Griz Game Day, December 26 by Missoulian

G2 – Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Cover Story: 2009 season

Where were you? A kickoff return, a monumental rally, and the Griz march into Chattanooga By FRITZ NEIGHBOR of the Missoulian

ome fans actually left. The Montana Grizzlies had just scored midway through the third quarter to cut what had been a 41-14 deficit against South Dakota State to 41-21. But almost before you could say, ‘That’s more like it,” the Jackrabbits struck again, with a 61-yard pass from Thomas O’Brien to Glen Fox, down to Montana’s 3-yard line. First-and-goal. In the WashingtonGrizzly Stadium press box, you could hear Griz defensive coordinator Kraig Paulson yelling about the blown coverage. Two plays later SDSU scored to go up 48-21. By then John McNulty had left the stadium. “I’d better go get the dog,” he thought, climbing into his truck. McNulty had left “Raider” at a friend’s house. He heard the cannon go off as he drove away; he thought nothing of it. Four touchdowns, three touchdowns, whatever. It was only after he had Raider in his truck that he turned on the radio. “And Mick Holien is just going sideways,” McNulty remembered. “I said, ‘Well, hell, I’m going into Red’s.’ And right as I get to the door, I hear this huge cheer. I go in: ‘What the hell happened? Isn’t it over?’ And Brian Benson was just going nuts.” Montana was finishing off a 40-0 run to beat the Jackrabbits, 61-48. It was a stunning turnaround for the unbeaten Griz, and it began right after McNulty left: The Grizzlies’ Marc Mariani took the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. The cannon went off. The crowd was back into it. The Griz were back on stride. “I would’ve bet you anything that

TOM BAUER/Missoulian

there was no way,” said McNulty. “My house. My dog. I thought that there was no way we can come back and win that game.” The Grizzlies went 14-1 this season, with the loss being a tough one to swallow, coming as it did in the Division I Football Championship game to Villanova. It was their second straight trip to Chattanooga, Tenn., and returning was the stated goal of the seniors, who’d come away with a 24-7 title-game loss to Richmond the year before. Not that it was all that realistic to some. “Going into spring ball, I didn’t even think this team would be like 8-3 or 7-4, to tell you the truth,” said guard Terran Hillesland, a mainstay on an offensive line that lost three starters. “And going through the first two weeks of spring ball, how rough all the young guys were, I was like, ‘Man, this is going to suck.’ ” A so-so 38-0 win over Division II Western State started the Grizzlies’ season. A mistake-filled, offensivelychallenged 17-10 win at UC-Davis followed. The Grizzlies found their stride the next week in a 49-17 win over Portland State, in which they roared back from an early 14-0 deficit. Yet tight wins were more the norm. They had 41-34 wins over both Northern Arizona (in overtime) and Eastern Washington, and a 12-10 squeaker over then-winless Idaho State along the way. The latter was particularly maddening, coming as it did after a dominant 31-10 victory over powerful Weber State. Yet the important thing was that the Griz found a way – a last-second field goal from Brody McKnight to cap a See Where, Page G5

Montana’s Marc Mariani grabs an 18-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Selle in the end zone in October in Sacramento, Calif. The Hornets’ Durrell Oliver defends.

Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; G3

G4 – Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Stat pack

Season statistics MONTANA (14-1) 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

Griz

Opp

35.8 160.2 4.1 303-494-10 267.2 8.1 427.4 6.0 100-218 29:38 20-8 50-24.6 39-15.8 59-40.5 23-146

19.0 108.7 3.4 354-595-26 247.8 6.2 356.5 5.0 78-224 30:22 22-11 86-18.9 13-6.0 84-37.8 19-138

63 172 117 178 67 82 66 70

7 0

– 537 – 285

Offensive leaders Rushing Chase Reynolds 321-1502 (4.7 ypc.), long 54, 22 TDs Thomas Brooks-Fletcher 107-464 (4.3 ypc.), long 26, 3 TDs Peter Nguyen 38-187 (4.9 ypc.), long 57, 1 TD Andrew Selle 47-94 (2.0 ypc.), long 34, 1 TD Gerald Kemp 15-67 (4.5 ypc.), long 15, 0 TDs Justin Roper 23-52 (2.3 ypc.), long 22, 0 TDs Dan Moore 16-39 (2.4 ypc.), long 7, 1 TD Jeff Larson 1-14, 0 TDs Sean Wren 2-4, 0 TDs Beau Donaldson 1-1, 1 TD Passing Andrew Selle 224-356-6 for 3043 yards, long 68, 28 TDs Justin Roper 78-134-3 for 951 yards, long 84, 8 TDs Gerald Kemp 0-1-1 for 0 yards Receiving Marc Mariani 80-1479 (18.5 ypc.), long 84, 13 TDs Chase Reynolds 38-358 (9.4 ypc.), long 36, 2 TDs Tyler Palmer 37-465 (12.6 ypc.), long 25, 4 TDs Jabin Sambrano 31-512 (16.5 ypc.), long 57, 5 TDs Dan Beaudin 31-342 (11.0 ypc.), long 61, 3 TDs Stephen Pfahler 30-384 (12.8 ypc.), long 33, 4 TDs Sam Gratton 28-234 (8.4 ypc.), long 45, 2 TDs

