense under new coach Chip Kelly. As a redshirt freshman in his first career start for Oregon, Roper lead the Ducks to a 2007 Sun Bowl victory over South Florida, while tying a Sun Bowl record with four touchdown passes. Roper played in 11 games while at Oregon, though a knee injury in 2008 forced him to miss four games.

rotate the next few series, but it’ll also depend on who’s playing better. Q: Is that difficult? A: Not really, but I want to be on the field on every play. That’s just the competitor in me. I think anyone would say the same thing. But it’s also working out real well. It can also be very beneficial to have another set of eyes. I’ll come off the field and (Selle) will say something like, ‘Did you see this?’ Hopefully he can say the same thing about me. Q: You dad played at Georgia Tech in the late 70s. What advice has he given you since you started playing at the collegiate level? A: He played defensive back, cornerback and safety. He played quarterback in high school. He also coached at Georgia Tech for 10 to 12 years. He just gives me advice how to behave as a quarterback. How to be a leader and how to carry myself on the field. Q: Has your family had a chance to see you play since you came to Montana? A: Technically they have. They were at the Portland State game. They saw me play about five minutes before I got a concussion. They plan to come out for a playoff game. I’ll be excited about that. Q: What’s been your personal highlight so far this season? A: Probably against Eastern See Roper, Page G18

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Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009 – G9

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G10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009

Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009 – G11

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Big Sky focus

Big Sky Conference statistics n Team statistics Through Nov. 14 SCORING OFFENSE G TD XP 2X DX Montana 10 45 41 2 0 EWU 10 45 40 0 0 Weber 10 37 31 2 0 NAU 10 34 32 1 0 Sac State 10 30 28 0 0 MSU 10 29 23 0 0 PSU 11 25 22 1 0 UNC 11 24 21 2 0 ISU 11 16 15 1 0 USHING OFFENSE R G Att Montana 10 406 MSU 10 386 EWU 10 332 Weber 10 339 Sac State 10 358 NAU 10 323 UNC 11 339 PSU 11 326 ISU 11 298

FG Saf 10 1 4 0 10 2 14 1 11 1 13 1 18 2 11 0 9 1

Avg 34.7 32.2 29.1 28.2 24.3 23.8 21.1 18.4 12.9

Yds Avg TD Yds/G 1814 4.5 20 181.4 1536 4.0 14 153.6 1479 4.5 18 147.9 1283 3.8 8 128.3 1279 3.6 12 127.9 1267 3.9 15 126.7 1190 3.5 12 108.2 1184 3.6 8 107.6 472 1.6 3 42.9

CORING DEFENSE S G TD XP 2X DX FG Montana 10 21 20 0 0 10 Weber 10 25 17 1 0 13 MSU 10 25 23 0 0 12 EWU 10 30 23 1 0 9 UNC 11 37 34 0 0 10 NAU 10 33 31 1 0 15 PSU 11 49 45 2 0 9 Sac 10 45 42 2 0 9 ISU 11 51 48 0 0 22 USHING DEFENSE R G Att MSU 10 329 Montana 10 293 NAU 10 339 PSU 11 401 EWU 10 357 Weber 10 353 Sac State 10 352 UNC 11 425 ISU 11 408 ASS OFFENSE P G Att Cp Int EWU 10 360 239 5 WSU 10 390 252 17 NAU 10 354 229 6 UM 10 306 186 7 PSU 11 384 210 23 UNC 11 398 237 7 Sac 10 317 183 14 MSU 10 334 195 8 ISU 11 413 215 15

Pts 347 322 291 282 243 238 232 202 142

S 1 0 1 4 1 1 1 0 2

Pts 178 208 211 240 288 278 372 343 424

Avg 17.8 20.8 21.1 24.0 26.2 27.8 33.8 34.3 38.5

Yds Avg TD Yds/G 812 2.5 2 81.2 875 3.0 5 87.5 1299 3.8 12 129.9 1455 3.6 18 132.3 1372 3.8 16 137.2 1499 4.2 10 149.9 1524 4.3 25 152.4 1902 4.5 16 172.9 2331 5.7 27 211.9

Pct. Yds Avg TD 66.4 2986 8.3 25 64.6 2864 7.3 27 64.7 2820 8.0 19 60.8 2579 8.4 22 54.7 2723 7.1 14 59.5 2506 6.3 11 57.7 2225 7.0 16 58.4 2200 6.6 13 52.1 2178 5.3 13

P/G 298.6 286.4 282.0 257.9 247.5 227.8 222.5 220.0 198.0

OTAL OFFENSE T G Run Pass Plays Yds Avg TD EWU 10 1479 2986 692 4465 6.5 43 Montana 10 1814 2579 712 4393 6.2 42 Weber 10 1283 2864 729 4147 5.7 35 NAU 10 1267 2820 677 4087 6.0 34 MSU 10 1536 2200 720 3736 5.2 27 PSU 11 1184 2723 710 3907 5.5 22 Sac 10 1279 2225 675 3504 5.2 28 UNC 11 1190 2506 737 3696 5.0 23 ISU 11 472 2178 711 2650 3.7 16

P/G 446.5 439.3 414.7 408.7 373.6 355.2 350.4 336.0 240.9

ASS DEFENSE P G Att Cp Int UNC 11 352 217 12 Weber 10 298 154 9 EWU 10 364 217 12 ISU 11 407 246 11 NAU 10 362 219 10 MSU 10 388 218 13 UM 10 420 256 14 PSU 11 373 210 5 Sac 10 364 240 10

Pct. 61.6 51.7 59.6 60.4 60.5 56.2 61.0 56.3 65.9

Yds Avg TD 2264 6.4 21 2289 7.7 11 2460 6.8 13 2727 6.7 18 2562 7.1 20 2615 6.7 23 2636 6.3 16 3090 8.3 28 2848 7.8 18

P/G 205.8 228.9 246.0 247.9 256.2 261.5 263.6 280.9 284.8

OTAL DEFENSE T G Run Pass Plays Yds Avg TD MSU 10 812 2615 717 3427 4.8 25 Montana 10 875 2636 713 3511 4.9 21 UNC 11 1902 2264 777 4166 5.4 37 Weber 10 1499 2289 651 3788 5.8 21 EWU 10 1372 2460 721 3832 5.3 29 NAU 10 1299 2562 701 3861 5.5 32 PSU 11 1455 3090 774 4545 5.9 46 Sac 10 1524 2848 716 4372 6.1 43 ISU 11 2331 2727 815 5058 6.2 45

P/G 342.7 351.1 378.7 378.8 383.2 386.1 413.2 437.2 459.8

ICKOFF RETURNS K G Ret Yds TD Avg Weber State 10 33 823 0 24.9 Portland State 11 60 1432 1 23.9 Montana 10 32 731 0 22.8 Sacramento State 10 44 976 0 22.2 Idaho State 11 68 1425 0 21.0 Northern Arizona 10 42 865 0 20.6 Northern Colorado 11 38 742 0 19.5 Eastern Washington 10 45 845 0 18.8 Montana State 10 38 711 0 18.7 PUNT RETURNS Weber State Montana Portland State Northern Colorado Eastern Washington Northern Arizona Montana State Sacramento State Idaho State

G Ret 10 20 10 26 11 12 11 22 10 17 10 13 10 20 10 11 11 21

PUNTING No. Weber State 43 Montana 36 Idaho State 79 MSU 52 EWU 49 PSU 49 No. Colo. 61 No. Arizona 52 Sac State 50

Avg 41.4 39.7 42.3 42.0 39.2 37.2 38.5 36.8 38.9

Yds 1780 1428 3339 2183 1919 1825 2346 1914 1944

ASS EFFICIENCY P G Att Cp EWU 10 360 239 Montana 10 306 186 NAU 10 354 229 Weber 10 390 252 Sac State 10 317 183 MSU 10 334 195 UNC 11 398 237 PSU 11 384 210 ISU 11 413 215

Yds TD Avg 407 2 20.4 422 1 16.2 91 0 7.6 152 0 6.9 110 0 6.5 74 0 5.7 111 1 5.6 43 0 3.9 71 0 3.4

