If you're a morning person, Montana State's 2010 fall camp is right up your alley.
The Bobcats are on a daily 9:15 am schedule during the portion of camp when the team is allowed just one practice per day, and the primary - but not sole - reason was easily visible on Tuesday afternoon.
"The percentage of being bothered by the weather is lower in the morning," Ash said Tuesday afternoon from his office, as a late-summer storm passed over the MSU campus. "That's not the only reason, but it was definitely a huge factor."
New research also confirms what most know intuitively, as well - that people in general and athletes in particular are fresher earlier in the day. "Some research Coach (Brian) Wright found says that you're more ready to go early in the day, your muscles are fresher, and that makes sense," Ash said.
But missing out on the anxiety of the afternoon squall is nothing but a positive for Ash. "That makes it a lot easier."
* * * *
The most impressive scoop-and-score moment from the defense came late in Tuesday's practice from an All-America -- not Dan Ogden or Clay Bignell, but Bobcat assistant coach Kane Ioane, a four-time national honoree. Much less likely was the man leading the convoy toward the end zone, MSU assistant coach Noah Joseph.
After delivering a 'solid' block Joseph ended up on his back, but Ash wouldn't confirm that the play was about as much contact as the former Drake team captain ever incurred. "Well, he spent his time out on the edge," Ash said with a non-committal laugh.
* * * *
The format is the same, but the voice barking "Period 17", or whatever period the team enters, is different. Scott Gifford, an integral part of practice logistics during his two years as MSU's equipment manager, left MSU for an assistant equipment job at the University of Wyoming (following MSU men's basketball athletic trainer Dustin Enslinger, coincidentally). Now at the bullhorn is Justin Jessop, a former Bobcat track and field athlete who was one of Gifford's right-hand men the past couple of years. Jessop is running the Bobcat equipment room on an interim basis until a full-time manager can be found.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Bobcat Fall Camp Day One: Spare Thoughts
Some random thoughts from Day One of MSU's fall football camp...
* DeSean Thomas, on his tinted mohawk, which Rob Ash said falls dangerously close to maroon on the color spectrum: "I need to be a hothead in fall camp!"
* After dropping an interception, senior safety Michael Rider was ordered by secondary coach Noah Joseph to drop and do five pushups. Rider did 10.
* It isn't Bobcat football until Luke McEndoo, son of MSU's eighth-year offensive line coach Jason McEndoo, joins the team in its practice-closing huddle.
* You also know Bobcat football is here when you hear Coach Joseph bark at an unsuspecting defender, "Scoop and score! That's our football!"
* Senior running back Blayde Becksted, plagued by injuries throughout his career, ran strong on Monday, even despite a dropped pitch.
* Linebacker Roger Trammell looked good Monday, and wears jersey number nine, the same number as redshirt freshman quarterback Denarius McGhee.
* DeSean Thomas, on his tinted mohawk, which Rob Ash said falls dangerously close to maroon on the color spectrum: "I need to be a hothead in fall camp!"
* After dropping an interception, senior safety Michael Rider was ordered by secondary coach Noah Joseph to drop and do five pushups. Rider did 10.
* It isn't Bobcat football until Luke McEndoo, son of MSU's eighth-year offensive line coach Jason McEndoo, joins the team in its practice-closing huddle.
* You also know Bobcat football is here when you hear Coach Joseph bark at an unsuspecting defender, "Scoop and score! That's our football!"
* Senior running back Blayde Becksted, plagued by injuries throughout his career, ran strong on Monday, even despite a dropped pitch.
* Linebacker Roger Trammell looked good Monday, and wears jersey number nine, the same number as redshirt freshman quarterback Denarius McGhee.
Bobcat Camp Day One: Stormy Weather
A good omen? Rob Ash hopes so.
The wind blew, rain threatened and even spit a little, and as the Bobcats ran through the early portion of fall camp's first practice session storm clouds gathered ominously and aimed right at the MSU practice fields. Athletic Trainer Rob Higgs stood by judiciously with the lighting meter.
And then something funny happened: nothing.
The storm veered to the north, plastering the northwest end of the Gallatin Valley. The 2010 American Legion Class A Northwest Regional Tournament endured a rain delay of over an hour, with local officials burning the water off the field.
On the south end of town, though, Ash smiled at the thought of the terrible weather that plagued his team last fall and during the spring.
"I hope this means our luck is changing," he said as the sun peered through.
The wind blew, rain threatened and even spit a little, and as the Bobcats ran through the early portion of fall camp's first practice session storm clouds gathered ominously and aimed right at the MSU practice fields. Athletic Trainer Rob Higgs stood by judiciously with the lighting meter.
And then something funny happened: nothing.
The storm veered to the north, plastering the northwest end of the Gallatin Valley. The 2010 American Legion Class A Northwest Regional Tournament endured a rain delay of over an hour, with local officials burning the water off the field.
On the south end of town, though, Ash smiled at the thought of the terrible weather that plagued his team last fall and during the spring.
"I hope this means our luck is changing," he said as the sun peered through.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
With Big Sky Conference coaches participating in a conference call on Tuesday morning to discuss the upcoming season, football is officially upon us. Rob Ash's comments are available in podcast form at www.msubobcats.com, and below are one-liners from his Big Sky peers...
Montana's Robin Pflugrad, on transparency in his program: "I don't think there's a whole bunch of secrets out there. There's this thing called the internet, and everything you do is out there." On Montana's tradition: "We have great tradition, but that doesn't carry the ball across the end zone."
Weber State coach Ron McBride, on an FCS team moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision: "I don't think it's tough at all. It's just a matter of finances, and quality of all programs, and the football program is going to carry the torch."
Northern Colorado coach Scott Downing, on his team's offense: "I'm optimistic about our offense as a whole because of changes in our scheme and some of the things we worked on during spring ball."
NAU coach Jerome Souers, on the league's parity: "The Big Sky Conference has historically been a conference of parity. On any given day any team can get somebody."
Sacramento State's Marshall Sperbeck, on his team's move into the upper echelon of the league: "This is going into my fourth year as head coach, and you have to start making that kind of jump and progress... There are a lot of factors that you can't control, things that are out of your hands. But like I said, we're optimistic."
Portland State coach Nigel Burton, on the transition to a more conventional offense than the run-and-shoot: "I've got an O-line coach in Brad Davis who played at Oklahoma and is used to smash-mouth football, and I think he's back in his element."
Eastern Washington's Beau Baldwin, on Bo Levi Mitchell replacing Matt Nichol at quarterback: "It's obviously tough for anybody to come in and be compared to a four-year starter and two-time MVP who did all the things Matt did."
Montana's Robin Pflugrad, on transparency in his program: "I don't think there's a whole bunch of secrets out there. There's this thing called the internet, and everything you do is out there." On Montana's tradition: "We have great tradition, but that doesn't carry the ball across the end zone."
Weber State coach Ron McBride, on an FCS team moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision: "I don't think it's tough at all. It's just a matter of finances, and quality of all programs, and the football program is going to carry the torch."
Northern Colorado coach Scott Downing, on his team's offense: "I'm optimistic about our offense as a whole because of changes in our scheme and some of the things we worked on during spring ball."
NAU coach Jerome Souers, on the league's parity: "The Big Sky Conference has historically been a conference of parity. On any given day any team can get somebody."
Sacramento State's Marshall Sperbeck, on his team's move into the upper echelon of the league: "This is going into my fourth year as head coach, and you have to start making that kind of jump and progress... There are a lot of factors that you can't control, things that are out of your hands. But like I said, we're optimistic."
Portland State coach Nigel Burton, on the transition to a more conventional offense than the run-and-shoot: "I've got an O-line coach in Brad Davis who played at Oklahoma and is used to smash-mouth football, and I think he's back in his element."
Eastern Washington's Beau Baldwin, on Bo Levi Mitchell replacing Matt Nichol at quarterback: "It's obviously tough for anybody to come in and be compared to a four-year starter and two-time MVP who did all the things Matt did."
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
News & Notes In A Post-Rosenblatt World
Alright, Rosenblatt Stadium is around for a while longer, but it is no longer the home of the College World Series, and life in this corner of the blogosphere is less for it. A couple of notes as summer's first death knell (Independence Day) looms...
* Running backs coach Milo Austin has left Montana State to assume a football operations position at the University of Cincinnati. The move came just four short months after Austin joined the Bobcat staff. MSU coach Rob Ash's accelerated search for a replacement is underway.
* The last week has been a good one for catching up with former Bobcat basketball standouts. University of Iowa law student Ted Morris, an MSU center from 2005-07, blocked 38 shots and grabbed 294 rebounds as a Bobcat. He enters his second year at the UI Law School this fall, and said he's glad the "paper chase" first year is behind him. But, he added with his trademark laugh, "If I can survive (Bobcat coach Brad Huse), I can survive law professors."
Next it was Dewey Michaels' turn to parade through the Fieldhouse. Big Dewey blocked a school-record 149 shots in the Blue and Gold.