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Defensive leaders Tackles LB Shawn Lebsock 104, 40 unassisted SS Erik Stoll 98, 40 unassisted FS Shann Schillinger 90, 39 unassisted LB Alex Shaw 79, 24 unassisted LB Brandon Fisher 78, 29 unassisted DE Severin Campbell 60, 25 unassisted DT Austin Mullins 59, 12 unassisted CB Trumaine Johnson 54, 31 unassisted CB Keith Thompson 45, 25 unassisted DT Bryan Waldhauser 45, 11 unassisted DE Jace Palmer 42, 16 unassisted DT Tyler Hobbs 39, 13 unassisted LB Caleb McSurdy 32, 12 unassisted LB Josh Stuberg 32, 9 unassisted SS Mike McCord 31, 17 unassisted CB Andrew Swink 31, 20 unassisted LB Brock Coyle 30, 11 unassisted DT Carson Bender 26, 7 unassisted CB Donny Lisowski 24, 17 unassisted LB Jordan Tripp 23, 6 unassisted DE Bobby Alt 19, 10 unassisted DE Josh Harris 19, 10 unassisted CB Brandon Dodson 17, 12 unassisted SS Tim Anderson 16, 5 unassisted RB Dan Moore 14, 4 unassisted WR Jeff Larson 14, 1 unassisted SS Mike Cummings 13, 6 unassisted LB Cole Lockwood 11, 13 unassisted DE Ryan Fetherston 10, 6 unassisted CB Nick Haynes 9, 2 unassisted RB Beau Donaldson 8, 3 unassisted DE George Mercer 6, 3 unassisted FS Houston Stockton 6, 3 unassisted QB Gerald Kemp 5, 0 unassisted WR Bryce Carver 4, 1 unassisted DT Mike Sylvestre 4, 1 unassisted DE Brett Hutter 4, 0 unassisted K Brody McKnight 3, 2 unassisted TE Dan Beaudin 3, 3 unassisted TE Greg Hardy 3, 1 unassisted OG Terran Hillesland 2, 2 unassisted

Sacks DE Jace Palmer 5.5-36 DE Severin Campbell 4.5-27 DT Bryan Waldhauser 3-26 DT Tyler Hobbs 3-15 DE Josh Harris 2-17 DT Austin Mullins 2-6 LB Shawn Lebsock 1-8 DE Bobby Alt 1-8 DT Carson Bender 1-3 Interceptions CB Trumaine Johnson 5-14, long 11, 0 TDs FS Shann Schillinger 4-6.0, long 24, 0 TDs CB Andrew Swink 3-6.0, long 9, 0 TDs DE Severin Campbell 2-23.0, long 32, 1 TD SS Erik Stoll 2-21.0, long 29, 0 TDs LB Brock Coyle 2-21.0, long 26, 0 TDs

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DE Jace Palmer 1-57, 1 TD DT Tyler Hobbs 1-18, 0 TDs LB Caleb McSurdy 1-17, 0 TDs DT Austin Mullins 1-11, 0 TDs DE Bobby Alt 1-6, 0 TDs LB Josh Stuberg 1-4, 0 TDs FS Mike Cummings 1-0, 0 TDs LB Shawn Lebsock 1-0, 0 TDs Fumbles forced-recovered DT Tyler Hobbs 3-3 DE Jace Palmer 3-0 DE Severin Campbell 2-1 DT Austin Mullins 2-1 LB Alex Shaw 2-1 LB Jordan Tripp 0-2 DT Tyler Hobbs 1-1 FS Shann Schillinger 1-1 DE Josh Harris 1-1 Pass breakups CB Trumaine Johnson 12 FS Shann Schillinger 7 DE Jace Palmer 6 CB Keith Thompson 6 DT Austin Mullins 5 LB Brandon Fisher 5 FS Erik Stoll 4 LB Shawn Lebsock 3 LB Alex Shaw 3 DT Tyler Hobbs 3 SS Mike McCord 3 CB Donny Lisowski 3 4 with 2

