griz game day october 17

By BILL SPELTZof the Missoulian

He’s fine with being the next guy in line. Maybe it’s not exactly what

Thomas Brooks-Fletcher had in mind when he signed to play for the Montana Griz five years ago. Maybe it’s not what he expected after a redshirt freshman season in which he started three games at running back, including two in the playoffs, and averaged over five yards a carry.

But Thomas is a grownup. And a realist.For the past two and a half seasons he’s

played behind two of the best running backs to ever don maroon and silver. In his sophomore season it was Lex Hilliard, currently a member of the Miami Dolphins. Then came Chase Reynolds.

Someone with less character might not have taken it so well. Someone more self-centered might have transferred.

That’s what makes the hard-working Brooks-Fletcher so valuable to the Griz. He’s an unselfish senior leader who sets a tone with his loyalty and representation of the Griz on campus and off, where he does volunteer work.

“Just being around the guys and this program, I feel like I’m part of a family,” the Seattle area native said. “I wouldn’t want to just leave my family, no matter what was going on.

“As an athlete, you’re never really satisfied with one or two carries a game. But at the same time, if you’re winning and it’s working for the team, you have to put aside whatever’s going on and be a team player. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Brooks-Fletcher is averaging less than four carries per game this season. But he’s the kind of backup that can turn it on when his team needs him most.

Last Saturday when Reynolds was dinged up and needed a short rest in a game against Cal Poly, Brooks-Fletcher responded with a season-high 29 yards on five totes.

“He’s one of the guys I respect the most here,” Reynolds said. “Coming here he helped me out and we’re real close.

“Just like (Saturday) you saw him go out there and give it his all. I’d love to watch him run all game if I wasn’t a running back. He plays with so much emotion, so much heart. And he doesn’t give up. The guy is one of the hardest practicers on the team and it shows in the games.”

Brooks-Fletcher also prides himself on

being there for teammates off the field. At a time when rumblings about the behavior of Montana’s minority football players have arisen, Brooks-Fletcher has stood tall as positive role model.

“Some of those younger guys that are minorities kind of look up to me because I’ve been in the program so long, kind of respect me to a certain degree,” said the

fifth-year African-American player.“I take that role pretty seriously and try

to be the best man I can be on and off the field. I hang out with a bunch of those guys all the time. We’re like a big family. If those guys have any problems and want to talk to me about it, I give them my expertise with

G2 – Missoulian, Saturday, October 17, 2009

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Cover Story: Thomas Brooks-Fletcher

TEAM PLAYERTBF happy with his roles as backup running back, team leader

See TBF, Page G18

TOM BAUER/Missoulian

Thomas Brooks-Fletcher rushes for yards against Northern Arizona last month in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Missoulian, Saturday, October 17, 2009 – G3

MONTANA (5-0) Griz Opp

Scoring average 36.0 16.8Rushing yards 149.4 72.4Avg./Rush 4.0 2.4Passing 97-160-4 128-211-6Passing yards 277.2 271.0Average per pass 8.7 6.4Total offense 426.6 343.4Average per play 6.2 4.83rd-down conversions 37-74 29-81Time of possession 27:39 32:21Fumbles-lost 8-5 8-4Kick returns 14-24.3 27-18.8Punt returns 12-17.2 3-6.0Punting 17-40.1 31-35.4Sacks by-yards 4-22 4-29

Montana 14 62 31 66 7 – 180Opponents 28 23 14 19 0 – 84

Offensive leadersRushing

Chase Reynolds 107-400 (3.7 ypc.), long 29, 6 TDsPeter Nguyen 13-104 (8.0 ypc.), long 57, 1 TDAndrew Selle 13-71 (5.5 ypc.), long 34, 0 TDsGerald Kemp 13-68 (5.2 ypc.), long 15, 0 TDsThomas Brooks-Fletcher 19-63 (3.3 ypc.), long 13, 0 TDsDan Moore 12-35 (2.9 ypc.), long 7, 1 TDJustin Roper 4-18 (4.5 ypc.), long 15, 0 TDsBeau Donaldson 1-1, 1 TD

PassingAndrew Selle 65-103-1 for 912 yards, long 68, 10 TDsJustin Roper 32-56-2 for 474 yards, long 84, 4 TDsGerald Kemp 0-1-1 for 0 yards

ReceivingMarc Mariani 22-492 (22.4 ypc.), long 84, 5 TDsTyler Palmer 19-247 (13.0 ypc.), long 25, 1 TDSam Gratton 12-120 (12.0 ypc.), long 45, 2 TDsChase Reynolds 12-103 (8.6 ypc.), long 36, 2 TDsJabin Sambrano 9-137 (15.2 ypc.), long 38, 0 TDsStephen Pfahler 8-93 (11.6 ypc.), long 25, 3 TDsDan Beaudin 6-106 (17.7 ypc.), long 61, 0 TDs

Defensive leadersTackles

LB Shawn Lebsock 36, 16 unassistedSS Erik Stoll 30, 14 unassistedLB Brandon Fisher 27, 8 unassistedDE Severin Campbell 25, 6 unassisted

FS Shann Schillinger 25, 10 unassistedDT Austin Mullins 22, 4 unassistedLB Alex Shaw 22, 6 unassistedCB Keith Thompson 20, 12 unassistedCB Trumaine Johnson 19, 12 unassistedDE Jace Palmer 15, 3 unassisted

Tackles for lossDE Ryan Fetherston 3-10DT Tyler Hobbs 3-8CB Trumaine Johnson 3-6DE Severin Campbell 3-6

SacksLB Shawn Lebsock 1-8DT Bryan Waldhauser 1-6DT Tyler Hobbs 1-5

InterceptionsCB Trumaine Johnson 2-0, 0 TDsSS Erik Stoll 1-29, 0 TDsLB Brock Coyle 1-26, 0 TDsDE Bobby Alt 1-6, 0 TDsFS Shann Schillinger 1-0, 0 TDs

Fumbles forced-recoveredLB Jordan Tripp 0-2DT Austin Mullins 1-0LB Brandon Fisher 0-1DE Severin Campbell 0-1FS Mike McCord 1-0LB Alex Shaw 0-1

Pass breakupsDT Austin Mullins 5CB Trumaine Johnson 4CB Keith Thompson 4DE Jace Palmer 3

Special teams leadersPATs/Field goals

Brody McKnight 24-24/4-8, long 54, 1 blocked, 36 points

PuntingSean Wren 17-40.1, long 60, 4 inside 20, 0 blocked

Punt returnsSam Gratton 1-31, 0 TDsJabin Sambrano 1-26, 0 TDsMarc Mariani 6-16.3, long 47, 0 TDsPeter Nguyen 4-13.0, long 33, 0 TDs

Kickoff returnsJabin Sambrano 6-27.8, long 50, 0 TDsPeter Nguyen 5-29.2, long 61, 0 TDsMarc Mariani 1-21, 0 TDs

Eastern Washington (4-2) EWU Opp

Scoring average 27.5 22.8Rushing yards 145.8 141.7Avg./Rush 4.5 3.9Passing 132-199-5 125-205-5Passing yards 259.0 223.8Average per pass 7.8 6.6Total offense 404.8 365.5Average per play 6.2 5.23rd-down conversions 38-84 31-86Time of possession 28:44 31:16Fumbles-lost 13-8 17-9Kick returns 27-18.3 25-28.4Punt returns 10-5.5 15-3.7Punting 33-38.6 29-40.7Sacks by-yards 14-95 15-93

E. Washington 48 49 41 27 – 165Opponents 17 48 45 27 – 137

Offensive leadersRushing

Taiwan Jones 76-641 (8.4 ypc.), long 96, 9 TDsTyler Hart 31-103 (3.3 ypc.), long 18, 1 TDDarriell Beaumonte 28-95 (3.4 ypc.), long 15, 0 TDsChase King 14-61 (4.4 ypc.), long 25, 0 TDsTony Davis 1-9, 0 TDs

PassingMatt Nichols 126-191-5 for 1,529 yards, long 53, 10 TDsJeff Minnerly 4-6-0 for 6 yards, long 6, 0 TDsScott Burgett 2-2-0 for 19 yards, long 18, 0 TDs

ReceivingTony Davis 34-367 (10.8 ypc.), long 49, 0 TDsAaron Boyce 32-520 (16.2 ypc.), long 53, 5 TDsNathan Overbay 24-261 (10.9 ypc.), long 24, 4 TDsTaiwan Jones 12-113 (9.4 ypc.), long 23, 0 TDs

Defensive leadersTackles

LB J.C. Sherritt 84, 37 unassistedLB Matt Johnson 41, 21 unassistedFS Kevin Hatch 35, 20 unassistedLB Kyle Wilkins 33, 5 unassistedLB Makai Borden 31, 9 unassisted

Tackles for lossLB J.C. Sherritt 11-16DT Renard Williams 9-52DT David Miles 5-12

Sacks

DT Renard Williams 5-41DE Jacob Kragt 2.5-13NT Josh Jacobson 2-17DE Paul Ena 2-11

InterceptionsFS Kevin Hatch 3-0, long 0, 0 TDsSS Matt Johnson 1-33, 1 TDLB J.C. Sherritt 1-36, 1 TD

Fumbles forced-recoveredLB J.C. Sherritt 3-2LB Tyler Washburn 3-0DE Jacob Kragt 0-3SS Matt Johnson 2-0

Pass breakupsFS Kevin Hatch 4CB Lonnie Hosley 3CB Jesse Hoffman 2LB J.C. Sherritt 2

Special teams leadersPATs/Field goals

Mike Jarrett 21-23/2-4, long 49, 0 blocked, 27 points

PuntingCameron Zuber 23-40.0, long 64, 11 inside 20, 0 blockedMatt Nichols 10-35.4, long 48, 1 inside 20, 0 blocked

Punt returnsTony Davis 6-8.0, long 25, 0 TDsLonnie Hosley 2-3.5, long 7

Kickoff returnsTaiwan Jones 12-20.2, long 52, 0 TDsJ.T. Leggin 6-15.2, long 24, 0 TDs


GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Stat pack

BY THE NUMBERSEAGLES’ SCHEDULESept. 5 ..............................WESTERN OREGON (W, 35-14)Sept. 12 ..............................................at California (L, 59-7)Sept. 19 ........................................ N. COLORADO (W,16-0)Sept. 26 ......................... at Sacramento State (W, 56-30)Oct. 3 at Idaho State (W, 38-3)Oct. 10 .......................................... WEBER STATE (L, 13-31)Oct. 17 ..................................................................at MontanaOct. 24 ...................................................... MONTANA STATEOct. 31 ....................................................vs. Portland State*Nov. 7 ................................................................................ openNov. 14 ...................................................... at Southern UtahNov. 21 .................................................at Northern Arizona

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GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Grizzly Q&A

Houston Stockton

No. 36Year:

JuniorPosition:

SafetyHeight:

5-foot-10Weight:

175Hometown:

Spokane

Stockton reflects on having a famous dadBy SCOTT JOHNSON

for the Missoulian

The son of basketball legend John Stockton is doing his best to keep the family legacy alive. No, Houston Stockton won’t be suiting up in an NBA arena anytime soon, but he is keeping a little-known gridiron tradition alive as a junior special teams standout with the Montana Grizzlies.