PR Avg TB Net 31 0.7 2 39.7 50 1.4 1 37.7 419 5.3 3 36.2 245 4.7 6 35.0 154 3.1 5 34.0 80 1.6 5 33.6 148 2.4 8 33.4 211 4.1 1 32.4 280 5.6 3 32.1

Pct Int Yds TD Effic 66.4 5 2986 25 156.2 60.8 7 2579 22 150.7 64.7 6 2820 19 145.9 64.6 17 2864 27 140.4 57.7 14 2225 16 124.5 58.4 8 2200 13 121.8 59.5 7 2506 11 118.0 54.7 23 2723 14 114.3 52.1 15 2178 13 99.5

URNOVER MARGIN T Gained Lost G Fum Int Tot Fum Int Tot EWU 10 12 12 24 10 5 15 NAU 10 8 10 18 5 6 11 Montana 10 5 14 19 7 7 14 UNC 11 7 12 19 9 7 16 MSU 10 5 13 18 14 8 22 ISU 11 15 11 26 16 15 31 Weber 10 7 9 16 4 17 21 Sac State 10 6 10 16 10 14 24 PSU 11 9 5 14 11 23 34

Mar +9 +7 +5 +3 -4 -5 -5 -8 -20

P/G 0.90 0.70 0.50 0.27 -0.40 -0.45 -0.50 -0.80 -1.82

ASS DEFENSE EFFICIENCY P G Att Cp Int Pct Yds TD Effic Montana 10 420 256 14 61.0 2636 16 119.6 EWU 10 364 217 12 59.6 2460 13 121.6 Weber 10 298 154 9 51.7 2289 11 122.3 MSU 10 388 218 13 56.2 2615 23 125.7 ISU 11 407 246 11 60.4 2727 18 125.9 UNC 11 352 217 12 61.6 2264 21 128.5 NAU 10 362 219 10 60.5 2562 20 132.7 Sac State 10 364 240 10 65.9 2848 18 142.5 PSU 11 373 210 5 56.3 3090 28 148.0 IRST DOWNS F G Rush Pass Pen Total Eastern Washington 10 76 128 15 219 Montana 10 90 112 14 216 Weber State 10 70 129 16 215 Montana State 10 88 94 22 204 Northern Colorado 11 73 110 16 199 Northern Arizona 10 68 113 15 196 Sacramento State 10 81 94 11 186 Portland State 11 66 103 16 185 Idaho State 11 36 97 25 158 RD-DOWN CONVERSIONS 3 G Conv Montana 10 72 Weber State 10 74 Eastern Washington 10 58 Northern Colorado 11 66 Northern Arizona 10 51 Sacramento State 10 51 Portland State 11 52 Montana State 10 50 Idaho State 11 35

Att 147 161 136 161 138 139 151 148 161

Pct 49.0 46.0 42.6 41.0 37.0 36.7 34.4 33.8 21.7

PPONENT 1ST DOWNS O G Rush Pass Pen Total Weber State 10 74 92 18 184 Northern Arizona 10 65 114 13 192 Montana 10 57 124 11 192

East.Washington Montana State No. Colorado Sac State Portland State Idaho State

10 10 11 10 11 11

74 69 102 83 77 116

107 112 97 128 127 119

PP 3RD-DOWN CONVERSIONS O G Conv Weber State 10 41 Montana State 10 48 Eastern Washington 10 53 Montana 10 55 Idaho State 11 59 Northern Colorado 11 71 Sacramento State 10 57 Portland State 11 76 Northern Arizona 10 73

17 17 18 16 23 19 Att 130 151 149 152 149 165 130 170 159

198 198 217 227 227 254 Pct 31.5 31.8 35.6 36.2 39.6 43.0 43.8 44.7 45.9

SACKS BY Montana State Eastern Washington Portland State Sacramento State Northern Colorado Weber State Montana Northern Arizona Idaho State

G Sacks Yards 10 28 169 10 25 166 11 24 161 10 20 123 11 18 121 10 17 98 10 15 85 10 15 97 11 8 54

SACKS AGAINST Montana Weber State Northern Arizona Sacramento State Montana State Northern Colorado Eastern Washington Portland State Idaho State

G Sacks Yards 10 11 71 10 16 99 10 17 118 10 18 119 10 18 125 11 19 124 10 23 119 11 28 165 11 31 213

PENALTIES Sacramento State Montana State Northern Arizona Weber State Idaho State Northern Colorado Portland State Eastern Washington Montana

G No Yds 10 60 491 10 60 497 10 52 528 10 71 623 11 88 699 11 83 718 11 74 727 10 73 680 10 69 700

OPPONENT PENALTIES G No Idaho State 11 96 Montana 10 77 Weber State 10 70 Northern Colorado 11 75 Montana State 10 65 Eastern Washington 10 58 Portland State 11 64 Northern Arizona 10 54 Sacramento State 10 58

Yds Avg/G 914 83.1 736 73.6 642 64.2 671 61.0 577 57.7 544 54.4 574 52.2 498 49.8 488 48.8

IME OF POSSESSION T G Total Time Weber State 10 323:23 Sacramento State 10 304:26 Montana State 10 298:21 Eastern Washington 10 295:45 Portland State 11 323:16 Montana 10 293:25 Northern Arizona 10 292:03 Northern Colorado 11 310:18 Idaho State 11 308:42 ICKOFF COVERAGE K G No. Yds ISU 11 36 2401 Montana 10 62 3859 Weber 10 56 3597 PSU 11 53 3472 MSU 10 52 3303 Sac State 10 50 3058 UNC 11 44 2744 NAU 10 58 3589 EWU 10 62 3697

Avg 49.1 49.7 52.8 62.3 63.5 65.3 66.1 68.0 70.0

Avg Retn 66.7 412 62.2 1029 64.2 951 65.5 1058 63.5 823 61.2 780 62.4 772 61.9 1029 59.6 1244

Avg 32:20 30:26 29:50 29:34 29:23 29:20 29:12 28:12 28:03 TB Net 17 45.8 6 43.7 10 43.7 6 43.3 12 43.1 7 42.8 7 41.6 13 39.7 7 37.3

 Individual statistics RUSHING G Att Yds Avg TD Lg Avg Reynolds, UM 10 226 1096 4.8 15 54 109.6 Henderson, NAU 10 222 983 4.4 11 69 98.3 TJones, EWU 10 134 980 7.3 13 96 98.0 TSmith, Weber 9 201 872 4.3 5 49 96.9 Mason, MSU 8 118 567 4.8 5 26 70.9 Harris, UNC 11 145 646 4.5 7 45 58.7

Palmer, MSU 10 111 Bolen, Weber 10 87 Knickrehm, ISU 10 140 McClintock, PSU 11 87

495 443 434 420

4.5 5.1 3.1 4.8

5 3 2 2

31 35 31 27

49.5 44.3 43.4 38.2

INTERCEPTIONS G Int Yds TD Lg Int/G MJohnson, EWU 10 6 58 1 33 0.60 Schrader, Sac 10 4 78 0 24 0.40 Rider, MSU 10 4 12 0 12 0.40 JBrown, Weber 10 3 65 0 34 0.30 Bignell, MSU 10 3 3 0 3 0.30 Hatch, EWU 10 3 0 0 0 0.30 Askew, UNC 11 3 112 1 88 0.27 Hewitt, UNC 11 3 54 0 39 0.27 Shead, PSU 11 3 49 1 31 0.27 Retoriano, MSU 9 2 53 0 53 0.22 PASSING YARDS Att Cp Int Nichols, EWU 349 233 5 Higgins, WSU 381 245 16 Herrick,NAU 342 223 6 Waggener,NC 385 231 7 Smith, Sac 232 135 9 Selle, UM 199 123 3 Iddins, MSU 193 113 6 Kempt, MSU 138 81 2 Roper, UM 105 63 3 Bthl-Tmpsn,Sac 81 45 5