Special teams leaders PATs/Field goals Brody McKnight 64-67/15-25, long 54, 3 blocked, 109 points Punting Sean Wren 58-41.2, long 65, 17 inside 20, 1 blocked Punt returns Marc Mariani 32-15.8, long 82, 1 TD Sam Gratton 1-31, 0 TDs Jabin Sambrano 1-26, 0 TDs Peter Nguyen 5-10.6, long 33, 0 TDs Kickoff returns Jabin Sambrano 28-24.8, long 50, 0 TDs Peter Nguyen 14-23.7, long 61, 0 TDs Marc Mariani 5-39.8, long 98, 1 TD

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TE Kevin Klaboe 2, 2 unassisted C Alex Verlanic 1, 1 unassisted DT Braydon Schilling 1, 0 unassisted OT Chris Dyke 1, 1 unassisted RB Ryan Nelson 1, 1 unassisted FS Clay Pierson 1, 0 unassisted WR Sam Gratton 1, 0 unassisted TE Steve Pfahler 1, 1 unassisted WR Tyler Palmer 1, 1 unassisted RB Thomas Brooks-Fletcher 1, 1 unassisted RB Chase Reynolds 1, 1 unassisted Tackles for loss DE Severin Campbell 10.5-41 DE Jace Palmer 9.5-46 DT Tyler Hobbs 6-21 DE Bobby Alt 5-16 DT Bryan Waldhauser 4-27 LB Shawn Lebsock 4-11 DT Austin Mullins 4-11 DE Ryan Fetherston 3-10 CB Keith Thompson 3-10 CB Trumaine Johnson 3-6 LB Alex Shaw 2.5-8 FS Shann Schillinger 2.5-4 DE Josh Harris 2-17 LB Josh Stuberg 2-6 DT Carson Bender 2-5 LB Brandon Fisher 1.5-3 SS Erik Stoll 1.5-2 CB Donny Lisowski 1-1 LB Cole Lockwood 0.5-8 DE Sam Gratton 0.5-8 DT Mike Sylvestre 0.5-1 DE Brett Hutter 0.5-1

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Thomas Brooks-Fletcher 10-97 (9.7 ypc.), long 20, 1 TD Rob Overton 5-42 (8.4 ypc.), long 16, 1 TDs Kevin Klaboe 5-27 (5.4 ypc.), long 16, 0 TDs Peter Nguyen 5-39 (7.8 ypc.), long 13, 0 TDs Andrew Selle 1-14, 0 TDs Levi Buckles 1-9, 0 TDs Beau Donaldson 1-6, 1 TD

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Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009 – G5

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / 2009 season

Where

Continued from Page G2

desperation drive at ISU – even as they slid down the Sports Network Top 25. Montana would end its unbeaten regular season with a 33-19 win at Montana State, and earn the top seed into the FCS playoffs. And then came South Dakota State, with power runner Kyle Minett and touchdown-happy tight end Colin Cochart. The Jacks led 17-0 early in the second quarter, 34-14 at halftime, and 48-21 in the third. Then Mariani did his thing. If one play sums up Montana’s season, that is it. Mariani hadn’t returned a kick in almost a year, but subbed in for Peter Nguyen as SDSU’s lead grew. The Grizzlies typically run “alertconvert” on kickoffs, running to the side of the field the ball is kicked to. So if it’s a “return right,” and the ball is kicked to the left hash mark, the blockers yell, “Convert!” and try to get on the opposite shoulder of their assignments, setting up an alley on the left side of the field. In this case, head coach Bobby Hauck – also UM’s special teams’ coach – called off the alert-convert. It was return-right, period. “Just out of a kind of desperation,” said Cole Lockwood, a Missoula Sentinel product who blocked on the front five on the kickoff. “I was looking down field and it seemed like just about every guy had their block. I’m on the right side, and I felt all the big guys getting closer to me. Then Marc went screaming by.” Mariani had two men to beat. One

TOM BAUER/Missoulian

See Where, Page G8 Montana quarterback Andrew Selle runs for yards against Cal Poly.

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G6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009

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Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; G7

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / 2009 season

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Montana receiver Jabin Sambrano catches the first of his two touchdown passes against Villanova in the FCS championship in Chattanooga, Tenn.