The younger Stockton, who wears No. 36, is on kick-off coverage and punt return coverage. His great grandfather was a fullback at Gonzaga and had a brief pro football career in the 1920s.

Stockton returned last week against Cal Poly after off-season surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. His cousin, Shawn, is a sophomore guard on the Grizzly basketball team.

College football isn’t the only family tradition Stockton is keeping alive. Stockton, who walked on with the Griz in 2006, spent the past summer working as a bartender at Spokane’s Jack and Dan’s Tavern, which was co-owned by his grandfather for nearly 45 years.

“Getting back in the family business, I guess,” Stockton said. “A funny story is that (former Griz running back) Brady Green had apparently gotten kicked out once. He was always bringing that up with me.”

Q: Let’s get this out of the way,

you’re the son of Nada Stockton, right?

A: Yes.Q: So, that was just a little joke.

I figure you don’t get asked too much about your mom. Anyway … You blocked a punt in first quarter against UC Davis last year. What do you remember about that play?

A: Not a whole lot actually. I remember after I blocked the punt I got lit up. I was looking in the air for the ball when I got hit. That’s the most exciting play for me so far.

Q: Besides contributing on special teams you’re also a member of the scout team. How is practice different during the week for scout team members?

A: Basically you playing the defense for the upcoming teams. It’s kind of weird not playing our defense. You’re going off of cards that Coach (Rob) Phenicie writes for us.

Q: You’re not exactly a heavyweight compared to a lot of college football players at this level. What do you do to make up for a lack of size to compete at this level?

A: I have to play with leverage. Against a bigger player you have to go low. You have to get better angles to counter their size by going lower.

Q: What were some of the other schools interested in you for football?

A: I talked to a lot about walking on. I talked to Montana State, Weber

State, Idaho, San Diego and Carroll. San Diego, Carroll and here were my top three choices.

Q: Were any interested in you for basketball?

A: On my recruiting visit here I played basketball against some of the basketball teams, I talked a little bit about walking on. A lot of small schools showed interest. The Zags asked me about walking on, but I think that was just a nice gesture on their part.

Q: On a scale of 1 to 10, how good of a high school basketball player were you?

A: I thought I was alright I guess. I’d say I’m about the same as I am at football. As far choosing between the two I just enjoyed football more. I’ve always like football.

Q: Did you play point guard?A: I did.Q: Your full name is actually John

Houston Stockton IV. Do you know the story behind your middle name?

A: I don’t know where it came from.

Q: Your great grandfather Hust Stockton played fullback when Gonzaga had a football team and is a part of football lore as a member of the Frankford Yellow Jackets who won 1926 NFL championship. When did you first hear about him and how much do you know about his football career?

A: All throughout my childhood. He’s in the Gonzaga Hall of Fame. My grandfather had a bunch of

photos of him in his bar. He’s pretty much a stud. I think he was the same height as me, but like 220 pounds. Tough as nails.

Q: Your father John played 19 seasons for the Utah Jazz and is the NBA’s all-time assists (15,806) and steals (3,265) leader. Growing up did you feel pressure to live up to such a successful athletic legacy?

A: I never felt pressure to live up to anything. I thought it would be cool to be in the NBA growing up, but didn’t feel the pressure that everyone associates with being the son of a NBA player.

Q: How often do you get asked a question like that?

A: At least once a day.Q: Oh man, sorry about that.A: Don’t worry, it’s cool.Q: Has your family been to

any games at Washington-Grizzly Stadium or any on the road?

A: Yeah, they’ve come to a bunch actually. They came to last week’s game. They missed the game when I blocked the punt. They were pretty disappointed about that. Last season they went to the Eastern game. They’ve been to a game at Weber. And of course, they went to the national championship game, too.

Q: You grew up in Salt Lake City and moved to Spokane, your father’s hometown, before your sophomore year in high school. Is

See STOCKTON, Page G6


GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Grizzly Q&A

there a difference between how Utah and Spokane view your father?

A: In Utah he’s recognized by everybody and getting asked for autographs all the time. In Spokane people still recognize him, but it’s not nearly as bad.

Q: What’s the best characteristic, physical or social trait, imparted on you by your dad?

A: Work ethic, I guess. Seeing how hard he worked and seeing what he did day in and day out. I try to bring that mentality into my life to achieve my goals.

Q: Would you say your dad would be the NBA player people would picture in their head if they heard the phrase short-shorts?

A: I’m sure.Q: Did you ever give him grief about the

length of his shorts?A: Not really. Everyone else was also

doing that. Especially Stuart Scott on ESPN.Q: Do you find people treat you

differently once they learn who your father is?

A: Yeah, for a short period. Until they realize I’m just like everyone else.

Q: What’s the weirdest fan encounter you ever witnessed with your father?

A: Well, I met a few kids in Utah and their (first) name was Stockton.

Q: You father was a member of the legendary Dream Team for the 1992 Olympics and you traveled to Spain when you were probably about 5. When did you realize your dad was not just pretty famous around Utah, but recognized around the world as one of the best basketball players on the planet?

A: Probably right around then in Barcelona. I could tell people were recognizing him.

Q: Your dad also was recently inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Were you able to attend and what was that like?

A: I did attend. It was awesome. It was fun hanging out with all those players and meeting all those NBA legends.

Q: Do you have any brothers or sisters?A: I have three younger brothers and

two sisters.Q: You graduated from Gonzaga Prep,

where you also competed in baseball and

basketball. There are four other players on the Grizzlies from the Spokane area. Do you ever joke about high school days with them?

A: Hell, yeah. Tyler Hobbs and I joke all the time about a basketball game we played. Not many people know this, but Tyler Hobbs is a heck of a basketball player. We had a pretty good game against them and they were usually pretty good. We beat them. I was never matched up on him. He could stroke it. He was a good shooter.

Q: What’s the best place to grab a bite to eat in Spokane?

A: I’ll give a little plug here. Jack and Dan’s Bar and Grill.

Q: Your grandfather Jack Stockton was a co-owner and helped run Jack & Dan’s Tavern in Spokane for roughly 45 years. Is he still closely associated with the bar?

A: He retired a couple years ago, but he still gets coffee there in the morning.

Q: Who was or is your favorite football player, past or present, to follow?

A: The guy that got me into to football was Randy Moss. I’m a Vikings fan because

of him. I also like Jim Leonhard of the Jets. He’s built just like me. I’ve always kind of looked up to him.

Q: What’s your favorite book?A: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”Q: What’s your major?A: Business management.Q: What’s your favorite thing to do

during the off-season?A: I really enjoy just playing pick up

basketball. I like to get down to the rec center and get in some games. I also love water skiing.

StocktonContinued from Page G5

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Q: Do you find people treat you differently once they learn who your father is?A: Yeah, for a short period. Until they realize I’m just like everyone else.


�

Montana

EWU

Montana

EWU

Montana

EWU

The No. 21 Eagles were ranked as high as No. 17 in the Sports Network FCS top 25 poll after playing such powder puffs like Western Oregon, Idaho State and Northern Colorado. Now comes the “real” ranked opponents.

The combination of EWU ranking dead-last in kickoff returns and UM ranking first in punt returns doesn’t bode well for the Eagles. I picture Mariani returning a punt to the house, followed by the Griz holding EWU to poor field position after the kickoff, which sets up another punt to Mariani. It’s a vicious

Eastern ranks second in the conference in pass defense allowing 223 yards per game, but Montana has seen more passes attempted against its secondary (211) than any other team in the BSC, and has held its own en route to a 4-0 record.

The Eagles are down one linebacker because senior Kyle Wilkins was suspended for an illegal hit on a Weber State player last week. While most Griz fans have an equal dislike toward Weber State, they hate petty stuff like late hits even

Both teams are coming off a game in which neither side recorded a sack. That’s not likely to happen again, however it’s also unlikely the Griz and Eagles will combine for seven sacks like they did the week prior. For now we’ll go with the default

Each team has an explosive No. 1 receiver that scores points, gains huge chunks of yards and, basically, is the offense’s go-to guy. They are EWU’s Aaron Boyce and UM’s Mariani. However, right now EWU has the better No. 2 guy: Tony Davis, who’s third in the BSC with 34 grabs.

EWU running back Taiwan Jones leads the Big Sky with nine rushing touchdowns. Some guy named Chase Reynolds is right behind him with six TDs. If he keeps running the way he did last week, Reynolds may have to change his name from Chase

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but two QBs are better than one – at least for the moment. Montana has two options at quarterback, and both Andrew Selle and Justin Roper have learned that short connections with Marc Mariani equal long

It’s hard to choose between the top two rushing attacks in the Big Sky Conference, so we won’t. These are two of the least penalized units in the league, so expect a clean game.