Pct. 66.8 64.3 65.2 60.0 58.2 61.8 58.5 58.7 60.0 55.6

PASS EFFICIENCY Att Cp Int Nichols, EWU 349 233 5 Selle, UM 199 123 3 Herrick, NAU 342 223 6 Roper, UM 105 63 3 Higgins, WSU 381 245 16 Kempt, MSU 138 81 2 Smith, Sac 232 135 9 Waggener,NC 385 231 7 Iddins, MSU 193 113 6 Bthl-Tmpsn,Sac 81 45 5

Pct. Yds TD Eff. 66.8 2961 25 158.8 61.8 1778 15 158.7 65.2 2782 18 147.4 60.0 801 7 140.4 64.3 2790 26 139.9 58.7 949 8 132.7 58.2 1656 12 127.5 60.0 2410 9 116.7 58.5 1217 5 113.8 55.6 513 2 104.6

Yds TD P/G 2961 25 296.1 2790 26 279.0 2782 18 278.2 2410 9 219.1 1656 12 184.0 1778 15 177.8 1217 5 152.1 949 8 118.6 801 7 89.0 513 2 64.1

TOTAL OFFENSE G Run Pass Plays Nichols, EWU 10 103 2961 407 Herrick, NAU 10 -69 2782 370 Higgins, WSU 10 -99 2790 405 Waggener, NC 11 61 2410 446 Selle, UM 10 92 1778 226 Smith, Sac 9 -53 1656 259 Iddins, MSU 8 18 1217 232 Kempt, MSU 8 63 949 163 Reynolds, UM 10 1096 0 226 Hendrson, NAU 10 983 0 222

Tot P/G 3064 306.4 2713 271.3 2691 269.1 2471 224.6 1870 187.0 1603 178.1 1235 154.4 1012 126.5 1096 109.6 983 98.3

PUNT RETURNS Ret Yds TD Long Toone, Weber 18 382 2 95 Mariani, Montana 20 313 1 82 Davis,EWU 13 103 0 25 Lutz, NC 21 146 0 24 Thomas, MSU 13 28 0 11 KICK RETURNS Ret Yds TD Long Sambrano, UM 17 437 0 50 Bolen, Weber 30 767 0 67 Woods, PSU 53 1314 1 97 Nguyen, UM 11 267 0 61 Henderschott, Sac 12 281 0 43 McCowan, Sac 18 414 0 75 Shanks, NAU 28 599 0 57 Gilbert, MSU 19 401 0 39 TJones, EWU 23 480 0 52 Ponciano, ISU 36 741 0 46 RECEIVING Mariani, UM Toone, Weber Berry, NAU Fry, PSU Thompson, NC Meadows, NAU Davis, EWU Phillips, Weber Reed, Sac Kirven, PSU

G Rec Yds TD Lg 10 44 917 7 84 10 66 882 7 52 10 63 881 5 81 11 67 904 3 56 11 71 864 7 80 10 61 742 4 78 10 60 701 1 50 9 34 621 6 80 9 39 597 5 48 11 37 660 5 91

PUNTING No. Vanderwielen, ISU 74 Fisher, MSU 39 Snoy, Weber 43 Wren, Montana 36 Zuber, EWU 33 Kaman, UNC 60 Heath, Sac 50 Duyndam, PSU 44 Rauschert, NAU 52

Avg 20.8 13.4 14.0 13.5 12.2 12.2 11.7 18.3 15.3 17.8

Yds Lg 3308 76 1721 77 1780 66 1428 60 1308 64 2344 66 1944 57 1693 65 1914 54

Avg 21.2 15.6 7.9 7.0 2.2 Avg 25.7 25.6 24.8 24.3 23.4 23.0 21.4 21.1 20.9 20.6 P/G 91.7 88.2 88.1 82.2 78.5 74.2 70.1 69.0 66.3 60.0 Avg 44.7 44.1 41.4 39.7 39.6 39.1 38.9 38.5 36.8

ALL PURPOSE YARDS G Run Rcv PR KR TJones, EWU 10 980 411 0 480 Woods, PSU 11 -2 535 82 1314 Bolen, Weber 10 443 168 0 767 Toone, Weber 10 2 882 382 52 Reynolds, UM 10 1096 218 0 0 Ponciano, ISU 9 11 393 15 741 Henderson, NAU 10 983 273 0 0 Mariani, UM 10 0 917 313 21 TSmith, Weber 9 872 249 0 0 Gilbert, MSU 10 141 525 10 401

Yds 1871 1929 1378 1318 1314 1160 1256 1251 1121 1077

P/G 187.1 175.4 137.8 131.8 131.4 128.9 125.6 125.1 124.6 107.7

SCORING G TD XPT FG 2XP Pts P/G Reynolds, UM 10 17 0 0 0 102 10.2 TJones, EWU 10 16 0 0 0 96 9.6 Henderson, NAU 10 13 0 0 0 78 7.8 Myers, NAU 10 0 32 14 0 74 7.4 McKnight, UM 10 0 41 10 0 71 7.1 Cunningham, MSU 9 0 23 13 0 62 6.9 Brown, PSU 11 0 21 18 0 75 6.8 Overbay, EWU 10 11 0 0 0 66 6.6 Diniz, Sac State 10 0 28 11 0 61 6.1 Snoy, Weber 10 0 27 10 0 57 5.7 FIELD GOALS G FG FGA Pct. P/G Brown, PSU 11 18 25 72.0 1.64 Cunningham, MSU 9 13 17 76.5 1.44 Myers, NAU 10 14 20 70.0 1.40 Diniz, Sac State 10 11 12 91.7 1.10 York, UNC 10 11 16 68.8 1.10 Snoy, Weber 10 10 16 62.5 1.00 McKnight, UM 10 10 17 58.8 1.00 Huk, ISU 11 9 13 69.2 0.82 Jarrett, EWU 10 4 8 50.0 0.40 TACKLES (All positions) G Pos Solo Ast Sherritt, EWU 10 LB 59 80 Storms, ISU 11 LB 58 62 Arias, ISU 11 LB 36 77 Schrader, Sac 10 DB 48 50 Sedillo, Weber 10 LB 30 59 Brown, Weber 10 DB 36 48 King, UNC 11 LB 39 52 Estrada, NAU 10 DB 47 31 MJohnsn, EWU 10 DB 41 36 Borden, EWU 9 LB 20 48 Holmesly, ISU 11 DB 38 44 Tew, ISU 11 DB 46 34 Bignell, MSU 10 LB 27 44 Lebsock, UM 10 LB 30 40 Buck, Sac 10 LB 34 35 Fletcher, MSU 8 DE 35 20 Julio, NAU 10 DB 33 35 Hewitt, UNC 11 DB 38 36 Askew, UNC 11 CB 47 27 Thomas, NAU 10 LB 32 35 Hadley, Weber 10 DB 35 31 Rau, PSU 11 LB 34 38 Rider, MSU 10 DB 38 26 Gordon, Sac 10 DB 36 26 Zabel, UNC 11 LB 21 46 Michon, UNC 11 DB 38 28 Stoll, UM 10 DB 22 36 Washburn, EWU 10 LB 17 40 Johnson, Sac 9 LB 22 29 Fisher, UM 9 LB 18 33 Worthen, PSU 11 DB 32 27 Owens, MSU 10 LB 27 26 Dumas, NAU 10 DB 33 19 Pedersen, PSU 11 LB 32 25 Pleasant, ISU 11 DB 22 35 Linehan, Weber 10 DE 23 28 SACKS Clark, Sac Fletcher, MSU Williams, EWU Bond, NAU Linehan, Weber Vance NAU Ogden, MSU Hernon, UNC Kragt, EWU White, Sac

Tot 139 120 113 98 89 84 91 78 77 68 82 80 71 70 69 55 68 74 74 67 66 72 64 62 67 66 58 57 51 51 59 53 52 57 57 51

G Pos Solo Ast Yds 10 DL 10 0 64 8 DE 4 3 41 10 DL 6 1 58 10 DE 6 1 38 10 DE 6 0 44 10 DE 5 0 33 10 DL 4 2 23 11 DE 4 2 25 10 DE 4 1 20 8 LB 3 0 23