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G8 – Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / 2009 season

Where

Continued from G5

got a piece of his shoe; the other fell in behind but couldn’t gain ground. Hauck said they’d had to go over the blocks on the sideline, and that everybody lined up right. “Makes you wonder why we practice,” he cracked. “On a play like that,” wondered Lockwood, an all-Big Sky player on special teams, “that we hadn’t practiced once – not once ever. For us to execute it perfectly was great.” As the kickoff tumbled through the air, running back Chase Reynolds tracked it. “I started watching a little closer,” he said. “Because I knew something was going to happen.” Andrew Selle was standing around the 25 when Mariani took the kickoff on the far hash, started forward and cut to the right, more or less straight at him. “I saw him come to our sideline and break a tackle,” said the junior quarterback. “After that I knew he was gone. “I remember turning to (Alex) Verlanic and saying, ‘Well, that helps.’ ” At that point the game became a dizzying series of quick Griz scores and SDSU three-and-outs. A Mariani TD catch. Two Reynolds scoring runs. Another Mariani TD put the Griz up 55-48. “When he took that kickoff back, that was a huge momentum swing,” said receiver Ty Palmer. “That’s basically all we needed to get us going. We got our confidence back. After that it was off to the races.” After Severin Campbell finished off the 61-48 win with an interception

TOM BAUER/Missoulian

Montana tight end Dan Beaudin pulls in a touchdown pass as Montana State’s Jordan Craney defends. return, the Griz kept the surge going the next Saturday in a 51-0 pasting of Stephen F. Austin. That set up the semifinal classic against Appalachian State, a snow-swept battle in which the Mountaineers’ Armanti Edwards was every bit as good as advertised, but the Griz still found a way to win, 24-17. Selle, who threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Jabin Sambrano, called it arguably the best game in Griz history. It’s hard to argue. But Montana had a game left, against Villanova, in the FCS chipper. The Grizzlies led 14-3, but lost 23-21. It was a tough finish. Only one other team had lost back-to-back in the

Congratulations on a GREAT Season!!

championship before UM. A few days later the Griz could celebrate an excellent season, though some, like Reynolds, are not sated. “It was good, but I don’t know – it don’t mean much to me to get there and lose,” he said. “We had great comebacks and memorable games. But it’s hard to be satisfied with just that.” Spoken like a true senior-to-be. For those who are graduating, there are no more second chances. They have to be satisfied with what they accomplished, and they are, upon reflection. “It would’ve been better if we’d won the last one, but it’s in the past,” said

Hillesland. “You’ve got to move on.” “It was a blast with these guys,” said Horn, who like the rest of the seniors suffered just one Big Sky Conference loss in four years, and had an overall record of 51-6. “I wouldn’t change anything for the world. For the rest of my life I’m going to be like, ‘Wow.’ I can’t get over that – we have such high standards.’ We held ourselves accountable, and that made everybody better, including me.” As of this writing Hauck has accepted the head coach job at UNLV. A new coach awaits the Grizzlies, with their 12 straight Big Sky titles and 17 straight FCS playoff appearances. He won’t have Mariani to throw to, or Steven Pfahler or Palmer or Dan Beaudin. Shawn Lebsock won’t be clogging run lanes, Keith Thompson won’t be making bone-rattling hits, Shann Schillinger won’t be running down the ball and Austin Mullins and Jace Palmer are done batting down passes. But how much can change? Will the Griz work any less hard, or start believing that they’re out of any game? Sambrano, Selle, Verlanic and Reynolds are back to lead a talented offense. Campbell, Tyler Hobbs, Trumaine Johnson, Alex Shaw and Erik Stoll are back on defense. The Griz always seem to be ready in November, if not September. Well, OK, one change: It figures that McNulty – who rented a plane pulling a “Go Griz” banner at the title game, though it was grounded by weather – won’t again leave early. Even if there is convincing evidence of the Grizzlies’ demise. Like that SDSU touchdown that made it 48-21. “It’s hard not to give up right then,” allowed Horn. “We don’t give up period, anyways, on that sideline. “But when Mariani took that back, I was like, ‘Wow. Is this possible? Is this

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Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009 – G11

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / 2009 season

By the numbers 14

including two receiving. He has 282 career points, including a record 144 this season. Dan Carpenter holds UM’s career mark of 413 points (2004-07).

Wins by the Montana Grizzlies in 2009. In their 109 seasons of football the Griz have won 14 games just four times: 1996 (141), 2001 (15-1), last season (14-2) and this season (14-1).

3,085 Career rushing yards for Reynolds. The junior has a year to catch Hilliard (4,018 yards) and Humphery (4,070) in UM’s annals.

80 Wins by Montana coach Bobby Hauck, in seven seasons. That is No. 2 in Griz history (Don Read, 85 from 1986-95) and third in Big Sky Conference history (Read and Nevada’s Chris Ault, 111 from 1979-91).