Montana

EWU

Montana

EWU

Montana

EWU

Montana

EWU

Montana

EWU

Montana

EWU

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By MICHAEL HEINBACHof the Missoulian

After a short stint at the top of the How We See the Big Sky standings, I’ve settled into a comfortable second-place tie with Missoulian Griz football guru, Fritz Neighbor, one game back of the self-proclaimed Marc Mariani of the sports department, Nick Lockridge.

Congratulations on your conference Player of the Week award, Marc and Nick. I know neither of you could have earned it without the other.

Last week’s picks destroyed Bill Speltz, who called just two of five games correctly. But Speltz left the office with a smile last Saturday evening after his beloved Iowa Hawkeyes eked out a win over Michigan. Come to think of it, that made me grin a tad as well, but I digress.

As we progress into the meat of the Big Sky schedule, the picks become tougher each week. You never know when a Northern Arizona will upset a Montana State at home like last week, though I suspect Neighbor may have had some inside information that led him to be the only staffer to pick the Lumberjacks over MSU.

The recent chill in the air reminds us it’s the time of the season when the cream rises to the top, when big-time players

make big-time plays and championships are won and lost. That being said, I’m going to go out on an limb and proclaim today to be my time to shine.

Why is today the day I make my return to the top of the How We See the Big Sky leaderboard? What makes this week so special? Because today is my day.

Because 36 years ago on Oct. 17, after braving a crosstown taxi ride during New York City rush hour, Harvey and Ellen Heinbach welcomed their first child into the world, named him Michael and the planet has never been the same.

As a lively young lad growing up in Connecticut with an attention span no more than that of a flea, I didn’t spend much time thinking about Big Sky Conference football. The truth is, though I’ve called Missoula home for 15 years, until recently I spent more time thinking about girls and getting Springsteen tickets than I did about the Big Sky gridiron.

But nowadays, Big Sky football dominates my brain. Week after week I relentlessly crunch numbers and study trends in order to accurately pick the outcome of league games. The hope is that in the end I’ll finish the season on top, much to the embarrassment of my coworkers.

I’m sure native Montanans like Neighbor and Lockridge cringe at the thought of

finishing second fiddle to a native East Coaster like myself. Represent boys, represent.

But ready or not, here I come gentlemen. It’s my day, so respectfully eat my dust.

The picksn No. 21 Eastern Washington (4-2) at. No.

3 Montana (5-0): The Eagles are coming off their first Big Sky defeat when they fell to Weber State 31-13, dropping them from 14th to 21st in this week’s Sports Network NCAA Football Championship Subdivision poll. EWU will be hungry, but can the Eagles outperform the Griz before more than 25,000 boisterous Montana fans wearing pink for Team Up Montana Breast Cancer Awareness Day? I think not.

Michael: Griz 30, EWU 19. Fritz: Griz 19, EWU 7. Bill: Griz 35, EWU 21. Nick: Griz 29, EWU 19.

n South Dakota (3-3) at Montana State (3-2): After falling 24-23 in overtime to a UC Davis squad that gave the Grizzlies fits earlier this season, the Coyotes travel to Bozeman with something to prove. USD ranks 14th in the FCS in points per game (33.2), is 14th in rushing offense (190.8 ypg) and seventh in passing efficiency (153.5). Look for the Coyotes to spread the ball across the field and exploit the Bobcat defense as Jerome Souers

and NAU did a week ago.Michael: USD 35, MSU 31. Fritz: MSU 37,

USD 18. Bill: MSU 24, USD 21. Nick: MSU 24, USD 17.

n Northern Arizona (3-2) at Portland State (2-4): NAU junior quarterback Michael Herrick torched Montana State last weekend, racking up 388 yards passing with a touchdown in Northern Arizona’s upset victory. In addition, NAU’s defense forced five turnovers. Bottom line: The Lumberjacks are starting to click.

Michael: NAU 31, PSU 23. Fritz: NAU 39, PSU 36. Bill: NAU 38, PSU 28. Nick: NAU 38, PSU 21.

n Sacramento State (2-3) at No. 15 Weber State (3-3): The Hornets took an unofficial bye week last Saturday when they romped past winless Idaho State. The Wildcats vaulted from No. 21 to No. 15 in this week’s poll after they handily defeated Eastern Washington 31-13. Defensive tackle Ryan Eastman returned to the WSU lineup after three games away due to injury, tallied three sacks and helped the defense hold EWU to just 35 yards rushing.

Michael: WSU 27, Sac State 9. Fritz: Weber 40, Sac State 20. Bill: WSU 32, Sac State 17. Nick: WSU 30, Sac State 23.

n Northern Colorado (1-5) at Idaho State (0-6): The stench from this one might reach all the way to Missoula as the league’s two worst teams take their best shot at a league win. UNC is averaging 13 points a game in their four losses, while the Bengals have averaged 12.3 points in their three conference defeats. This one will be about as attractive as a last-minute prom date.

Michael: UNC 13, ISU 12. Fritz: ISU 12, UNC 10. Bill: UNC 31, ISU 14. Nick: UNC 35, ISU 14.

BILL SPELTZ

FRITZ NEIGHBOR

NICK LOCKRIDGE

HOW WE SEE THE BIG SKY

Season record: Fritz 27-4, Bill 24-7, Nick 28-3, Michael 27-4

GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Big Sky picks


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GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Big Sky focus

n Team statisticsThrough Oct. 10

SCORING OFFENSE G TD XP 2X DX FG Saf Pts AvgMontana 5 24 24 0 0 4 0 180 36.0NAU 5 19 17 1 0 6 0 151 30.2Weber 6 22 16 2 0 7 2 177 29.5EWU 6 23 21 0 0 2 0 165 27.5Sac State 5 15 13 0 0 6 0 121 24.2PSU 6 14 11 1 0 9 0 124 20.7MSU 5 9 7 0 0 8 1 87 17.4UNC 6 10 9 1 0 5 0 86 14.3ISU 6 7 6 1 0 4 0 62 10.3

RUSHING OFFENSE G Att Yds Avg TD Yds/GMontana 5 186 747 4.0 9 149.4EWU 6 195 875 4.5 11 145.8Sac State 5 171 657 3.8 6 131.4Weber State 6 199 786 3.9 6 131.0MSU 5 185 653 3.5 4 130.6No. Arizona 5 142 526 3.7 6 105.2No. Colorado 6 190 578 3.0 3 96.3Portland State 6 164 504 3.1 3 84.0Idaho State 6 171 193 1.1 1 32.2

SCORING DEFENSE G TD XP 2X DX FG S Pts AvgMontana 5 10 9 0 0 5 0 84 16.8EWU 6 17 15 0 0 6 1 137 22.8Weber 6 18 12 0 0 6 0 138 23.0MSU 5 13 11 0 0 8 1 115 23.0UNC 6 20 17 0 0 7 1 160 26.7PSU 6 23 21 2 0 5 0 178 29.7NAU 5 19 17 1 0 6 0 151 30.2Sac State 5 21 20 1 0 5 0 163 32.6ISU 6 34 32 0 0 9 2 267 44.5

RUSHING DEFENSE G Att Yds Avg TD Yds/GMontana 5 150 357 2.4 3 71.4MSU 5 167 363 2.2 0 72.6PSU 6 205 706 3.4 7 117.7NAU 5 177 645 3.6 6 129.0Weber 6 199 815 4.1 8 135.8EWU 6 220 850 3.9 11 141.7Sac State 5 185 865 4.7 13 173.0UNC 6 236 1081 4.6 8 180.2ISU 6 222 1366 6.2 15 227.7

PASS OFFENSE G Att Cp Int Pct. Yds Avg TD P/GPSU 6 226 133 10 58.8 1936 8.6 9 322.7NAU 5 172 122 3 70.9 1599 9.3 13 319.8WSU 6 263 170 12 64.6 1859 7.1 16 309.8UM 5 160 97 4 60.6 1386 8.7 14 277.2EWU 6 199 132 5 66.3 1554 7.8 10 259.0Sac 5 135 80 5 59.3 1029 7.6 7 205.8UNC 6 189 111 3 58.7 1163 6.2 6 193.8MSU 5 150 91 5 60.7 961 6.4 5 192.2ISU 6 209 110 11 52.6 1121 5.4 6 186.8

TOTAL OFFENSE G Run Pass Plays Yds Avg TD P/GWeber 6 786 1859 462 2645 5.7 22 440.8Montana 5 747 1386 346 2133 6.2 23 426.6NAU 5 526 1599 314 2125 6.8 19 425.0PSU 6 504 1936 390 2440 6.3 12 406.7EWU 6 875 1554 394 2429 6.2 21 404.8Sac State 5 657 1029 306 1686 5.5 13 337.2MSU 5 653 961 335 1614 4.8 9 322.8UNC 6 578 1163 379 1741 4.6 9 290.2ISU 6 193 1121 380 1314 3.5 7 219.0

PASS DEFENSE G Att Cp Int Pct. Yds Avg TD P/GNC 6 173 107 7 61.8 1176 6.8 12 196.0EWU 6 205 125 5 61.0 1343 6.6 6 223.8ISU 6 198 126 5 63.6 1384 7.0 14 230.7Weber 6 177 98 7 55.4 1522 8.6 7 253.7Sac 5 171 109 5 63.7 1350 7.9 7 270.0Montana 5 211 128 6 60.7 1360 6.4 7 272.0PSU 6 194 111 5 57.2 1659 8.6 14 276.5ISU 5 204 137 3 67.2 1538 7.5 13 307.6MSU 5 204 120 8 58.8 1539 7.5 13 307.8