ACKLES FOR LOSS T G Pos Solo Ast Yds Fletcher, MSU 8 DE 12 8 64 Clark, Sac 10 DL 14 2 74 Williams, EWU 10 DL 10 3 72 Linehan, Weber 10 DE 11 0 63 Sherritt, EWU 10 LB 9 4 19 Rau, PSU 11 LB 7 6 38 Pedersen, PSU 11 LB 9 1 33 Jacobs, PSU 11 DT 8 3 29 Bond, NAU 10 DE 7 3 46 Ogden, MSU 10 DL 6 3 30

P/G Sack 13.9 0.0 10.9 0.0 10.3 0.0 9.8 0.0 8.9 0.0 8.4 0.0 8.3 3.0 7.8 0.0 7.7 1.0 7.6 0.0 7.5 0.0 7.3 1.0 7.1 2.5 7.0 1.0 6.9 1.0 6.9 5.5 6.8 0.0 6.7 0.0 6.7 0.0 6.7 0.0 6.6 0.0 6.5 4.0 6.4 0.0 6.2 0.0 6.1 0.0 6.0 1.0 5.8 0.0 5.7 0.0 5.7 0.0 5.7 0.0 5.4 0.0 5.3 0.5 5.2 1.0 5.2 4.0 5.2 1.0 5.1 6.0 Tot 10.0 5.5 6.5 6.5 6.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.5 3.0

P/G 1.00 0.69 0.65 0.65 0.60 0.50 0.50 0.45 0.45 0.38

Tot 16.0 15.0 11.5 11.0 11.0 10.0 9.5 9.5 8.5 7.5

P/G 2.00 1.50 1.15 1.10 1.10 0.91 0.86 0.86 0.85 0.75

G12 – Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009

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MONTANA STARTING OFFENSE

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WR 81 Tyler Palmer

RB 34 Chase Reynolds

MONTANA roster

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No. Name Pos Hgt Wgt Year Hometown 2 – Trumaine Johnson CB 6-3 197 So. Stockton, Calif. 3 – Andrew Swink CB 5-9 175 Sr. Rowland Heights, Calif. 4 – Erik Stoll S 6-2 203 Jr. Sandpoint, Idaho 5 – Donny Lisowski CB 5-11 195 So. Seattle 6 – Aaron Roberts WR 5-11 170 Fr. Spokane, Wash. 7 – Jeff Larson WR 6-4 210 Jr. Cut Bank 8 – Sam Gratton WR 6-0 197 Fr. Billings 9 – Mike McCord S 6-0 195 So. Phoenix 10 – Shawn Lebsock LB 6-0 225 Sr. Billings 11 – Brandon Dodson CB 5-8 170 Jr. Tulare, Calif. 12 – Andrew Selle QB 6-2 219 Jr. Billings 13 – Josh Pelczar CB 5-9 180 Fr. Billings 14 – D.J. Zapata QB 6-3 175 Fr. San Marcos, Calif. 14 – Steven Rominger S 5-10 185 Fr. Missoula 15 RETIRED IN HONOR OF DAVE DICKENSON 16 – Jabin Sambrano WR 5-11 170 So. Oceanside, Calif. 17 – Gerald Kemp QB 6-2 215 Fr. San Diego 18 – Justin Roper QB 6-6 215 Jr. Buford, Ga. 19 – Sean Murray CB 6-1 190 Fr. Corona, Calif. 20 – Nick Haynes CB 5-10 180 So. Butte 21 – Keith Thompson CB 5-9 175 Sr. Porterville, Calif. 22 RETIRED IN HONOR OF TERRY DILLON 23 – Levi Buckles WR 6-2 215 Fr. Post Falls, Idaho 24 – Thomas Brooks-Fletcher RB 5-10 210 Sr. Bellevue, Wash. 25 – Brandon Fisher SLB 5-10 205 Sr. Franklin, Tenn. 26 – Russell Schey K 6-1 190 So. Billings 27 – Tel Reynolds RB 6-0 190 Fr. Drummond 28 – Peter Nguyen RB 5-8 175 Fr. Seattle 29 – Bryce Carver WR 6-1 170 Fr. Dillon 30 – Mike Cummings SS 6-1 200 So. Scottsdale, Ariz. 31 – Tim Anderson SS 6-0 205 Sr. Missoula 32 – Alex Shaw LB 6-1 232 So. Spokane, Wash. 33 – Cole Lockwood SLB 6-1 215 So. Missoula 34 – Chase Reynolds RB 6-0 195 Jr. Drummond 35 – Dan Moore RB 5-11 225 So. Tucson, Ariz. 36 – Sean Connors S 6-0 185 Fr. Seattle 37 – Carson Bender DT 6-4 280 Jr. Deer Lodge 38 – Ryan Nelson SS 5-11 200 Sr. Wright, Wyo. 39 – Shann Schillinger FS 6-1 199 Sr. Baker 40 – Caleb McSurdy LB 6-1 245 So. Boise, Idaho 41 – Kurt Stoll RB 5-11 180 So. Sandpoint, Idaho 42 – Jace Palmer DE 6-3 240 Sr. Missoula 43 – Brooks Nuanez DB 6-2 205 Fr. Missoula 44 – Jordan Tripp LB 6-2 210 Fr. Missoula 45 – Beau Donaldson RB 6-1 233 So. Missoula 46 – Clay Pierson S 6-3 212 Fr. Twin Bridges 47 – Severin Campbell DE 6-4 210 Jr. Denver 49 – Kevin Klaboe FB 6-2 225 Sr. Billings 50 – Bryan Waldhauser DT 6-4 242 So. Huntley Project 51 – Chris Bradford DT 6-2 255 Fr. San Bernardino, Calif. 52 – Ty Timmer LB 6-2 205 Fr. Great Falls 53 – Josh Stuberg SLB 6-2 216 Fr. Helena 54 – Austin Mullins DT 6-2 273 Sr. Great Falls 55 – Ethan Tweet OG 6-2 270 Fr. Fort Benton 56 – Brock Coyle LB 6-2 215 Fr. Bozeman) 57 – Charles Burton OG 6-5 310 So. Long Beach, Calif. 58 – Andrew Glueckert DE 6-3 225 Fr. Helena 60 – Blake Lebeau C 6-5 285 Fr. Union City, Calif. 61 – Jake Raynock OG 6-2 255 Fr. Billings 63 – Brett Brauer G 6-2 260 Fr. Missoula 65 – Ty Rogers G 6-2 240 Fr. Missoula 66 – Russell Piette G 6-4 310 Jr. Vancouver, Wash. 70 – David Arndt OT 6-5ﬁ 280 So. Highlands Ranch, Colo. 71 – Alex Verlanic C 6-2 282 Jr. Drummond 72 – Levi Horn OT 6-7 315 Sr. Spokane, Wash. 73 – Bob DeBruycker OL 6-5 235 Fr. Choteau 74 – Jon Opperud G 6-7 305 So. Portland, Ore. 75 – Chris Dyk OT 6-8 297 Sr. Dillon 77 – Terran Hillesland G 6-7 320 Sr. Sidney 78 – Kyle Kmet C 6-5 271 Fr. Bonita, Calif. 79 – Kyle Hoffman OT 6-4 280 Fr. Orcas Island, Wash. 80 – Marc Mariani WR 6-0 185 Sr. Havre 81 – Tyler Palmer WR 6-3 210 Sr. Missoula 82 – Jacob Haas TE 6-5 225 Fr. Portland, Ore. 83 – Brody McKnight K 6-0 194 So. Vancouver, B.C. 84 – Bobby Hirsch TE 6-4 210 Fr. Belgrade 85 – Connor Smith WR 6-3 198 Fr. Missoula 86 – Greg Hardy TE 6-5 245 Fr. Fairview 87 – Dan Beaudin TE 6-5 252 Sr. Noxon 88 – Steven Pfahler TE 6-5 246 Sr. Frenchtown 89 – Robert Overton TE 6-6 240 Jr. San Leandro, Calif. 90 – Ryan Fetherston DE 6-4 218 So. Helena 91 – Bobby Alt DE 6-3 260 So. Ontario, Calif. 92 – George Mercer DE 6-3 241 Sr. Libby 93 – Braydon Schilling DT 6-2 270 So. Gillette, Wyo. 94 – Sean Wren P 6-6 210 So. Yorba Linda, Calif. 95 – Ray DeBruycker DE 6-4 210 Fr. Choteau 96 – Josh Harris DE 6-5 231 Fr. Kalispell 97 – Mike Sylvestre DT 6-2 275 Fr. Phoenix 98 – Brett Hutter DT 6-3 260 So. Ontario, Calif. 99 – Tyler Hobbs DT 6-4 265 Jr. Spokane, Wash.