Finally, The Bobcat Blog ran into hometown hero Danny Faaborg, he of the flowing, golden locks, was on his way to the library to study, on "break" from medical school in the WAMI program, which has led him to Seattle and Boise in the last two years.
It's great to see guys like that, it's great when former players come back for visits, and it's a great reminder of the quality of people the Bobcat Basketball program turns out. They were all fine, skilled players, but far better people, and they have our continued affection and admiration.
* Finally, on a personal note, if you're in Bozeman over the Fourth of July Weekend and want to see some good baseball and help a good cause, come out to the Legion Field, where the Class A Spikes host the Howard Rein Invitational. Howard was a local high school teacher who volunteered on the Bobcat football stat crew for many, many years untily dying of ALS ("Lou Gehrig's Disease") way too soon. Proceeds from the weekend tournament go to our regional ALS chapter.
--Bill Lamberty
* Running backs coach Milo Austin has left Montana State to assume a football operations position at the University of Cincinnati. The move came just four short months after Austin joined the Bobcat staff. MSU coach Rob Ash's accelerated search for a replacement is underway.
* The last week has been a good one for catching up with former Bobcat basketball standouts. University of Iowa law student Ted Morris, an MSU center from 2005-07, blocked 38 shots and grabbed 294 rebounds as a Bobcat. He enters his second year at the UI Law School this fall, and said he's glad the "paper chase" first year is behind him. But, he added with his trademark laugh, "If I can survive (Bobcat coach Brad Huse), I can survive law professors."
Next it was Dewey Michaels' turn to parade through the Fieldhouse. Big Dewey blocked a school-record 149 shots in the Blue and Gold.
Finally, The Bobcat Blog ran into hometown hero Danny Faaborg, he of the flowing, golden locks, was on his way to the library to study, on "break" from medical school in the WAMI program, which has led him to Seattle and Boise in the last two years.
It's great to see guys like that, it's great when former players come back for visits, and it's a great reminder of the quality of people the Bobcat Basketball program turns out. They were all fine, skilled players, but far better people, and they have our continued affection and admiration.
* Finally, on a personal note, if you're in Bozeman over the Fourth of July Weekend and want to see some good baseball and help a good cause, come out to the Legion Field, where the Class A Spikes host the Howard Rein Invitational. Howard was a local high school teacher who volunteered on the Bobcat football stat crew for many, many years untily dying of ALS ("Lou Gehrig's Disease") way too soon. Proceeds from the weekend tournament go to our regional ALS chapter.
--Bill Lamberty
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The Paper Chase - May 27, 2010
Today's Paper Chase will be abridged, and we'll then convene after Memorial Day. But two main topics continue to play out in this space.
First, congratulations to Bobcat offensive lineman Mike Person, who found a new home by successfully transitioning to left tackle this spring. He lands in Craig Haley's top 10 FCS offensive linemen lsit, and deservedly so. The Bobcats may be a little thin up front for Rob Ash's taste in terms of numbers, but the group is unquestionably talented, and Person is its leader.
National college football writer Tony Barnhart asks the most pointed and telling question of the entire conference realignment debate: who ever said the BCS was designed to be fair? The interesting nugget contained therein is that if things proceed as they are for the next couple of seasons, the Mountain West is expected to land a spot within the BCS structure in 2012. Meanwhile, Will C. Holden of the Chronicle wonders aloud why the Big Sky can't poach a small handful of schools from other leagues and form a 14-team superconference. When you stand back and admire the scheme, it's a thing of beauty. When you look more closely at the details, it becomes messy.
But that discussion, apparently, is for tomorrow. Today's topic, as usual with Will, is provocative outside-the-box thinking.
One person familiar with such talk is Bobcat football coach Rob Ash. He was not only intricately involved in the formation of the Pioneer League while serving in the same capacity at Drake, but he came up with the name for that conference. Ash said that while coaches are all keenly aware of the rumblings, they -- at least the ones he met with at the recent AFCA meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz. -- played things "pretty close to the vest."
First, congratulations to Bobcat offensive lineman Mike Person, who found a new home by successfully transitioning to left tackle this spring. He lands in Craig Haley's top 10 FCS offensive linemen lsit, and deservedly so. The Bobcats may be a little thin up front for Rob Ash's taste in terms of numbers, but the group is unquestionably talented, and Person is its leader.
National college football writer Tony Barnhart asks the most pointed and telling question of the entire conference realignment debate: who ever said the BCS was designed to be fair? The interesting nugget contained therein is that if things proceed as they are for the next couple of seasons, the Mountain West is expected to land a spot within the BCS structure in 2012. Meanwhile, Will C. Holden of the Chronicle wonders aloud why the Big Sky can't poach a small handful of schools from other leagues and form a 14-team superconference. When you stand back and admire the scheme, it's a thing of beauty. When you look more closely at the details, it becomes messy.
But that discussion, apparently, is for tomorrow. Today's topic, as usual with Will, is provocative outside-the-box thinking.
One person familiar with such talk is Bobcat football coach Rob Ash. He was not only intricately involved in the formation of the Pioneer League while serving in the same capacity at Drake, but he came up with the name for that conference. Ash said that while coaches are all keenly aware of the rumblings, they -- at least the ones he met with at the recent AFCA meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz. -- played things "pretty close to the vest."
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The Paper Chase - May 25, 2010
Craig Haley is back with more news and notes from around the FCS world today, featuring a look at Southern Illinois’ new stadium and some tidbits from the world of FCS scheduling. No look at Big Sky non-conference football scheduling excludes UC Davis, as Craig points out.
Alright, here's you CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT WARNING! If you're sick of reading this stuff, scroll past the next paragraph NOW!
Let's start with some interesting things by way of the Idaho Statesman in Boise, where BSU's President is making noise about "revenue discrimination" in the BCS. The points are interesting and, to my way of thinking, valid, particularly when he challenges BCS Commissioner Bill Hancock's assertion that "every game counts" by wondering how he can claim Boise State's games count while the Broncos are going undefeated while being frozen out of the championship picture. Yet, as the bowl system was never constructed for a purpose other than to attract tourists and attention to a small cabal of warm weather communities, the BCS was built primarily to generate revenue. In an extension of this argument, Andy Staples of SI.com presents the case that non-BCS teams actually enhance the system's television ratings and fan interest.
Bill Speltz of the Missoulian gets inside the head of UM Athletic Director Jim O'Day, who has been out front of the process. That process might include Boise State moving to the Mountain West, which could affect the Big Sky Conference, but WAC Commissioner Karl Benson's possible targets might surprise you. I would not have landed on Cal Poly, UC Davis, and Portland State as possibilities. The Las Vegas Sun gives us more regional insight from a Mountain West perspective. If you're thinking big picture, John Rohde of the Daily Oklahoman envisions a new conference landscape. The Omaha World Herald's Tom Shatel brings a different look at college football's potential conference shuffle nearly every day. He points out that Big 10-watching is addictive, but involves a lot of down time. He points out several awkward possibilities for the Big 10, which may have to choose between Michigan and Ohio State playing annually to advance to the Big 10 title game each year, or playing their annual rivalry game and one week later meeting for in the conference championship game. He also takes a look at how the expansion possibilities are playing out at Ground Zero, otherwise known as downtown Omaha. Teddy Greeinstein of the Chicago Tribune looks at the nuts and bolts of Big 10 expansion.
Idaho State color man Brad Bugger has a couple of interesting notes up on ISU's Bengal Blog, including a look at the Bengals' season opener against UM-Western and the idea that the school's men's basketball squad is likely to take its act on the road this summer.
Dave Reardon's look at the University of Hawaii's quest to replace receivers coach Ron Lee includes a couple of names familiar to Bobcat fans - Mouse Davis, recently the OC at Portland State, and Nick Rolovich, brother of former Bobcat signal caller Jack Rolovich.
Newly-minted Colorado head basketball coach Tad Boyle, formerly the head man at Northern Colorado, returned to his old stomping grounds in Greeley last week to a warm welcome. Interest in Buffs Basketball? Go figure.
Eastern Washington will play on red artificial turf this fall, and it will also play in a newly-renamed stadium. Welcome to Roos Field, nothing at all like Woodward Stadium.
As was pointed out last week by Bob Robinson, the supreme ruler of all basketball bloggers in and around the Northwest, Craig Kilborn is returning to TV. The former Bobcat shooting guard, who never really led the Big Sky in turnovers but who has gotten a lot of mileage out of saying he did, gets his own show on Fox next month. Kilborn was brilliant on SportsCenter and even better on the Daily Show, and we're looking forward to his debut!
-Bill Lamberty
Alright, here's you CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT WARNING! If you're sick of reading this stuff, scroll past the next paragraph NOW!
Let's start with some interesting things by way of the Idaho Statesman in Boise, where BSU's President is making noise about "revenue discrimination" in the BCS. The points are interesting and, to my way of thinking, valid, particularly when he challenges BCS Commissioner Bill Hancock's assertion that "every game counts" by wondering how he can claim Boise State's games count while the Broncos are going undefeated while being frozen out of the championship picture. Yet, as the bowl system was never constructed for a purpose other than to attract tourists and attention to a small cabal of warm weather communities, the BCS was built primarily to generate revenue. In an extension of this argument, Andy Staples of SI.com presents the case that non-BCS teams actually enhance the system's television ratings and fan interest.