TOTAL DEFENSE G Run Pass Plays Yds Avg TD P/GMontana 5 357 1360 361 1717 4.8 10 343.4EWU 6 850 1343 425 2193 5.2 17 365.5UNC 6 1081 1176 409 2257 5.5 20 376.2MSU 5 363 1539 371 1902 5.1 13 380.4Weber 6 815 1522 376 2337 6.2 15 389.5PSU 6 706 1659 399 2365 5.9 21 394.2NAU 5 645 1538 381 2183 5.7 19 436.6Sac State 5 865 1350 356 2215 6.2 20 443.0ISU 6 1366 1384 420 2750 6.5 29 458.3

KICKOFF RETURNS G Ret Yds TD AvgWeber State 6 23 584 0 25.4Portland State 6 30 730 1 24.3Sacramento State 5 21 483 0 23.0Montana 5 15 340 0 22.7Northern Colorado 6 22 496 0 22.5Northern Arizona 5 21 463 0 22.0Idaho State 6 40 797 0 19.9Montana State 5 21 400 0 19.0Eastern Washington 6 27 493 0 18.3

PUNT RETURNS G Ret Yds TD AvgMontana 5 12 207 0 17.2Weber State 6 13 203 0 15.6Northern Colorado 6 17 124 0 7.3Montana State 5 11 72 0 6.5Eastern Washington 6 10 55 0 5.5Portland State 6 10 54 0 5.4Idaho State 6 13 47 0 3.6Northern Arizona 5 11 34 0 3.1Sacramento State 5 5 3 0 0.6

PUNTING No. Yds Avg PR Avg TB NetWeber 24 1029 42.9 23 1.0 1 41.1Montana 17 681 40.1 18 1.1 0 39.0No. Arizona 23 938 40.8 97 4.2 0 36.6E. Wash. 33 1274 38.6 56 1.7 3 35.1No. Colo. 36 1397 38.8 99 2.8 2 34.9PSU 23 909 39.5 61 2.7 3 34.3MSU 30 1256 41.9 149 5.0 4 34.2Sac State 25 935 37.4 100 4.0 0 33.4Idaho State 43 1700 39.5 290 6.7 1 32.3

PASS EFFICIENCY G Att Cp Pct Int Yds TD EfficNAU 5 172 122 70.9 3 1599 13 170.5Montana 5 160 97 60.6 4 1386 14 157.3EWU 6 199 132 66.3 5 1554 10 143.5PSU 6 226 133 58.8 10 1936 9 135.1Weber 6 263 170 64.6 12 1859 16 135.0Sac State 5 135 80 59.3 5 1029 7 133.0MSU 5 150 91 60.7 5 961 5 118.8UNC 6 189 111 58.7 3 1163 6 117.7ISU 6 209 110 52.6 11 1121 6 96.6

TURNOVER MARGIN Gained Lost G Fum Int Tot Fum Int Tot Mar P/GNAU 5 5 3 8 4 3 7 +1 0.20Montana 5 4 6 10 5 4 9 +1 0.20EWU 6 9 5 14 8 5 13 +1 0.17No. Colo. 6 4 7 11 8 3 11 +0 0.00Weber 6 6 7 13 2 12 14 -1 -0.17MSU 5 2 8 10 8 5 13 -3 -0.60Sac State 5 3 5 8 7 5 12 -4 -0.80ISU 6 8 5 13 12 11 23 -10 -1.67PSU 6 3 5 8 8 10 18 -10 -1.67

PASS DEFENSE EFFICIENCY G Att Cp Int Pct Yds TD EfficMontana 5 211 128 6 60.7 1360 7 120.1EWU 6 205 125 5 61.0 1343 6 120.8Weber 6 177 98 7 55.4 1522 7 132.7UNC 6 173 107 7 61.8 1176 12 133.7MSU 5 204 120 8 58.8 1539 13 135.4Sac State 5 171 109 5 63.7 1350 7 137.7ISU 6 198 126 5 63.6 1384 14 140.6PSU 6 194 111 5 57.2 1659 14 147.7NAU 5 204 137 3 67.2 1538 13 148.6

FIRST DOWNS G Rush Pass Pen TotalWeber State 6 45 84 11 140E. Washington 6 45 68 7 120Montana 5 40 56 6 102Portland State 6 26 68 7 101Northern Arizona 5 29 60 7 96Montana State 5 43 41 7 91Northern Colorado 6 36 46 7 89Sacramento State 5 35 41 5 81Idaho State 6 16 49 13 78

3RD-DN CONVERSIONS G Conv Att PctMontana 5 37 74 50.0Eastern Washington 6 38 84 45.2Weber State 6 43 99 43.4Sacramento State 5 27 65 41.5Portland State 6 36 87 41.4Northern Colorado 6 34 89 38.2Northern Arizona 5 21 59 35.6Montana State 5 26 75 34.7Idaho State 6 15 83 18.1

OPPONENT 1ST DOWNS G Rush Pass Pen TotalMontana 5 20 63 6 89

Portland State 6 37 60 9 106Montana State 5 33 66 9 108Sacramento State 5 42 58 9 109Northern Colorado 6 58 44 8 110Weber State 6 42 60 9 111Eastern Washington 6 44 60 9 113Northern Arizona 5 34 72 7 113daho State 6 66 57 6 129

OPP 3RD-DOWN CONVERSIONS G Conv Att PctWeber State 6 21 70 30.0Montana 5 29 81 35.8Eastern Washington 6 31 86 36.0Montana State 5 27 74 36.5Idaho State 6 30 76 39.5Northern Colorado 6 36 91 39.6Portland State 6 39 94 41.5Sacramento State 5 28 67 41.8Northern Arizona 5 48 87 55.2

SACKS BY G Sacks YardsWeber State 6 14 80Eastern Washington 6 14 95Montana State 5 11 75Northern Colorado 6 11 80Northern Arizona 5 11 67Sacramento State 5 10 57Portland State 6 9 66Idaho State 6 5 33Montana 5 4 22

SACKS AGAINST G Sacks YardsMontana 5 6 35Sacramento State 5 6 52Northern Arizona 5 6 37Weber State 6 10 63Montana State 5 12 85Portland State 6 12 73Eastern Washington 6 14 79Northern Colorado 6 16 104Idaho State 6 18 123

PENALTIES G No Yds AvgSacramento State 5 30 243 48.6Northern Colorado 6 36 302 50.3Montana State 5 35 284 56.8Idaho State 6 45 341 56.8Portland State 6 39 363 60.5Weber State 6 46 374 62.3Montana 5 33 327 65.4Eastern Washington 6 48 393 65.5Northern Arizona 5 28 337 67.4

OPPONENT PENALTIES G No Yds Avg/GIdaho State 6 57 513 85.5Weber State 6 51 467 77.8Montana 5 39 362 72.4Northern Colorado 6 40 357 59.5Northern Arizona 5 31 277 55.4Montana State 5 30 266 53.2Eastern Washington 6 36 313 52.2Sacramento State 5 28 260 52.0Portland State 6 34 305 50.8

TIME OF POSSESSION G Total Time AvgWeber State 6 204:49 34:08Montana State 5 148:19 29:39Portland State 6 176:50 29:28Northern Colorado 6 172:27 28:44Eastern Washington 6 172:24 28:44Sacramento State 5 140:29 28:05Idaho State 6 166:53 27:48Montana 5 138:15 27:39Northern Arizona 5 136:38 27:19

KICKOFF COVERAGE G No. Yds Avg Retn TB NetMSU 5 23 1525 66.3 312 8 45.8Montana 5 31 1970 63.5 507 3 45.3Idaho State 6 17 1119 65.8 211 8 44.0NAU 5 30 1934 64.5 490 8 42.8Sac State 5 25 1534 61.4 465 0 42.8PSU 6 28 1814 64.8 560 3 42.6Weber 6 34 2170 63.8 652 4 42.3UNC 6 21 1290 61.4 438 3 37.7EWU 6 32 1909 59.7 709 3 35.6

Individual statistics RUSHING G Att Yds Avg TD Lg AvgT.Smith, Weber 6 146 668 4.6 5 49 111.3T.Jones, EWU 6 76 641 8.4 9 96 106.8Henderson, NAU 5 96 443 4.6 4 69 88.6Dailey, Sac 5 77 431 5.6 2 69 86.2

Reynolds, UM 5 107 400 3.7 6 29 80.0Mason, MSU 5 61 355 5.8 2 26 71.0Harris, UNC 6 75 356 4.7 2 45 59.3Palmer, MSU 5 56 207 3.7 2 29 41.4Knickrehm, ISU 5 66 156 2.4 0 20 31.2McClintock, PSU 6 44 183 4.2 0 27 30.5

INTERCEPTIONS G Int Yds TD Lg Int/GRider, MSU 5 3 12 0 12 0.60Bignell, MSU 5 3 3 0 3 0.60Shead, PSU 6 3 49 1 31 0.50TJohnson, UM 4 2 0 0 0 0.50Hatch, EWU 6 3 0 0 0 0.50M.Smith, Sac 5 2 80 1 83 0.40Askew, UNC 6 2 112 1 88 0.33Hewitt, UNC 6 2 40 0 39 0.33Brown, WSU 6 2 34 0 34 0.33Hadley, WSU 6 2 20 0 20 0.33

PASSING YARDS Att Cp Int Pct. Yds TD P/GHerrick, NAU 170 120 3 70.6 1575 12 315.0Hubel, PSU 212 125 9 59.0 1863 9 310.5Higgins, WSU 259 167 11 64.5 1819 16 303.2Nichols, EWU 191 126 5 66.0 1529 10 254.8Smith, Sac 129 76 4 58.9 986 7 197.2Iddins, MSU 146 89 5 61.0 954 5 190.8Waggener, NC 180 107 3 59.4 1114 4 185.7Selle, UM 103 65 1 63.1 912 10 182.4Blum, ISU 129 65 7 50.4 708 5 141.6Roper, UM 56 32 2 57.1 474 4 118.5