LT 72 Levi Horn LG 74 Jon Opperud

QB 12 Andrew Selle

K 83 Brody McKnight

C 71 Alex Verlanic

RG 77 Terran Hillesland RT 75 Chris Dyk

WR 80 Marc Mariani

DE 9 John Laid

TE 88 Steven Pfahler

OFFENSIVE BACKUPS

CB 13 Dariu

QB 17 Gerald Kemp WR 23 Levi Buckles WR 7 Jeff Larson WR 8 Sam Gratton LT 70 David Arndt LG 57 Charles Burton

C 18 Justin Roper RG 66 Russell Piette RT 79 Kyle Hofmann RB 24 T. Brooks-Fletcher TE 87 Dan Beaudin

MONTANA STARTING DEFENSE

WR 14 Everett Gilbert

CB 3 Andrew Swink

WLB 32 Alex Shaw

DE 42 Jace Palmer DT 99 Tyler Hobbs

SS 4 Erik Stoll MLB 10 Shawn Lebsock

DT 54 Austin Mullins

DE Se Ca

P 94 Sean Wren

DEFENSIVE BACKUPS DE 91 Bobby Alt LB 56 Brock Coyle DT 37 Carson Bender DE 90 Ryan Fetherston MLB 40 Caleb McSurdy SLB 53 Josh Stuberg

FS 39 Shann Schillinger

SLB 25 Brandon Fisher

WLB 44 Jordan Tripp CB 2 Trumaine Johnson CB 11 Brandon Dodson FS 9 Mike McCord SS 30 Mike Cummings

MATCHUPS MONTANA state STARTING DEFENSE

WR 16 Jabin Sambrano

r r

Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009 – G13

Taking care of the next generation.

CB 27 Kevin Retoriano

PEDIATRIC DEPARTMENT

HEALTH CARE FOR BABIES, CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

Montana State ROSTER DE 47 Dane Fletcher

LB 34 Jeff Price

FS 22 Michael Rider

DT 90 Dan Ogden MLB 42 Clay Bignell

NT 45 Jason D’Alba

9 n det

P 39 Eric Fisher

ROV 7 Jordan Craney

LB 23 Jody Owens

DEFENSIVE BACKUPS

us Jones

Dustin O’Connell 48 DE Zach Minter 90 DT Ryan Cerise 58 NT Brad Daly 41 DE

Tanner Ripley 59 LB Matt Harris 44 LB James Andrews 24 CB Anthony Cosme-Peko 32 Rov Joel Fuller 5 FS

MONTANA state STARTING OFFENSE WR 2 Elvis Akpla

K 15 Jason Cunningham QB 12 Cody Kempt

RT 72 Mike Person RG 76 Jeff Hansen C 61 Alex Terrien

RB 20 Aaron Mason

LG 62 Ben Tauanuu LT 68 Conrad Burbank

E 47 everin ampbell

WR 82 Julius Lloyd TE 91 Joe Schriebeis

CB 21 Keith Thompson Leo Davis 50 Casey Dennehy 57 Jesse Hoffmann 71 Killian Fitzpatrick 73 Mark Iddins 16

OFFENSIVE BACKUPS LG C RG RT QB

CJ Palmer 33 RB Mark Desin 11 WR Derek Green 1 WR DeSean Thomas 4 WR Kyle Begger 81 TE

No. Name 1 – Derek Green 2 – Elvis Akpla 3 – Aaron Mason 3 – Kazz Siewing 4 – DeSean Thomas 5 – Joel Fuller 5 – Kruiz Siewing 6 – Gianni Carter 6 – Heath Howard 7 – Jordan Craney 8 – Zach Coleman 9 – John Laidet 9 – Denarius McGhee 10 – Jase Muri 11 – Mark Desin 12 – Cody Kempt 13 – Darius Jones 14 – Everette Gilbert 15 – Jason Cunningham 16 – Mark Iddins 18 – Chris Wilson 19 – Rick Haluszka 20 – C.J. Palmer 22 – Michael Rider 23 – Jody Owens 24 – James Andrews 25 – Cody Kirk 26 – Arnold Briggs 27 – Mackey Nolan 27 – Kevin Retoriano 28 – Cory Nicol 29 – Jimmy Ekumah 31 – Chase Gazzerro 33 – Blayde Becksted 34 – Jeff Price 35 – Preston Gale 36 – Ricky Evans 37 – Jared Rohrback 38 – Travis Bertelsen 39 – Eric Fisher 41 – Brad Daly 42 – Clay Bignell 44 – Matt Harris 45 – Jason D’Alba 46 – Ryan D’Agostino 47 – Dane Fletcher 48 – Dustin O’Connell 49 – Caleb Schreibeis 50 – Leo Davis 51 – Josiah Lusby 53 – Matt Bernard 54 – Aleksei Grosulak 55 – Shonquille Dorsey 56 – Shaun Sampson 57 – Casey Dennehy 58 – Ryan Cerise 59 – Tanner Ripley 61 – Alex Terrien 62 – Ben Tauanuu 64 – Andy Austin 65 – Tim Garcia 66 – Clint Mentzel 67 – Todd Brandt 68 – Conrad Burbank 69 – David Abercombie 71 – Jesse Hoffmann 72 – Mike Person 73 – Killian Fitzpatrick 74 – Jeff Miller 75 – Andrew Verlanic 76 – Jeff Hansen 79 – Michael Erickson 80 – Jordan Rohrich 81 – Kyle Begger 83 – Reil Cornelius 85 – Michael Chopp 86 – Tanner Bleskin 88 – Shane Robison 89 – Steven Foster 90 – Dan Ogden 91 – Michael Balen 91 – Joe Schreibeis 92 – Brad Smith 95 – Kevin Steiner 96 – Zach Minter 97 – Derek DeJong 98 – Christian Keli’i 99 – Brian Bignell

Pos Hgt WR 6-3 WR 6-1 RB 5-10 CB 5-11 WR 6-1 DB 6-0 WR 6-0 WR 6-2 DB 5-10 SS 6-0 CB 5-10 DE 6-5 QB 6-0 WR 5-11 WR 5-11 QB 6-2 CB 5-11 WR 5-9 K 6-1 QB 6-2 DB 6-0 RB 6-4 RB 6-0 FS 5-11 LB 6-0 CB 6-1 RB 5-10 FS 5-10 P 6-0 FS 5-9 CB 5-9 LB 5-11 LB 5-10 RB 5-10 LB 6-0 DE 6-3 RB 6-1 LB 6-1 RB 5-11 P/K 6-1 LB 6-1 LB 6-2 LB 6-0 DT 6-2 LB 6-2 DE 6-2 DE 6-2 DE 6-3 OL 6-4 LB 6-0 OL 6-3 LB 5-10 DL 6-0 OL 6-0 OL 6-1 DE 6-3 LB 5-10 OL 6-4 OL 6-4 OT 6-4 LS 6-3 OL 6-5 OT 6-4 OG 6-4 OL 6-4 OL 6-4 OT 6-5 OL 6-8 OT 6-7 OL 6-4 C 6-4 OT 6-3 Ath 6-0 TE 6-2 WR 6-2 WR 6-0 WR 6-3 TE 6-5 TE 6-5 DT 6-0 DE 6-2 TE 6-4 DE 6-5 TE 6-4 DL 6-1 DE 6-3 DL 6-1 DL 6-2