2 Field goals made by Montana’s Brody McKnight from beyond 40 yards, in 10 attempts.

Consecutive playoff seasons for the Griz, an FCS record, including all seven season under Hauck.

Field goals by McKnight from 40 yards and less, in 15 tries.

109

Appearances in the NCAA Division I Football Championship for the Griz, with KURT WILSON/Missoulian three coming under Hauck. The Griz have Montana defensive lineman Austin Mullins celebrates a play against Eastern Washington. The Grizzlies won, 41-34. won two, in 1995 and 2001.

3,043

Passing yards this season for Selle. Big Sky Conference wins by the Griz It’s the 13th 3,000-yard season for a under Hauck, against 6 losses. Montana’s UM quarterback. Selle has a chance to senior class lost one league game in four become just the second Griz to do it twice. seasons.

28 Touchdown passes this season by Andrew Selle. Only seven Montana quarterbacks have thrown as many in a season; Selle did it while splitting time with Justin Roper in several games.

36 Total TD passes by the Griz in 2008, including 8 by Roper. The total is the most in a season since they threw 38 in 2000.

55 Sacks allowed by the 2008 Montana Grizzlies, including 7 in the Division I Football Championship.

Rushing attempts by Chase Reynolds in 2009, a UM single-season record.

Yohance Humphery had 303 carries in 2001, when postseason statistics weren’t counted; Humphery had 89 playoff carries for a total of 392.

Special teams touchdowns by the Griz in 2009: Marc Mariani took a punt and a kickoff for a score, and Jordan Tripp recovered a bad Portland State punt snap for another TD.

Yards for Reynolds against Weber State in a 31-10 showdown win over the Wildcats on Oct. 31. The total is the second-highest in Griz history; Humphery had 265 yards against Weber in 2001.

241

Career rushing TDs for Reynolds, Sacks allowed by the 2009 Montana including 22 in 2009. Only Lex Hilliard has Grizzlies, including 2 in the FCS title game. more: 50 from 2003-07.

321

Points by McKnight in 2009, the eighth-highest total in UM history.

24 Total TDs this season for Reynolds,

More By the Numbers Page G22

UM’s ranking among 125 FCS teams in punt returns (15.8-yard average) and kickoff returns (24.6) in 2009. The Griz also ranked 8th in net punting (37.5).

5,451 Career all-purpose yards, a UM record, for receiver Marc Mariani – including 1,253 in punt returns, 1,158 in kickoff returns and 22 rushing.

2,443

G12 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009

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Montana running back Thomas Brooks-Fletcher runs for yards against Eastern Washington.

Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009 – G13

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G14 – Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Game-by-game

Season recap Compiled by BILL SPELTZ/Missoulian Sept. 5, 2009

Montana 38, Western State 0 The Division II Mountaineers were overmatched, never getting closer than the Montana 29-yard line. Western State picked up just six first downs and 116 total yards, 59 rushing and 57 passing. Griz tight end Steven Pfahler hauled in two touchdown passes and player of the game honors for Montana. The home-opening win was Montana’s ninth consecutive. The Washington-Grizzly Stadium record crowd of 25,698 saw Montana shake off a slow start in the first quarter to score 38 unanswered points against their first-time foe from Gunnison, Colo. The Griz had 444 yards of total offense, 183 rushing and 261 passing, and 25 first downs.

Sept. 12, 2009

Montana 17, UC Davis 10 The Griz survived another slow start TOM BAUER/Missoulian

See Recap, Page G16 Montana defensive end Jace Palmer pursues Cal Poly’s Jono Grayson.

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G16 – Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Season recap

Montana running back Chase Reynolds runs for yards against Appalachian State in the FCS semifinals at WashingtonGrizzly Stadium TOM BAUER/Missoulian

Recap

Continued from Page G14

and a light failure to notch a come-frombehind win. The game was in question with less than a minute to go. UC Davis was knocking on the door, sitting at the Montana 12yard line, down 17-10, when things went haywire in Davis, Calif. The stadium lights failed with 57 seconds left, causing a lengthy delay going into fourth-and-7. Following the delay, cornerback Trumaine Johnson out-jumped Davis receiver Chris Carter in the end zone to snag the game-securing interception. Like its first game, Montana went with

a QB rotation. Justin Roper started the game, going 9-for-19 for 143 yards and a touchdown, and Andrew Selle threw for 83 yards on 7-of-10 passing. Running back Chase Reynolds had a game-high 90 yards on 25 carries.