Bill Speltz of the Missoulian gets inside the head of UM Athletic Director Jim O'Day, who has been out front of the process. That process might include Boise State moving to the Mountain West, which could affect the Big Sky Conference, but WAC Commissioner Karl Benson's possible targets might surprise you. I would not have landed on Cal Poly, UC Davis, and Portland State as possibilities. The Las Vegas Sun gives us more regional insight from a Mountain West perspective. If you're thinking big picture, John Rohde of the Daily Oklahoman envisions a new conference landscape. The Omaha World Herald's Tom Shatel brings a different look at college football's potential conference shuffle nearly every day. He points out that Big 10-watching is addictive, but involves a lot of down time. He points out several awkward possibilities for the Big 10, which may have to choose between Michigan and Ohio State playing annually to advance to the Big 10 title game each year, or playing their annual rivalry game and one week later meeting for in the conference championship game. He also takes a look at how the expansion possibilities are playing out at Ground Zero, otherwise known as downtown Omaha. Teddy Greeinstein of the Chicago Tribune looks at the nuts and bolts of Big 10 expansion.
Idaho State color man Brad Bugger has a couple of interesting notes up on ISU's Bengal Blog, including a look at the Bengals' season opener against UM-Western and the idea that the school's men's basketball squad is likely to take its act on the road this summer.
Dave Reardon's look at the University of Hawaii's quest to replace receivers coach Ron Lee includes a couple of names familiar to Bobcat fans - Mouse Davis, recently the OC at Portland State, and Nick Rolovich, brother of former Bobcat signal caller Jack Rolovich.
Newly-minted Colorado head basketball coach Tad Boyle, formerly the head man at Northern Colorado, returned to his old stomping grounds in Greeley last week to a warm welcome. Interest in Buffs Basketball? Go figure.
Eastern Washington will play on red artificial turf this fall, and it will also play in a newly-renamed stadium. Welcome to Roos Field, nothing at all like Woodward Stadium.
As was pointed out last week by Bob Robinson, the supreme ruler of all basketball bloggers in and around the Northwest, Craig Kilborn is returning to TV. The former Bobcat shooting guard, who never really led the Big Sky in turnovers but who has gotten a lot of mileage out of saying he did, gets his own show on Fox next month. Kilborn was brilliant on SportsCenter and even better on the Daily Show, and we're looking forward to his debut!
-Bill Lamberty
Ogden Lands on The Sports Network's D-Line List
If you play in the middle of the defensive line, you’re probably not going to get a lot of wholesale love. Some stats occasionally, praise from coaches in the privacy of the film room, and knowing glances from teammates who appreciate a job well done. But widespread adulation? That’s reserved for defensive ends who pile up sacks, and linebackers with gaudy tackle totals.
It was the defensive line’s turn in Craig Haley’s microscope last week, and an extremely productive and deserving Bobcat took a turn in the limelight. Haley identified MSU defensive tackle Dan Ogden as one of the top 10 defensive linemen. That’s not top 10 interior linemen, but top 10 linemen of any ilk.
Haley’s look at Ogden:
Dan Ogden, Montana State, Senior - Bobcats defensive line coach Bo Beck says Ogden can read blocks as fast as any player he has been around. The 6-foot, 261-pound All-Big Sky first-team selection does this with a quick first step, instincts and intelligence. By combining those skills, the defensive tackle makes opposing linemen miss with their block attempts. Last season, he totaled 44 tackles, including 5.5 sacks, while pursuing ball carriers all over the field.
Astutely, Haley gave the nod to six pure defensive tackles and another couple who can play inside or out. Renard Williams of Eastern Washington and Sacramento State’s Christian Clark join Ogden.
It was the defensive line’s turn in Craig Haley’s microscope last week, and an extremely productive and deserving Bobcat took a turn in the limelight. Haley identified MSU defensive tackle Dan Ogden as one of the top 10 defensive linemen. That’s not top 10 interior linemen, but top 10 linemen of any ilk.
Haley’s look at Ogden:
Dan Ogden, Montana State, Senior - Bobcats defensive line coach Bo Beck says Ogden can read blocks as fast as any player he has been around. The 6-foot, 261-pound All-Big Sky first-team selection does this with a quick first step, instincts and intelligence. By combining those skills, the defensive tackle makes opposing linemen miss with their block attempts. Last season, he totaled 44 tackles, including 5.5 sacks, while pursuing ball carriers all over the field.
Astutely, Haley gave the nod to six pure defensive tackles and another couple who can play inside or out. Renard Williams of Eastern Washington and Sacramento State’s Christian Clark join Ogden.
Former Bobcat OC Still Blazing Offensive Trails
Tucked neatly into The Sporting News Daily’s list of college football’s top 10 offensive coordinators last week was a name familiar to Bobcat fans, Jim McElwain. By now, everyone knows that Jimmy Mac has found his way to fame as Nick Saban’s play-caller at Alabama, and by his next trip home to the Treasure State will likely be sporting a national championship ring.
After parting ways with MSU upon Cliff Hysell’s retirement after the 1999 season, and after some time pulling double shifts with the coffee klatches at Kagy Korner, McElwain landed with John L. Smith at Louisville. It was not an accident. To his ever-lasting credit, Hysell worked diligently to help each of his assistants find work in the business. McElwain followed the former Idaho coach, with whom Hysell’s Bobcats waged some legendary battles, to Michigan State. From there the Missoula native spent a year in Al Davis’ Oakland Raiders circus, migrated back into college football for a season at Fresno State, and was then lured to one of the game’s holy places, Tuscaloosa.
For the great things McElwain has accomplished since leaving MSU, it’s worth a look back at his time in Blue and Gold.
When McElwain arrived from Eastern Washington as Cliff Hysell’s offensive coordinator in the summer of 1995, the Bobcats were fresh off a season in which the MSU offense was last (8th) in the league in scoring, passing* yards, and total yards. The program had long since identified itself as a team that would get done whatever it got done on the ground first, but was only 5th in the Big Sky in that category.
*In fairness, it should be pointed out that MSU threw for 217.3 yards a game in the pass-happy Big Sky that season, good for last in the league but 32nd nationally. Yes, that’s when the Big Sky was the Big Sky.
The offensive numbers hadn’t been that bleak throughout the Hysell era, but it was close. In the 7-4 1993 season, MSU finished 6th in scoring offense and 7th in total offense in the Big Sky. And with little time to restructure the offense and no influence as to the players he recruited, McElwain’s first Bobcat offense struggled in similar fashion. In a campaign that featured significant in-season quarterback shuffling, the Bobcats finished 8th in the league in passing yards, total yards, and scoring.
You can see where this is going, of course, as easily as those paying attention 15 years ago could see which direction the MSU offense was headed. In spite of remaining at the bottom of the league rankings in most offensive categories, MSU threw for nearly 300 yards more scored 54 more points in 1996 than the year before, and with the quarterback position coalescing around Rob Compson and two springs in McElwain’s system MSU’s offense took off in 1997. The team threw for 2,430 yards, 8th-most in school history to that point and 6th-best in the Big Sky. MSU scored 227 points, slightly down from the season before but also 6th in the league.
The 1998 season brought more improvement, and proved to be the team’s offensive peak for the years between Dave Arnold’s aerial high-wire act of the 1980s and the Travis Lulay-era teams of the early 2000s. MSU threw for 2,639 yards that year, the 4th-highest total in school history to that point and the most by a Bobcat team not led by Kelly Bradley. Rob Compson was terrific, and the passing explosion led the Bobcats to 348, the most in the Big Sky and still the 3rd-best mark in school history. The Bobcats averaged 31.6 points a game, and for the only time in the last 30 yards led the Big Sky in scoring.
Read that again. Montana State led the Big Sky in scoring in 1998 for the first time in 20 years, and hasn’t done so since. That was an amazing accomplishment then, and stands as an even more amazing accomplishment now. In three full years, McElwain built the Big Sky’s most productive offense.
Of course, a lot of things went wrong in 1999, but after some wistful moments McElwain’s offensive brilliance burned through at each of his stops. More importantly, all who have had the pleasure of knowing and working with him recall and appreciate the humility and humor.
After parting ways with MSU upon Cliff Hysell’s retirement after the 1999 season, and after some time pulling double shifts with the coffee klatches at Kagy Korner, McElwain landed with John L. Smith at Louisville. It was not an accident. To his ever-lasting credit, Hysell worked diligently to help each of his assistants find work in the business. McElwain followed the former Idaho coach, with whom Hysell’s Bobcats waged some legendary battles, to Michigan State. From there the Missoula native spent a year in Al Davis’ Oakland Raiders circus, migrated back into college football for a season at Fresno State, and was then lured to one of the game’s holy places, Tuscaloosa.
For the great things McElwain has accomplished since leaving MSU, it’s worth a look back at his time in Blue and Gold.