Wgt Year Hometown 189 Sr. Billings 181 So. Portland, Ore. 181 Sr. Imperial Beach, Calif. 178 Fr. Saco 176 So. Cleburne, Texas 176 Fr. Libby 181 Fr. Saco 196 Fr. Eugene, Ore. 180 Fr. Plentywood 182 Jr. Pocatello, Idaho 158 Fr. Cedar Hill, Texas 240 So. Bonanza, Ore. 192 Fr. Euless, Texas 172 Fr. Billings 194 Jr. Billings 216 Jr. Beaverton, Ore. 170 Fr. Rockwall, Texas 175 Fr. Rockwall, Texas 162 So. Amarillo, Texas 204 Sr. Mikilteo, Wash. 170 Fr. Great Falls 205 Fr. Harlem 226 So. Spring, Texas 199 Jr. Billings 213 Fr. Mesquite, Texas 184 So. Rockwall, Texas 184 Fr. Frenchtown 187 Fr. San Diego 191 Fr. Columbia Falls, 187 Sr. San Diego 175 Sr. Woodinville, Wash. 216 Fr. Arlington, Texas 219 Sr. Great Falls 200 Jr. Wellington, Colo. 222 Sr. Billings 240 Fr. Forney, Texas 177 Fr. Grand Prairie, Texas 211 Fr. Great Falls 108 Fr. Wibaux 200 Sr. Billings 240 Fr. Helena 236 So. Helena 224 Sr. Mission Viejo, Calif. 280 So. Glencoe, Ill. 175 Fr. Helena 245 Sr. Bozeman 239 Jr. Helena 237 Fr. Billings 265 So. Billings 226 Jr. Newberg, Ore. 305 Fr. Gig Harbor, Wash. 200 Fr. Billings 250 Fr. Dallas, Texas 225 Fr. Helena 267 Fr. Butte 265 Sr. Colorado Springs, Colo. 216 Jr. Highwood 280 So. Auburn, Wash. 308 Fr. Santa Ana, Calif. 255 Fr. Billings 227 Jr. Kamuela, Hawaii 280 Fr. Midlothian, Texas 246 Fr. Bozeman 278 So. Reno, Nev. 255 Fr. Rockwall, Texas 285 Jr. Helena 292 Jr. Glendive 260 Fr. Beaverton, Ore. 294 Jr. Pocatello, Idaho 263 Fr. Drummond 297 Sr. Great Falls 285 So. Havre 191 Fr. St. Ignatius 224 Jr. Miles City 175 Fr. Helena 188 So. Gig Harbor, Wash. 190 Fr. Great Falls 245 So. Billings 246 Fr. Helena 261 Jr. Kalispell 200 Fr. Freeland, Mich. 233 Sr. Billings 237 So. Belgrade 227 Fr. Shelby 250 Fr. Glendale, Ariz. 246 Fr. Manhattan 290 Fr. Ewa Beach, Hawaii 224 Fr. Helena

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G14 – Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Conference capsules

Around the Big Sky Compiled by BILL SPELTZ/Missoulian

No. 3 Montana (7-0, 10-0) at No. 23 Montana State (5-2, 7-3) 12:05 p.m. (KPAX-TV; KWVE FM 101.5; KGVO AM 1290; www. bigskytv.org) Montana State needs a victory to boost itself into postseason consideration ... The Griz have won 10 straight games and 14 straight conference games ... Montana State has won three games in a row and four of its last five ... Montana has clinched the outright conference title and its 17th straight playoff appearance ... The Griz are 30-1 in conference games since the start of the 2006 season ... The Cats lead the league in total defense (342.7 ypg). The Griz are second (351.1) ... Montana leads the league in rushing offense at 181.4 yards per game. Montana State is second at 153.6 ... The Cats rank first in the Big Sky in rush defense (81.2 ypg). The Griz are second (87.5) ... Montana State has allowed only two rushing touchdowns all season. Montana has allowed five ... Montana leads the series, 68-35-5 ... Last year Chase Reynolds, now a junior, rushed

MICHAEL GALLACHER/Missoulian

Shawn Lebsock stops Northern Colorado wide receiver Patrick Walker for a short gain last week. Lebsock was in on nine tackles Saturday, five of them unassisted. for 115 yards and two touchdowns to lead Montana to a 35-3 win in Missoula ... Montana coach Bobby Hauck is 7716 in his seventh season … Montana State coach Rob Ash is 20-13 in his third season … Hauck is 2-0 vs. Ash

and 4-2 all-time vs. the Bobcats ... This is the 109th meeting between the teams … Montana won, 41-20, when the teams played in Bozeman in 2007 … The Griz have won three straight and 20 of the last 23 in the series …

The Cats have a league-high 28 sacks. Montana has allowed a league-low 11 ... The Griz are +5 in turnover margin. The Cats are -4 ... Montana averages a league-best 46.7 points per game in conference. Montana State has allowed a league-low 17.6 points in conference games ... Reynolds’ 1,096 rushing yards this season are eighth best on the Griz single-season all-time list. He rushed for 1,583 last season, which ranks second all-time. For Reynolds to pass all-time single-season recordholder Yohance Humphery, he needs 563 yards ... Montana linebacker Shawn Lebsock has 260 career tackles, 19th on Montana’s all-time list. He needs three more tackles to pass three players to move up to 16th ... Montana has scored on 38 of 46 trips into the red zone this year (31 touchdowns, seven field goals) ... Montana State has trailed in five of its seven wins ... The Cats have blocked five kicks this season ... Everett Gilbert’s 525 receiving yards and 1,077 all-purpose yards are the most ever by a Bobcat freshman ... Montana State defensive end Dane Fletcher matched his career high with 11 tackles in a 2717 home win over Sac State last week. He also had four tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries.

Cal Poly (4-6) at No. 19 See BIG SKY, Page G17

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G16 – Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009

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Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009 – G17

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Conference capsules

Big Sky

Beau Baldwin is 13-8 in his second season … Northern’s Jerome Souers is 66-69 in his 12th season … Jacks wideout Ed Berry needs 119 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the season.

Continued from Page G14

Weber State (6-4)

UC Davis (6-4) at Sacramento State (4-6)

12:05 p.m. (www.bigskytv.org) The Wildcats need a win to keep their hopes for an at-large playoff bid alive ... Cal Poly has lost three in a row, including a 50-48 loss to South Dakota last week ... The Mustangs had won three straight over the Wildcats before Weber’s 49-35 playoff win in 2008. In that first-round game, Cameron Higgins threw for 399 yards and two touchdowns and Trevyn Smith rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wildcats in San Luis Obispo, Calif. ... ... Weber State leads the series, 4-3 ... Wildcats veteran coach Ron McBride is 31-26 in his fifth season … Cal Poly coach Tim Walsh is 4-6 in his first season ... Walsh went 6-5 against Weber State when he was the head coach at Portland State ... Cal Poly quarterback Tony Smith threw for 407 yards and six touchdowns last week ... Weber is outscoring opponents, 122-43, in the second quarter ... The Wildcats are 3-1 at home this season ... Cal Poly is 0-5 on the road ... Weber has allowed 20.8 points per game, which ranks second in the league ... The Big Sky is 6-2 vs. Great West teams this season ... Smith enters what could be his last game with 4,900 career rushing yards.

No. 18 Eastern Washington

3:05 (www.bigskytv.org)

Nick Wolcott/Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Montana State’s Aaron Mason lands in the end zone for a touchdown against Sacramento State during their game last Saturday in Bozeman. Montana State beat Sacramento State 27-17.