PASS EFFICIENCY Att Cp Int Pct. Yds TD Eff.Orms, UNC 7 4 0 57.1 49 2 210.2Herrick, NAU 170 120 3 70.6 1575 12 168.2Selle, UM 103 65 1 63.1 912 10 167.6Nichols, EWU 191 126 5 66.0 1529 10 145.3Roper, UM 56 32 2 57.1 474 4 144.7Hubel, PSU 212 125 9 59.0 1863 9 138.3Higgins, WSU 259 167 11 64.5 1819 16 135.4Smith, Sac 129 76 4 58.9 986 7 134.8Iddins, MSU 146 89 5 61.0 954 5 120.3Waggener, NC 180 107 3 59.4 1114 4 115.4

TOTAL OFFENSE G Run Pass Plays Tot P/GHerrick, NAU 5 -14 1575 184 1561 312.2Hubel, PSU 6 -57 1863 230 1806 301.0Higgins, Weber 6 -58 1819 274 1761 293.5Nichols, EWU 6 8 1529 223 1537 256.2Selle, UM 5 71 912 116 983 196.6Iddins, MSU 5 15 954 178 969 193.8Smith, Sac 5 -47 986 144 939 187.8Waggener, NC 6 -52 1114 211 1062 177.0Blum, ISU 5 -43 708 160 665 133.0Roper, UM 4 18 474 60 492 123.0

PUNT RETURNS Ret Yds TD Long AvgMariani, Montana 6 98 0 47 16.3Toone, Weber 11 178 0 44 16.2Lutz, UNC 16 118 0 24 7.4Meadows, NAU 9 37 0 11 4.1Thomas, MSU 7 13 0 11 1.9 KICK RETURNS Ret Yds TD Long AvgNguyen, Montana 5 146 0 61 29.2Sambrano, Montana 6 167 0 50 27.8Bolen, Weber 21 532 0 67 25.3Woods, PSU 29 707 1 97 24.4Meadows, NAU 6 143 0 40 23.8Burnley, UNC 9 210 0 32 23.3Shanks, NAU 14 319 0 57 22.8Ponciano, ISU 34 710 0 46 20.9Jones, EWU 12 243 0 52 20.2Gilbert, MSU 9 166 0 29 18.4

RECEIVING G Rec Yds TD Lg Avg P/GBerry, NAU 5 35 557 4 81 15.9 111.4Fry, PSU 6 38 649 1 56 17.1 108.2Mariani, Montana 5 22 492 5 84 22.4 98.4Boyce, EWU 6 32 520 5 53 16.2 86.7Phillips, Weber 5 23 419 4 80 18.2 83.8Toone, Weber 6 42 500 4 47 11.9 83.3Kirven, PSU 6 26 495 4 91 19.0 82.5Thompson, UNC 6 34 453 4 80 13.3 75.5Woods, PSU 6 30 419 3 96 14.0 69.8Reed, Sac 4 15 254 2 48 16.9 63.5

PUNTING No. Yds Lg AvgFisher, MSU 22 998 77 45.4Vanderweilen, ISU 39 1700 76 43.6Snoy, Weber 24 1029 66 42.9Rauschert, NAU 23 938 54 40.8Wren, Montana 17 681 60 40.1Zuber, EWU 23 920 64 40.0Duyndam, PSU 22 856 65 38.9

Kaman, UNC 36 1397 56 38.8Heath, Sac 25 935 51 37.4

ALL PURPOSE YARDS G Run Rcv PR KR Yds P/GWoods, PSU 6 -2 419 45 707 1169 194.8Ponciano, ISU 6 11 291 15 710 1027 171.2TJones, EWU 6 641 113 0 243 997 166.2T.Smith, Weber 6 668 223 0 0 891 148.5Henderson, NAU 5 443 226 0 0 669 133.8Mariani, UM 5 0 492 98 21 611 122.2Toone, Weber 6 2 500 178 52 732 122.0Bolen, Weber 6 119 77 0 532 728 121.3Berry, NAU 5 0 557 0 0 557 111.4Fry, PSU 6 0 649 0 0 649 108.2

SCORING G TD XPT FG 2XP Pts P/GReynolds, UM 5 8 0 0 0 48 9.6T.Jones, EWU 6 9 0 0 0 54 9.0McKnight, UM 5 0 24 4 0 36 7.2Henderson, NAU 5 6 0 0 0 36 7.2Myers, NAU 5 0 17 6 0 35 7.0Diniz, Sac 5 0 13 6 0 31 6.2Cunningham, MSU 5 0 7 8 0 31 6.2Brown, PSU 6 0 10 9 0 37 6.2Mariani, UM 5 5 0 0 0 30 6.0Snoy, Weber 6 0 12 7 0 33 5.5 FIELD GOALS G FG FGA Pct. P/GCunningham, MSU 5 8 10 80.0 1.60Brown, PSU 6 9 14 64.3 1.50Diniz, Sac State 5 6 6 100.0 1.20Myers, NAU 5 6 8 75.0 1.20Snoy, Weber 6 7 12 58.3 1.17York, UNC 5 5 8 62.5 1.00McKnight, Montana 5 4 8 50.0 0.80Huk, ISU 6 4 7 57.1 0.67Jarrett, EWU 6 2 4 50.0 0.33

TACKLES (All positions) G Pos Solo Ast Tot P/G SackSherritt, EWU 6 LB 38 46 84 14.0 0.0Storms, ISU 6 LB 28 38 66 11.0 0.0Schrader, Sac 5 DB 28 27 55 11.0 0.0Arias, ISU 6 LB 16 38 54 9.0 0.0Brown, Weber 6 DB 25 27 52 8.7 0.0King, UNC 6 LB 22 29 51 8.5 3.0Estrada, 5 DB 26 16 42 8.4 0.0Sedillo, Weber 6 LB 16 34 50 8.3 0.0Thomas, NAU 5 LB 18 22 40 8.0 0.0EPedersen, PSU 5 LB 16 24 40 8.0 0.0Hewitt, UNC 6 DB 24 22 46 7.7 0.0Lebsock, UM 5 LB 16 20 36 7.2 1.0Tew, ISU 6 DB 24 18 42 7.0 1.0Bignell, MSU 5 LB 11 24 35 7.0 1.0Rider, MSU 5 DB 21 14 35 7.0 0.0Holmesly, ISU 6 DB 20 21 41 6.8 0.0Fisher, UM 4 LB 8 19 27 6.8 0.0Julio, NAU 5 DB 15 18 33 6.6 0.0Askew, UNC 6 CB 23 16 39 6.5 0.0Pleasant, ISU 6 DB 19 20 39 6.5 1.0Gordon, Sac 5 DB 19 13 32 6.4 0.0Gazzerro, MSU 5 LB 11 20 31 6.2 1.0Michon, UNC 6 DB 25 12 37 6.2 1.0Stoll, UM 5 DB 14 16 30 6.0 0.0Borden, EWU 5 LB 9 21 30 6.0 0.0Worthingtn, NAU 5 LB 9 21 30 6.0 0.0Price, MSU 4 LB 15 9 24 6.0 0.0Hatch, EWU 6 DB 20 15 35 5.8 0.0Johnson, Sac 5 LB 9 20 29 5.8 0.0Rau, PSU 6 LB 13 21 34 5.7 2.0Dumas, NAU 5 DB 18 10 28 5.6 1.0Vance, NAU 5 DE 12 16 28 5.6 3.0Wilkins, EWU 6 LB 5 28 33 5.5 0.0

SACKS G Pos Solo Ast Yds Tot P/GBond, NAU 5 DE 5 1 29 5.5 1.10Linehan, Weber 6 DE 5 0 39 5.0 0.83Clark, Sac 5 DL 4 0 24 4.0 0.80Williams, EWU 6 DL 4 0 34 4.0 0.67Vance, NAU 5 DE 3 0 21 3.0 0.60King, UNC 6 LB 3 0 32 3.0 0.50White, Sac 4 LB 2 0 16 2.0 0.50Hernon, UNC 6 DE 2 2 13 3.0 0.50Moore, Sac 5 DL 2 1 10 2.5 0.50Kragt, EWU 6 DL 2 1 13 2.5 0.42

TACKLES FOR LOSS G Pos Solo Ast Yds Tot P/GFletcher, MSU 5 DE 6 6 32 9.0 1.80Clark, Sac 5 DL 7 2 33 8.0 1.60Sherritt, EWU 6 LB 8 3 16 9.5 1.58Bond, NAU 5 DE 6 2 37 7.0 1.40Williams, EWU 6 DL 7 2 46 8.0 1.33Jacobs, PSU 6 DT 6 2 24 7.0 1.17Linehan, Weber 6 DE 6 0 41 6.0 1.00White, Sac 4 LB 4 0 25 4.0 1.00Moore, Sac 5 DL 4 2 16 5.0 1.00King, UNC 6 LB 5 1 35 5.5 0.92