When McElwain arrived from Eastern Washington as Cliff Hysell’s offensive coordinator in the summer of 1995, the Bobcats were fresh off a season in which the MSU offense was last (8th) in the league in scoring, passing* yards, and total yards. The program had long since identified itself as a team that would get done whatever it got done on the ground first, but was only 5th in the Big Sky in that category.
*In fairness, it should be pointed out that MSU threw for 217.3 yards a game in the pass-happy Big Sky that season, good for last in the league but 32nd nationally. Yes, that’s when the Big Sky was the Big Sky.
The offensive numbers hadn’t been that bleak throughout the Hysell era, but it was close. In the 7-4 1993 season, MSU finished 6th in scoring offense and 7th in total offense in the Big Sky. And with little time to restructure the offense and no influence as to the players he recruited, McElwain’s first Bobcat offense struggled in similar fashion. In a campaign that featured significant in-season quarterback shuffling, the Bobcats finished 8th in the league in passing yards, total yards, and scoring.
You can see where this is going, of course, as easily as those paying attention 15 years ago could see which direction the MSU offense was headed. In spite of remaining at the bottom of the league rankings in most offensive categories, MSU threw for nearly 300 yards more scored 54 more points in 1996 than the year before, and with the quarterback position coalescing around Rob Compson and two springs in McElwain’s system MSU’s offense took off in 1997. The team threw for 2,430 yards, 8th-most in school history to that point and 6th-best in the Big Sky. MSU scored 227 points, slightly down from the season before but also 6th in the league.
The 1998 season brought more improvement, and proved to be the team’s offensive peak for the years between Dave Arnold’s aerial high-wire act of the 1980s and the Travis Lulay-era teams of the early 2000s. MSU threw for 2,639 yards that year, the 4th-highest total in school history to that point and the most by a Bobcat team not led by Kelly Bradley. Rob Compson was terrific, and the passing explosion led the Bobcats to 348, the most in the Big Sky and still the 3rd-best mark in school history. The Bobcats averaged 31.6 points a game, and for the only time in the last 30 yards led the Big Sky in scoring.
Read that again. Montana State led the Big Sky in scoring in 1998 for the first time in 20 years, and hasn’t done so since. That was an amazing accomplishment then, and stands as an even more amazing accomplishment now. In three full years, McElwain built the Big Sky’s most productive offense.
Of course, a lot of things went wrong in 1999, but after some wistful moments McElwain’s offensive brilliance burned through at each of his stops. More importantly, all who have had the pleasure of knowing and working with him recall and appreciate the humility and humor.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Paper Chase - May 19, 2010
The suddenly-springlike weather has conspired with an abundance of baseball and softball games to curtail both my time and focus lately, but here's a mid-week look at what's going on around the Big Sky Conference...
Because I just can’t get enough of the conference realignment talk, here is a look at what the whole thing may or may not mean in our region. One innocuous quote from a West Coast president and it’s, Look out, Mountain West, here come the Broncos! And just when everyone seems to think they have a handle on things, Big 10 commissioner Jim Delany throws everyone for a loop by implying (or maybe by not implying) that his league looks south rather than on an east-west axis. My favorite columnist in Nebraska is intrigued by the intrigue.
Northern Arizona’s men’s basketball program just might have put a ribbon on the Big Sky Conference’s recruiting for 2010 with a pair of players that seem solid, even if pronouncing their names may be something of a challenge for the league’s radio and public address announcers.
If you’re looking for a wrap from this year’s Big Sky Conference spring meetings, Will Holden of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle gives a solid overview, as we’ve come to expect, and Bill Speltz of the Missoulian writes that Lady Griz basketball coach Robin Selvig will be only slightly mollified with the lifting of part of last year’s travel party restrictions.
For a little sporting whimsy on this hump day, take a look at the list of sports' best team nicknames in today’s Ogden Standard-Examiner. You won’t find Golden Bobcats on the list, but if you’re from the Chicago area there’s more than enough to keep you interested.
Craig Haley from the Sports Network takes a peak at a pair of recently-graduated FCS standouts. Craig will be ranking the top defensive linemen the FCS next week, and a certain returning All-Big Sky choice from Kalispell who anchors the Bobcat stop unit may sneak in there.
Finally, for those of you who are closet Nebraska high school basketball fans, like me, congratulations to Fremont High Coach Mark "Buck" Williams (FHS Class of '85), who earned the state's Class A Metro Co-Coach of the Year honors for reviving the school's flagging boys basketball program. All hail the Fremont Tigers!
Because I just can’t get enough of the conference realignment talk, here is a look at what the whole thing may or may not mean in our region. One innocuous quote from a West Coast president and it’s, Look out, Mountain West, here come the Broncos! And just when everyone seems to think they have a handle on things, Big 10 commissioner Jim Delany throws everyone for a loop by implying (or maybe by not implying) that his league looks south rather than on an east-west axis. My favorite columnist in Nebraska is intrigued by the intrigue.
Northern Arizona’s men’s basketball program just might have put a ribbon on the Big Sky Conference’s recruiting for 2010 with a pair of players that seem solid, even if pronouncing their names may be something of a challenge for the league’s radio and public address announcers.
If you’re looking for a wrap from this year’s Big Sky Conference spring meetings, Will Holden of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle gives a solid overview, as we’ve come to expect, and Bill Speltz of the Missoulian writes that Lady Griz basketball coach Robin Selvig will be only slightly mollified with the lifting of part of last year’s travel party restrictions.
For a little sporting whimsy on this hump day, take a look at the list of sports' best team nicknames in today’s Ogden Standard-Examiner. You won’t find Golden Bobcats on the list, but if you’re from the Chicago area there’s more than enough to keep you interested.
Craig Haley from the Sports Network takes a peak at a pair of recently-graduated FCS standouts. Craig will be ranking the top defensive linemen the FCS next week, and a certain returning All-Big Sky choice from Kalispell who anchors the Bobcat stop unit may sneak in there.
Finally, for those of you who are closet Nebraska high school basketball fans, like me, congratulations to Fremont High Coach Mark "Buck" Williams (FHS Class of '85), who earned the state's Class A Metro Co-Coach of the Year honors for reviving the school's flagging boys basketball program. All hail the Fremont Tigers!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Paper Chase - May 12, 2010
Congratulations go out today to Denise Albrecht and her Bobcat women’s tennis squad, which earned public kudos Wednesday for performance in Academic Progress Rate (APR), as measured by the NCAA. Coach Albrecht is a terrific coach and a unique character, and she is building a successful program that embodies the positives of Bobcat Athletics.
The Sports Network’s top 10 rankings of each FCS position moves to the defense today, where Eastern Washington’s J.C. Sherritt stands atop an impressive list of linebackers. The 2009 Buchanan Award runner-up is the only 2010 Bobcat opponent on the list, although one would have to think that MSU’s Clay Bignell, Idaho State’s A.J. Storms and Taylor Sedillo of Weber State merited discussion.
If you’re tired of hearing and reading about conference realignment in college athletics, skip right to the next paragraph. The topic fascinates me endlessly, and it occurred to me sometime recently that the schools that are really in tough shape if the dominoes start to fall like some think they will are current BCS entries such as Iowa State and the Kansas schools, which aren’t really being mentioned in the realignment rumblings. Right on cue, the Kansas City Star takes a look at where Kansas and Kansas State presently stand. Collegesportsinfo.com provides a look at realignment possibilities across the land, including at the FCS level.
If you’re looking for previews of this weekend’s Big Sky Conference track and field championships in Ogden, here are a couple from perennial powers Weber State and Northern Arizona, as well as a look at Montana State’s newly-minted qualifiers.
--Bill Lamberty
The Sports Network’s top 10 rankings of each FCS position moves to the defense today, where Eastern Washington’s J.C. Sherritt stands atop an impressive list of linebackers. The 2009 Buchanan Award runner-up is the only 2010 Bobcat opponent on the list, although one would have to think that MSU’s Clay Bignell, Idaho State’s A.J. Storms and Taylor Sedillo of Weber State merited discussion.
If you’re tired of hearing and reading about conference realignment in college athletics, skip right to the next paragraph. The topic fascinates me endlessly, and it occurred to me sometime recently that the schools that are really in tough shape if the dominoes start to fall like some think they will are current BCS entries such as Iowa State and the Kansas schools, which aren’t really being mentioned in the realignment rumblings. Right on cue, the Kansas City Star takes a look at where Kansas and Kansas State presently stand. Collegesportsinfo.com provides a look at realignment possibilities across the land, including at the FCS level.
If you’re looking for previews of this weekend’s Big Sky Conference track and field championships in Ogden, here are a couple from perennial powers Weber State and Northern Arizona, as well as a look at Montana State’s newly-minted qualifiers.