Sept. 19, 2009

Montana 49, Portland State 17 A record crowd of 25,726 fans saw host Montana outscore the Vikings 42-3 in the final three quarters. The Viking offense looked potent early, scoring on consecutive drives to start the game. The Griz found themselves with a 14-0 deficit. Montana punted on its first

possession and looked to have another lackluster possession when PSU safety Jordan Brown stopped Roper to force 4th down. But Brown was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, drawing a 15yard penalty, an automatic first down and the ire of the Griz. On the next play, Roper hit Marc Mariani for a 56-yard touchdown to put the Griz on the board. By halftime Montana had a 28-17 lead and the Vikings didn’t score a point in the second half.

Montana 41, Northern Arizona 34 (OT)

in the third quarter when host Northern Arizona launched a comeback, starting with a 21-yard TD pass from Michael Herrick to Curt Sweeney. NAU added a Matt Myers 37-yard field goal and another Herrick-to-Sweeney TD to complete a run of 17 unanswered points that put the Jacks up, 31-27, with 3:52 left in regulation. The Grizzlies roared back, starting with a Jabin Sambrano kickoff return of 50 yards that gave the offense the ball at midfield. Sam Gratton reeled in a pass from Selle and took it 45 yards for a TD, putting Montana up 34-31 with 2:37 to go. But NAU rallied to force OT with a field goal.

Montana held a 27-14 lead until late

See Recap, Page G17

Sept. 26, 2009

Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009 – G17

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Game-by-game

Recap

Continued from Page G16

Ty Palmer took a Selle screen pass 25 yards for the touchdown on the first play of overtime. NAU nearly answered on its first play, with Herrick connecting with Alex Henderson for 22 yards to the Montana 3. But Shann Schillinger slammed the door on the next play, intercepting a Herrick pass tipped by Trumaine Johnson in the end zone.

Oct. 10, 2009

Montana spotted visiting Cal Poly a 10-0 lead and then rallied. A homecoming crowd of 25,694 endured a game-time temperature of 25 degrees to see a high-scoring game that produced seven turnovers. Montana had 453 total yards of offense, compared to 317 for the Mustangs. The Griz picked up 278 yards in the air, led by Mariani’s 200 receiving yards and two TDs. Reynolds had 109 rushing yards, 44 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Austin Mullins paced the UM defense with 10 tackles. Brandon Fisher and Jordan Tripp had fumble recoveries.

Oct. 17, 2009

Montana’s defense came through in the clutch, holding off Eastern Washington in the closing seconds. The game was knotted at 27 going into

M I S S O U L A

Nov. 7, 2009

Montana 12, Idaho State 12

Brody McKnight’s 33-yard field goal as time expired boosted Montana to a 12-10 win over Idaho State. The victory earned Chase Reynolds and Thomas Brooks- Montana at least a share of the Big Sky Fletcher combined for 245 rushing yards Conference title, Montana’s 12th straight. and four touchdowns to lead the No. 2Montana’s final possession began at ranked Grizzlies. its 17 with 1:25 to go and the Griz trailing, Sac State cut Montana’s lead to 38-28 10-9. Selle, 3-for-5 passing on the last with five minutes left in regulation on a drive, had three big-gaining completions, 28-yard pass play. But Jabin Sambrano including a 39-yard strike to Mariani to helped extend the Grizzlies’ lead with a move Montana to the ISU 15. 57-yard TD, making it 45-28 with 3:35 Reynolds followed up with a 14-yard left. Sambrano led UM with 114 receiving carry to the Idaho State 1. A Reynolds yards. goal line dive couldn’t break through, and Montana finished with 471 yards of total after Selle spiked the ball to stop the clock offense. Selle started the game at QB and at :09, an offensive pass interference went 9-for-15 passing for 109 yards. Roper penalty moved the field goal try back 15 rotated in, going 9-for-11 for 127 yards. yards. ISU called two timeouts to ice McKnight, but the sophomore kicker Oct. 31, 2009 stayed perfect from inside 40 yards and Montana 31, sealed the game for the Griz.

Weber State 10

Montana 41, Eastern Washington 34

O F

Oct. 24, 2009

the ground and 218 passing compared to Weber’s 56 and 243. Selle took most of Montana’s snaps at QB, going 13-for26 for 214 yards and two TDs. Mariani caught four passes for 98 yards. The Griz defense picked off WSU quarterback Cameron Higgins four times. Weber star running back Trevyn Smith had just 64 yards rushing.

Montana 45, Sacramento State 30

Montana 35, Cal Poly 23

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the fourth quarter. Then Montana went on top, 34-27, on an 82-yard punt return by Mariani with 10 minutes to play. Eastern Washington responded with a 74-yard drive capped by Taiwan Jones’ 1yard dive to again tie the game. Montana took possession at the 45yard line with 4:50 left and was fearless, gambling on fourth down twice. The second time resulted in a Reynolds 1yard TD dive in which he drove Eastern defender Dante Calcote into the end zone.