BIG SKY CONFERENCE STATISTICS


MONTANA ROSTERNo. Name Pos Hgt Wgt Year Hometown2 – 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, Idaho5 – Donny Lisowski CB 5-11 195 So. Seattle6 – Aaron Roberts WR 5-11 170 Fr. Spokane, Wash.7 – Jeff Larson WR 6-4 210 Jr. Cut Bank8 – Sam Gratton WR 6-0 197 Fr. Billings9 – Mike McCord S 6-0 195 So. Phoenix10 – Shawn Lebsock LB 6-0 225 Sr. Billings11 – Brandon Dodson CB 5-8 170 Jr. Tulare, Calif.12 – Andrew Selle QB 6-2 219 Jr. Billings13 – Josh Pelczar CB 5-9 180 Fr. Billings14 – D.J. Zapata QB 6-3 175 Fr. San Marcos, Calif.14 – Steven Rominger S 5-10 185 Fr. Missoula15 RETIRED IN HONOR OF DAVE DICKENSON16 – Jabin Sambrano WR 5-11 170 So. Oceanside, Calif.17 – Gerald Kemp QB 6-2 215 Fr. San Diego18 – 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. Butte21 – Keith Thompson CB 5-9 175 Sr. Porterville, Calif.22 RETIRED IN HONOR OF TERRY DILLON23 – Levi Buckles WR 6-2 215 Fr. Post Falls, Idaho24 – 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. Billings27 – Tel Reynolds RB 6-0 190 Fr. Drummond28 – Peter Nguyen RB 5-8 175 Fr. Seattle29 – Bryce Carver WR 6-1 170 Fr. Dillon30 – Mike Cummings SS 6-1 200 So. Scottsdale, Ariz.31 – Tim Anderson SS 6-0 205 Sr. Missoula32 – Alex Shaw LB 6-1 232 So. Spokane, Wash.33 – Cole Lockwood SLB 6-1 215 So. Missoula34 – Chase Reynolds RB 6-0 195 Jr. Drummond35 – Dan Moore RB 5-11 225 So. Tucson, Ariz.36 – Sean Connors S 6-0 185 Fr. Seattle37 – Carson Bender DT 6-4 280 Jr. Deer Lodge38 – Ryan Nelson SS 5-11 200 Sr. Wright, Wyo.39 – Shann Schillinger FS 6-1 199 Sr. Baker40 – Caleb McSurdy LB 6-1 245 So. Boise, Idaho41 – Kirk Stoll RB 5-11 180 So. Sandpoint, Idaho42 – Jace Palmer DE 6-3 240 Sr. Missoula43 – Brooks Nuanez DB 6-2 205 Fr. Missoula44 – Jordan Tripp LB 6-2 210 Fr. Missoula45 – Beau Donaldson RB 6-1 233 So. Missoula46 – Clay Pierson S 6-3 212 Fr. Twin Bridges47 – Severin Campbell DE 6-4 210 Jr. Denver49 – Kevin Klaboe FB 6-2 225 Sr. Billings50 – Bryan Waldhauser DT 6-4 242 So. Huntley Project51 – Chris Bradford DT 6-2 255 Fr. San Bernardino, Calif.52 – Ty Timmer LB 6-2 205 Fr. Great Falls53 – Josh Stuberg SLB 6-2 216 Fr. Helena54 – Austin Mullins DT 6-2 273 Sr. Great Falls55 – Ethan Tweet OG 6-2 270 Fr. Fort Benton56 – 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. Helena60 – Blake Lebeau C 6-5 285 Fr. Union City, Calif.61 – Jake Raynock OG 6-2 255 Fr. Billings63 – Brett Brauer G 6-2 260 Fr. Missoula65 – Ty Rogers G 6-2 240 Fr. Missoula66 – 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. Drummond72 – Levi Horn OT 6-7 315 Sr. Spokane, Wash.73 – Bob DeBruycker OL 6-5 235 Fr. Choteau74 – Jon Opperud G 6-7 305 So. Portland, Ore.75 – Chris Dyk OT 6-8 297 Sr. Dillon77 – Terran Hillesland G 6-7 320 Sr. Sidney78 – 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. Havre81 – Tyler Palmer WR 6-3 210 Sr. Missoula82 – 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. Belgrade85 – Connor Smith WR 6-3 198 Fr. Missoula86 – Greg Hardy TE 6-5 245 Fr. Fairview87 – Dan Beaudin TE 6-5 252 Sr. Noxon88 – Steven Pfahler TE 6-5 246 Sr. Frenchtown89 – Robert Overton TE 6-6 240 Jr. San Leandro, Calif.90 – Ryan Fetherston DE 6-4 218 So. Helena91 – Bobby Alt DE 6-3 260 So. Ontario, Calif.92 – George Mercer DE 6-3 241 Sr. Libby93 – 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. Choteau96 – Josh Harris DE 6-5 231 Fr. Kalispell97 – Mike Sylvestre DT 6-2 275 Fr. Phoenix98 – Brett Hutter DT 6-3 260 So. Ontario, Calif.99 – Tyler Hobbs DT 6-4 265 Jr. Spokane, Wash.

GAME DAY

DE 56 Evan Cook

WR 9 Aaron Boyce

CB 1 Lonnie Hosley

or 18 Justin Roper

STARTING OFFENSEMONTANA

TE 88 Steven Pfahler

WR 81 Tyler Palmer

K 83 Brody McKnight

WR 80 Marc Mariani

RT 75 Chris Dyk

RG 77 Terran Hillesland

LG 74 Jon Opperud

LT 72 Levi Horn

QB 12 Andrew Selle

RB 34Chase Reynolds

C 71Alex

Verlanic

STARTING DEFENSEMONTANA

CB 2Trumaine Johnson

DE 42 Jace Palmer

DE 47 Severin Campbell

CB 3 Andrew Swink

DT 99 Tyler Hobbs

WLB 32 Alex Shaw

MLB 10Shawn

Lebsock

SLB 25 Brandon Fisher

SS 4 Erik Stoll

FS 39 Shann Schillinger

P 94 Sean Wren

DT 54 Austin Mullins

OFFENSIVE BACKUPS QB 17 Gerald KempWR 23 Levi BucklesWR 7 Jeff LarsonWR 8 Sam GrattonLT 70 David ArndtLG 57 Charles Burton

C 60 Blake LebeauRG 66 Russell PietteRT 79 Kyle HofmannRB 24 T. Brooks-FletcherTE 87 Dan Beaudin

DEFENSIVE BACKUPS DE 91 Bobby AltLB 56 Brock CoyleDT 37 Carson BenderDE 90 Ryan FetherstonMLB 40 Caleb McSurdySLB 53 Josh Stuberg

WLB 44 Jordan TrippCB 21 Keith ThompsonCB 11 Brandon DodsonFS 9 Mike McCordSS 30 Mike Cummings

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EASTERN WASHINGTON ROSTERNo. Name Pos Hgt Wgt Year Hometown1 – Lonnie Hosley DB 5-8 160 Sr. Vancouver, Wash.2 – Ashton Gant WR 5-10 180 Jr. Pullman, Wash. 3 – Greg Herd WR 6-3 200 Fr. Tacoma, Wash.4 – J.C. Sherritt LB 5-10 220 Jr. Pullman, Wash.6 – Nick Gauthier QB 6-1 205 Jr. Valencia, Calif.7 – Kyle Wilkins LB 5-9 210 Sr. Monroe, Wash.9 – Aaron Boyce WR 6-3 210 Sr. Kent, Wash. 10 – Matt Johnson DB 6-1 205 So. Tumwater, Wash.11 – John Roberts DB 5-10 195 So. Colville, Wash.13 – Scott Burgett QB 6-2 210 Fr. Peoria, Ariz.14 – Jeff Minnerly QB 6-1 190 Fr. Spokane, Wash.15 – Kevin Hatch DB 5-9 180 Sr. Spokane, Wash.16 – Matt Nichols QB 6-3 220 Sr. Cottonwood, Calif.17 – Jesse Hoffman DB 6-2 210 Jr. Seattle18 – Jason Harris LB 6-1 215 Jr. Sammamish, Wash. 19 – Nathan Overbay TE 6-5 270 Sr. Chehalis, Wash.20 – Tony Davis WR 5-9 185 Sr. Olympia, Wash.21 – Nicholas Ramos WR 5-8 165 Sr. Winters, Calif. 22 – Taiwan Jones RB 6-1 200 So. Antioch, Calif.23 – Ethen Robinson DB 5-10 200 Jr. Spokane, Wash.24 – J.T. Leggin DB 6-1 190 Sr. Tacoma, Wash.25 – Domonic Sheppard DB 6-0 190 Fr. Seattle26 – Brett Igbinoba DB 6-0 200 Sr. Cheney, Wash. 27 – Makai Borden LB 5-11 215 Sr. Puyallup, Wash.28 – Dante Calcote DB 5-8 160 Jr. Seattle29 – Jeremy Chaten DB 6-1 160 So. Seattle30 – Darriell Beaumonte RB 5-11 205 So. Lakewood, Wash.31 – Ikaika Gleason WR 5-9 175 Fr. Spanaway, Wash.32 – Chase King RB 6-0 200 Fr. Federal Way, Wash.33 – Tyler Hart RB 5-10 205 So. Friday Harbor, Wash.34 – Artise Gauldin DB 5-10 175 Fr. Kent, Wash.36 – Will Edge DB 6-0 180 Jr. Tacoma, Wash.37 – Erich Armstrong DB 6-1 185 Fr. Parkland, Wash.41 – Billy Lechtenberg DB 6-0 190 Fr. Brier, Wash.43 – Rusty Haehl LB 5-11 205 Fr. Bellevue, Wash.45 – Cameron Zuber P 6-0 180 Jr. Chehalis, Wash.47 – Bobby Gentry LB 5-11 200 So. Seattle48 – Grant Williams RB 6-1 225 Fr. Puyallup, Wash.49 – Tyler Jolley DL 6-3 285 Jr. Nine Mile Falls, Wash.51 – Tyler Washburn LB 6-0 215 Fr. Sammamish, Wash.)52 – Nick Stewart OL 6-5 275 Fr. Vancouver, Wash.53 – Josh Antonson OL 6-4 250 Fr. Kennewick, Wash.55 – Paul Ena DL 6-2 210 Fr. Kenmore, Wash.56 – Evan Cook DL 6-3 270 Fr. Federal Way, Wash.58 – Clint Moquist OL 6-3 255 Jr. Spokane, Wash.60 – Gabriel Jackson OL 6-4 275 So. Tacoma, Wash.63 – Levi Reynolds DL 6-3 295 Jr. Tacoma, Wash.68 – Kevin Miller K 6-2 195 Fr. Portland, Ore.70 – Ryan Forney OL 6-3 295 Sr. Silverdale, Wash.71 – Chris Thomas OL 6-5 300 Sr. Sumner, Wash.72 – Nikolai Myers OL 6-4 275 Jr. Seattle73 – John Rice OL 6-7 295 Sr. Buckley, Wash.76 – Will Post OL 6-6 285 Fr. Portland, Ore.78 – Chris Powers OL 6-2 270 So. Black Diamond, Wash.79 – Brice Leahy OL 6-7 295 Jr. Gig Harbor, Wash.80 – Nicholas Edwards WR 6-3 200 Fr. Tacoma, Wash.82 – Matt Martin TE 6-2 240 Jr. La Crosse, Wash.83 – Brynsen Brown DE/WR 6-2 210 Sr. Puyallup, Wash.88 – Brandon Kaufman WR 6-5 205 Fr. Denver, Colo.90 – Josh Jacobson DL 6-1 280 Sr. Puyallup, Wash. 91 – Jerry Ceja DL 6-3 220 Fr. Aurora, Colo. 92 – Mike Jarrett K 5-9 165 So. Puyallup, Wash. 93 – Jake Potter LS 6-2 200 Fr. Kennewick, Wash.95 – Charles Moetului DL 6-3 235 So. North Bend, Wash.96 or 75 – Ray Falelaulii FB/OL 6-2 255 So. University Place, Wash.97 – David Miles DL 6-4 255 So. Maplewood, Minn. 98 – Renard Williams DL 6-2 300 So. Port Orchard, Wash.99 – Jacob Kragt DL 6-3 235 Sr. Ritzville, Wash.