(5-2, 7-3) at Northern Arizona (4-3, 5-5) 3:05 (Dish Network channel No. 9411; www.bigskytv.org) Eastern Washington needs a win to keep its hopes for an at-large playoff bid alive ... The Eagles have won three straight games. The Lumberjacks have lost three straight games ... Northern hasn’t beaten Eastern in Flagstaff since 2003 ... If the Jacks win,

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UC Davis clinched the Great West Conference title with a 28-20 win over North Dakota last week ... Sacramento State halted the Aggies’ eight-game winning streak in “The Causeway Classic” with last year’s 29-19 victory in Davis. Tony Washington caught three touchdown passes from Hornets quarterback Jason Smith ... UC Davis leads the series, 39-17 ... Sac State coach Marshall Sperbeck is 13-20 in his third season … Aggies coach Bob Biggs is 130-65-1 in his 17th season … Sperbeck is 1-1 vs. Biggs ... Sac is looking for its first back-to-back wins over the Aggies since 1990-91... UC Davis is 13th in the nation in passing offense at 271.3 yards per game ... Sac State allows 284 passing yards per game ...Sac State is 2-2 at home this season. UC Davis is 2-3 on the road ... The Aggies are 1-1 against Big Sky teams this season, losing to Montana and beating Portland State ... Sac State linebacker Zach Schrader ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 98 total tackles. He is tied for second with four interceptions.

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G18 – Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Rivalry trophies

Playing for buckets, pigs, eggs “It means a lot of guys are looking around and saying, ‘What is that giant piece of wood in our locker room?’ I don’t At this time of the year, college football Associated Press of what ACC rivalry? 6 points. know if I’d rather have it than not have it,” can seem a little like peewee soccer: 7. Match the rivalry game with each Wisniewski joked. Everybody gets a trophy. From axes to wagon wheels, with golden trophy. 2 points for each. He said most players “don’t quite Players will compete for some of the all kinds of cups, buckets and bells in Trophies understand the reason for it. ... It’s weird oldest and oddest hardware in the sport. between, college football teams play for A) Golden Egg looking, but it’s cool to have.” Purdue and Indiana will battle for the some pretty odd stuff. B) Golden Boot Last year the Land Grant Trophy Old Oaken Bucket, which dates to 1925. Here’s a test, based on information C) Golden Hat took a spill as Penn State workers were At stake when Minnesota and Iowa meet provided by the NCAA record book. Rivalries transporting it around Beaver Stadium is Floyd of Rosedale, a statue of a pig – We’ll stick to those involving FBS teams. 1) LSU-Arkansas on a golf cart and sustained some minor though in 1935 the tradition started when Prepare to Google. 2) Mississippi-Mississippi State damage. the two governors wagered a real pig on 3) Oklahoma-Texas “It’s in pretty tiptop shape right the game. 1. Which MAC teams play for the 8. There are five Governor’s Cup now. The wood is really shining, the In Columbia, Mo., the winner of Anniversary Award? 6 points. trophies, but only one Mayors’ Cup. lion is looking pretty good,” Penn State Iowa State-Missouri gets the Telephone 2. Which three rivalry games earn the Which teams play for it? 6 points. quarterback Daryll Clark said. Trophy. Half red for the Cyclones, half winner a Victory Bell? 2 points for each. 9. Missouri and Nebraska play for At 4-feet tall and weighing about 50 yellow for the Tigers, the trophy dates 3. Which is the oldest trophy? 6 the Bell Trophy. Which Big 12 rivals play pounds, it takes a couple players to safely back to 1960 and might be the only time points. for the Bell Clapper? 6 points. celebrate with the Land Grant. these iPhone generation players ever see a 4. Which Big 12 teams play for the 10. What is Floyd of Rosedale and But it’s not nearly as big as another rotary version in their lives. Telephone Trophy? 6 points. which Big Ten teams play for it? 6 newcomer to college football’s trophy Sometimes the stories seem like 5. Which two rivalry games earn the points. case. they’re right out of a history textbook. winner a Brass Spittoon? 3 points for The gargantuan Golden Boot goes to For example, Floyd of Rosedale’s origin each. Answers on Page G22. the winner of the LSU-Arkansas game. is linked to the poor treatment of a 6. The Textile Bowl goes to the winner The Tigers and Razorbacks had some black player on the Iowa team before the history before Arkansas joined the civil rights era. The story goes that the Southeastern Conference in 1992, so to Minnesota linebacker Nate Triplett said. on each other and tearing up the fields Gophers roughed up running back Ozzie make the Hogs feel at home a rivalry was “It’s something I’m going to be fighting after games. Simmons badly in the 1934 game, and for, definitely.” Most of the trophies are long-standing created between the two westernmost that made the Hawkeyes so mad it led to members of the league. Other traditional rivalries have – 46 of the 65 listed in the NCAA record the governors of each state putting up Former Arkansas player, now radio talk quirkier trophies and lighter history, book date back at least 30 years. The ones a prized hog on the outcome of the ’35 often involving fraternities, thefts, that have sprung up recently, and far less show host, David Bazzel came up with game. the idea of a trophy game, pitched it to organically, tend to be not quite as, shall Getting a hold of that bronze pig is still fisticuffs or some combination of the then-Razorbacks athletic director Frank three. we say, quaint. serious business for the Hawkeyes and Broyles and what became known as the The Golden Egg Trophy, given to the Take the Land Grant Trophy – if you Gophers. Golden Boot made its debut in 1996, all have a hand-truck to haul it away. “Everyone hits a little harder, everyone winner of the Mississippi-Mississippi 175 pounds of it. State game since 1927, was started Penn State and Michigan State, the runs a little faster, everyone does a “Let’s create one that’s gaudy and big basically to stop rival fans from beating two oldest land grant institutions in the little more. The pig has some meaning,” and expensive and heavy,” Bazzel said country – now that’s something to build earlier this week, recalling his thinking a rivalry upon – have been playing for behind the $10,000 trophy. the trophy since 1993, when the Nittany “I want it to take three or four big guys Lions joined the Big Ten and someone to haul it off.” decided they needed a rival. The 4-foot tall, 24-karat gold trophy Former Spartans coach George Perles is sculpted in the shape of the states of designed the trophy, and when it comes to trophy design, Perles proved to be one Arkansas and Louisiana, which makes it look like a boot – big enough to fit a baby heck of a football coach. rhino. The wooden monstrosity is adorned Size hardly matters to players, though. with a figurines of a Nittany Lion and As Bazzel points out, competitors like a Spartan, pictures of two pleasant but trophies. rather nondescript buildings from the “You can say what you want, but if respective campuses and topped with a you’re a player and you’re playing for golden football player. something, you want to win it,” he said. So, Penn State center Stefen “Whether it’s a pencil or a coke can or Wisniewski, what does the Land Grant 6374 West Lake Mead • Las Vegas, NV 89108 that big shiny boot.” Trophy mean to you? w w w . To r r e y P i n e s P u b . c o m By RALPH D. RUSSO Associated Press

How well do you know your rivalry trophies?

GO GRIZ!

Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009 – G19

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Top 25 picks

Old rivalries always have By RALPH D. RUSSO Associated Press

The national championship race seems as if it’s being put on hold this week, with the top contenders all big – in some cases too big to count – favorites. So the attention shifts to traditional rivalries and games with major conference implications. No. 9 Ohio State has already wrapped up its postseason plans. The Buckeyes are going to play in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1997, having locked up a share of the Big Ten title with last week’s overtime victory against Iowa. But the Michigan game is never meaningless for the Buckeyes and it certainly isn’t for coach Rich Rodriguez’s downtrodden Wolverines (6-5). Michigan can avoid another bowlless postseason and maybe the Big Ten basement with a victory. With all the troubles in Ann Arbor these days, snapping a five-game losing streak in one of the most heated rivalries in college football would be the best news at

VISIT

Michigan in a long time. The Big Game is California and Stanford’s yearly meeting and the twist this season is that the Cardinal – not the Golden Bears – are the ones playing for highest stakes. No. 14 Stanford, bowl eligible for the first time since 2001, is still in the running for a Pac-10 title. Cal is simply trying to position itself for a better bowl slot. The biggest game in the Pac-10 this week doesn’t have much history, but No. 11 Oregon at Arizona will help – at least a little – clear up a muddled conference race. In the ACC, No. 18 Clemson can clinch a spot in the conference championship game for the first time by beating Virginia at home.