Nov. 14, 2009

In a clash of Big Sky Conference titans, Montana held the Wildcat offense more Montana 38, than 140 yards under its season average Northern Colorado 10 and the Griz, led by Reynolds’ 241 yards rushing, ran over Weber’s defense. Reynolds scored three touchdowns as Montana put together a balanced the Griz secured the Big Sky automatic offensive attack, gaining 288 yards on bid to the FCS playoffs as outright

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conference champions. Selle started at QB for Montana, going 6-for-9 passing for 72 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Roper was 13-of-20 for 123 yards and a touchdown. Reynolds ran for 151 yards on 23 carries and added 26 yards on three catches. Northern Colorado rushed for only 54 yards on 24 carries.

Nov. 21, 2009

Montana 33, Montana State 19 Selle threw for three touchdowns, going 17-for-22 and 163 yards, and the Griz killed the Bobcats’ playoff hopes. Montana State played Montana tough in the first half and the Griz lead was 9-5 at the break. But the Grizzlies put together an 11-play scoring march to start the second half. The drive was highlighted by a 6-yard Selle-to-Mariani TD pass. A long Mariani punt return set up Montana with great field position at the MSU 31. A 25-yard Roper-to-Sambrano pass set up a 1-yard Dan Beaudin TD catch from Roper. The 31-yard drive extended the Griz lead to 23-5. The third quarter was unkind to the Bobcats. MSU did not pick up a single first down.

PLAYOFFS Nov. 28, 2009

Montana 61, South Dakota State 48 The game featured Montana’s greatest comeback in a playoff game. The Griz trailed 48-21 with 5:40 left in the third quarter before scoring 40 unanswered See Recap, Page 18

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G18 – Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Game-by-game

Recap

by Reynolds’ 33-yard rush into ASU territory, as the fourth quarter began. The drive bogged down and McKnight kicked Continued from Page G17 a 32-yard field goal to knot the game at 17 with 14:50 remaining. points. App State was moving the ball Marc Mariani kick-started the following the Griz touchdown. Senior comeback, returning a kickoff 98 yards quarterback Armanti Edwards found for a touchdown. The Griz defense then Matt Cline for a 26-yard gain to set the forced a punt, and Montana drove 79 Mountaineers up in Montana territory, yards in 3:05 to score when Mariani but on the next play, Schillinger stepped caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from in front of Edwards’ pass at the UM 10 Selle to narrow the gap to 48-34 with and returned the pick to the Montana 34. 14:56 left. Later ASU took over at its 19 and put Montana followed that up with two together a 12-play drive, but again the Reynolds 1-yard touchdown runs on Griz defense stiffened. Jason Vitaris came drives of 66 and 52 yards to tie the game up short on a 44-yard field goal attempt, with 4:11 left. The defense served up leaving the game tied 17-17 with 3:46 left another three-and-out, and the offense in the game. again answered the call, moving 41 yards Montana took the ball and drove down the field on the shell-shocked Jack defense to score the go-ahead touchdown, 73 yards on four plays. Selle found Sambrano streaking down the sideline a 4-yard Selle-to-Mariani strike. in the end zone for a 25-yard scoring Severin Campbell provided the coup pass. ASU answered by driving all the de grace, intercepting a pass tipped by way to the UM 3, but a fourth-down pass Shann Schillinger and taking it for the dropped incomplete, and the Griz were touchdown. Chattanooga-bound.

Dec. 5, 2009 TOM BAUER/Missoulian

UM’s Jabin Sambrano and his teammates celebrate his game-clinching touchdown catch against Appalachian State in the FCS semifinals at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

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The Lumberjacks turned the ball over a shocking 10 times in the FCS quarterfinal. Montana defensive tackle Tyler Hobbs led the way defensively with five tackles, a pass breakup, a pick, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Selle threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns, going 19-for-30. Mariani led all receivers with 111 yards and a touchdown on six catches, and Thomas Brooks-Fletcher led the game in rushing with 89 yards in his backup role. Reynolds had two touchdowns. Both backs outrushed the Lumberjacks, who finished with just 51 yards on the ground.