EASTERN WASHINGTONSTARTING DEFENSE

CB 17 Jesse Hoffman

DT 98 Renard Williams

DE 99 Jacob Kragt

LB 27 Makai Borden

MLB 51 Tyler Washburn

FS 15 Kevin Hatch

P 45 Cameron Zuber

NT 49 Tyler Jolley

STARTING OFFENSEEASTERN WASHINGTON

TE 19 Nathan Overbay

K 92 Mike Jarrett

WR 80 Nicholas Edwards

LT 60 Gabriel Jackson

LG 70 Ryan Forney

RG 72 Nikolai Myers

RT 71 Chris Thomas

QB 16 Matt Nichols RB 22

Taiwan Jones

SB 20 Tony Davis

C 78 Chris Powers

LB 4 J.C. Sherritt

SS 10 Matt Johnson

WR 16 Jabin Sambrano

Paul Ena 55 DE Davis Miles 97 DT Josh Jacobson 90 NT Charles Moetului 95 DE

DEFENSIVE BACKUPS

Jason Harris 18 LB Rusty Haehl 43 LB Dante Calcote 28 CB Brett Igbinoba 26 CB Billy Lechtenberg 41 S Will Edge 36 S

Brandon Kaufmam 88 WR John Rice 73 RT Will Post 76 RG Ray Falelaulii 76 RG Clint Moquist 58 C

OFFENSIVE BACKUPS

John Rice 73 LT Tyler Hart 33 RB Nicholas Ramos 21 SB Matt Martin 82 TE Jeff Minnerly 14 QB Ashton Gant 2 WR

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No. 21 Eastern Washington (3-1, 4-2) at No. 3 Montana (2-0, 5-0)

1:05 p.m. (KWVE FM 101.5; KGVO AM 1290; KPAX-TV; www.bigskytv.org)

Montana is the only remaining unbeaten team in the Big Sky Conference ... Eastern Washington is one of two Big Sky teams to beat Montana multiple times this decade (2002, 2005). Montana State is the other ... The Griz have won 14 straight conference home games dating back to a 34-20 loss in 2005 against the Eagles ... The last time the two teams met in Missoula in 2007, Montana beat Eastern, 24-23, on a late field goal ... The Griz lead the Big Sky in scoring offense (36.0 ppg), scoring defense (16.8 ppg), rushing defense (72.4 ypg), rushing offense (149.4 ypg) and total defense (343.3 ypg) ... Eastern is second in the league in scoring defense (22.8 ppg) and rushing offense ( 145.8 ypg) ... Montana leads the series, 24-10-1 ... Montana coach Bobby Hauck is 71-16 in his seventh season … Eastern coach Beau Baldwin is 10-7 in his second season ... Last year Marc Mariani caught five passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns to lead Montana to a 19-3 win over Eastern in Cheney on Oct. 11. The Griz held the ball for almost 39 minutes ...

Eastern sophomore Taiwan Jones is second in the league in rushing at 641 yards. He has a league-high nine rushing touchdowns ... The Eagles’ J.C. Sherritt is averaging 14 tackles per game ... Montana has a league-low four sacks. Eastern is tied for the league lead with 14 sacks ... Montana defensive tackle Austin Mullins had a team-high 10 tackles in last Saturday’s home win over Cal Poly. Linebackers Shawn Lebsock and Brandon Fisher and end Jace Palmer each had 8 stops ... Eastern QB Matt Nichols passed for 354 yards and broke the school record for career passing yards (10,315) last Saturday, but was intercepted three times in a 31-13 home loss to Weber State. The Eagles lost a pair of fourth-quarter fumbles inside the Weber 3-yard line.

South Dakota (3-3) at Montana State (3-2)

1:05 p.m. (Max Media TV; www.bigskytv.org)

South Dakota competes in the Great West Conference. The Coyotes are in a transition from Division II and are ineligible for FCS postseason play ... South Dakota is coming off a 24-23 overtime loss to UC Davis ... The Coyotes have scored 14 rushing touchdowns this season and average 190.8 rushing yards per game ... Montana State has not allowed a rushing touchdown, and allows just 72.8 rushing yards per game ... The Bobcats are 20-4


GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Conference capsules

Around the Big SkyCompiled by BILL SPELTZ/Missoulian

Montana safety Erik Stoll tackles Cal Poly’s Jono Grayson last Saturday.TOM BAUER/Missoulian

See BIG SKY, Page G17

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GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Conference capsules

when positive or even in turnover margin since the beginning of 2006, but just 4-13 when finishing a game negative in turnovers ... South Dakota State beat Drake 51-21 earlier this season. Cats coach Rob Ash coached Drake for 17 years prior to coming to Montana State ... Last year C.J. Palmer and Demetrius Crawford each scored two rushing touchdowns in Montana State’s 38-17 victory over the Coyotes on Sept. 27 in Bozeman. The Cats’ defense held South Dakota to 10 first downs and 241 yards of total offense ... Ash is 16-12 in his third season with the Bobcats … South Dakota coach Ed Meierkort is 42-21 in his sixth season. He is 97-76 overall as a head coach ... Montana State defensive end Dane Fletcher has nine tackles for loss this season ... Montana State has a league-high eight interceptions.

Sacramento State (2-1, 2-3) at No. 15 Weber St. (3-1, 3-3)

1:05 p.m. (www.bigskytv.org)

The Hornets are 0-6 against Weber State in Ogden ... Sac State is 2-1 in the Big Sky for just the second time in program history. The previous time was in 2004 when it finished 4-4 ... The Wildcats average a league-high 440.8 yards of total offense per game ... Weber State leads the series, 9-4 ... Last year Cameron Higgins threw

for 380 yards and four touchdowns to lead Weber to a 32-27 victory over the Hornets on Sept. 20 in Sacramento ... Weber State coach Ron McBride is 28-25 in his fifth season … Sacramento State coach Marshall Sperbeck is 11-17 in his third season … Weber State wideout Tim Toone has 12 catches for 274 yards and five touchdowns in his last two games against the Hornets. Toone needs two yards to reach 3,000 receiving yards in his career ... The Wildcats’ Mike Phillips has 11 catches for 273 yards and four touchdowns in his last two games ... Hornets running back Terrance Dailey has three 100-yard rushing games this season, including a career-high 178 yards against Idaho State last week ... Weber running back Trevyn Smith averages a league-best 111.3 rushing yards per game ... Sac State defensive back Zach Schrader is averaging 11 tackles per game ... The Hornets have allowed just six sacks, which ties for the league-low. Weber has 14 sacks, which ties for the league-high.

Northern Arizona (2-1, 3-2) at Portland State (1-3, 2-4)


Northern Arizona quarterback Michael Herrick averages a league-best 311.2 yards of total offense per game. In his last three games, Herrick has completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 1,105 yards with nine touchdowns ... Portland State quarterback Drew Hubel ranks second in the Big Sky in total offense per game at 301 yards. However, Hubel sustained

an injury last week in a win over Northern Colorado and may not play ... The Jacks lead the series, 12-4, and are 6-2 against Portland State in Portland ... Northern Arizona has won nine of 13 meetings with the Vikings since they joined the Big Sky ... Last year Deonte Williams rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns and Curt Sweeney had 130 receiving yards in the Jacks’ 37-17 win over Portland State on Oct. 11 in Flagstaff ... Northern Arizona coach Jerome Souers is 64-66 in his 12th season … Portland State coach Jerry Glanville is 9-19 in his third season ... Portland State averages 322.7 passing yards per game. Northern Arizona averages 318.8 ... Jacks wideout Ed Berry averages a league-best 111.4 receiving yards per game. The Vikings’ Ray Fry is second at 108.2 ... Northern Arizona is looking to win back-to-back conference road games for the first time since 2003 ... Portland State is allowing 29.7 points per game. Northern Arizona is allowing 30.2 ... The Vikings are third in the Big Sky in rush defense (117.7 ypg). The Jacks are fourth (122.8) ... Northern Arizona is +1 in turnover margin. Portland State is on the opposite end of the spectrum at -10.