--Bill Lamberty
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Paper Chase - May 11, 2010
Craig Haley of The Sports Network is back at it, slipping his ranking of FCS quarterbacks past me last week. It’s a pretty impressive list, headed by Stephen F. Austin’s Jeremy Moses and featuring NAU’s Michael Herrick and Cameron Higgins of Weber State. Craig didn’t pick an honorable mention, but I have to think Montana’s Justin Roper and Andrew Selle and Drew Hubel of Portland State each received strong consideration. I’m also a hopeless homer, but I fully expect Cody Kempt to be on or near this list at season’s end.
Dan Angell continues his look at Big Sky men’s basketball recruiting classes with two-time defending league regular season champion Weber State.
Portland State wrapped up Nigel Burton’s first spring on the Park Blocks with its Green-White game on Saturday.
Will Holden is already wondering about MSU’s quarterback situation.
Tom Shatel is one of the best local sports columnists in America, and has been offering wit and wisdom at the Omaha World-Herald for many years. Tom writes that while the “non-denial denials” by Nebraska and the others linked to the Big 10 yesterday by Kansas City radio station WHB remain plausible, it’s also likely that some contact has occurred which could lead to more formal proceedings.
Whenever an athlete is severely injures or dies while participating in his or her chosen sport, it hits close to home. The Missoulian provides a touching look at the life of former Missoula Sentinel standout Dylan Steigers, who was killed during spring football drills at Eastern Oregon last weekend. Thoughts and prayers go to his family and friends.
Sacramento State landed more front-line help in junior college forward Zach Nelson.
Dan Angell continues his look at Big Sky men’s basketball recruiting classes with two-time defending league regular season champion Weber State.
Portland State wrapped up Nigel Burton’s first spring on the Park Blocks with its Green-White game on Saturday.
Will Holden is already wondering about MSU’s quarterback situation.
Tom Shatel is one of the best local sports columnists in America, and has been offering wit and wisdom at the Omaha World-Herald for many years. Tom writes that while the “non-denial denials” by Nebraska and the others linked to the Big 10 yesterday by Kansas City radio station WHB remain plausible, it’s also likely that some contact has occurred which could lead to more formal proceedings.
Whenever an athlete is severely injures or dies while participating in his or her chosen sport, it hits close to home. The Missoulian provides a touching look at the life of former Missoula Sentinel standout Dylan Steigers, who was killed during spring football drills at Eastern Oregon last weekend. Thoughts and prayers go to his family and friends.
Sacramento State landed more front-line help in junior college forward Zach Nelson.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Bobcat Linebacker Corps Takes Hit - May 7, 2010
A trio of Bobcat linebackers have left the MSU football program, Rob Ash said on Friday. Jared Rohrback from Great Falls, Jimmy Ekumah from Arlington, Tex., and Brad Daly from Helena have each informed Ash they won't be returning to the program. Ekumah suffered a severe injury last summer and has been shelved since. Rohrback's initial plan appears to be to remain at MSU but not play football, while Daly is expected to leave school.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The Paper Chase - May 6, 2010
If you’re in or around Bozeman today you’re probably in the mood for some football and basketball talk, since the spring blizzard that’s blanketing the Gallatin Valley has already left a few inches behind and there’s no real end in sight. On the gridiron, The Sports Network’s new FCS Editor Craig Haley is proving to be as good at providing FCS news as he is prolific. Today, he has a look at the subdivision’s newly-expanded playoff format and several other topics. Really great stuff. Also, for a more universal look at the future of the FCS, check out The National Football Foundation’s look at impending additions to our level of college football.
With the last stop on his self-described ‘Magical Mystery Tour’, Will C. Holden has more good stuff on spring football drills around the Big Sky Conference on the Bozeman Chronicle’s web site, specifically NAU’s quarterback situation. Will takes a statistical look at the production of Big Sky quarterbacks relative to what surrounds them and to their first breakout season. With a tip of the hat to Jason McEndoo, my suggestion when analyzing offensive production is to start up front.
Northern Arizona’s sensational wing Cameron Jones may have passed on the chance to enhance his personal finances by withdrawing from the NBA Draft on Wednesday, but he emphatically enhanced the Lumberjacks’ chances in the 2011 Big Sky Conference race.
Idaho State men’s basketball coach Joe O’Brien inked another international big – really big – man on Wednesday. Kamil Gawrzydek, at 6-11, 260 lbs, comes to ISU from Poland via North Platte (Nebr.) CC. He joins 7-0, 240 lb Lithuanian Deividas Busma to form the Big Sky’s most imposing post duo. Gawrzydek is Idaho State’s eighth and final signee, leaving the Bengals and Bobcats in a flat-footed tie for most 2010-11 newcomers. Whether Gawrzydek finds a family restaurant as sensational as North Platte’s Merrick’s Ranch House in Pocatello is an open question.
The Portland State’s men’s program added its second junior college guard in a week, while the Vikings women have also retooled the backcourt.
Finally, it was a sad day when legendary sportscaster Ernie Harwell passed on this week. It has been said that he, perhaps, said thank you more than any other American in the past 60 years or so, but I’d like to thank him. Mr. Harwell brought tremendous grace and dignity to my favorite game, and to professional sports and sports in general, pursuits which often need that touch.
Have you ever wondered how it would sound had Harwell called college football? Wonder no longer. And if you’re interested in treating yourself to a Harwell tribute delivered by a fellow legend, check out Vin Scully’s opus during the first inning of a Dodgers' game on May 4.
--Bill Lamberty
With the last stop on his self-described ‘Magical Mystery Tour’, Will C. Holden has more good stuff on spring football drills around the Big Sky Conference on the Bozeman Chronicle’s web site, specifically NAU’s quarterback situation. Will takes a statistical look at the production of Big Sky quarterbacks relative to what surrounds them and to their first breakout season. With a tip of the hat to Jason McEndoo, my suggestion when analyzing offensive production is to start up front.
Northern Arizona’s sensational wing Cameron Jones may have passed on the chance to enhance his personal finances by withdrawing from the NBA Draft on Wednesday, but he emphatically enhanced the Lumberjacks’ chances in the 2011 Big Sky Conference race.
Idaho State men’s basketball coach Joe O’Brien inked another international big – really big – man on Wednesday. Kamil Gawrzydek, at 6-11, 260 lbs, comes to ISU from Poland via North Platte (Nebr.) CC. He joins 7-0, 240 lb Lithuanian Deividas Busma to form the Big Sky’s most imposing post duo. Gawrzydek is Idaho State’s eighth and final signee, leaving the Bengals and Bobcats in a flat-footed tie for most 2010-11 newcomers. Whether Gawrzydek finds a family restaurant as sensational as North Platte’s Merrick’s Ranch House in Pocatello is an open question.
The Portland State’s men’s program added its second junior college guard in a week, while the Vikings women have also retooled the backcourt.
Finally, it was a sad day when legendary sportscaster Ernie Harwell passed on this week. It has been said that he, perhaps, said thank you more than any other American in the past 60 years or so, but I’d like to thank him. Mr. Harwell brought tremendous grace and dignity to my favorite game, and to professional sports and sports in general, pursuits which often need that touch.
Have you ever wondered how it would sound had Harwell called college football? Wonder no longer. And if you’re interested in treating yourself to a Harwell tribute delivered by a fellow legend, check out Vin Scully’s opus during the first inning of a Dodgers' game on May 4.
--Bill Lamberty
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tall Tales - A Former (Really Tall) Bobcat Making Good
Every spring when finals week rolls around my mind drifts back in time to friends that passed our way and moved on, sometimes student-athletes and sometimes other friends and acquintances. By a stroke of fortuitous timing, and courtesy die-hard Bobcat and long-time friend Bob Robinson (the famed Msla Cat), a link appeared in my inbox today detailing the life of former MSU men's basketball center and current University of Iowa law student Ted Morris.
Ted transferred to MSU from Indiana State in 2004, and grabbed 294 rebounds in his two seasons at MSU. Ted led the Bobcats with 7.1 boards a game as a senior.
Ted was a bit of a hard-luck case. Things didn't work out in his first college spot, and just as he was getting his feet underneath him at MSU he suffered an eye injury that shelved him for for most of what would have been a very productive mandatory redshirt season. Yet he perservered, and through it all was carried by a relentlessness that showed through in his academic work and the weight room, and once he was healthy on the basketball floor.
Most people will think of the goofy-looking goggles when they remember Ted. I'll remember an almost-seven-footer running hard on every wind sprint, finishing every drill, committing himself to doing things the right way. All in all, Ted was a pretty impressive kid while he was here and apparently he's on his way.
Ted transferred to MSU from Indiana State in 2004, and grabbed 294 rebounds in his two seasons at MSU. Ted led the Bobcats with 7.1 boards a game as a senior.
Ted was a bit of a hard-luck case. Things didn't work out in his first college spot, and just as he was getting his feet underneath him at MSU he suffered an eye injury that shelved him for for most of what would have been a very productive mandatory redshirt season. Yet he perservered, and through it all was carried by a relentlessness that showed through in his academic work and the weight room, and once he was healthy on the basketball floor.