Saturday’s Games Florida International (plus 45) at No. 1 Florida Gators get week to recharge battery ... FLORIDA 58-10. Chattanooga (no line) at No. 2 Alabama

Tide also gets to kick back ... ALABAMA 45-0. Kansas (plus 27ﬁ) at No. 3 Texas Jayhawks crumbling as Longhorns stomp toward Big 12 title game ... TEXAS 42-10. No. 4 TCU (minus 31ﬁ) at Wyoming Horned Frogs bashing their way toward BCS ... TCU 41-7. No. 9 Ohio State (minus 12) at Michigan Terrelle Pryor starting to win over Buckeyes fans ... OHIO STATE 35-14. No. 10 LSU (plus 4) at Mississippi Rebels snapped six-game skid to Tigers last year ... LSU 24-21. No. 11 Oregon (minus 6) at Arizona Great potential for hideous uniforms by both teams ... OREGON 38-28. No. 13 Penn State (minus 3) at Michigan State Heated battle for Land Grant Trophy ... MICHIGAN STATE 21-14. California (plus 7) at No. 14 Stanford Cardinal ended five-game skid to Cal last year ... STANFORD 38-24. Minnesota (plus 10) at No. 15 Iowa Hawkeyes still have BCS hopes ... IOWA 27-14. North Carolina State (plus 21) at No. 16 Virginia Tech Hokies RB Ryan Williams will be 2010

US IN THE

Heisman contender ... VIRGINIA TECH 35-17. No. 17 Wisconsin (minus 7) at Northwestern Home team has won last four meetings ... NORTHWESTERN 28-24. Virginia (plus 20fi) at No. 18 Clemson Even Tigers can’t mess up this one ... CLEMSON 42-12. Air Force (plus 10) at No. 19 BYU Cougars have won four straight meetings ... BYU 34-21. No. 20 Oregon State (minus 31) at Washington State Beavers still lurking in Pac-10 race ... OREGON STATE 45-10. Duke (plus 19fi) at No. 21 Miami Blue Devils’ pass defense is last in ACC ... MIAMI 38-17. San Diego State (plus 20) at No. 23 Utah Utes are 8-2 against Aztecs in MWC play ... UTAH 45-14. Memphis (plus 23fi) at No. 24 Houston Hey Tigers fans, cheer up, basketball season is here ... HOUSTON 55-14. No. 25 Rutgers (minus 8) at Syracuse See above, Orange fans ... RUTGERS 24-10. Last week: 17-5 (straight); 12-10 (vs. points). Season: 181-45 (straight); 108-99-4 (vs. points).

BITTERROOT!

G20 – Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Grizzlies quash Bears 38-10

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Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009 – G21

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Grizzlies quash Bears 38-10

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G22 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Grizzly Q&A

Roper

Continued from Page G8

Washington. We were tied with 4 to 5 minutes left with 50 to 60 yards to go. It was a two-minute drill situation. We were trying to score and keep them off the field. Kevin Klaboe caught a big fourth down pass and we had a big third conversion. I thought I managed the drive pretty well, and we ended up winning. Q: What is your favorite throw to make? A: Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s called a Pocket Shot. If the defense is running a Cover-2, the receiver will be split out wide. He runs straight down the field with an outside release. The corner will break off while the safety moves over to pick up the coverage. I like to throw that right before the safety breaks. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty fun to complete. Q: While at Oregon you suffered a concussion against Washington and you were diagnosed with another concussion after taking a hit from Portland State safety Jordan Brown this season. How did you feel after those hits and during the following week? A: Oregonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s was not as bad. I ended up playing most of the game. I kept playing, but I began to forget things. The next

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day I was much better. I had about three days where I was injured. I practiced on Wednesday and played in the next game. The Montana one was a much fiercer hit. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember anything from that day. I still had symptoms on Monday and Tuesday. You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do anything. I ended up missing practice on Wednesday, was ready for Thursday, but thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a rule at Montana that you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t practice on Wednesday. Q: Is there a difference between the level of fan and media scrutiny between Oregon and Montana? A: I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell you. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t read the papers or go onto message boards. I honestly couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell you. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve dealt with friendly fans at Oregon and here. Q: Montana State quarterback Cody Kempt was also a part Oregonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recruiting 2006 class. What do you remember about him? A: We roomed together my first summer there. I was thankful because he knew the area. He kind of took me in. I spent some time with his family while I was there. I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t talked with him since heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been at Montana State. I think I lost his number. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see him after the game and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll catch up. Q: Montana State coach Rob Ash has his own Web site, although it was last

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on the Internet that mentioned that you once played basketball against former NBA No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden of the Portland Trail Blazers. What were the circumstances when that happened? A: I played against him in AAU tournaments. I was on the Georgia Stars for six years. He was on the Indy Heat. I played with and against a lot of guys that made it to the NBA. Josh Smith. Louis Williams. Greg Oden. Mike Conely. Randolph Morris. I played in a summer league game against Dwight Howard. I was going into my freshman or sophomore year, and he as going into his senior year. I was a lot younger. That didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go very well. I guarded OJ Mayo in an AAU game when he was with the West Virginia Express. That was different. That was rough too. He was a year younger. He was very good. I stopped playing AAU basketball after sophomore year. Just not enough time. Q: Is there an NFL player, currently playing or someone from the past, that reminds you of yourself as far as playing style? A: Peyton Manning. The way I throw the ball and the way I carry myself on the field. Even how I talk is kind of like him. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do all the pre-snap talking at the line like he does, though. Q: Your last name is Roper. Do you have any rodeo experience or plans to eventually pursue a rodeo career? A: This is really funny. In El Paso, for the Sun Bowl, we kept passing this place that sold Justin Boots. They actually have Justin Roper boots. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tangible and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weird. I have a pair of buffalo skin boots. I need to get some Justin Roper boots though. That would be pretty nice.

How well do you know your rivalry trophies?

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updated Oct. 17, 2008. Which coach on the Grizzlies would you say is the most tech savvy and you could see blogging? A: I would say none. The coaching staff at Montana is too old school. Hard nosed. We joked about that with Coach Phen (Rob Phenicie). Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a gristly guy who hates that stuff. Q: Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the biggest difference between Eugene, Ore., and Missoula? A: The hippies. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot less of them in Missoula. It was an eye opening experience coming from a conservative state like Georgia. Missoula has hippies, but it also has outdoorsmen who like to hunt and fish. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably closer to Georgia. Missoula also has a Cracker Barrel. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my favorite restaurant and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right down the road from my house. Q: What do you like to do in your free time? A: Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not much of a partier. I just like to hang out and watch movies or play video games. I play the (acoustic) guitar. Q: Who is the funniest player on the Griz? A: Probably Ty Palmer. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just really goofy. I get to see him at his best and his worst because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re roommates. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very comical. Q: In addition to playing football, you also swam competitively for your high school. Which events did you compete in? A: I only swam my freshman year. It was getting to be too much because I was also doing basketball and track besides football. I swam 100-meter breaststroke. In junior high I set school records for 100-meter breaststroke and 100-meter backstroke. Q: Speaking of other sports, I found an old player bio from your days at Oregon

Answers for quiz on Page G18.

Jug, which Michigan and Minnesota have been playing for since 1909. 1. Bowling Green and Kent State. 4. Iowa State and Missouri. 2. USC-UCLA (Victory Bell); Cincinnati5. Indiana-Michigan State and New Miami, Ohio (Victory Bell); Duke-North Mexico State-UTEP. Carolina (Victory Bell). Also credit for Ball 6. Clemson-North Carolina State. State-Indiana State, which is for the Blue 7. A-2; B-1; C-3. Key Victory Bell, and Minnesota-Penn 8. Rice-SMU State, which is for the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Victory 9. Oklahoma-Oklahoma State. Bell. 10. A bronze statue of a pig and he 3. The Territorial Cup, which goes to goes to the winner of the Iowa-Minnesota the winner of the Arizona-Arizona State game. game. The trophy dates to 1899, but it was lost for decades. In 2001, the Sun If you scored more than 18 points â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Devils and Wildcats started playing for it without the help of a search engine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you again. Also accepted is the Little Brown could probably win a lot of bets.

Missoulian, Saturday, November 21, 2009 – G23

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