Northern Colorado (0-4, 1-5) at Idaho State (0-3, 0-6)


This is the battle to stay off the bottom in the Big Sky standings ... Northern Colorado is looking to snap a 20-game road losing streak. The Bears are 0-14 all-time in

Big Sky road games ... Idaho State has lost six straight and 22 of 24 since a 41-13 home win over Northern Colorado on Oct. 6, 2007 ... Northern Colorado’s only win in 2008 came over Idaho State. Bryan Waggener threw two TD passes, and the Bears’ defense held Idaho State to 262 yards of offense in a 29-9 triumph in Greeley, Colo. ... Idaho State leads the series, 19-6 ... Northern Colorado coach Scott Downing is 4-36 in his fourth season … Idaho State coach John Zamberlin is 4-25 in his third season ... Idaho State has been outscored 267-62 this season ... Northern Colorado leads the Big Sky in pass defense at 196 yards per game ... Bears wideout Alex Thompson is averaging 75.5 receiving yards per game. He has four receiving touchdowns, which ties for third most in the league ... Idaho State linebacker A.J. Storms is averaging 11 tackles per game, which ties him for second-most in the Big Sky ... Northern Colorado linebacker Matt King averages 8.5 tackles per game. He had 15 tackles and a sack in last week’s loss to Portland State ... Russell Hill started at quarterback for ISU last week. He completed 30 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown, but threw three interceptions.

Big SkyContinued from Page G14

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GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Cover story: Thomas Brooks-Fletcher

whatever they need help with.”

Brooks-Fletcher’s first two years in Missoula were a roller-coaster ride. His football career nearly ended before it started when he injured his knee in freakish fashion as a true freshman.

“I went to cut, got my cleats stuck in the mud and heard a pop,” said the senior, who tore the ACL and meniscus in his left knee. “There wasn’t any contact. It was a cut I’ve made a thousand times.”

Thomas credits his older teammates with keeping his spirits up after the injury. By the time 2006 and his redshirt freshman season rolled around, he was ready.

“I had never really been injured ever in my career, so that first year was hard,” he said. “Coming in as a (redshirt freshman) I knew I was going to have to be just as good even though I did have a knee injury.

“When I had the chance I just took my

opportunity and went with it. I was just lucky the coaches gave me that shot to show what I can do.”

In three playoff games against McNeese State, Southern Illinois and UMass, he piled up 293 rushing yards, averaging over five yards per attempt. His performances made him a strong candidate for the starting the job in 2007.

But Hilliard, a much larger, more punishing back than Brooks-Fletcher, established himself as the feature back from the start in 2007. Brooks-Fletcher had 43 carries that season, less than half as many as 2006.

Rather than sulking, the sociology major took the high road. He embraced his role as a backup and to this day takes pride in it.

“I’m just always ready to play,” he said. “Wherever they need me I’m happy to help out the team.

“It’s just one of those roles you grow into. Being here for five years, I’ve seen a lot of great backs that have had that role. Like Brady Green and J.R. Waller. Even Lex sometimes. I like the role. A running back

can only take so many hits like my man Chase can. I’m always ready to give him a break if he needs one.”

Talking with Brooks-Fletcher is a little like conversing with a coach. He seems to enjoy chatting about his team even more than he does himself.

He’s even enthusiastic talking about the young guys he’s battling for playing time.

“I like all of them,” he said. “We’ve got a real good young group. Peter (Nguyen) and Dan (Moore), they’re getting the stuff down.”

Like Reynolds, Nguyen and Moore, Brooks-Fletcher hopes he can continue to play football next season. It’s become tougher than ever to earn pro money with the loss of NFL Europe and arena leagues, but Thomas feels he has the work ethic to find a niche.

“If it doesn’t work out, hopefully I leave here with a degree and I can go do something else or coach,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”

For now Brooks-Fletcher is focused

on the task at hand. He’s excited about Montana’s 5-0 start and sees big things down the road.

“We’ve got a great senior class, great linemen and young talent,” he said. “Coming into the summer I could see it in everybody’s faces that losing that (FCS title) game last season wasn’t enough for us.

“Everyone wants to make it back there and do better.”

With unselfish seniors like Brooks-Fletcher providing leadership, Montana seems destined for success in 2009 and beyond.

Sports writer Bill Speltz can be reached at 523-5255 or [email protected].

TBFContinued from Page G2

“I’m just always ready to play. Wherever they need me I’m happy to help out the team.”

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GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Montana puts Cal Poly on ice, 35-23

CHASING YARDAGE


Montana’s Chase Reynolds scrambles for yards last Saturday as Cal Poly’s Scottie Cordier tackles.


GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Montana puts Cal Poly on ice, 35-23

BREAKING A MUSTANG


Montana’s Brandon Fisher tackles Cal Poly’s Nick Gancayco last Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

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By RALPH D. RUSSOAssociated Press

An injured Heisman Trophy winner and a pair of one-point losses have made the first half of Oklahoma’s season a real downer.

Next up for the Sooners, a chance to turn the season around. No. 20 Oklahoma meets No. 3 Texas on Saturday in Dallas.

The intensity of the Red River Rivalry reached new heights last season, when Colt McCoy and the Longhorns won 45-35 in Cotton Bowl Stadium but the Sooners – by virtue of the three-way tiebreaker – went on to play in the Big 12 and national championship games.

Longhorns fans might never get over that.

Texas coach Mack Brown takes a more diplomatic approach to last year’s controversy.

“Our kids lost one game, their kids lost one game, and it came down to outside sources that made that decision, not the two teams, the two schools or the two coaches,” Brown said this week. “That shouldn’t have anything to do with us at all and even if it was, we’ve talked about revenge a lot. What

you want to do is get excited about playing in this game; you don’t have to be mad.”

Both teams expected to have national title hopes entering this year’s game, too. But Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford injured his shoulder the first week of the season and the Sooners have lost twice by one point with him on the sideline – to BYU and Miami.

The Sooners can probably forget about the national title, and it’d be tough for Bradford to win another Heisman after missing 3fi games, but a fourth consecutive Big 12 championship is still very much in reach. Beating Texas would go a long way toward that.

It would also put a serious crimp in the Longhorns’ national title hopes. And that would be sure to put a smile on any Sooners’ face.

Though maybe not as big a smile as Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis would sport if the Fighting Irish can snap a seven-game losing streak to rival Southern California.

Just staying close to the Trojans would be progress for the Irish. USC has won the last three games by an average of 40-9.

The picks:Saturday

Arkansas (plus 25) at No. 1 Florida

Gators’ pass defense No. 1 country ... FLORIDA 45-14.

No. 22 South Carolina (plus 17) at No. 2 Alabama

Spurrier vs. Saban for first time since 2001 ... ALABAMA 27-7.

No. 3 Texas (minus 3fi) vs. No. 20 Oklahoma at Dallas

More defense on display at Cotton Bowl this season ... OKLAHOMA 27-21.

No. 4 Virginia Tech (minus 3) at No. 19 Georgia Tech

Hokies have won four of last five meetings ... VIRGINIA TECH 28-20.

No. 6 Southern California (minus 10) at No. 25 Notre Dame

Another USC romp will not go over well, Charlie ... USC 30-21.

No. 7 Ohio State (minus 13fi) at PurdueBuckeyes barely even need an offense ... OHIO

STATE 27-7.No. 9 Miami (minus 14fi) at UCFHurricanes make a recruiting trip to Orlando ...

MIAMI 35-17.No. 11 Iowa (plus 2fi) at WisconsinHawkeyes’ 10-game winning streak in danger

... WISCONSIN 24-17.Colorado State (plus 22fi) at No. 12 TCUHorned Frogs have won five straight vs. Rams

... TCU 38-14.Minnesota (plus 17) at No. 14 Penn StateGophers have won four of last six, including

two in Happy Valley ... PENN STATE 31-21.Texas Tech (plus 10fi) at No. 15 NebraskaHuskers have allowed only one TD pass ...

NEBRASKA 28-17.Missouri (plus 7) at No. 16 Oklahoma StateCowboys’ Zac Robinson is Big 12’s top-rated

passer ... OKLAHOMA STATE 37-24.No. 17 Kansas (minus 9fi) at ColoradoTyler Hansen starts at QB for sinking Buffaloes

... COLORADO 34-28.No. 18 BYU (minus 17fi) at San Diego StateBYU has won seven of last eight meetings by

average of 26 points ... BYU 40-14.No. 23 Houston (minus 17) at TulaneCougars can focus on C-USA title ... HOUSTON

48-21.No. 24 Utah (minus 16) at UNLVRebels have allowed 122 points last two

games ... UTAH 48-24.Last week: 14-4 (straight); 4-10 (vs. points).

Season: 100-22 (straight); 49-55-3 (vs. points).


GRIZZLY GAME DAY / Top 25 picks

Red River rivalry is chance for OU turnaround

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L.M. OTERO/Associated Press

Texas coach Mack Brown, left, congratulates Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops after Oklahoma beat Texas 28-21 on Oct. 6, 2007.

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Griz TriviaBack in 2002, Eastern Washington ended a 25-game win streak for the Griz in what city?

a) Missoulab) Cheney, Wash.c) Pullman, Wash.d) Spokane

Who scored the winning points for Montana in victories over Eastern Washington in 2004 and 2007?

a) Lex Hilliardb) Cole Bergquistc) Dan Carpenterd) Ryan Bagley

Which tandem is responsible for the longest TD pass play (93 yards) in Griz history?

a) Brian Ah Yat/Jimmy Farrisb) Dave Dickenson/ Mike Erhardtc) Cole Bergquist/Marc Marianid) Josh Swogger/Eric Allen

Answers: d, c, a


1in

Help UsTackle Cancer

For more information, and other ways to contribute, visit

Join Us for Breast Cancer Awareness Day at Washington Grizzly Stadium. There will be many game day activities like pink balloons released at kick off (purchase yours online at teamupmontana.com), a chance to win an autographed Grizzly football, and Powder Puff Football.

TeamUpMontana.comTeam up. Reach out. Give back.

Margo BucholtzBreast Cancer Survivor

griz game day october 17

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