Most people will think of the goofy-looking goggles when they remember Ted. I'll remember an almost-seven-footer running hard on every wind sprint, finishing every drill, committing himself to doing things the right way. All in all, Ted was a pretty impressive kid while he was here and apparently he's on his way.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The Paper Chase - May 4, 2010
It may seem like a slow time of the sports calendar, but there's plenty going on in the Big Sky right now. Let's take a spin through the league...
Craig Haley is staying busy in his new post as FCS editor at The Sports Network. Today he takes a look at a small handful of 2010 breakout candidates, although stopping at the 98th meridian would not please famed historian Walter Prescott Webb. Haley also glances at some key FCS vs. FBS matchups next fall, again failing to venture west of the Great Plains.
Big Sky schools have their hands full against FBS opponents this fall. Games that might most interest Big Sky fans include Eastern Washington at Nevada, Sacramento State visiting Stanford, and, of course, the Bobcats’ trip to Washington State. A week-by-week look: Sept. 2-EWU at Nevada; Sept. 4-Sac State at Stanford, WSU at Boston College, and PSU at Arizona State; Sept. 11-MSU at Washington State, ISU at Utah State, NAU at Arizona State; Sept. 18-PSU at Oregon; Sept. 25-UNC at Michigan State; Nov. 6-ISU at Georgia; Nov. 20-WSU at Texas Tech.
Don’t rub your eyes, you read that right – Arizona State, under the guidance of former Bobcat Dennis Erickson, plays two Big Sky schools, Portland State and NAU, in back-to-back weeks. Three Big Sky schools play a pair of FBS games (PSU plays at ASU and Oregon, Idaho State plays at Utah State and Georgia, and Weber State plays at Boston College and Texas Tech).
And if you’re looking for the toughest start to a season in all of college football, start with Portland State. In his first three games as Vikings' head coach, Nigel Burton opens at Arizona State, travels to UC Davis, then visits Oregon. In his first three games.
If you haven’t already, take a look at Chris Syme’s outstanding look at Dustin Cichosz’s attempt to break a one-to-one Big Sky title tie with his father. This two-generation league championship father-son bond is incredible, and so is the family background.
If the name Travis Brown rings familiar to Bobcat football fans, it should. He was Northern Arizona’s record-setting quarterback in the late 1990s, and played for a small handful of NFL teams covering six seasons. He coached high school ball for a year and spent one season as color commentator for NAU’s football broadcasts, and has now resurfaced as a quarterback guru in the Phoenix area.
Idaho State Journal sportswriter Dan Angell is in the midst of analyzing the recruiting efforts of each Big Sky school. On Monday, he posted an extensive and information Q&A with Bobcat coach Brad Huse. Coach Huse, thoughtful and insightful as usual, explains that championship-level playing experience helps mitigate the infusion of youth on next year's Bobcat team.
Staying on the hardwood, Sacramento State and Idaho State each added pieces to the 2010-11 puzzle with junior college transfers. Interestingly, this year’s only two of the five Hornet signees in the current recruiting class hail from California. By contrast, 10 of Sac State’s 12 U.S.-born players 2009-10 players came from the Golden State.
If you’re yearning for more ISU football and basketball information, Bengals color commentator Brad Bugger blogs some of both.
Matt Schuman of the Greeley Tribune took a look recently at Northern Colorado’s new head men’s basketball coach B.J. Hill.
While plenty is happening on the hardwood, blogger extraordinaire Will Holden at the Bozeman Chronicle continues to look at spring football camps around the Big Sky. He may not know his way around a map, but he hast he league’s football scene covered like no one else.
Staying on the gridiron, Montana’s Class AA ranks will have a different look next fall after some head coaching changes. At Great Falls High, Gregg Dart moves from the field to the gym, taking over the Bison girls’ basketball program, but the Great Falls Tribune's fine prep writer Mike Towne says that on his way to climate-controlled coaching Dart wishes his successor well against the state’s “big three.”
Craig Haley is staying busy in his new post as FCS editor at The Sports Network. Today he takes a look at a small handful of 2010 breakout candidates, although stopping at the 98th meridian would not please famed historian Walter Prescott Webb. Haley also glances at some key FCS vs. FBS matchups next fall, again failing to venture west of the Great Plains.
Big Sky schools have their hands full against FBS opponents this fall. Games that might most interest Big Sky fans include Eastern Washington at Nevada, Sacramento State visiting Stanford, and, of course, the Bobcats’ trip to Washington State. A week-by-week look: Sept. 2-EWU at Nevada; Sept. 4-Sac State at Stanford, WSU at Boston College, and PSU at Arizona State; Sept. 11-MSU at Washington State, ISU at Utah State, NAU at Arizona State; Sept. 18-PSU at Oregon; Sept. 25-UNC at Michigan State; Nov. 6-ISU at Georgia; Nov. 20-WSU at Texas Tech.
Don’t rub your eyes, you read that right – Arizona State, under the guidance of former Bobcat Dennis Erickson, plays two Big Sky schools, Portland State and NAU, in back-to-back weeks. Three Big Sky schools play a pair of FBS games (PSU plays at ASU and Oregon, Idaho State plays at Utah State and Georgia, and Weber State plays at Boston College and Texas Tech).
And if you’re looking for the toughest start to a season in all of college football, start with Portland State. In his first three games as Vikings' head coach, Nigel Burton opens at Arizona State, travels to UC Davis, then visits Oregon. In his first three games.
If you haven’t already, take a look at Chris Syme’s outstanding look at Dustin Cichosz’s attempt to break a one-to-one Big Sky title tie with his father. This two-generation league championship father-son bond is incredible, and so is the family background.
If the name Travis Brown rings familiar to Bobcat football fans, it should. He was Northern Arizona’s record-setting quarterback in the late 1990s, and played for a small handful of NFL teams covering six seasons. He coached high school ball for a year and spent one season as color commentator for NAU’s football broadcasts, and has now resurfaced as a quarterback guru in the Phoenix area.
Idaho State Journal sportswriter Dan Angell is in the midst of analyzing the recruiting efforts of each Big Sky school. On Monday, he posted an extensive and information Q&A with Bobcat coach Brad Huse. Coach Huse, thoughtful and insightful as usual, explains that championship-level playing experience helps mitigate the infusion of youth on next year's Bobcat team.
Staying on the hardwood, Sacramento State and Idaho State each added pieces to the 2010-11 puzzle with junior college transfers. Interestingly, this year’s only two of the five Hornet signees in the current recruiting class hail from California. By contrast, 10 of Sac State’s 12 U.S.-born players 2009-10 players came from the Golden State.
If you’re yearning for more ISU football and basketball information, Bengals color commentator Brad Bugger blogs some of both.
Matt Schuman of the Greeley Tribune took a look recently at Northern Colorado’s new head men’s basketball coach B.J. Hill.
While plenty is happening on the hardwood, blogger extraordinaire Will Holden at the Bozeman Chronicle continues to look at spring football camps around the Big Sky. He may not know his way around a map, but he hast he league’s football scene covered like no one else.
Staying on the gridiron, Montana’s Class AA ranks will have a different look next fall after some head coaching changes. At Great Falls High, Gregg Dart moves from the field to the gym, taking over the Bison girls’ basketball program, but the Great Falls Tribune's fine prep writer Mike Towne says that on his way to climate-controlled coaching Dart wishes his successor well against the state’s “big three.”
Friday, April 30, 2010
Academic Leaders!
Congratulations to Bobcats who competed during the winter sports seasons. Montana State placed 46 student-athletes on Big Sky Conference Winter Sports All-Academic Teams, the highest total of any conference school. Way to go, Cats! (Details at msubobcats.com later this afternoon.)
The Paper Chase - April 30, 2010
One of the things I've really wanted to do in this space is offer links to happenings in and around the Big Sky Conference. I'll try to do this every couple days during the off-season, but when September arrives I'll make every effort to make this a daily feature.
The Sports Network announced this week that Craig Haley has joined the organization as its FCS Editor, which almost immediately makes his the preeminent voice on college football in the championship subdivision. He is a respected, veteran sports reporter from New Jersey, and I look forward to working with him. Craig’s first column touches on an interesting topic, the potential rise or resurgence of some FCS programs, beginning with Sacramento State.
Idaho State coach Joe O’Brien signed a big, rebounding freshman on Thursday.
Colt Idol, a Bobcat redshirt in 2009-10, was among the new men’s basketball recruits Carroll College announced Thursday. Colt is a nice kid who's knee injury in the summer of 2009 sidelined him for the past season, and Bobcat Athletics wishes him the best.
How does a pony do when attempting to fly like an Eagle? Bo Levi Mitchell will try to show us next fall upon officially earning Eastern Washington's starting quarterback job, according to the Spokesman-Review.
Sac State signed a big man who won’t see Big Sky hardwood for a couple years, but there is a more interesting topic unfolding in California’s university systems. UC Davis dropped four sports programs recently, which triggers debate on the heated topic of funding in college athletics.
The Sports Network announced this week that Craig Haley has joined the organization as its FCS Editor, which almost immediately makes his the preeminent voice on college football in the championship subdivision. He is a respected, veteran sports reporter from New Jersey, and I look forward to working with him. Craig’s first column touches on an interesting topic, the potential rise or resurgence of some FCS programs, beginning with Sacramento State.