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Montana 24, Appalachian State 17 Montana held off a last-minute drive by Appalachian State to win in front of 24,207 fans and a national television audience at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The win qualified the Griz for the title game in Chattanooga for the second year in a row. Montana was seven plays into a 9-play, 61-yard drive, highlighted

Dec. 18, 2009

Villanova 23, Montana 21 The Griz led 14-3 late in the first half, but Nova shut them down in the second, limiting them to just six first downs after intermission. The Wildcats also shut down Mariani, who didn’t catch a ball after piling up 178 yards and a TD on nine catches in the first half. All-American Matt Szczur had 14 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns to go with 68 receiving yards and 43 return yards to lead the Wildcats, who had two 100-yard rushers. Quarterback Chris Whitney rushed for 102 yards while completing 10-of-13 passes for 142 yards, a touchdown and a pick. Montana got two touchdowns from Sambrano, who caught five passes for 79 yards. Selle was 27-for-35 for 351 yards and three touchdowns and was sacked twice. Reynolds rushed 64 yards on 15 carries. The Griz scored a touchdown with 1:07 left to make the score 23-21. Although the onside kick went out of bounds, Montana had all three timeouts remaining and still had hope if the defense could force the Wildcats into a three-and-out. However, a 10-yard Szczur rush for a first down ended Montana’s chances for the title. The Griz finished up with a 14-1 record.

Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009 – G19

FAR LEFT: Montana linebacker Shawn Lebsock intercepts a Villanova pass in the Montana end zone at the FCS championship game in Chattanooga, Tenn. LEFT:

TOM BAUER/Missoulian

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G20 – Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / 2009 season

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Shann Schillinger, right, and the Grizzly defense celebrate a turnover against South Dakota State in the first round of the FCS playoffs. KURT WILSON/Missoulian

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GRIZZLY GAME DAY / 2009 season

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Montana’s Ty Palmer soars into the end zone against Eastern Washington. KURT WILSON/Missoulian

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G22 – Missoulian, Saturday, December 26, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / 2009 season

By the numbers 1,486

351

Yards receiving in 2009 by Mariani, a UM record. Counting playoff stats, only Joe Douglass (1,966 yards in 1996) and Jimmy Farris (1,561 in 2000) rank higher.

Passing yards for UM’s Andrew Selle in the FCS title game.

351

Rushing yards for Villanova in the same game.

389

All-purpose yards by Mariani in the 6148 playoff win over South Dakota State, a single-game school record: 171 receiving, 178 on kickoff returns and 40 by punt return.

Rushing first downs for Villanova, compared to 4 for Montana.

Carries by Montana’s Chase Reynolds in the second half of the title game.

Playoff TD catches by Marc Mariani in 2009. He had 8 during the regular season.

164

Catches by Marc Mariani in the second half of the title game.

Career receptions for Mariani, which ranks him eighth all-time at UM. TOM BAUER/Missoulian

18.4

Montana’s Shann Schillinger pursues Montana State’s Everett Gilbert in Bozeman.

Yards per catch by Mariani for his career. That’s the highest among the Grizzlies’ career leaders. Joe Douglass is next: He averaged 15.9 yards on his 145 catches.

end Jace Palmer. The Missoula Big Sky product finished 10th in school history. His 16 sacks rank him 11th.

Career tackles for linebacker Shawn Lebsock. “Beef” ended up ninth in UM history.

Career touchdowns for Mariani: 29 through the air, 3 by punt return and 1 kickoff return.

499 Playoff receiving yardage for Mariani in 2009, on 30 catches.

257 Career tackles for senior free safety Shann Schillinger. The Baker grad leaves ranked 20th in UM history. He also leaves with 10 career picks.

27 Career tackles for loss for defensive

294

10 Turnovers gained in a 51-0 thrashing of Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 5 – five interceptions and five fumbles.

26 Interceptions by the Griz defense, led by sophomore Trumaine Johnson’s 5. Fourteen different Griz had picks in 2009.

98 Straight playoff points scored by the Grizzlies this season: The last 40 points

291

Average yards rushing by James against South Dakota State and the first 7 Madison, Richmond and Villanova in titleagainst App State, with a 51-0 shutout of game wins over the Griz in ’04, ’08 and ’09. Stephen F. Austin in between.

112

Straight playoff points by UM from 1994-95.

Average yards rushing allowed by the Griz in the other 43 games in those seasons.

10.5 Team-leading tackles for loss this season by junior DE Severin Campbell.

12 Team-leading passes broken up by sophomore CB Trumaine Johnson.

3 Hits of the game by senior cornerback Keith Thompson, including a snotknocker against App State on Dec. 12 that was ESPN’s “Top Play.”

4 Playoff TD catches by sophomore Jabin Sambrano; he had 3 during the regular season.

7 Appearances in the Division I Football Championship by the Griz. Only Georgia Southern has more, with 8.

5 Losses in the FCS title game. No program has had more. Marshall had 3. The Griz won titles in 1995 and 2001.

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