Idaho State coach Joe O’Brien signed a big, rebounding freshman on Thursday.
Colt Idol, a Bobcat redshirt in 2009-10, was among the new men’s basketball recruits Carroll College announced Thursday. Colt is a nice kid who's knee injury in the summer of 2009 sidelined him for the past season, and Bobcat Athletics wishes him the best.
How does a pony do when attempting to fly like an Eagle? Bo Levi Mitchell will try to show us next fall upon officially earning Eastern Washington's starting quarterback job, according to the Spokesman-Review.
Sac State signed a big man who won’t see Big Sky hardwood for a couple years, but there is a more interesting topic unfolding in California’s university systems. UC Davis dropped four sports programs recently, which triggers debate on the heated topic of funding in college athletics.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Bobcats Add LB - Details to Follow
Montana State just added linebacker Roger Trammell to the roster, and he is expected to compete for playing time as a Sam as soon as he arrives. At 6-1, 230, Bobcat linebackers coach Kane Ioane characterizes him as a physical player with the ability to play sideline-to-sideline. For more details, check www.msubobcats.com later this afternoon.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
DAILY DOSE - April 28, 2010
The name Matt Szczur probably doesn’t conjure as vivid an image for Bobcat fans as for their maroon-clad brethren across the Treasure State, but in case you were wondering what the Villanova wide receiver is doing when he’s not leading his team to a football National Championship… the sophomore outfielder, who torched Montana for 271 total yards in last December’s FCS National Championship game as a sophomore receiver/running back, also torched Temple on the diamond yesterday. Baseball America’s hitter of the day hit for the cycle and finished 5-for-5 with four runs scored and five driven in.
Pigskin Ponderings
With a flurry of basketball news (team awards: good; signing a point guard: great!) out of the way, I need to put a bow on spring football with some thoughts left over from the weekend’s Sonny Holland Classic. Some random thoughts…
INJURIES = OPPORTUNITIES: For every player that misses time in during spring drills – and this year the list was lengthy – at least one other player, and often more than one, gains the opportunity to impress. Here is one man’s list of players that responded to opportunity this spring… with Darius Jones and Zach Coleman injured, sophomore walk-on Heath Howard was terrific in a primary role at cornerback, earning Most Improved Defensive Player honors; Denarius McGhee was terrific at quarterback, particularly once Cody Kempt’s spring ended with a knee tweak, but so was backup Cody Davies, who finished the spring getting reps as the number two and finished with a 6-for-10 effort in the finale; Everett Gilbert was hardly an unknown entering the spring, but he took advantage of the chance to enter a new role by playing some running back, and I’m excited to watch how the speedster is used and how he responds to that role in fall camp; with injury epidemics striking the running back and linebacker groups, Cody Kirk proved to be a battering ram back and Aleksei Grosulak stepped up as a physical presence in the middle of the defense; Zach Minter looks for all the world like the next wrecking force on MSU’s front four, and Kruiz Siewing looks like the program’s next small-school (he and his twin brother Kazz hail from Saco, and played football at Malta) star.
LEADERSHIP: One rite of spring I miss is the guessing game former Voice of the Cats Kris Atteberry and I engaged in about who the team’s captains would be coming out of spring ball. This year’s captains were no-brainers to all concerned, earning what Rob Ash characterized as “overwhelming” support from their teammates in entering the captaincy. Person extends the trend of the Bobcat offensive line serving as a leadership point on the team, Rider offers a cool and inspiring walk-on-to-captain tale, and the two give MSU a pair of senior captains from Montana who have done all the right things during their career, and who undoubtedly bring all the positive aspects of college athletics to their role. And make no mistake about it, these two guys have helped lead throughout their careers and would have done so no matter who had officially been elected captain. Congratulations, Michael and Mike – this was an honor well-earned.
WHAT WAS NEW NOW SEEMS OLD: It seems like just a few weeks ago that Brian Wright was MSU’s brand new offensive coordinator and uncertainty surrounded the Bobcat offense. Well, OK, that was true only a few weeks ago, but on concluding spring drills it’s clear that everything that was then new is now old hat. The changes in MSU’s offense are structural in nature – terminology, mostly – but that’s largely because Wright made a decision that will undoubtedly pay dividends in the fall. He reduced the players’ learning curve by jacking up his own. He took it upon himself to adapt to the MSU system in a large way, and what fans saw on the field looked different in only superficial ways. That the change was barely noticeable from the stands and the press box is a tribute to the Bobcat offensive players, but also to a veteran coach who put team success first.
WHERE’S EVERETT? It’s not exactly Mike Garrett running behind Jim Tyrer, but when MSU’s leading receiver Everett Gilbert lines up in the backfield, he offers a dynamic weapon. Gilbert displayed an increasing knack for finding holes from the running back position as the spring went, and continued to offer big-play possibilities whenever he touched the ball. Watching his role evolve and expand will be one of the fascinating developments of fall camp.
--Bill Lamberty, MSU SID
INJURIES = OPPORTUNITIES: For every player that misses time in during spring drills – and this year the list was lengthy – at least one other player, and often more than one, gains the opportunity to impress. Here is one man’s list of players that responded to opportunity this spring… with Darius Jones and Zach Coleman injured, sophomore walk-on Heath Howard was terrific in a primary role at cornerback, earning Most Improved Defensive Player honors; Denarius McGhee was terrific at quarterback, particularly once Cody Kempt’s spring ended with a knee tweak, but so was backup Cody Davies, who finished the spring getting reps as the number two and finished with a 6-for-10 effort in the finale; Everett Gilbert was hardly an unknown entering the spring, but he took advantage of the chance to enter a new role by playing some running back, and I’m excited to watch how the speedster is used and how he responds to that role in fall camp; with injury epidemics striking the running back and linebacker groups, Cody Kirk proved to be a battering ram back and Aleksei Grosulak stepped up as a physical presence in the middle of the defense; Zach Minter looks for all the world like the next wrecking force on MSU’s front four, and Kruiz Siewing looks like the program’s next small-school (he and his twin brother Kazz hail from Saco, and played football at Malta) star.
LEADERSHIP: One rite of spring I miss is the guessing game former Voice of the Cats Kris Atteberry and I engaged in about who the team’s captains would be coming out of spring ball. This year’s captains were no-brainers to all concerned, earning what Rob Ash characterized as “overwhelming” support from their teammates in entering the captaincy. Person extends the trend of the Bobcat offensive line serving as a leadership point on the team, Rider offers a cool and inspiring walk-on-to-captain tale, and the two give MSU a pair of senior captains from Montana who have done all the right things during their career, and who undoubtedly bring all the positive aspects of college athletics to their role. And make no mistake about it, these two guys have helped lead throughout their careers and would have done so no matter who had officially been elected captain. Congratulations, Michael and Mike – this was an honor well-earned.
WHAT WAS NEW NOW SEEMS OLD: It seems like just a few weeks ago that Brian Wright was MSU’s brand new offensive coordinator and uncertainty surrounded the Bobcat offense. Well, OK, that was true only a few weeks ago, but on concluding spring drills it’s clear that everything that was then new is now old hat. The changes in MSU’s offense are structural in nature – terminology, mostly – but that’s largely because Wright made a decision that will undoubtedly pay dividends in the fall. He reduced the players’ learning curve by jacking up his own. He took it upon himself to adapt to the MSU system in a large way, and what fans saw on the field looked different in only superficial ways. That the change was barely noticeable from the stands and the press box is a tribute to the Bobcat offensive players, but also to a veteran coach who put team success first.
WHERE’S EVERETT? It’s not exactly Mike Garrett running behind Jim Tyrer, but when MSU’s leading receiver Everett Gilbert lines up in the backfield, he offers a dynamic weapon. Gilbert displayed an increasing knack for finding holes from the running back position as the spring went, and continued to offer big-play possibilities whenever he touched the ball. Watching his role evolve and expand will be one of the fascinating developments of fall camp.
--Bill Lamberty, MSU SID
Thursday, April 22, 2010
MSU AD Peter Fields: Realignment Coming, But No One Knows How It Will Look
We may be entering the ‘quiet time’ of the college sports year in the northern Rockies, but the buzz in intercollegiate athletics surrounding the possible and anticipated shift in conference alignment is deafening.
The shift in league alliances in the 1990s was significant, to be sure, and it affected the Big Sky Conference and Division I-AA (now the Football Championship Subdivision) in major ways. The events looming on the horizon now appear just as seismic. The key player appears to be the Big 10 Conference, which initiated the current frenzy a few months ago by simply stating that it would entertain expansion. Some sort of formal announcement appears imminent, and once that occurs the wheels should really begin spinning.
A lot of ink and air time have been devoted to sorting that information out without much clarity, so I won’t spend time on that. But the very real question for those of us in Big Sky Country remains: how will this affect us, and what are we doing?
Because this process is centered in the Midwest and East, many dominoes will fall before schools in the West are affected, and even more before FCS schools enter the decision-making process. Adding FCS (or I-AA) schools has always been a last-resort proposition for FBS (or I-A) conferences, and it is highly likely to remain so. But, it remains a very real possibility.
Any movement in our regional FBS leagues – the Mountain West, Pac 10 and WAC – would almost certainly precipitate meaningful discussions of current Big Sky members. University of Montana officials have indicated that they have undertaken an internal feasibility study to determine their level of preparedness.
Since my arrival at MSU in 2002, I’ve built and maintained a strong working knowledge of how our resources fit into the national scale of Division I. My background in the MAC and Big 12, along with my recent work on the NCAA Management Council, have added context.
From our position, a move ‘up’ would involve the addition of 22 football scholarships, and the corresponding addition of the same number of scholarships in women’s programs. Any serious analysis begins with this component: how do you fund these additions, and where do they happen?
There is a hidden side to this element of an upgrade, however. More student-athletes need more support, so our staffing levels would increase in all areas of the department. More student-athletes mean increased staffing in the equipment room, more athletic trainers to facilitate their care, more assistance in the Academic Center to maintain our standards of excellence in that area. Those moves must all be met with increased revenue to match the extra expenditures.
This is a tremendously simplified look at a complex issue, but it gives you a taste of the ideas competing when evaluating the concept of moving to a new league and a new level of competition. Boise State, a Big Sky member as recently as 15 years ago, is the poster child for such a move, particularly BSU’s football program. But for every success story there are many schools that have struggled with such a move.
We have enjoyed considerable success at Montana historically, and over the past decade. Would a move enhance that success, or threaten it?
These discussions are taking place throughout our conference – and throughout our subdivision – with various levels of seriousness. I can assure you we take the impending shift in conferences very seriously. President Cruzado and Vice President Yarnell understand the issues and how they apply to Montana State.
We are in an interesting and volatile period in the continuing timeline of college athletics. Uncertainty is the only real certainty, but we know that Montana State’s rich athletic heritage is something we all cherish and work every day to protect and enhance.
--Peter Fields, MSU Director of Athletics
The shift in league alliances in the 1990s was significant, to be sure, and it affected the Big Sky Conference and Division I-AA (now the Football Championship Subdivision) in major ways. The events looming on the horizon now appear just as seismic. The key player appears to be the Big 10 Conference, which initiated the current frenzy a few months ago by simply stating that it would entertain expansion. Some sort of formal announcement appears imminent, and once that occurs the wheels should really begin spinning.
A lot of ink and air time have been devoted to sorting that information out without much clarity, so I won’t spend time on that. But the very real question for those of us in Big Sky Country remains: how will this affect us, and what are we doing?
Because this process is centered in the Midwest and East, many dominoes will fall before schools in the West are affected, and even more before FCS schools enter the decision-making process. Adding FCS (or I-AA) schools has always been a last-resort proposition for FBS (or I-A) conferences, and it is highly likely to remain so. But, it remains a very real possibility.
Any movement in our regional FBS leagues – the Mountain West, Pac 10 and WAC – would almost certainly precipitate meaningful discussions of current Big Sky members. University of Montana officials have indicated that they have undertaken an internal feasibility study to determine their level of preparedness.
Since my arrival at MSU in 2002, I’ve built and maintained a strong working knowledge of how our resources fit into the national scale of Division I. My background in the MAC and Big 12, along with my recent work on the NCAA Management Council, have added context.
From our position, a move ‘up’ would involve the addition of 22 football scholarships, and the corresponding addition of the same number of scholarships in women’s programs. Any serious analysis begins with this component: how do you fund these additions, and where do they happen?
There is a hidden side to this element of an upgrade, however. More student-athletes need more support, so our staffing levels would increase in all areas of the department. More student-athletes mean increased staffing in the equipment room, more athletic trainers to facilitate their care, more assistance in the Academic Center to maintain our standards of excellence in that area. Those moves must all be met with increased revenue to match the extra expenditures.
This is a tremendously simplified look at a complex issue, but it gives you a taste of the ideas competing when evaluating the concept of moving to a new league and a new level of competition. Boise State, a Big Sky member as recently as 15 years ago, is the poster child for such a move, particularly BSU’s football program. But for every success story there are many schools that have struggled with such a move.
We have enjoyed considerable success at Montana historically, and over the past decade. Would a move enhance that success, or threaten it?
These discussions are taking place throughout our conference – and throughout our subdivision – with various levels of seriousness. I can assure you we take the impending shift in conferences very seriously. President Cruzado and Vice President Yarnell understand the issues and how they apply to Montana State.
We are in an interesting and volatile period in the continuing timeline of college athletics. Uncertainty is the only real certainty, but we know that Montana State’s rich athletic heritage is something we all cherish and work every day to protect and enhance.
--Peter Fields, MSU Director of Athletics
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Conference realignment surfaced as a red-hot topic in intercollegiate athletics since the Big 10 announced over the winter that it would explore adding school pursuant to staging a football championship game. The heat on this topic has risen recently, as other leagues – the Big 12 and Pac 10, specifically – have joined the discussion. Information on realignment at the BCS level emerges almost every day, sometimes by the hour, and it’s easy to find historical information, as well. Dillon Tabish of the Daily Interlake in Kalispell offers a solid, if somewhat griz-centric, local take on the topic.
Bobcat fans rightly wonder what’s cooking with the home team. Find out tomorrow, when MSU Director of Athletics Peter Fields offers his thoughts in this space.
Until then, the important idea to remember is that, outside the Big 10, most of the ongoing communication and negotiation ranges from strictly informal pure speculation. A friend at a school in the West most prominently associated with changing conferences told me recently that his school has not been conversed in any manner at any level about moving, so it seems that the first move is the Big 10’s.
--Bill Lamberty, MSU Sports Information
Bobcat fans rightly wonder what’s cooking with the home team. Find out tomorrow, when MSU Director of Athletics Peter Fields offers his thoughts in this space.
Until then, the important idea to remember is that, outside the Big 10, most of the ongoing communication and negotiation ranges from strictly informal pure speculation. A friend at a school in the West most prominently associated with changing conferences told me recently that his school has not been conversed in any manner at any level about moving, so it seems that the first move is the Big 10’s.
--Bill Lamberty, MSU Sports Information
Monday, April 19, 2010
Bobcat Basketball Recruiting Odds 'n' Ends
WELCOME to the 'CatConnection, MSU Sports Information's first official dalliance with the blogosphere! We're always open to suggestions, questions, comments and, if offered kindly, corrections. This week we'll keep tabs on men's basketball recruiting, the football spring game, and whatever else pops up. Thanks, and Go Cats!
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As MSU's men's basketball coaches continue to scour the country for the last piece(s) of the 2009-10 recruiting class, here are a couple leftover thoughts from last week's NLI signing day...
* Jourdain Allou, originally from Africa's Ivory Coast, becomes the third native of that continent to play basketball for the Bobcats in the past seven seasons. In that regard, Allou has big shoes to fill. Al Beye and Divaldo Mbunga, like Allou both inside players, combined for 1,181 points, 643 rebounds, and 193 blocked shots in their Bobcat careers. Like Al and Divaldo, Jourdain Allou is said to be a high-energy player, and if he is anything like his African predecessors Bobcat fans will love him!
* As currently configured, MSU's 2010 recruiting class is well-decorated. Shawn Reid earned Idaho 5A Player of the Year honors. Blake Brumwell and Tre Johnson earned all-state honors as seniors, while Jordan Salley earned all-state honors as a junior before missing his senior season with an injury.
* Members of this year's recruiting class are no strangers to important games. Chris McCall led his team to a state title in Nevada this year after earning runner-up honors last year. Shawn Reid, Blake Brumwell, Casey Trujeque and Jordan Salley were also members of state championship teams this season, while Jourdain Allou's team qualified for the NJCAA National Championship Tournament twice.
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As MSU's men's basketball coaches continue to scour the country for the last piece(s) of the 2009-10 recruiting class, here are a couple leftover thoughts from last week's NLI signing day...
* Jourdain Allou, originally from Africa's Ivory Coast, becomes the third native of that continent to play basketball for the Bobcats in the past seven seasons. In that regard, Allou has big shoes to fill. Al Beye and Divaldo Mbunga, like Allou both inside players, combined for 1,181 points, 643 rebounds, and 193 blocked shots in their Bobcat careers. Like Al and Divaldo, Jourdain Allou is said to be a high-energy player, and if he is anything like his African predecessors Bobcat fans will love him!
* As currently configured, MSU's 2010 recruiting class is well-decorated. Shawn Reid earned Idaho 5A Player of the Year honors. Blake Brumwell and Tre Johnson earned all-state honors as seniors, while Jordan Salley earned all-state honors as a junior before missing his senior season with an injury.
* Members of this year's recruiting class are no strangers to important games. Chris McCall led his team to a state title in Nevada this year after earning runner-up honors last year. Shawn Reid, Blake Brumwell, Casey Trujeque and Jordan Salley were also members of state championship teams this season, while Jourdain Allou's team qualified for the NJCAA National Championship Tournament twice.
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